New York Giants 21, Dallas Cowboys 17
What you need to know
New York Giants - Backup cornerback R.W. McQuarters intercepted Tony Romo's last minute attempt at a touchdown pass to seal the Giants 21 to 17 victory over the NFC's number one seed Dallas Cowboys. Despite significantly losing the time of possession battle, the Giants were more efficient with the ball. Eli Manning was very good with the ball, throwing two touchdowns to Amani Toomer and more importantly didn't turn the ball over.Toomer was the Giants leading receiver, as Plaxico Burress seemed to aggravate his injured ankle early on and finished the game with only one catch. Toomer had a great game, catching two touchdowns, the first of which he broke two tackles on his way to the end zone. Steve Smith filled in nicely as a second receiving option, tying Toomer with four catches, and made a couple of really tough grabs.
The Giants running game wasn't spectacular, but it was consistent. Brandon Jacobs led the way with 54 yards on 14 carries, with a one yard score that was the game decider in the second half. Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw contributed 34 yards on six carries in spot duty.
The Giants defense got in Tony Romo's face, particularly towards the end of the game when Romo was seemingly hit on every pass attempt. The pass rush earned two sacks, and the only turnover of the game was the McQuarters game-sealing interception. Starting cornerback Aaron Ross left the game early in the second half with an injured right shoulder.
Dallas Cowboys - On fourth and 11 and the game on the line, Tony Romo targeted Terry Glenn in the end zone for the game winning touchdown, but the pass fell into the waiting arms of the Giants' R.W. McQuarters that sealed the loss for the Cowboys. Romo had an off game, only completing half of his passes, throwing one touchdown to Terrell Owens and the aforementioned one interception.Running back Marion Barber was an absolute beast in the first half, compiling loads of rushing yards and breaking tackle after tackle. Barber didn't have quite as good of a second half, but still finished the game with 129 yards and a one yard rushing score. Barber got his first start of the year over Julius Jones. There had been talk that Jones would still see significant work in this game but it didn't play out that way. Jones only received three carries for the game.
Jason Witten and Terrell Owens were Romo's leading target, both of whom received double digit looks. Witten led the team with seven catches and 81 yards.
The Cowboys defense forced no turnovers, and had two sacks.
What you ought to know
QB Eli Manning, Pass: 12 - 18 - 163 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0 - Manning had a good game. He completed two-thirds of his passes and threw two touchdowns to Amani Toomer. Toomer was his preferred target by double. Manning threw four balls to Steve Smith as Plaxico Burress appeared to aggravate his injured ankle in the first half. He did a great job protecting the ball and leading the Giants on effective scoring drives.RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 14 - 54 - 1, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) - Jacobs had an average game, averaging just under four yards a carry. He scored the Giants' game winning touchdown on a second half one yard touchdown rush.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Rush: 6 - 34 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) - Bradshaw spelled Jacobs effectively with his six carries. He was also the Giants primary kick off returner.
WR Amani Toomer, Rec: 4 - 80 - 2 (8 targets) - Toomer did a great job as Manning's primary receiver. He had two touchdowns, including the first where he had a nice run after the catch for a long score. Toomer dropped what would have been around a 20 yard gain in the first half.
WR Steve Smith, Rec: 4 - 48 - 0 (4 targets) - Smith made some nice grabs, and caught all four of his targets. He was a reliable second option for Eli Manning with Plaxico Burress ailing.
WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) - Burress had a sub par game, and seemed to be affected by his injured ankle. He was targeted deep twice, including once in the end zone, but only hauled in one catch.
TE Kevin Boss, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (2 targets) - Boss caught one of his targets for a nice 19 yard gain. He was targeted in the end zone on his other look.
PK Lawrence Tynes 0 - 0 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points - Tynes made all three of his PATs.
NYG Rush Defense - New York's rush defense gave up 154 total yards on 33 carries for a 4.7 average. They gave up most of the yardage in the first half, but clamped down nicely in the second. They allowed one touchdown to Marion Barber III and didn't force any turnovers.
NYG Pass Defense - New York's pass defense gave up 201 yards on 18 of 36 passing for 5.6 yards per attempt. They gave up one short touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, and sealed the game on a last minute interception. They sacked Tony Romo twice. QB Tony Romo, Pass: 18 - 36 - 201 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 17 - 0 - Romo had a relatively off game, as he only completed half of his passes. To his credit though, his receivers did seem to drop an above average amount of passes. Romo's preferred targets were Jason Witten and Terrell Owens, the former of which led the team in receiving stats, while Owens scored the Cowboys' only receiving touchdown. He also scrambled three times for 17 yards.RB Marion Barber III, Rush: 27 - 129 - 1, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) - Barber was extremely impressive, especially in the first half. He was constantly breaking tackles and ran through Giants defenders frequently. Barber tailed off in the second half but still finished with over 120 yards and a first half one yard touchdown run. Notably, Barber got his first start of the year, finally supplanting Julius Jones despite outperforming him all year.
RB Julius Jones, Rush: 3 - 8 - 0 - Jones was benched and only had three carries.
WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 4 - 49 - 1 (11 targets) - Owens led the team in targets, and was targeted deep frequently. He caught Romo's only touchdown pass on the game in the first half. Owens finished second on the team in receiving yards. His high ankle sprain didn't seem to bother him during the game.
WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (8 targets) - Crayton should have had a better game, but he was hurt by a couple of critical drops that would likely have earned him 20 or more additional yards. He dropped a costly ball in the end zone late in the game when the Cowboys were attempting to rally for the win.
WR Terry Glenn, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (5 targets) - Glenn got his first catch of the year in the game, and finished with two. He was the end zone target on the game deciding play that was intercepted but never really had a shot at the ball.
TE Jason Witten, Rec: 7 - 81 - 0 (10 targets) - Witten led the team in receiving stats. Despite only getting one target in the first half, he got nine in the second.
TE Anthony Fasano, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) - Fasano only had one catch in the game.
PK Nick Folk 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points - Folk made field goals of 34 yards and made both his PATs.
