A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
It doesn’t get any better than what we just witnessed from the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints.
How could it?
In an absolute instant classic thriller, the 49ers defeated the favored Saints 36-32, dealing the deciding blow on a 14-yard, 3rd down touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis with 0:09 left on the clock.
It was the perfect way for the perfect football game to end.
A stark contrast of styles kicks of the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs later this afternoon when Drew Brees and the high-octane Saints travel to the Bay Area to face Jim Harbaugh’s physical, feisty 49ers.
The early discourse on this game seemed to favor the Saints, but as the week has gone on more and more of the highly-paid and exposed mainstream media types have been coming around on Patrick Willis and the Niners.
Here is all the basic info you need to know, what MSF’s writers have said about the game this week, and a poll so you can take your pick.
Four games, eight teams, eight storylines.
The Divisional Round often produces the most compelling and memorable moments of the NFL Playoffs. Favorites carrying the weight of the world, or underdogs with nothing to lose and not getting enough respect even after being just one of eight teams out of 32 left.
Jerod offered his spread picks for each game earlier in the week. Now here are my predictions for each game.
Defense versus Offense is the quintessential argument in sports. Saturday, another chapter will be written on this polarizing subject as the second-ranked 49ers defense will be faced with the task of shutting down the high-powered offense that may seem to be on the heels of another dominant victory.
Despite Tebow 3:16, this is, without question, the most interesting playoff game for me this weekend. So let’s set the stage…
Hey media, how about if we let the New Orleans Saints actually beat the San Francisco 49ers before we automatically put them into the NFC Championship Game against the Packers?
The NFC playoffs begin in New Orleans as the Saints will host the Lions tonight. The two teams have already met up once this season, which came in Week 13. The Saints won 31-17, in a game that saw Drew Brees dominate the Lions’ defense. Matthew Stafford threw for 408 yards, but Drew Brees just outmatched the Lions.
It should be a shootout this time around, as both quarterbacks threw for over 5,000 yards this season.
Just saw this pass through my Twitter stream (as RT’d by the great Greg Bedard) and lol’d.
It’s a tweet from Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune in New Orleans quoting New Orleans Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams:
The holidays are over, and the 2011 NFL regular season has concluded along with them.
Before we as sports fans switch our focus to other items like March Madness or the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight that I will keep assuming will happen, we get 11 more games that make up the annual NFL playoffs. These 660 minutes will re-write, or at very least alter, the season’s script to which many think they already know the ending.
As a born and raised Indiana Hoosier who bleeds Cream and Crimson, I hate liking anything from Purdue, but Drew Brees just makes it so damn impossible to dislike him.
Last night, Brees broke the single-season passing yardage record that was held by favorite football player of all-time, Dan Marino, yet I found myself happy for him – hell, I was pretty much rooting for him.
Then I watched Brees’ postgame speech after the game, and I was reminded, yet again, why Brees is impossible to dislike.
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Postpone taking down that Christmas tree and cleaning up the mess left behind by relatives and enjoy your weekly dose of Monday Night Football.
Watch the New Orleans Saints (11-3) host the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) to wrap up the last of the Christmas weekend games, and hopefully the holiday lights will not surge all the electrical power from the Superdome like last week at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
After the Saints and Falcons play tonight, just one more week will remain in the NFL regular season. As usual, there are myriad iterations of playoff matchups that could become a reality based on what happens tonight and in Week 17.
Here is a rundown of the NFC playoff scenarios. (Click here to see the AFC playoff scenarios.)
It’s been a busy 24 hours in the football world.
Mike McQueary provided some disturbing but important (and damning) testimony about Jerry Sandusky; the Sam Hurd drug saga continued to unfold; and Adrian Peterson explained one of his motivations for returning to the field.
Tonight’s game features a matchup of two teams, the Saints and Lions, vying for playoff spots in the NFC – but it was originally scheduled to feature the Patriots and the lowly Colts. That would have been ugly, as the last time the Colts were on Sunday Night Football the Saints beat them 62-7.
So let’s all be happy that NBC decided to use its flex option.
The New York Giants travel to New Orleans tonight to take on the Saints at the Superdome.
The Saints lead the NFC South with a record of 7-3, while the Giants trail the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East with a record of 6-4.
Since their bye week in week 7, the Giants have lost two of the four games and need to win this one to keep the pressure on the Cowboys. With the Saints coming off a bye week and playing at home, they are going to be tough to beat.
There are many different factors that make fantasy football difficult: bye weeks; injuries; random lucky days for your opponent; and worst of all, Chris Johnson.
In my opinion though, the hardest thing is staying in the present.
What do I mean?
