Well, the Divisional Round was a slight step down from the Wild Card Round in terms of excitement. After a Wild-Card round that featured two games that could potentially go in the Top-10 of the post-realignment Wild Card Games, but none of the Divisional Round games will even go in the Top-15. Anyway, it does set us up for a potentially amazing Championship Sunday, if not a potentially harrowing one for yours truly.
Player of the Week - Earl Thomas (S - SEA)
He did drop an interception that became a 52-yard pass (Byron Maxwell also going for the interception did not help), but man was Earl Thomas incredible. The whole Seattle pass defense lived up to their expectations for 57.5 minutes (and if Marshawn Lynch went down at the 1, it would have been the whole game) and Thomas was the star. He draped Graham when he covered him, played amazing zone, helped in the run game. He's become the next Ed Reed, one of the best recent secondary players drafted in the NFL.
Runner Up - LeGarrette Blunt (RB - NE)
Blount's day until the 73-yard run really was more about him vulturing TDs, but he was still a load to bring down all game. He has sneaky breakaway speed as well, as it was the 2nd game in a row he had a long TD scamper after breaking some tackles at the LOS. He was really good for Tampa in 2010, and he's rediscovered that form in the best way.
Goat of the Week - Jimmy Graham (TE - NO)
This is the natural complement to my Player of the Week. While Thomas excelled when he covered Graham, the league's best TE was a no-show. In arguably two of the biggest games of the season for the Saints (@NE in the regular season), Graham had 1 catch. He was dominated by that physical secondary, unable to break press coverage. That doesn't happen to Rob Gronkowski. It doesn't happen to the best TEs in history. It happens to Graham a little too much.
Runner Up - Greg Hardy (DE - CAR)
Greg Hardy made himself a lot of money with his dominant performances in Weeks 16-17. He may have lost some with his relative no-show in the Divisional Round loss. He wasn't invisible, as he got a few pressures on Kaepernick, but he was a nothing in the run game, and Joe Staley dominated him. The Panthers needed Hardy when Johnson pulled up lame on the first play, and he did not show up.
Surprise of the Week - Anquan Boldin (WR - SF)
Anquan Boldin was a really good player back in the day with the Cardinals. He was an overrated receiver in Baltimore. He was a great receiver for one game with San Francisco. He was then sort of lost when Crabtree came back, but in a game where Crabtree did nothing, and Vernon Davis was relatively quiet, Boldin was dominant against Carolina, winning against press coverage, finding holes, running good routes. He did everything.
Runner Up - Shaun Phillips (DE - SD)
When Von Miller went down, and Derek Wolfe went down, someone needed to step up for Denver's pass rush. Phillips, who was very good early in the season when Miller was suspended, was that guy. Man, was he good against San Diego. He'll need to be at least that good against New England for Denver to prevail.
Disappointment of the Week - Panthers' Red Zone Offense
Ron Rivera was right the first time to go for it on 4th down. They didn't get it, but the negative side of the scenario worked perfectly. San Francisco went three-and-out, the Panthers got great field position, and scored one play later. They went back in the red zone and didn't score another time, and because of their six failed attempts from the 3, 2, or 1 yard-line, Rivera decided to kick a field goal the 2nd time. The Panthers lost the game right there, a game they were absolutely DOMINATING up until that point. Even if they fail the 2nd time, an up-to-that-point impotent 49ers' offense wasn't going 99 yards for a TD. It was a mistake by Rivera to kick a field goal, but it's hard to blame him when none of the Panthers red-zone plays came close to scoring.
Runner Up - Carl Cheffers' Crew
I'm focusing a lot on the 49ers-Panthers game because contrary to popular belief, I think if they play that game 10 times in Carolina, the Panthers win 6 of them. Cheffers' crew gave the 49ers six-points early when their offense did nothing. They PF call on Mitchell for hte hit on Boldin was idiotic. The PF on Munnerlyn for the headbutt was bad, but made so much worse when they didn't call the EXACT SAME THING on Boldin. Just a mess of a game by a referee who never seemed all that great anyway.
