Jaw dropping hits, heroic touchdown receptions and clutch field goals mean that once again it is time for the NFL playoffs. The shocking weekend of NFL action leaves one pondering who will become this year’s Super Bowl Champion with the defeat of the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts and reigning champion team, the New England Patriots.
The only home team to win a game last weekend was the Seattle Seahawks. They impressively beat the defensively talented Washington Redskins 20-10 despite the concussion suffered by NFL MVP Shawn Alexander.
On Jan. 14, the Denver Broncos hosted last season’s champion, the New England Patriots, in a classic football match-up. However, The Broncos achieved a 27-13 victory by capitalizing on 5 Patriot turnovers.
On Jan. 15, the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since the Steelers claimed the final Wild Card spot in the AFC, the conference winning Colts were heavily favored.
The first three quarters were dominated by the balanced running of the Steelers offense giving them a 21-3 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the colts scored 15 unanswered points putting them within a field goal of sending the game into overtime. Mike Vanderjagt missed a 46-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining in the game giving the Steelers a victory over the top team in the AFC.
The final game of the weekend was between the defensively strong Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. However, the game became high scoring as the Panthers edged the Bears 29-21, according to ESPN.
Next weekend the Denver Broncos will host the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only way the Broncos can be victorious is by forcing turnovers.
The Steelers are one of the most dominant run teams in football. They run a balanced attack with Willie Parker, an outside threat, and Jerome Bettis, who is destined for the Hall of Fame because of his ability to score touchdowns and pick up tough yards. If the Steelers can dictate the game early by running well, they should have no problem defeating the Denver Broncos.
There are many question marks involved in the NFC championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers. In last weekend’s game, both teams lost their feature running backs due to injury.
If Shawn Alexander is unable to play at a strong level against the Panthers this could destroy the balance in the Seahawks offense forcing them to pass the ball. The Panthers defense could easily take control of this game.
With aggressive pass rushers like Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker, and hard-hitting safety like Mike Minter in the secondary, the Seahawk offense will have trouble scoring points.
The Panthers should not have much difficulty achieving a victory because the talented Steve Smith should produce enough offense to enable a Panther’s victory in what will be a relatively low-scoring affair.
With Carolina and Pittsburgh victories, Super Bowl XL in Detroit will be set. Although Carolina and Pittsburgh do not appear to be the two most fitting teams for Super Bowl, they seem to have the strongest chances of playing in this historic game.
The game should be an incredible battle. Both Carolina and Pittsburgh are strong defensive teams who are accustomed to dominating games from the very beginning. The game will not be won by which offense plays stronger; it will be dominated by which team forces more turnovers and gives their offense good field position to score rare points.
Hopefully the game will come down to the very end because both of these teams are strong enough to be victorious in this match-up.
I believe that Carolina will ultimately be victorious. Carolina’s defense is at about the same level as Pittsburgh’s, however, Steve Smith has the potential to dominate any game.
According to ESPN, Steve Smith caught 12 passes for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns on Jan 15. A performance half as dominating as his most recent should be enough to ensure a victory for Carolina.
As long as Carolina prevents turnovers and gives the ball to Steve Smith, they should be able to squeak away as the 2005-2006 Super Bowl champions.