There could not be a better week to write my inaugural recap of this past week in sports. We witnessed one postseason get on their way as the NFL Wild Card round took place this past weekend, and saw another postseason come to an end last night in the BCS National Championship.
To begin with last night’s game, there was much anticipation for the “rematch of the century”, between No. 2 Alabama and No.1 and undefeated LSU.
Back on Nov. 5, the Tigers invaded Bryant-Denny Stadium and came out victorious in overtime, 9-6. In that game, ironically enough, the Crimson Tide struggle with their kicking game going only 2-6. Fast-forwarding back to the National Championship, Alabama came into the game motivated to knock of their conference rival in their home away from home, New Orleans.
Just like many, I expected the rematch to be a defensive struggle. The one thing I did not expect for it to be so one-sided. Coming into the game, Alabama was first in overall defense letting up an astonishing 8.2 points per game, but right behind them was the LSU Tigers, allowing 11.3 points per game. Junior kicker Jeremy Shelley went from being the goat to the hero in this rematch, connecting on five field goals and two of the 40+ yard variety. The main story was how suffocating the Crimson Tide defense was on Tigers quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson finished the night 11-17 with 53 yards passing and one interception. LSU didn’t reach Alabama’s side of the field until nine minutes left in the game, but with nothing to show for it.
The Doak Walker Award winner Trent Richardson put the final touches on the victory with a 34-yard touchdown run, giving Alabama a 21-0 lead. With the win, Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban became the first coach in the BCS history to win three National Championships.
To switch from the discussion on the college ranks, there were four wild card games played over the weekend in the NFL.
Kicking off the weekend on Saturday, Jan. 7, was the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Reliant Stadium to take on the Houston Texans. This is the first time the Texans have made the playoffs since their existence in 2002. The game featured two rookie quarterbacks, both getting a taste of their first postseason action. The game was a rematch of the Dec. 11 contest in Cincinnati where T.J. Yates led the Texans back on a last minute touchdown drive, to take the game 20-19. Although this game stayed close for the majority of the first half, the Texans proved to be too much for Andy Dalton, going on to win convincingly , 31-10. The Texans will now travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 1 p.m.
The primetime game on Saturday featured the heavy favorite New Orleans Saints playing host to the Detroit Lions, who made the postseason for the first time in 11 years. Also a rematch of a game played in the regular season won by the Saints, the second time around proved to have the same result. The Lions got off to a quick start scoring a touchdown on their first drive, but Drew Brees and the Saints offense proved to be too powerful as they marched on to a 45-28 victory.
Unlike the games on Saturday, the matchups on Sunday were not rematches and also featured teams with a better record than their opponent playing on the road. The matinee game featured the NFC East champion New York Giants against the No. 5 seed Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons offense has shown this year that they can play with the best, but they hit a brick wall in the Giants defense on Sunday. Even though they were able to force Eli Manning to an intentional grounding call in the end zone to secure the opening points of the game on a safety, the Falcons were never able to get in a rhythm on offense on their way to a 24-2 defeat. Manning shook the ghost of playing a home playoff game in New York, going 23-32 for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Manning was 0-5 at home in the playoffs prior to this game.
The wild card round could not of ended in a more excited fashion with the most watched wild card game in NFL history. The defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to the Mile High City to take on the Denver Broncos in the much anticipated first playoff game for Tim Tebow. While the Steelers were dealing with a plethora of injuries, the Broncos were facing with how well will Tebow perform against the stingy Steelers defense. Much to everyone’s surprise, Tebow was able to torch the Steelers’ defense for 316 yards passing and two touchdowns. With the Steelers down two touchdowns late in the game, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense found a way to tie up the game 23-23, forcing overtime. The overtime session did not last long as Tebow connected with rookie wide receiver Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the quarter. With the win, the Broncos will be awarded the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the New England Patriots. The game will be on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m.
With all four home teams advancing in the wild card round, there is one thing you can say for sure; there is no place like home.
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