Team Performance of the Week - Denver Broncos Defense
Yes, the Broncos defense didn't have the greatest 4th quarter, but the first two TDs came against semi-prevent. The Broncos defense did hold San Diego to a field goal after the recovered onside kick. Anyway, back to the part that backs up my choice. The Broncos defense was dominant in the first three quarters. They held the Chargers, the 2nd best offense in the NFL by DVOA, to 54 yards in the 1st-half, and one net-yard passing. They controlled that game, never allowing the Chargers to get into any type of rhythm. On a day the offense left about 17 points on the field, the Broncos defense didn't make it matter.
Runner Up - San Francisco 49ers Offense
The Panthers defense is really good. Despite what happened on Sunday, they still are really good. I firmly believe they are the 2nd best defense in the league. That's why I was so impressed by the San Francisco offense. Kaepernick still has major accuracy issues, but when he can run, and Gore can run, and the offense can be designed so well, it doesn't matter. The 49ers offense was awesome in the 2nd half, sucking the life out of the Panthers defense. Bravo!
Team Laydown of the Week - Indianapolis Colts Rush Defense
Some credit goes to the Patriots running backs and their ever-excellent o-line, but man was the Colts rush defense terrible. The Colts aren't a good rush-defense, but they were in their biggest wins (Seattle, Denver). They seemed to not be aware of what the Patriots were going to do, and after it became obvious the Patriots were going to stick with the run, they didn't do anything to adjust. The Colts aren't as good as the Patriots, and I'm probably being hard on an already below-average unit, but the rush defense needed to show up and it most certainly did not.
Runner Up - New Orleans Saints Offense
The Saints decided to run a lot. That's great, but they also decided to tell the Seahawks that they were going to run a lot, by lining up in way too many two or three TE sets. They basically forfeited the passing game until they were way down. The run game worked, but they weren't going to win that game unless their passing game made some plays and they made about zero of them. Brees wasn't great, but Graham was a nothing, all the receivers apart from Colston were invisible, and the RBs dropped umpteen screen passes. Not a great game for the final memory of Payton's first season back.
Storyline that will be Beat Into The Ground this Week - Peyton Manning is playing for his legacy!!!!
If Peyton Manning's TEAM loses this game to Tom Brady's TEAM, than he will be ruined. If his TEAM fails to beat their TEAM, then Manning will go down as the ultimate choker of all times. If his TEAM gives up another 4th quarter lead that Manning's offense leads them to, or if his TEAM allows the other TEAM to recover an onside kick, or if his TEAM allows the other TEAM to complete a hail mary, or his TEAM allows the other TEAM to recover a surprise onside kick, or his TEAM allows the other TEAM to drive for a TD with a backup QB, or his TEAM doesn't remember the snap count, then he will be the chokeriest choker who ever choked.
Storyline that SHOULD be Beat Into The Ground this Week - Are the 49ers more likely to give Seattle a game this time around?
Everyone is loving this 49ers @ Seahawks game. It is probably the best intra-division rivalry currently in the NFL getting a 3rd matchup for a spot in the Super Bowl. It harkens back to 2008 (my favorite NFL season - [ADD LINK HERE]), when the Steelers adn Ravens staged Round 3 in the AFC Championship Game. That game lived up to most of the hype. The Steelers won kind of comfortably, but there were tons of big hits and physical play. This should be the same thing, but let's look back at the last two times the 49ers went to Seattle. Last year, they lost 41-14. This year, they lost 26-3. Now, both games were probably a little closer than the score, and was pushed to a blowout because of turnovers, but when that happens two years in a row it might mean something. The 2013 NFC Championship Game has a lot to live up to, as the last three times the NFC had the 2nd Title Game, two of their NFC teams staged a classic (Giants beating the Packers and 49ers in ()T in '07 and '11, and the Vikings @ Saints game in 2009). I hope this game comes close to those three, but I'll settle for a repeat of the 2008 AFC Championship Game. Either way, I still think the Panthers @ Seahawks would have been a more compelling game, if less compelling matchup. As someone who would watch anyway, I would take the more compelling game each time.
