NFL Conference Weekend

The final four teams remaining paired up to face off for the Conference Championship games to fight for the right to advance to the big dance in Dallas.  The ultimate goal for any NFL franchise is to win the Super Bowl, but to even get the chance to get there they have to win this weekend first.

Here are some things that I noticed this week:

Green Bay Packers defeat Chicago Bears

• This game looked like it would be a blowout win for the Packers after they took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, but the Packers offense stalled after that and they weren't able to put the game out of reach.  The Packers did not score again until there were only 6 minutes remaining in the game, and that TD was an interception returned by the defense.  As woeful as the Bears offense was, the inability to add more to the scoreboard kept the Bears in the game all the way until the end.
• Aaron Rodgers had 28 TDs and only 11 INTs for the season.  He had at least one TD in all but one game (Week 8 win over the Jets), excluding the game he left early and the following week that he missed due to a concussion.  He didn't have more than 2 INTs in any game this season.  In this game he had 0 TDs and 2 INTs.
• Greg Jennings had a big day (8 cathces, 130 yards), accumulating more than half of the team's receiving yards.  9 Packers players caught a pass, but only Jennings and Jordy Nelson caught more than one.
• Veteran Donald Driver had only 1 catch for 9 yards despite being tied for 2nd on the team with 5 targets.
• Rookie CB Sam Shields is my pick for player of the game for his two interceptions, including the one that clinched victory for the Packers when the Bears were driving deep into their territory for a potential game tying TD with under a minute to play.
• Jay Cutler got off to a terrible start (6/18 passing for 80 yards and an INT) before leaving with a knee injury in the 3rd quarter.
• Nobody can ever question a player for sitting out with an injury because we have no way of knowing the extent of the injury or how much pain they are in.  Yet many are quick to judge Cutler for not even attempting to come back into the game.  Is there good reason for this?  Perhaps you can make that argument, considering Cutler was not seen being attended to by the team's medical staff, was not on crutches or even sitting down.  He stood on the sidelines pouting and didn't even make an attempt to consult with his replacements to help them out.  Typically a backup QB holds a clipboard and acts somewhat like an assistant on the sidelines, but not Cutler.  Maybe it's not fair to judge his injury, but regardless of how hurt he was, isn't it fair to question if he quit on his team?
• After the injury, Cutler was replaced by Todd Collins.  He was 0/4 passing before being benched for Caleb Hanie, who despite being far from brilliant, proved to be the Bears most competent QB that day and nearly led them to a comeback.
• Granted Hanie also threw two Interceptions, one of which was returned for a TD and was the difference in the game.  The other Interception ended the game.  Yet he was still better than Cutler!
• Led by Brian Urlacher, the Bears said all the right things in support of Cutler while verifying the legitimacy of his injury.  It would be interesting to hear if they are saying the same behind closed doors.  We may find out in the off-season if the Bears consider making a change.
• ESPN reported this afternoon that Cutler has a torn MCL.  If that's true then it's understandable why he didn't re-enter the game.  It also means the Bears may have no choice but to consider other options for next year, as Cutler may not be ready to play by then.

Pittsburgh Steelers defeat New York Jets

• The Jets came out flat in the first half and appeared like they had used up all their energy the previous week in New England.  Or maybe they wasted too much energy on trash talking.  Either way, they were a step too slow in the first half and ended up behind 24-3.
• I'd like to know what Rex Ryan said at halftime, because we saw a totally different team in the second half.  The Jets dominated the rest of the way, but they had dug themselves too big of a hole and fell short in the end.
• The Jets had a great chance to get back into the game mid-way through the 4th quarter, but were stuffed at the 1 inch line on 4th and goal.  Should they have gone for a field goal instead?  That would have only cut the lead to 4, meaning they'd still need another TD and might not even get the ball back.  Even though they failed on 4th down, they forced a safety on the next play when Roethlisberger mishandled the snap with no room to operate in.  At that stage of the game those 2 points were worth just about the same as a 3 point FG would have been, plus they got the ball back in good field position after the safety forced the Steelers to punt it back to them.  So considering they followed that with a quick TD score to pull within 5, the failed 4th down attempt may have been the best thing that could have happened for the Jets!
• Unfortunately for the Jets, they never got the ball back after that.  Despite that there were over 3 minutes left and they had all their timeouts remaining, the vaunted Jets defense was unable to prevent the Steelers from making two first downs, which allowed them to run out the clock.
• Credit the Steelers for being bold at the end of the game.  Most teams would have called all running plays to force the other team to use their timeouts.  If they weren't able to pick up a first down on the drive they'd punt the ball away and hope their defense could hold a lead with less than two minutes remaining.  Both first downs the Steelers picked up were on passing plays, which the Jets clearly did not see coming.  Had they thrown an incompletion it would have stopped the clock and preserved another one of those Jets timeouts, a risk many teams would not take.
• Mark Sanchez outperformed Ben Roethlisberger by a wide margin, but still lost:
• Sanchez: 233 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 102.2 rating
• Roethlisberger: 133 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, 35.5 rating
• The Jets combo of Revis and Cromartie shut down the Steelers top receivers.  Hines Ward and Mike Wallace combined for only 3 catches for 20 yards.
• The Jets had the 3rd best rush defense in the league this year, yet Rashard Mendenhall rung up 121 yards against them.
• Tight Ends Dustin Keller and Heath Miller were each the leading receivers for their teams.
• The Steelers will move on to their 3rd Super Bowl appearance in the past 6 seasons.  If they win then Roethlisberger will move into a tie with Tom Brady for most Super Bowl victories among active Quarterbacks.
• In a related note, I'll be rooting for the Packers to win the Super Bowl.
• We have two weeks off before the big game.  At least we have the Pro-Bowl in between to get our weekly football fix.  Oh wait, nobody watches the Pro-Bowl.  That's no surprise, considering the players from the two Super Bowl teams can't even participate and most of the other top players find an excuse to skip the game as well.  I think Matt Cassel is starting for the AFC.  Doesn't exactly get you excited, does it?
• Super Bowl XLV is less than 2 weeks away.  Get your party plans ready!