Wednesday Morning QB (Championship Weekend)
The Conference Championships would take the focus this week in the NFL with two of the biggest matchups of the year. It was the way many had envisioned that the playoffs would travel and the way that many hoped it would work out. In the AFC it was the top team in Denver welcoming the #2 team in New England for a chance to play in the Super Bowl. The Broncos and Patriots were seen as the two teams that were considered the two best teams heading into the season. The Broncos had Peyton Manning and a great offence that would turn out to be the best offence in the history of the league. The Patriots had the combination of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and have almost never been considered underdogs since both took over the team. In the NFC it was the biggest rivalry in the league today as the Seattle would welcome San Francisco into the loudest stadium in the league. The once terrible NFC West had now produced the teams in the Championship and neither team liked each other. The 49ers had Colin Kaepernick and one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. The Seahawks would have Russell Wilson under centre and the best pass defence in the NFL this year. The matchups were what everyone wanted as they would pit the best against the best. As the weekend approached one thought emerged about both of the matchups though as the most important position in football took focus. The Quarterback is widely regarded as the most important position on any team and although they can’t do it all themselves, without a good QB a team will go nowhere. The four QBs in the conference championships would perfectly display the NFL in where they have been and where they will go. In the AFC it was a matchup of the old school with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady facing off for the 7th time in their long careers. Brady and Manning have long been considered the two best QBs in the era and represent the classic pocket passer. Both QBs are known for their ability to stay in the pocket and make plays with their arms in a style that used to be the mold for a QB. They have been the style that people have built their entire games off of and when all is said and done both will find themselves in the Hall of Fame. It would be Peyton Manning that would come out on top in this game using his understanding of the game to pick apart the New England defence and take the win to make his second Super Bowl appearance ever. In the NFC there was Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick both new to the NFL with Kaepernick starting his first full season and Wilson in his second season as a starter. They would go into the game representing the future of the position as both have good arms and can make plays in the pocket but have the athletic ability to run when in trouble or in designed plays. They are two of the best athletic quarterbacks in the game and they are bringing the new era of QBs to the NFL. Although the defences were a big part to the game it was the QBs and their rivalry that has formed with both of them rising at the same time to lead two teams back to the top. Russell Wilson would come out on top in the NFC Championship though as Kaepernick would make too many mistakes while Wilson stayed calm and collected to bring Seattle to the Super Bowl. Now the Super Bowl will match two very different QBs against each other in a matchup of old school versus new school as Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson will lead their teams into New York for Super Bowl XLVII.
Fifth Quarter:
(Quick Thoughts on Championship Week)
Worst Play Ever
Bill Belichick would make his feelings known when he said that the pick on Aqib Talib laid by Wes Welker was the worst play that he had ever seen with the play taking Talib out of the game in what was a questionable at best
Sore Winning
The Seahawks would win their game with a last second tip by Richard Sherman that would end the 49ers drive and put the Seahawks into the Super Bowl but the most talked about part of the night ended up being Richard Sherman’s rant after the game that portrayed him as a terrible winner
One Left
The coaching carousel is almost done spinning with one team left to hire a coach as the Cleveland Browns would fire their first year coach after the season and have now outwaited every other team to name a new coach
Conference Championships
American Football Conference:
Denver Broncos 26 – 16 New England Patriots
– it was another matchup between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning but this time Manning came out on top with the Denver defence shutting down Tom Brady and giving Manning a chance to add a second Super Bowl to his award collection
National Football Conference:
Seattle Seahawks 23 – 17 San Francisco 49ers
– It is the best rivalry in the NFL right now as two teams that used to be at the bottom of the conference are playing for the conference title with the Seahawks winning the game and booking a ticket to Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII:
Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos (Sunday February 2nd; 6:30 pm ET)
– The best pass defence in the NFL will look to limit the best offence in the NFL as Peyton Manning will now play the ultimate mind game against the one team that may be able to stop him in what looks to be a great matchup in the first outdoor Super Bowl in the Northern USA
The Sport Addiction 