DAL Rush Defense - Dallas's rush defense gave up 90 total yards on 23 carries for a 3.9 average. They gave up one touchdown to Brandon Jacobs and forced no turnovers.
DAL Pass Defense - Dallas's pass defense gave up 163 yards on 12 of 18 passing for 9.1 yards per attempt. They gave up two touchdowns to Amani Toomer and forced no turnovers. They sacked Eli Manning three times.Jacksonville Jaguars 20, New England Patriots 31
What you need to know
Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars kept the game close thanks to a good effort by their quarterback David Garrard but were unable to stop the Patriots' offense. Jacksonville did an effective job of mixing in running plays and passing plays in the first half, and the game was tied at halftime. However after they fell behind in the second half and were forced to rely more on the pass, they were unable to generate many points although they were able to move the ball effectively through the air at times. Fred Taylor averaged just 3.61 yards per carry, but was close to breaking free for longer gains on a few of his runs. Maurice Jones-Drew was not involved much in the running game, as he only had six rushing attempts, but was more involved in the short passing game. He too was close to breaking free for big gains at times, but was never able to break long runs. Taylor and Jones-Drew ran hard but did not have any explosive plays.Jacksonville's passing game was executed efficiently by Garrard, who proved to be very accurate through the early part of the game until their offense was forced to rely on the pass after they fell behind New England. Garrard demonstrated good touch as well as a strong arm on his passes and usually made the right decision as to who to throw the ball to. However he lost a fumble while being sacked that the Patriots turned into a touchdown on their ensuing drive, and threw an interception late in the game that sealed the outcome.
Jacksonville attempted 17 plays in the red zone, and ran the ball 8 times. Jones-Drew and Taylor split those carries evenly although neither managed to score a touchdown. Garrard spread his red zone passes among six different receivers, with Matt Jones and Ernest Wilford being targeted twice apiece with each of them scoring a touchdown.
New England Patriots - The Patriots, led by Tom Brady were machine-like in their offensive precision. Brady executed their game plan well, which called for short passes and solid running. Laurence Maroney ran very effectively against the Jaguars. He took advantage of most of his 22 carries, and averaged 5.5 yards on those carries. Maroney showed good power between the tackles and excellent burst to get to the outside and run by defenders. He had a very good all-around game against a very good run defense.Brady took what the Jaguars gave him, which was the shorter passing game, and efficiently led his team on several scoring drives using mostly short passes. Brady's first incompletion came with just over ten minutes remaining in the third quarter, and he finished the game with two incompletions in 28 pass attempts. He appeared to be in complete command of the offense, and routinely selected the receiver who had the opportunity to gain the most yards, even though his focus was mostly on short passes. On the rare occasions where he was forced from the pocket, Brady still made the right decision as to who to throw the ball. This was never more evident than late in the game when he was forced from the pocket and threw a 53 yard pass to Donte Stallworth that kept their drive alive and as a result use up more of the play clock. Even though the game was close, Brady never lost his poise and stuck to their game plan with outstanding results.
The Patriots ran 16 plays in the red zone with seven of those plays rushes. Maroney had six of those rushing attempts including one for a touchdown. Brady targeted Wes Welker the most in this game, and continued that pattern in the red zone, targeting him with five of his nine red zone passes, including one for a touchdown. Brady's pinpoint accuracy extended to his red zone passing, as he also threw two other red zone touchdown passes, both to Benjamin Watson.
What you ought to know
QB David Garrard, Pass: 22 - 33 - 278 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 14 - 0 - Garrard threw very accurately and exhibited very good touch on a wide variety of passes. He showed very good touch and arm strength on passes up the middle, along the sidelines, as well as whether he was in the pocket or throwing after rolling out of the pocket. He also showed good accuracy and arm strength on a couple of passes where he threw the ball sidearm to get around pass rushers. Garrard did however have two turnovers that proved costly. One fumble was recovered by the defense at Jacksonville's 29 yard line that the Patriots turned into a touchdown, and his interception came late in the game that cost his team a chance to pull within a field goal.RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 13 - 47 - 0 - Taylor ran with determination but did not have much room to operate against a tough New England run defense although he was one defender away from breaking a long run on a couple of his carries. Although he had two rushing attempts inside the ten yard line, he was unable to get to the end zone.
RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 6 - 19 - 0, Rec: 6 - 49 - 0 (6 targets) - Jones-Drew did not have many opportunities rushing the ball, but took advantage of his receiving opportunities to extend drives. While he ran hard and usually gained some extra yardage after initial contact, Jones-Drew was unable to have a big impact on the game.
RB Greg Jones, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Jones was used mostly as a blocking fullback, getting just the final pass of the game thrown his way.
WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 4 - 42 - 0 (7 targets) - Northcutt was used mostly on intermediate routes, which he ran well. Of the three targets that were not caught, one was a result of him being overthrown although he was wide open for a good gain, while he dropped the other two, one of which was a couple of yards outside the end zone.
WR Matt Jones, Rec: 3 - 48 - 1 (4 targets) - Jones was productive with his opportunities, scoring a touchdown and showing good route running to get open on his other receptions as well as good running after the catch. He did have a pass thrown to him in the end zone that might have been caught. It would have been a really nice catch but it was catchable.
WR Ernest Wilford, Rec: 2 - 21 - 1 (4 targets) - Wilford was not targeted much, but two of his targets were in the end zone, and he caught one of them for a touchdown. Garrard looked for him on a crucial third down play in the second half and he came through with a good leaping catch.
WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 1 - 25 - 0 (2 targets) - Williams was only targeted in the second half. He ran a good route and showed excellent concentration on the pass he caught. His other target was in the end zone, but the pass was deflected by his defender.
TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 4 - 74 - 0 (5 targets) - Lewis began the game strongly, catching his first three targets for 66 yards before leaving with a knee injury in the second quarter. He returned before halftime, but was only targeted twice afterwards. Lewis ran good routes to get open, and showed very good running after the catch ability.
