NFL Championship Games Set

COLTS v PATRIOTS and PACKERS v SEAHAWKS

The teamswho will compete for the AFC and NFC Championship games have been decided on the field of play. The Colts will travel to New England to take on the Patriots while the Packers will head west to face the defending Super Bowl Champion, Seattle Seahawks.

The Colts upset the reigning AFC Champion Denver Broncos, in Denver, 24-13 behind Andrew Lucks' 265 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and the running of Daniel Herron who ran for 63 yards and a TD. The Indianapolis defense held Peyton Manning to just 211 yards and a touchdown while limiting the Broncos to 88 yards on the grond with no touchdowns.
Read the Grantland.com Piece here.


The upset minded Ravens were unable to overcome the play calling, Coach Harbaugh called it cheating, in the 35-31 loss to the Patriots. This despite having lead the Patriots twice by 14 points. Joe Flacco threw for 292 yards and 4 touchdowns but threw 2 interceptions, the last with 1:39 left on the clock and the Ravens driving. The Ravens defense held the Patriots to 14 yards on 13 carries but allowed Tom Brady to score on a 1 yard QB keeper. Brady meanwhile, threw for 367 yards and 3 touchdowns and Julian Edelman threw a 51 yard TD strike to Danny Amendola.

In the NFC, the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks used 3 touchdown passes from Russell Wilson and a smothering defense to defeat the 8-8-1 Carolina Panthers 31-17. Wilson threw for 268 yards with no interceptions and the the Seahawks rushed for 100 yards. Jermaine Kearse, Luke Willson and Doug Baldwin caught the TD passes from Wilson.

The Cowboys came up 1 play short of defeating the Green Bay Packers, who won the game 26-21. Aaron Rodgers threw for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions while Tony Romo tossed the ball 19 times and completed 15 of them for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. Demarco Murray carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards and a touchdown but the play that will be remembered will be Dez Bryant's non catch of a 4th and 2 pass from Romo that turned the ball over to the Packers on downs and let Green Bay run out the clock.

Cowboys Take Down Seahawks 30-23

The Dallas Cowboys controlled the offensive line of scrimmage to rush for 162 yards on the ground as the Cowboys defeated the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks 30-23.

Tony Romo passed for 250 yards on a 21/ 32 day with 2 TDs and no INTs. Both touchdown passes were caught by tight ends. Jason Witten had 2 catches for 24 yards and a TD while Gavin Escobar had 1 catch for 2 yards and the other passing touchdown.

Demarco Murray ran for 115 yards on 29 carries for his 6th straight 100 yard game and Joseph Randle added 52 yards on the ground.

Dan Bailey kicked 3 FGs for the 'Boys.

Russell Wilson was 14 for 28 with no TDs and 1 INT. He did have a rushimg touchdown. Seattle LB Mike Morgan returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a score for the only other touchdown for Seattle. Scott Hauschka kicked 3 FGs for the Seahawks.

Read the ESPN article here.

Seattle Seahawks Defeat Washington Redskins 27-17 on MNF

Monday Night Football can get a little crazy. Last week the New England Patriots, and Tom Brady, were blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs and last night a Seattle Seahawks team that was far superior to it's opponent, the Washington Redskins, stumbled it's way to a 27-17 victory that should never have been that close.

Percy Harvin, of the Seahawks, had 3 touchdown receptions called back due to penalities or the score would have been much higher. The 'Hawks were called for 13 penalties that cost them those 3 touchdowns and 90 yards of offense.

Russell Wilson connected on 18 of 24 pass attempts for 201 yards and touchdown passes to Jermaine Kearse and Marshawn Lynch. Wilson also rushed for 122 yards on 11 carries to join Michael Vick and Terrelle Pryor as the only QBs with multiple 100 yard games in a season in the last 10 years.

Seattle jumped out to an early 17-0 lead on a TD pass from Wilson, a field goal and an 8 yard run by Wilson. By the middle of the second quarter it appeared this game too would become a blowout. At halftime the Redskins had rushed for just 25 yards and passed for 93 yards.

Washington managed to score just before halftime when Kirk Cousins connected on a 60 yard scoring strike to Desean Jackson to narrow the score to 17-7. Jackson became the second player this year, along with Darren Sproles of the Eagles, with multiple 50+ yard scoring plays.

The Redskins pulled to within a touchdown (24-17) of the Seahawks with 3:35 to go in the game on a Cousins to Andre Roberts TD pass that capped an 11 play 80 yard drive for Washington.

Seattle took the ensuing kickoff 55 yards and Steve Hauschka kicked a field goal with :21 left in the game to make the final score 27-17.

Jay Gruden, Washington coach, had this to say about last night's game, "Overall, as a group offensively, our running game's not quite good enough. Obviously our deep passing game's not quite good enough. We're not quite good enough anywhere."

Seattle climbs to 4-1 in the NFL West while the Redskins fall to 1-4 in the NFL East.

Washinton Redskins Host Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football

I gave the Redskins a 1 chance in a thousand to beat the Seahawks tonight. It's not that I think Seattle is that much better then the 'Skins. It's just that this Washington team has no direction. Their offense, sans RGIII, is rudderless. Their defense can't perform up to their potential if they spend the amount of time on the field that long drives by Seattle will force them to.

Russell Wilson is a better quarterback than Kurk Cousins. That is non debatable. But Wilson can be forced into mistakes. IF the Redskins can force mistakes early AND take advantage of them the game will be close.

If Seattle engineers long drives and keeps the washington defense on the field this game will be over by the end of the first half.

Terry Blount and John Klein have a very good preview of the game tonight here on ESPN

Check it out.