Reviewing The Championship Games.

 

  The New England Patriots dynasty will end. Minnesota Vikings will become the first team ever to host a Super Bowl in its own stadium. Patriots dynasty didn't end and the Vikings are not heading back to Minneapolis to get themselves ready for hosting the Super Bowl this year. I have said it before, it is extremely hard to predict the accurate results in the National Football League. Especially in the playoffs! I gave the Eagles no chance of representing NFC in the Super Bowl, but they won their two playoff games and now are heading to Super Bowl. First I picked the Atlanta Falcons to upset them in the divisional round, last week. It didn't go that way. Then this past weekend for the conference championship game, I picked the Vikings to beat the Eagles easily. After what I saw in the divisional round with Vikings winning their matchup against a very good New Orleans Saints team and Eagles barely winning against the Atlanta Falcons (the game in which Nick Foles threw awful passes and made strange decisions), I just couldn't see the Eagles beating the Vikings. Then the NFC Championship game took place. It started off with the Vikings offense scoring with ease. However after that, they completely forgot to play football and Eagles flat out dominated them to win the game 38-7. On the other hand, before and during the AFC Championship game, some fans and experts made bold predictions, or the predictions which they have been making for the past five years. Brady will struggle and get hurt against the Sacksonville defense. Bill Belichick will leave for the New York Giants and Patriots' fans will disappear. In the end, Tom Brady and the Pats defeated the Sacksonville 24-20. Lets break down the two big games.

 

We will start with the NFC Championship game. Eagles weren't just flying this past Sunday night. They flew and hunted their prey, and they did it with ease. Though, before the game, most of us thought that it was the Vikings who were the predators and the Eagles were going to be their prey. I know upsets do take place in the NFL, but not like this. Both teams were evenly matched in terms of talent, but one team had a better coach and the number one ranked defense! The Vikings had eyes on history. They were only win away from becoming the first team ever to host a Super Bowl at their own home stadium. It would have meant the world to the Vikings' fan base. Playing a Super Bowl game in their own stadium would have also meant so much to the Vikings owner, as he recently opened the new US Bank Stadium for his Vikings to play its home games. New stadium is elegant, looks great, and almost turned out to be a good luck charm for his team. I didn't see the Vikings looking past the Eagles for the historic Super Bowl as they have a great coach, who is very disciplined and will coach his players to focus on the game they will be playing in the present week or the next game they will be playing. If you watched the game, you would think Mike Zimmer didn't prepare his players for this game at all. Eagles crushed the souls of the Vikings in almost every manner of the game. The Vikings started, with their first offensive possession of the game, going seventy-five yards for a touchdown in four minutes and forty-six seconds, and then on their defensive possession of the game, they allowed a first down but then quickly got a stop and forced the Eagles to punt the ball. Felt like a beat down was coming for the home team, as some of us expected. Then, all of a sudden, the game changed real quick. In Vikings second possession of the game, Case Keenum's pass was intercepted by Patrick Robinson, who returned it for fifty yards and a touchdown. That got the game tied up, but it was just the start for the Eagles scoring thirty-eight straight points. After that interception was returned for a touchdown, Legarrette Blount ran in for eleven yards and a touchdown. Then, Nick Foles passed to Alshon Jeffery for the Eagles touchdown of the game. In the final minutes of the first half, when Vikings really needed to move the ball and get some points on the board, they failed and gave the ball back to Nick Foles and the Eagles with twenty-nine seconds on the clock. In those twenty-nine seconds, Nick Foles completed three straight passes for sixty yards and got the Eagles on the Vikings twenty-yard line. Then the Eagles kicker, Jake Elliot came in and added three more points to the Eagles lead. A week earlier in the divisional round, the Vikings went into the locker room with a seventeen point lead against the Saints. This time in the NFC Championship game, they went into the locker room trailing the Eagles by seventeen. One would think Zimmer would come up with adjustments, which would lead the Vikings to come back and prove the world that they were the better team all along. Instead of doing all that, they allowed the Eagles to score two more touchdowns and put the game to bed. Nobody except for few hardcore Eagles fans, expected a thirty-eight point beat down for the Vikings by the Eagles. The Vikings' once in a lifetime season was over and the Eagles' fantasy season continued. Now they are only win away from winning the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. It won't be easy for them, as they are going against a team that's been the best team in the league for the last eighteen years. The New England Patriots are waiting for the Philadelphia Eagles!