TE Isaac Smolko, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) - Smolko's involvement was minimal.
PK Josh Scobee 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Scobee connected on both his point after attempts, as well as both field goal attempts, which were from 39 and 25 yards.
JAX Rush Defense - The Jaguars rush defense was solid at first, managing to keep Maroney in check, but they wore down and gave up 122 yards rushing and a touchdown to him. They were controlled at the line of scrimmage and several times gave up yards after initially tackling the Patriots' running backs.
JAX Pass Defense - Jacksonville's pass defense was intent on not giving up deep pass completions, but they were unable to generate much pressure on Brady and were picked apart on short pass plays throughout the game. They gave up three passing touchdowns and 26 completions in 28 pass attempts to Brady. QB Tom Brady, Pass: 26 - 28 - 262 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 1 - 0 - Brady was superb, throwing just two incompletions as he took what Jacksonville's defense gave him, which was shorter passes. He settled into a rhythm quickly and although he targeted Welker the most, distributed the ball to whoever was open. Although he only attempted one deep pass -- which he completed while running outside the pocket -- Brady put his receivers in position to gain a few yards after securing the ball with excellent placement.RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 22 - 122 - 1, Rec: 2 - 40 - 0 (2 targets) - Maroney played very well. He ran with very good power, dragging defenders with him on multiple occasions as he gained several yards after contact. Maroney also showed very good speed, as he was able to get outside on some runs as well as a couple of screen passes, and run by defenders. He gave a very determined effort and posted very good numbers.
RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 4 - 9 - 0, Rec: 5 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) - Faulk performed his role as the third down back solidly. He was more effective catching the ball out of the backfield, and was able to gain a few yards after catching the ball.
WR Wes Welker, Rush: 1 - 13 - 0, Rec: 9 - 54 - 1 (10 targets) - Welker was the featured receiver in the second half, when seven of his targets were directed to him. Welker was used exclusively on short routes, and as a result averaged six yards per reception. He did show very good running in traffic skills, including a reverse he ran for a first down. He also had what might have been a costly drop late in the game but it wound up not hurting the team.
WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) - Gaffney was used on a few short routes and caught all of the passes thrown his way.
WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 3 - 68 - 0 (3 targets) - Stallworth was not targeted until the second half, but caught every pass thrown to him. He showed good speed on the one deep pass play the Patriots attempted, and good moves to elude a defender and turn a very short pass into a good run for a first down.
WR Randy Moss, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) - Moss was not involved much in the game, as the Jaguars were intent on preventing deep plays in the passing game. He caught the only pass thrown to him. Moss did however have some good blocks that helped the running game.
TE Ben Watson, Rec: 2 - 12 - 2 (3 targets) - Watson was the target on Brady's first incompletion, but took advantage of his other targets, catching both for touchdowns, displaying good hands in tight coverage.
TE Kyle Brady, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) - Brady caught one pass against his former team, and was used mostly for his blocking.
PK Stephen Gostkowski 1 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points - Gostkowski made all four of his point after attempts and one of two field goal attempts. He missed one from 35 yards and made one from 35 yards.
NE Rush Defense - New England's run defense was ready for the challenge of stopping Jacksonville's running game and did so successfully. The linemen and linebackers managed to keep the Jaguars' running backs from gaining momentum past the line of scrimmage and were able to contain them for most of the game. They did not allow any rushing touchdowns.
NE Pass Defense - The Patriot's pass defense generated pressure by blitzing Garrard, especially in the second half. They were able to force a fumble and intercepted him once. Although they allowed two short passing touchdowns, New England's secondary were usually around the ball when it arrived and did not allow many yards after Jacksonville's receivers had caught the pass.San Diego Chargers 28, Indianapolis Colts 24
What you need to know
San Diego Chargers - Despite losing RB LaDainian Tomlinson early in the second quarter and QB Philip Rivers late in the third quarter (both to knee injuries, and both are questionable to play next week), the San Diego depth rose up and pulled out the victory in the late stages of the game over the heavily favored Colts. The Chargers will move on to play the undefeated New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, a rematch of sorts of last year's divisional playoff game between the two teams.WR Vincent Jackson continued his outstanding play of a week ago. He led the team in targets, receptions, and yards, and scored the first touchdown of the game for San Diego.
QB Philip Rivers may well have played the game of his life. He did a lot of damage without throwing a whole lot of passes, and as has become his custom, he ran his mouth with the Indianapolis fans both during and after the game.
Indianapolis Colts - QB Peyton Manning will take some of the blame for being unable to bring his team back for a game-winning drive, but in reality he played an outstanding game. Neither of the two turnovers were his fault, as both were intercepted off deflections.The Colts vaunted defense was carved up by the Chargers to the tune of 400 total yards and 28 points. To make matters worse, they allowed a game winning touchdown drive led by backups, QB Billy Volek and RB Michael Turner (both QB Philip Rivers and RB LaDainian Tomlinson were on the bench for the entire fourth quarter with knee injuries).
TE Dallas Clark had six receptions for a game high 95 yards and a touchdown, but couldn't get his hands around a fourth down lob from Peyton Manning in the waning moments of the game to extend the desperation drive.
