NFL Weekend Wrapup Part II

Steelers Rally Back On The Ravens – Well this game certainly didn’t disappoint. After the Steelers got on the board first, Baltimore ran off three straight touchdowns to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. As the title suggests though, the Steelers rallied back and ended up winning 31-24. I still don’t like the holding call on that potential go-ahead punt return, but of course this game was going to have it’s share of close calls. The real interesting part in this game for me was the winner would be who I’d root for to come out of the AFC, since they’d likely go on to play the Patriots the following week. ……or would they?!?!

Packers Run Away From The Falcons – It’s a pretty fine line between whether the Falcons played that bad or the Packers played that good. The pivotal second quarter was the difference maker, where Matt Ryan killed both of Atlanta’s drives with costly interceptions. Aaron Rodgers became the star of the Joe and Troy Show. Buck and Aikmen displayed a level of mancrush that I haven’t seen on a broadcast since Brett Favre was in Green Bay. But honestly, why wouldn’t they? Rodgers is the only quarterback in the NFL who was fortunate enough to come from Chico, California, home of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The only other big headline here is this sets the stage for a possible NFC Championship IN Seattle, home of the 7-9 Seahawks.

Bears Shut Down Seahawks – This game wasn’t nearly as close as the 35-24 score suggests. It was 28-3 after three quarters, and Seattle had to punt on their first 8 drives. At least they weren’t turning the ball over! The best part about this game being a blowout was it gave me a chance to make the hour drive back home from Walnut Creek in time to catch the start of the late game. It also gave me some time to reflect on the night before, where I paid my last respects to one of my favorite clubs in San Francisco, Gravity, on its last night in operation. I guess it’s fitting that the Bay Area backfield of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett seemed to have an extra dose of gravity, and never really got off the ground, combining for just 11 rushing yards.

Jets Shock The World – Or me, at least. I gave the Jets zero chance to win this game and I was thoroughly impressed with their overall performance. They didn’t necessarily come out of the gate rolling, but they controlled the ball and once they pushed across two touchdowns, they never looked back. Sanchez seemed to be on a pretty tight leash to start the game, but he finished with a solid game of 194 yards and 3 touchdowns. He may just be the ultimate game manager, since he boasts an impressive 4-1 postseason record in his two year career. Not taking away from a solid Green Bay – Chicago showdown in the NFC, I can’t wait for this Jets-Steelers matchup next weekend. If you didn’t know from my Adrian Murrell RFP of the Day a while back, I was a huge Jets fan from 1995-1997. Having said that, I’m really excited to see Neil O’Donnell’s former teams battling it out. I’ll probably even have to bring out the Keyshawn #19 jersey…. again.