Player of the Week - Earl Thomas (S - SEA)
He did drop an interception that became a 52-yard pass (Byron Maxwell also going for the interception did not help), but man was Earl Thomas incredible. The whole Seattle pass defense lived up to their expectations for 57.5 minutes (and if Marshawn Lynch went down at the 1, it would have been the whole game) and Thomas was the star. He draped Graham when he covered him, played amazing zone, helped in the run game. He's become the next Ed Reed, one of the best recent secondary players drafted in the NFL.
Runner Up - LeGarrette Blunt (RB - NE)
Blount's day until the 73-yard run really was more about him vulturing TDs, but he was still a load to bring down all game. He has sneaky breakaway speed as well, as it was the 2nd game in a row he had a long TD scamper after breaking some tackles at the LOS. He was really good for Tampa in 2010, and he's rediscovered that form in the best way.
Goat of the Week - Jimmy Graham (TE - NO)
This is the natural complement to my Player of the Week. While Thomas excelled when he covered Graham, the league's best TE was a no-show. In arguably two of the biggest games of the season for the Saints (@NE in the regular season), Graham had 1 catch. He was dominated by that physical secondary, unable to break press coverage. That doesn't happen to Rob Gronkowski. It doesn't happen to the best TEs in history. It happens to Graham a little too much.
Runner Up - Greg Hardy (DE - CAR)
Greg Hardy made himself a lot of money with his dominant performances in Weeks 16-17. He may have lost some with his relative no-show in the Divisional Round loss. He wasn't invisible, as he got a few pressures on Kaepernick, but he was a nothing in the run game, and Joe Staley dominated him. The Panthers needed Hardy when Johnson pulled up lame on the first play, and he did not show up.
Surprise of the Week - Anquan Boldin (WR - SF)
Anquan Boldin was a really good player back in the day with the Cardinals. He was an overrated receiver in Baltimore. He was a great receiver for one game with San Francisco. He was then sort of lost when Crabtree came back, but in a game where Crabtree did nothing, and Vernon Davis was relatively quiet, Boldin was dominant against Carolina, winning against press coverage, finding holes, running good routes. He did everything.
Runner Up - Shaun Phillips (DE - SD)
When Von Miller went down, and Derek Wolfe went down, someone needed to step up for Denver's pass rush. Phillips, who was very good early in the season when Miller was suspended, was that guy. Man, was he good against San Diego. He'll need to be at least that good against New England for Denver to prevail.
Disappointment of the Week - Panthers' Red Zone Offense
Ron Rivera was right the first time to go for it on 4th down. They didn't get it, but the negative side of the scenario worked perfectly. San Francisco went three-and-out, the Panthers got great field position, and scored one play later. They went back in the red zone and didn't score another time, and because of their six failed attempts from the 3, 2, or 1 yard-line, Rivera decided to kick a field goal the 2nd time. The Panthers lost the game right there, a game they were absolutely DOMINATING up until that point. Even if they fail the 2nd time, an up-to-that-point impotent 49ers' offense wasn't going 99 yards for a TD. It was a mistake by Rivera to kick a field goal, but it's hard to blame him when none of the Panthers red-zone plays came close to scoring.
Runner Up - Carl Cheffers' Crew
I'm focusing a lot on the 49ers-Panthers game because contrary to popular belief, I think if they play that game 10 times in Carolina, the Panthers win 6 of them. Cheffers' crew gave the 49ers six-points early when their offense did nothing. They PF call on Mitchell for hte hit on Boldin was idiotic. The PF on Munnerlyn for the headbutt was bad, but made so much worse when they didn't call the EXACT SAME THING on Boldin. Just a mess of a game by a referee who never seemed all that great anyway.