What you ought to know
QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 14 - 19 - 264 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 0 - 0 - There are two ways to look at the performance of Rivers. On the one hand, he threw three touchdown passes and continued to bring his team back from the precipice of defeat, played valiantly and fought through every single second on every single play. On the other hand, he left the game with a knee injury late in the third quarter and did not return. On his way to the locker room to get checked out, he was jawing with the fans pretty much the entire time. He then backed up his talk by...remaining on the sidelines the entire fourth quarter while Billy Volek engineered the game winning touchdown drive. Rivers stated afterwards that he could have returned to the game, but the fact is that he didn't. And when the final seconds ticked off the clock, Rivers decided to tick off the fans some more, goading them into some trash talk behind the San Diego bench. Chargers fans love the fiery Rivers, but he is fast gaining a reputation around the league as something of a pest and a big talker. As long as he keeps winning playoff games, however, it's unlikely that very many people in southern California will mind. As for his play on the field, it's almost a shame that he tends to make the story about his shenanigans because his play has really grown to new heights recently. He made some absolutely perfect throws, notably the touchdown passes to Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers. He also completed a key third down pass play to Chris Chambers late in the third quarter and constructively used his emotion to get his teammates fired up after the play. That drive led to the Darren Sproles touchdown, Rivers' final play of the afternoon. While he says he could have returned to the game, he'll still be officially listed as questionable for the AFC Championship game. However, judging from his sideline demeanor and his competitive nature, it would be quite a shock to us if he didn't suit up to play next Sunday afternoon in New England. At one point, he was also having his right (throwing) hand looked at on the sideline, but it was never mentioned again and didn't seem to pose any sorts of problems for him.QB Billy Volek, Pass: 3 - 4 - 48 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 3 - -1 - 1 - When starter Philip Rivers left the game after re-injuring his knee on the final play of the third quarter, it fell on Volek to lead the Chargers back from a 24-21 deficit in a hostile environment with just over ten minutes left in the game and sitting at his own 22 yard line. Upon opening the drive, Volek played flawlessly. He engineered a nine play, 78 yard drive that ate up over five minutes of time and culminated with Volek himself diving into the end zone on a QB sneak for the eventual game-winning touchdown. During the drive, he didn't really try to do too much but he did make some nice plays in eluding the rush and finding the open man. On the 27 yard screen pass to Legedu Naanee, he found the most open man and enabled him to get downfield and into Colts territory to set up the score. Rivers is expected to be healthy enough to play in next week's AFC Championship Game, but if he can't (or if he is forced from the game at any point), Volek showed in very limited action that he can be relied upon in certain situations for his team.
RB Michael Turner, Rush: 17 - 71 - 0 (1 targets) - With LaDainian Tomlinson out of commission for the entire second half, Turner (an impending free agent) had an opportunity to make himself a whole boatload of cash this offseason with a dynamic performance. While he may not have lit up the stat sheet, Turner did a very serviceable job in place of the injured Tomlinson. A large reason for Turner's lower per carry average is because a good deal of his runs came late in the game during obvious rushing situations. Indianapolis was able to stack the line on several occasions and have no fear about getting beaten downfield. Turner had very few holes to run in, and a less powerful back wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the 71 yards Turner picked up. He also was very close to an extremely costly gaffe on the last touchdown drive. He was taken down at the goal line and the ball came loose, though he was ruled down on the play. Not much mention was made of it because he certainly was down, but the ball didn't come loose because of the ground; it came loose because it was knocked loose by the Colts. He just happened to already have his knee on the ground. Otherwise, this could have been a very different outcome. QB Billy Volek dove in from a yard out on the next play for the eventual game-winning score. He also had a chance to seal the victory without giving Indianapolis the ball, but he was stopped short of first down yardage on three runs late in the fourth quarter. Had he picked up ten yards on those three carries, the game would have ended on kneeldowns. As it was, he only managed seven yards, and the Chargers punted away to give Peyton Manning one last chance to win (which he was of course unable to do).
Tomlinson is expected to play next week's game, but if he cannot go then obviously Turner would have a far larger workload. Even if Tomlinson does suit up, it stands to reason that Turner's role could be expanded somewhat to give Tomlinson's knee more rest.RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 7 - 28 - 0, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (1 targets) - In what was probably the biggest game of his career to this point, Tomlinson didn't stick around very long to play in most of it. He had a nondescript beginning to his afternoon when he took an inside handoff to the six yard line. Tomlinson was spun down awkwardly and fumbled the football, which was recovered by San Diego. But more importantly, Tomlinson's left knee was either banged into or twisted under the pile and he was forced from the game. He was seen on the sideline rubbing the knee and trying to work the problem out by riding on the stationary bike. At one point, he was jogging and doing some quick cuts and was seemingly ready to come back in. But when the second half began, Tomlinson remained on the sideline (in uniform) and never came back in. After the game, it was revealed that he had suffered a bruised knee and will be listed as questionable for next week's AFC Championship Game. Judging by the way he was walking around on the sideline and the fact that he remained on the sideline for the entire second half, it seems like he'll be able to play in the game. But at this point, that is just speculation and we'll obviously have a more definitive word on his status as the news comes in throughout the week.
RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 1 - 56 - 1 (3 targets) - Despite just two offensive touches, Sproles managed to turn in one of the biggest plays of the entire afternoon. With the Chargers trailing 17-14 late in the third quarter and LaDainian Tomlinson on the bench for the entire second half, Sproles took a screen from Philip Rivers up the left side for a seemingly innocuous gain. But after getting to the edge, Sproles took off like a missile on a straight line for the end zone and scored a 56 yard touchdown. The play seemed to mean as much to the San Diego psyche as it did on the scoreboard. Despite their star being out of commission, San Diego had once again found a way to get back into the game.
WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 7 - 93 - 1 (8 targets) - Jackson picked up where he left off a week ago and continued his superb play. He snagged a team-high seven balls for 93 yards and had a highlight reel touchdown grab on a corner fade where he out-leapt the defender for the ball and snagged it out of the air for the score. He had earlier shown nice hands on a fade over the middle, and later in the contest he displayed some nice moves after the fact with a terrific cut-back along the sideline to pick up several extra yards. Jackson struggled a bit early in the season and really had a tough time in the first few weeks after Chris Chambers showed up, but he has continued to progress as the season has gone on and he has really made his presence felt in the first two weeks of the postseason. Philip Rivers now looks to him in any and all situations, and has the utmost confidence in the young receiver no matter the play call.
WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 3 - 67 - 1 (4 targets) - In a very short time, Chambers has proven quite adept at making the most of limited opportunities. In this game, his first passing target came late in the second quarter and his first reception didn't come until after halftime. Of course, that first reception just so happened to be a 30 yard bomb for a touchdown down the left sideline. Chambers made a nice grab on the run and held on despite taking a big hit at the end of the play, something he has shown a propensity to do quite a bit. Later, he was the target of a pass on a third and 14 pass play. Chambers showed very nice hands in snagging the ball that was thrown at his side, and picked up the first down. That play was huge, because two plays later was the touchdown pass to Darren Sproles that put San Diego up 21-17.
TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (4 targets) - All week, all the signs pointed to Gates not being healthy enough to suit up for this game. He had dislocated the big toe on his left foot, and it wasn't revealed until the morning of the game that he would be able to go. He wasn't heavily involved in the offense, catching just two passes. But his mere presence underneath helped open up the outside passing lanes for the likes of Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson. On one deep ball down the sideline, Gates looked very awkward trying to catch up to, and then lunge for, the football at the last moment. With another week to get healthy, Gates should be at least somewhat more involved in next week's conference title game.
PK Nate Kaeding 0 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 4 points - Kaeding's playoff struggles continued, as he banged a 46 yard attempt off the right upright. The kick had plenty of distance, but never really looked like it had a chance. Following the kick, Indianapolis S Bob Sanders was whistled for a taunting penalty after jumping on Kaeding and making contact with him in an attempt to egg him on. After missing several kicks in his brief playoff career and the fact that at least one of his opponents seemed to be making light of his continued struggles, one must question Kaeding's confidence heading into next week's AFC Championship game against the Patriots.
SD Rush Defense - After halftime, San Diego wasn't really tested much in this phase of the game. The Colts threw 48 passes versus just 18 rushes, which is certainly not typical of the recent Tony Dungy led Colts teams. It is unclear why they got away from the run so much, because it's not as if the Chargers completely swamped them and took them out of their game. Joseph Addai didn't break any huge gains, but he did pick up 43 yards on 13 carries. Typically, a runner has to perform far worse than that and the game has to get far more out of hand before a coach will stop running the football. At one point in the third quarter, the Colts moved the ball from San Diego's 32 yard line to the four yard line by running on five consecutive plays. But the sixth play was a short screen to Kenton Keith at the goal line. The ball was deflected and intercepted, and the drive was over. For some reason, despite never falling behind by more than four points the rest of the way, the Colts attempted just three more rushes the remainder of the game. Again, it wasn't so much what the Chargers did as it was what the Colts did not do.
SD Pass Defense - In several scenes reminiscent of the 2006 playoffs, the San Diego secondary appeared determined to do them in on a few occasions. S Clinton Hart fell down on a double move by TE Dallas Clark on the Colts' opening possession, resulting in an easy touchdown and a 7-0 deficit. Even when things did go their way, they still didn't. LB Shawne Merriman had a ball thrown right into his hands, but he juggled it several times before eventually dropping it. And CB Antonio Cromartie intercepted Manning late in the first half and returned the ball 89 yards the other way for a touchdown to seemingly give the Chargers the lead at the half. But it was ruled that S Eric Weddle had held Joseph Addai during the return, negating the score. Replays were inconclusive as to whether Weddle had actually held him on the play or not. Late in the fourth quarter, things again didn't go well for the Chargers. Hart was whistled for a long pass interference penalty on WR Reggie Wayne, CB Drayton Florence was called for a holding penalty on first and 25, and the negativity culminated with a 55 yard touchdown pass to WR Anthony Gonzalez up the left sideline. S Marlon McCree and CB Drayton Florence, two of the culprits of last year's playoff loss to the Patriots, were both involved in getting beaten on the play, and it was capped off by a foolish challenge from the coaching staff (stop me if you've heard this one before), who believed Gonzalez had stepped out of bounds. The Chargers also allowed Peyton Manning to go 11-11 for 123 yards and that touchdown through the first quarter of play, and couldn't get any of the pass rushers anywhere near him for the better part of three quarters. But rather than allowing the poor plays to doom them, the Chargers rose up late and played very well. LB Shawne Merriman finally got to Manning on a fourth down pass play from the seven yard line with the Colts down by four late in the fourth quarter, forcing an incompletion. And on the Colts' final possession, it was McCree's jarring hit on WR Reggie Wayne that knocked a pass loose on what would have been a huge conversion on third and five. Wayne not only couldn't hang on, but he had to leave the field after getting hurt, meaning the only reliable target with any experience on fourth down was TE Dallas Clark, who couldn't hang onto the fourth down pass that ended Indianapolis' season.While it didn't directly impact the outcome of the game, rookie S Eric Weddle made a gorgeous interception off a tipped pass at the goal line in the third quarter. While engaged with a receiver, Weddle managed to get one arm free and cradle the ball to his chest as he was falling to the ground for the turnover.
QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 33 - 48 - 402 - 3 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - -6 - 0 - Manning was seemingly channeling Tom Brady's performance of one night prior by opening up 11-11 with 123 yards and a touchdown through the first quarter of play. It appeared as if he could do no wrong and the Chargers would be powerless to stop him whatsoever. He was completing passes to every pass-catcher on the team and there was no semblance of a pass rush to really speak of for the better part of three quarters. Even both of his interceptions weren't his fault, as they were the result of tipped passes that ended up in San Diego hands. In fact, the one ball Manning threw that SHOULD have been picked off, wasn't. LB Shawne Merriman dropped back into coverage and had a Manning pass hit him right in the hands. He batted it around several times before it fell incomplete. It appeared as if some of the magic the Colts had found in last year's postseason was going to carry over to this year, as they came back from 14-10 and 21-17 deficits in the second half (both times culminating with touchdown passes courtesy of Manning). But they had two opportunities with the ball over the final five minutes of the game and were unable to capitalize with any points. On the first possession, Manning drove them 70 yards to the doorstep of the San Diego end zone. But on second, third, and fourth down, Manning's passes to Joseph Addai were all knocked away or fell incomplete. On the fourth down play, Manning was being chased down by LB Shawne Merriman and under pressure for really the first time all game. The pass was thrown on the run and fell awkwardly incomplete. The Colts had one last chance to come back and had the ball down four at their own 32 yard line with 1:30 left to play. But they moved the ball just five yards on four plays, the drive culminating with an incomplete pass that was just out of the reach of an outstretched Dallas Clark along the sideline to essentially end the game.RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 13 - 43 - 0, Rec: 9 - 67 - 0 (15 targets) - It appears that Addai had a huge role in the passing game and that he was Peyton Manning's favorite target. In reality, what happened was that the Colts sort of gave up on a traditional running game and instead opted to use the short passing game as their version of a rushing attack. Addai was the primary recipient of many of those looks, and despite leaving the game briefly with a head injury, he did pick up 110 total yards from scrimmage. Addai was also heavily involved in the late game drives to try and regain the lead, but he wasn't much of a factor down the field even on those plays.
