Well the season is just about over.  30 teams have packed their bags for home and now only two remain for pro football’s ultimate prize.  It’s interesting how both the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots got here, but for now let’s go into the games before we talk more about each team’s miraculous journey.

NFC Championship:  Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks

What I Thought was going to Happen:  The Seahawks would secure a double-digit victory, and within the friendly confines of Century Link Field (where they had won eight straight home playoff games), they would cruise to an easy win.  Aaron Rodgers would be unable to get anything going on offense, and Seattle’s defense would be too much for them.

What Actually Happened:  Well it wasn’t easy but the Seahawks won Sunday’s game.  Despite being down 16-0, they were able to respond very well and overcome four Russell Wilson interceptions.  It was a wild game.  From John Ryan’s surprise touchdown pass on a field goal fake to make the score 16-7, to the onside kick recovery with a little more than two minutes remaining, this was a game for the ages.  I think I speak for everyone when I say that the Seahawks didn’t deserve to win this game.  Sometimes though you’d rather be lucky than good.  The Seahawks won 28-22 in overtime off of a Russell Wilson touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse.

Green Bay won the 2003 Wild Card game in overtime against the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 33-27 because of an Al Harris interception return for a touchdown.  This of course was after Matt Hasselbeck infamously decreed “we want the ball and we’re going to score” after the Seahawks won the coin toss.  Thankfully for Seahawks fans that bad luck didn’t happen again.

What I Learned:  The Legion of Boom is banged up, but man this team can fight.  I have never been prouder to be a fan of this team.  Green Bay will remain a contender for years to come, but one can’t help but wonder how many years Aaron Rodgers has as an elite quarterback.  Only time will tell.  Anyways on to the AFC.

AFC Championship:  Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots 

What I Thought was Going to Happen:  The Patriots would win by double digits and pound their ticket to Glendale.

What Actually Happened:  The Patriots did more than just that.  They crushed the Colts.  In a rout New England won by a score of 45-7, with Tom Brady throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns and LaGarrette Blount rushed for 148 yards and added three touchdowns of his own.  Now there’s still the issue with “Deflate-Gate”, but the Patriots were going to win this either way.  Allegedly 11 of the 12 football’s found were deflated according to an NFL investigation.  Whether New England uses this strategy again is completely up to their staff, but expect the NFL to keep a very close eye on this team.  It’s a shame because I was really starting to like these guys.

What I Learned:  New England is still an elite team, and one would be a fool not to consider them the class of the AFC.  Many people proclaimed this team dead after a Monday Night Football rout by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, but this team definitely responded to that criticism.  As for Andrew Luck, he definitely took a major step to becoming an elite NFL quarterback.  New England may be his nemesis for a while, like a certain other Colts quarterback.  Expect good football out of both these teams for years to come.

This was my second to last football post.  I will probably be doing a preview of Super Bowl 49 sometime in the near future.  As for basketball and college basketball I will probably focus more on that once football season is over.  A huge matchup between the East leading Atlanta Hawks and the West leading Golden State Warriors is on the horizon after the Super Bowl.  Expect more basketball coverage out of me then.  Also will Kentucky ever lose or are they just that good?  How good is the Big 12?  Will the Washington State Cougars be decent this year?  Stay Tuned!

HOHOHO!