Championship Game Thoughts

Super Bowl 50 is now set.

Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers. Santa Clara. Two weeks.

AFC Championship
Denver Broncos 20
New England Patriots 18

It was all Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady over the past week. The 17th time that the two quarterbacking greats had met in a game. That really is a remarkable number of games. For comparison, Dan Marino and John Elway were on the opposing sidelines only three times. We can thank realignment and the current scheduling formula for the large number of Manning-Brady games.

While it was fun seeing Manning and Brady on the same field this game was more about the defenses. It looked like a defensive dual between Broncos linebacker Von Miller and Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins. Each were all over the field. Each wrecked much of what the respective offenses were trying to do. Miller had five total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and an interception. It was the first time that a player had sacked and intercepted Brady in the same game. Collins had 8 total tackles and 2 sacks. Both players were incredible all game.

Miller and Collins weren't the only defensive players that flashed in this game. There were many terrific defensive performances on both teams. Malcolm Butler, Dontae Hightower, and Alan Branch stood out for the Patriots. Derek Wolfe, Malik Jackson, Chris Harris, and Aqib Talib stood out for the Broncos.

The Broncos defense was outstanding all game. About the only thing that they didn't do right was keep their safeties healthy. Neither T.J. Ward nor Darian Stewart finished the game. Brady threw for over 300 yards but they were hard earned yards. Many of those yards were gained in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Brady was running for his life from his first drop back to his last. He even led the Patriots in rushing with 13 yards. That says a lot. Miller was a pass rushing nightmare for most of the game. When the Patriots put more resources on him DeMarcus Ware took over. There was always a Broncos defender or more in his face.

The defense put the Broncos in the Super Bowl. The Patriots had the ball in the red zone three times in the final seven minutes. They only scored six points. They finally scored that touchdown on the third trip to the red zone. The Broncos defense kept the Patriots from scoring the 2-pt. extra point that they needed to force overtime. The Broncos actually intercepted Brady's pass on the 2-pt. attempt.

The more I think about the Broncos defensive performance the better it gets. They did it by pass rush. They did it by scheme. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips called a brilliant game. They were in a dime defense the majority of the game. Brady was harassed all game and he had to fit the ball in itty-bitty windows while being harassed. A great defensive game.

The Broncos offense did most of their good work in the early part of the game. Peyton Manning had two touchdown tosses to tight Owen Daniels by the time the game was a little more than a quarter old. The Broncos managed to end the first half with a long field goal and 17-9 half time lead. They managed a fourth quarter field goal and the defense did the rest.

The Patriots defense was nearly as outstanding as the Broncos defense after they gave up those two Broncos touchdowns. Unfortunately they gave up those two Broncos touchdowns.

This was an entertaining football game. For those that are fans of defense this was a great game.

NFC Championship
Carolina Panthers 49
Arizona Cardinals 15

This game might have been a gas for Panthers fans but it was a disaster for just about everyone else.

It was 17-0 Panthers before the Cardinals seemed aware that they were involved in a football game. Cardinals running back David Johnson looked like the only player in red that was engaged in the game. When he scored to make it 17-7 the rest of the Cardinals woke up. The defense forced the Panther to go three-and-out and it looked like the Cardinals had something going. Momentum and the ball. Until Patrick Peterson muffed the punt. The Panthers recovered and the game was soon no longer a game.

There's the game summary but that summary really isn't fair to the Panthers.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was great. Passing the ball, running the ball, controlling the game. He made it all look so easy. Newton has been a very good football player since his rookie season. He's been much better than that this season. He's the MVP. He deserves to be the MVP. This game might have been his best game. He did miss high on a deep pass that ended up in the hands of Cardinals corner Patrick Peterson. That was the only hiccup that I recall. He just made the rest of the game look so damn easy.

You know things are going well for the Panthers when Ted Ginn makes an impact on offense. He had a nifty 22-yard run for the first touchdown of the game. He also caught two passes for 52 yards. His best play might have been the one in which he tackled Peterson on the interception return. Ginn might have saved a touchdown on the play. A touchdown that might have turned this runaway into a game. He chased Peterson for about 80 yards.

The Panthers defense was great. They played most of the game without linebacker Thomas Davis and safety Roman Harper. They played all of it without defensive end Jared Allen. Hopefully all three are back for the Super Bowl in two weeks. That Broncos-Panthers matchup could be an incredible defensive display.

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer had a rough postseason. He made it through the Divisional game against the Green Bay Packers but couldn't get past the Panthers defense. He was playing through a finger injury and it really showed. All season Palmer made throws that few quarterbacks can make. He made throws that he hasn't made since his early days with the Cincinnati Bengals. It was disappointing to see him struggle so much in the playoffs. He really had a rough day yesterday. Four interceptions. 2 fumbles. It's a real shame after the great season that he had.

Cam Newton poses a unique challenge to any defense. I look forward to see what Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has planned for him.

Congratulations to the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.

The finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award were announced yesterday.

Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers
Eli Manning, New York Giants
Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints

Congratulations to the finalists.

Congratulations also to the 29 other nominees. All 32 nominated players, and so many players that weren't, are doing deeds in the community that are deserving of this honor.