RB Kenton Keith, Rush: 4 - 7 - 0, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (3 targets) - Keith's most significant contribution to the game was a dropped pass inside the five yard line that made its way into the arms of S Eric Weddle for an interception. While the turnover didn't directly lead to points for San Diego, it did give the Charger defense that much more belief in its ability to stifle the vaunted Colts offense even in the tightest of situations.
WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 7 - 76 - 1 (14 targets) - The return of Marvin Harrison clearly had very little effect on Wayne's production. The fact is, Harrison showed very early on that he was very rusty coming off such a long layoff, and so the Chargers made sure to commit coverage to Wayne. He was prevented from beating them deep, as evidenced by the fact that Indianapolis completed 19 passes to running backs and tight ends. With the outside guys blanketed, the Colts were only able to take what the Chargers gave them. CB Antonio Cromartie did a superb job on Wayne for most of the game, though Wayne did still manage to find the end zone. He caught a short pass in the flat and made a great individual effort to stretch and keep himself inbounds before reaching the ball over the pylon for the score. The play was initially ruled out of bounds at the one yard line, but the Colts challenged and the call was reversed to a touchdown. Wayne was involved in a critical play on the Colts' final possession of the game, and for all the wrong reasons. Facing a third down and five, Peyton Manning fired a strike over the middle to a diving Wayne. At first, he appeared to hold onto the football but a streaking Marlon McCree came flying in from his safety spot to jar the ball loose. Wayne remained on the ground for several moments and had to leave the field for the ensuing fourth down play, a pass to TE Dallas Clark that fell incomplete and ended the season for Indianapolis.
WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 4 - 79 - 1 (4 targets) - Gonzalez wasn't involved a ton, but he was involved in one of the biggest plays of the game. On a play that could have haunted Charger fans for years, Gonzalez got behind CB Drayton Florence on a deep route down the sideline. The Colts picked up the blitz beautifully and Peyton Manning lofted a bomb down the sideline. S Marlon McCree was late in getting over and his hit on Gonzalez only served to slightly knock him off course. Somehow, Gonzalez maintained possession while staying inbounds by a matter of inches, and took off the rest of the way to the end zone for a 55 yard touchdown. San Diego HC Norv Turner challenged the call, mistakenly believing Gonzalez had stepped on the sideline, but replays confirmed that he stayed in the entire time by a few blades of grass.
WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (3 targets) - Harrison was clearly rusty after a two and a half month layoff. His first reception of the game was a key catch for 17 yards on third and ten late in the first quarter. But the play quickly turned sour when Harrison fumbled after being hit in the legs and San Diego recovered. The Colts were on the verge of driving to go up 14-0, but instead saw the Chargers march downfield the other way for the game-tying touchdown. Late in the game when Indianapolis was driving for the lead and then for the win, Harrison wasn't even on the field.
TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 6 - 95 - 1 (8 targets) - Clark scored on a gorgeous double move on the Colts' first possession of the game. The move caused S Clinton Hart to stumble over his own feet, and he was clearly no match for Clark's athleticism on the play. Clark would go on to grab five more passes totaling 70 yards in the game, several of them clutch grabs coming in key situations. But it was the one that got away that was the signature play in the game for Clark. Facing a fourth and five from their own 37 yard line and the season on the line, Manning lofted a ball towards the sideline in Clark's direction. The ball was tipped off his outstretched fingertips and fell incomplete, giving the Chargers the victory and ending the defending Super Bowl champs season.
PK Adam Vinatieri 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points - As amazing as it sounds, Vinatieri connected on his first field goal of the season from over 40 yards. The kick came late in the first half and gave the Colts a 10-7 halftime advantage.
IND Rush Defense - When LaDainian Tomlinson injured his knee late in the second quarter, it appeared that the Colts would soon be in prime position to put this game away early. But they seemingly forgot that there is a reason why some teams were clamoring for the services of San Diego backup RB Michael Turner this past offseason. Turner rumbled for 71 yards on 17 carries, many of those runs requiring three and four players to take him down. The punishing running of Turner may have served as something of a buffer for the fourth quarter, as the Indianapolis front seven simply seemed to be worn down by the Chargers offense. The pass rush was almost nonexistent, and the Chargers moved the ball freely against one of the league's best defensive units. The Colts did come up with a big stop late in the fourth quarter when they held Turner to seven yards on three carries, forcing the Chargers to punt and giving the ball back to the Indianapolis offense.
IND Pass Defense - Clearly, one look at the stats will tell you just about all you need to know about how the Colts performed. Zero sacks. One interception. Three touchdowns allowed and a 74% completion percentage. They did intercept Rivers on San Diego's opening possession, but it was all downhill from there -- and fast. They allowed a Vincent Jackson on San Diego's second possession, a Chris Chambers 30 yard bomb for a score to open the second half, and allowed a seemingly innocent screen to Darren Sproles to go for a 56 yard touchdown scamper up the left sideline. What's more, when starting QB Philip Rivers left the game following that touchdown to Sproles, the Chargers were led the rest of the way by QB Billy Volek and RB Michael Turner. But those guys somehow found a way to engineer the eventual game-winning drive against this defense, with a healthy contribution by unheralded Legedu Naanee who chipped in with a 27 yard reception of his own. If Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson beat you, you tip your cap. When Billy Volek and Legedu Naanee are able to hook up for a key play on a game-winning drive of a playoff game, one must question the defense's abilities.S Bob Sanders was whistled for a taunting penalty after jumping all over PK Nate Kaeding following a missed field goal. Sanders and Kaeding were college teammates and it wasn't likely a mean-spirited maneuver, but the move was still probably not welcomed with open arms by Kaeding. Perhaps he received a small measure of karmic justice when Sanders briefly left the game with a shoulder injury one quarter later (he would eventually return on the next possession).