Team Performance of the Week - Denver Broncos Defense
Yes, the Broncos defense didn't have the greatest 4th quarter, but the first two TDs came against semi-prevent. The Broncos defense did hold San Diego to a field goal after the recovered onside kick. Anyway, back to the part that backs up my choice. The Broncos defense was dominant in the first three quarters. They held the Chargers, the 2nd best offense in the NFL by DVOA, to 54 yards in the 1st-half, and one net-yard passing. They controlled that game, never allowing the Chargers to get into any type of rhythm. On a day the offense left about 17 points on the field, the Broncos defense didn't make it matter.
Runner Up - San Francisco 49ers Offense
The Panthers defense is really good. Despite what happened on Sunday, they still are really good. I firmly believe they are the 2nd best defense in the league. That's why I was so impressed by the San Francisco offense. Kaepernick still has major accuracy issues, but when he can run, and Gore can run, and the offense can be designed so well, it doesn't matter. The 49ers offense was awesome in the 2nd half, sucking the life out of the Panthers defense. Bravo!
Team Laydown of the Week - Indianapolis Colts Rush Defense
Some credit goes to the Patriots running backs and their ever-excellent o-line, but man was the Colts rush defense terrible. The Colts aren't a good rush-defense, but they were in their biggest wins (Seattle, Denver). They seemed to not be aware of what the Patriots were going to do, and after it became obvious the Patriots were going to stick with the run, they didn't do anything to adjust. The Colts aren't as good as the Patriots, and I'm probably being hard on an already below-average unit, but the rush defense needed to show up and it most certainly did not.
Runner Up - New Orleans Saints Offense
The Saints decided to run a lot. That's great, but they also decided to tell the Seahawks that they were going to run a lot, by lining up in way too many two or three TE sets. They basically forfeited the passing game until they were way down. The run game worked, but they weren't going to win that game unless their passing game made some plays and they made about zero of them. Brees wasn't great, but Graham was a nothing, all the receivers apart from Colston were invisible, and the RBs dropped umpteen screen passes. Not a great game for the final memory of Payton's first season back.
Storyline that will be Beat Into The Ground this Week - Peyton Manning is playing for his legacy!!!!
If Peyton Manning's TEAM loses this game to Tom Brady's TEAM, than he will be ruined. If his TEAM fails to beat their TEAM, then Manning will go down as the ultimate choker of all times. If his TEAM gives up another 4th quarter lead that Manning's offense leads them to, or if his TEAM allows the other TEAM to recover an onside kick, or if his TEAM allows the other TEAM to complete a hail mary, or his TEAM allows the other TEAM to recover a surprise onside kick, or his TEAM allows the other TEAM to drive for a TD with a backup QB, or his TEAM doesn't remember the snap count, then he will be the chokeriest choker who ever choked.
Storyline that SHOULD be Beat Into The Ground this Week - Are the 49ers more likely to give Seattle a game this time around?
Everyone is loving this 49ers @ Seahawks game. It is probably the best intra-division rivalry currently in the NFL getting a 3rd matchup for a spot in the Super Bowl. It harkens back to 2008 (my favorite NFL season - [ADD LINK HERE]), when the Steelers adn Ravens staged Round 3 in the AFC Championship Game. That game lived up to most of the hype. The Steelers won kind of comfortably, but there were tons of big hits and physical play. This should be the same thing, but let's look back at the last two times the 49ers went to Seattle. Last year, they lost 41-14. This year, they lost 26-3. Now, both games were probably a little closer than the score, and was pushed to a blowout because of turnovers, but when that happens two years in a row it might mean something. The 2013 NFC Championship Game has a lot to live up to, as the last three times the NFC had the 2nd Title Game, two of their NFC teams staged a classic (Giants beating the Packers and 49ers in ()T in '07 and '11, and the Vikings @ Saints game in 2009). I hope this game comes close to those three, but I'll settle for a repeat of the 2008 AFC Championship Game. Either way, I still think the Panthers @ Seahawks would have been a more compelling game, if less compelling matchup. As someone who would watch anyway, I would take the more compelling game each time.