Seattle Seahawks 20, Green Bay Packers 42
What you need to know
Seattle Seahawks - On a snow covered field, Matt Hasselbeck threw for 194 yards and a touchdown, while completing 19 of his 33 passes. Tight end Marcus Pollard dropped what would have been an easy touchdown in the third quarter, and the Seahawks receivers had a total of six drops in the game, not helping Hasselbeck's cause.Shaun Alexander carried the load again for the Seahawks, but with Green Bay pulling ahead in the second quarter, the running game was mainly abandoned. At one point in the first half the announcers indicated that Alexander was "running well", but at that point in the game he had carried the ball five times for nine yards. This is no where near the MVP runner of 2005. Backup Maurice Morris looked no better, and in a strange move by the team they chose not to utilize Leonard Weaver until the game had already been decided, late in the game.
Bobby Engram led the team in receptions with six, and yards with 67, plus accounted for Matt Hasselbeck's lone passing touchdown of the game; an 11 yard catch in triple coverage. Hasselbeck has a lot of confidence in the veteran Engram, but he did unexpectedly drop two of the passes thrown his way.
Green Bay Packers - Ryan Grant was the big story in this one, running for 201 yards on 27 carries, while putting up scores on three separate drives. Grant had four carries of 26 or more yards, and apparently made the right footwear choice, as he looked a step faster than anyone else on the field. Grant made it interesting though, fumbling on the Packers first two drives of the game, both times setting up the Seahawks in the redzone. Even with a 14-0 lead, the Seahawks could not stop the run. Despite the fumbles, they stuck with Grant and he carried their way to a victory. Brandon Jackson got some late game work, and also looked effective, but there's no doubt who the teams workhorse back is at this time.Brett Favre was highly efficient when he did throw, he just didn't have to all that often. Favre completed 18 of his 23 passes for 173 yards, and three touchdowns. You got the feeling that he could have had a lot of success through the air, even in adverse conditions. But with the running game working as well as it did, there was no need to air it out.
Greg Jennings got the Packers on the board with a 15 yard touchdown in the first quarter to bring the game to within 14-7. After a Ryan Grant touchdown tied the game, one drive later Jennings put them in the lead for good with his second touchdown of the game; a two yard play in the second quarter. Jennings caught six passes for 71 yards to go with those scores, and seems to have solidified himself as Brett Favre's go to receiver.
What you ought to know
QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 19 - 33 - 194 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -1 - 0 - Matt Hasselbeck completed 19 of 33 passes for 194 yards, and one touchdown with no turnovers. Considering the weather conditions got out of hand, and the Seahawks running game provided little support, this was a good effort by Hasselbeck. His receivers did not do him any favors, most notably Bobby Engram and Marcus Pollard who each had two drops. One of Pollard's would have been an easy touchdown, and the Seahawks had to eventually settle for a fieldgoal on the drive.RB Shaun Alexander, Rush: 9 - 20 - 1, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) - Shaun Alexander carried the ball nine times for 20 yards, while scoring a one yard touchdown in the first quarter, when a Ryan Grant fumble setup the Seahawks in the redzone. He started the game, and got a majority of the teams carries, but when the Seahawks got down mid way through the second quarter, the running game was mainly abandoned. Alexander again went down easy, and displayed very few broken tackles throughout the game. He caught both of his targets for 13 yards.
RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 4 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) - Leonard Weaver again starting as the fullback, carried the ball four times for ten yards. Despite showing the explosive ability that fellow running backs Shaun Alexander and Maurice Morris have failed to in recent weeks, the Seahawks did not make an effort to get the ball in Weaver's hands until the very end of the game.
RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 3 - -1 - 0 (1 targets) - Morris carried the ball three times for negative one yards. He had an eight yard carry nullified by an offensive holding penalty in the first quarter, but the Seahawks did not use the running game much once the Packers took the lead. He spelled started Shaun Alexander on occasion, but did not appear to be a large part of the gameplan. He received one target.
WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 6 - 67 - 1 (10 targets) - Bobby Engram played in the slot, and again was Matt Hasselbeck's favorite target, garnering six receptions, 67 yards, and a touchdown on ten targets. On the 11 yard touchdown, Hasselbeck threw into triple coverage, but Engram still came down with the ball in traffic to put the Seahawks up 14-0 with only four minutes gone in the game. Uncharacteristic of Engram were two drops, both in the second half with the snow falling down heavily.
WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 4 - 33 - 0 (8 targets) - Nate Burleson surprisingly started along side Deion Branch in a two receiver set, and caught four receptions for 33 yards on eight targets in the game. Burleson's biggest play of the game came when he caught a ball for a first down along the right side, and broke a few tackles for a 22 yard gain. Otherwise he was fairly quiet, despite the Seahawks in passing mode for much of the game.
WR D.J. Hackett, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) - Hackett coming off an impressive performance in the Wild Card round, only caught two passes for 15 yards, with three targets. Even with Deion Branch getting injured very early in the game, and the Seahawks in passing mode throughout, Matt Hasselbeck did not look Hackett's way very often.
WR Deion Branch - Inactive the past two games with a calf injury, Deion Branch was able to start the game in a two receiver set, but only two and a half minutes into the game went down on a player where it appeared Branch twisted his knee. He hobbled off after a moment, but did not return. It was suspected that it could have been a serious knee injury.
TE Marcus Pollard, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (4 targets) - It was not a pretty game for Marcus Pollard. On the first play of the second quarter, Pollard's only reception of the game came on a short pass down the right side for three yards, where he fumbled the ball and the Packers recovered, setting them up in the redzone. They would eventually convert with a Greg Jennings touchdown, giving them a 21-14 lead that they would not relinquish. Pollard was also highlighted on a play in the third quarter where Matt Hasselbeck found him open in the right corner of the endzone, but Pollard let the ball go through his hands for the incompletion. The Seahawks would eventually have to settle for a field goal. If that wasn't bad enough, in the fourth quarter with the Seahawks moving down the field, on fourth and ten Hasselbeck hit Pollard over the middle for what would have been a 20 yard gain and first down. Pollard again let it go through his fingers, capping off a dreadful effort.
PK Josh Brown 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points - Josh Brown converted on both of his kicks from 29 and 27 respectively, while hitting both of his extra point attempts.
SEA Rush Defense - Terrible. The Packers as a team ran 35 times for 235 yards, for a 6.7 yards per carry average. Given that the Seahawks played so well against the Redskins last week, this was an especially disappointing effort. Ryan Grant tore them up for numerous long gains, on the way to a 201 yard, three touchdown performance. When Brandon Jackson entered the game in Grant's place, he also looked highly effective. The Seahawks simply could not contain Grant though, and he is the biggest reason they didn't hold on to their 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
SEA Pass Defense - The Packers did not have to pass frequently, as the Seahawks gave up 235 yards on the ground. That said, when Favre did pass, it was with success. He completed 78 percent of his 23 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Greg Jennings gave the Seahawk corners trouble, accounting for two of those scores. With the game in hand, the Packers went to the running game to take them home from early in the third quarter on. There was one sack on Favre, but otherwise the pressure up front was dismal. QB Brett Favre, Pass: 18 - 23 - 173 - 3 TD / 0 INT - Brett Favre completed 18 of 23 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. With Ryan Grant seemingly unstoppable, the Packers did not ask Favre to air it out much in the second half. Favre found Greg Jennings for two of his touchdowns, and definitely seems to favor the second yard wide out around the end zone. Favre's most impressive play came in the second half where he eluded the pass rush and scrambled outside the pocket. He began to stumble and as he was about to go down threw and under handed pass to Donald Lee, that went for an 11 yard gain and first down, setting up the Packers in the red zone.RB Ryan Grant, Rush: 27 - 201 - 3, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) - Ryan Grant carried the ball 27 times for an amazing 201 yards and three touchdowns, despite the snow covered field clearly making footing difficult. Grant had four separate carries of 26 or more yards, and was hitting the holes with great explosiveness. The Seahawks had no answer for him, and as the Packers took control they kept feeding him the ball to ice away the game in the second half. Despite two costly first quarter fumbles that allowed the Seahawks a 14-0 lead, they stuck with him as their workhorse, and he certainly rewarded them for that choice. He caught both of his targets for six yards.
RB Brandon Jackson, Rush: 8 - 34 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 1 (1 targets) - With Ryan Grant running all over the Seahawks, Brandon Jackson only had two carries through three quarters. He ended up with eight total carries for 34 yards, and looked effective in place of Grant. He had a long carry of 18, and another impressive one of ten in the fourth quarter where he dragged a defender a number of yards to barely get the first down. Jackson's only reception of the game came in the third quarter, when Brett Favre found him short on the right side, and Jackson took it in for a 13 yard touchdown.
WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 6 - 71 - 2 (8 targets) - Greg Jennings caught six passes for 71 yards, and two touchdowns on eight targets from Brett Favre. Jennings started the Packers scoring when he beat single coverage down the left side, and Favre got it to him for the 15 yard score. After a Ryan Grant touchdown tied the game, Favre again hit Jennings for a two yard touchdown in the early second quarter to take the lead. The Packers were not forced to pass the ball often, but when they did it seemed as though Favre favors Jennings for big plays, and around the end zone.
WR James Jones, Rec: 3 - 42 - 0 (4 targets) - James Jones played the slot in three receiver sets, and caught three passes for 42 yards on four targets. Jones had a big gain of 31 yards in the first quarter, where Favre found him short over the middle and he ran for an additional 25 yards after the catch. He was not used near as much once the Packers got into running mode, as they preferred the double tight end formation.
WR Donald Driver, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (4 targets) - Per usual, Driver started opposite Greg Jennings. He caught only three passes for 18 yards, on four targets. As a whole, Brett Favre and the passing game took a backseat to Ryan Grant, though it certainly seemed as if Favre's go to guy is now Greg Jennings.
WR Koren Robinson - Koren Robinson played occasionally as a fourth receiver, but did not earn any receiving targets. As usual he played on special teams as a kick returner, but the Seahawks shied away from kicking directly to him.
TE Donald Lee, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (3 targets) - Donald Lee caught two passes for 16 yards on three targets. The Packers had a lot of success on the ground with Ryan Grant, so Lee mainly stayed in the pocket to block for the running game.
PK Mason Crosby 0 - 0 FG, 6 - 6 XP, 6 points - Crosby converted all of his six extra point attempts, and did not need to attempt any field goals.
GB Rush Defense - The Seahawks carried the ball 18 times for 28 yards, an embarrassing 1.8 yards per carry. Though Seattle has had little success on the ground for much of the year, this was still a really strong effort by the Packers front seven. There weren't any obvious running lanes for Alexander and company to go through, and they did a good job wrapping up the ball carrier.
GB Pass Defense - Matt Hasselbeck completed 58 percent of his 33 attempts, for 194 yards and one touchdown. The only Seattle touchdowns of the game came after Ryan Grant fumbles set up the Seahawks offense in the redzone. This unit did an adequate job pressuring Hasselbeck, even though it didn't appear they blitzed him very often. There were a few missed tackles in the secondary that allowed long gains, but otherwise they did not allow the big play or any Seahawk receivers to get in behind them. DJ Hackett was notably non existent after a large game last week in the Wild Card round. They sacked Hasselbeck twice.