  So the Eagles and Vikings game was a shocker, but it was also pretty boring for ninety-percent of the football fans. The afternoon game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars was definitely a thriller. I predicted the Patriots to win 27-20 and came just short of that prediction, as the Pats won 24-20. Coming into this game, Tom Brady hurt his hand on a running play in a practice drill on Wednesday last week. The game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was going to be tough for Brady and the Patriots no matter what as, the Jaguars had the best or second best defense in the league and they had a formula to beat a Tom Brady led-offense. But with an injury to Brady's throwing hand, things got more dicey for the Patriots. Sunday came and it was time for coin toss. Jaguars won the toss and decided to defer the ball to the Patriots offense to test Brady's hand right away. In the first drive of the game, Brady and his bunch moved the ball against the Jags' defense with ease, as they came up with sixty plus yards and two first downs just before the Jags, stopped them in the red zone and had them settle for three points. Patriots kicker, Stephen Gostkowski successfully hit the thirty-one yard field goal to give the Patriots first lead of the game. They didn't get seven points, but they scored three points pretty quick on the Jags' defense, which isn't so easy to do against such a defense. After that drive, the Jaguars dominated the majority of the first half in terms of time of possession, first downs, third-down conversions, and points. Jags' defense after the game's opening drive, in which they allowed two first downs, they held the Patriots' offense to only two more first downs until the Pats last offensive drive of the first half. Tom Brady and the Pats in their last possession of the first half, took some chances deep and drew couple flags on Jags' defense. Those penalties helped the Patriots get in scoring position, set them up for a yard run by James White for a touchdown, and they were right back in the game. However, the first penalty which the Patriots' offense drew on Jaguars' defense was very costly. On that penalty play, Barry Church the safety of the Jaguars gave a hard helmet to helmet hit to Pats All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. It gave the Pats fifteen yards, but it also gave Gronk a concussion. At that moment, I as a Patriots fan was devastated like most other Pats' fans were. Yes, I know the Pats won the Super Bowl last year with no Gronk in the lineup for the last ten games of the year, seven regular season games and three post-season games, but this was different. Look at it from the perspective of Pats' fans in that moment. Patriots are playing against a team with the best defense in the AFC. A team that is led by Tom Coughlin, the man who knows how to beat an offense with Tom Brady at quarterback. Coughlin had Brady's number twice in the biggest game of the year. Plus the Jaguars were one team, which the Pats didn't play all year long and the team that beat the Pittsburgh Steelers really bad twice in the season, once in the regular season and then a week before the current game. Never in the history of the playoffs, a team with number one passing offense, had beaten a team with number one passing defense, as teams with number one passing defense, is 3-0 against teams with number one passing offense. Tom Brady is playing in the game with his throwing hand injured, even though he looked fine up to the moment when Gronk got hurt, but you never know what could happen as the game goes on. Then Gronk is definitely out for the game. Brady also doesn't have his favorite and reliable slot receiver from the past four seasons in Julian Edelman, and there is no Martellus Bennett, as his number two tight end who did a great job when Gronk missed the remaining ten games of last season. Also, Brady didn't have his second year receiver, Malcom Mitchell in his offensive arsenal. With all that going against the Pats, they had only three points, with 0 for 5 on third-down conversions, and  they were struggling to move the ball even with Gronk on the field. It felt like there was no way that they could score a touchdown or two for the rest of the game without their All-Pro tight end. Most of us Pats' fans were upset and angry at the moment when Gronk got hurt, but in our heart of hearts, we still had hope. We have seen it several times in several years, that the game isn't over for the Patriots until the clock hits zero. That's because the Pats have number twelve as their quarterback and Belichick coaching up his defense and special teams to make crucial plays and stops to give his offense decent chances of scoring. However, that anger quickly went away as Pats scored their first touchdown of the game, three plays after Gronk suffered a concussion. That touchdown drive late in the first half felt great and brought the Pats right back into the game. Then Jaguars got the ball with fifty-five seconds and two timeouts available at their disposal. I feared the Jaguars' offense taking chances, getting into red-zone area to answer the Patriots touchdown, and take away all the momentum the Patriots recently gained. Jaguars surprised us all, as their offense took knee on back to back plays to end the half. That was a 'what the hell' moment? We all know that the Jaguars have a great defense and they rely on it to win games, but come on, you can't have hundred percent confidence on your defense and none on your offense. When you play against the defending champs, a team that has been to the AFC title stage for seven straight years, while you have been there only once or twice in your franchise history, you can't play them conservative! A team should know their opponent and should respect them. When the Jags let the clock run, I said to my uncle who was watching the game with me, that this would come back to haunt them. It certainly did!

   Second half starts. We know how good the Patriots are with making second half adjustments and Tom Brady playing at a totally different level in the second half, than he does in the first half of most games. I expected the Patriots' defense coming up with third-down stops, which they struggled to do in the first half, and Tom Brady beating the Jags' defensive schemes and coming up with points. It didn't start off like that right away in third quarter. Jags' defense kept coming with stops against the Patriots' offense on third downs, and their own offense, continued dominating the time of possession while picking up first downs. It was alarming that the Pats, hadn't adjusted in the third quarter to what the Jags did to them in the first half. Third quarter is usually where one could see in which direction the game is going. But then again, its the Patriots! The game isn't over for the Patriots until the clock hits zero. Then fourth quarter arrived and things started to change. Brady and the Pats started playing aggressive and come up with some cool trick plays. However, one of the Pats' trick play came back to hunt them and almost put a nail in the coffin to their comeback attempt. The trick play in which Brady passed the ball to Danny Amendola on the right side, who then threw it to Dion Lewis on the other side, who then found some room to run the ball for good chunk of yards. As Lewis was running and had taken the ball twenty yards further down, Myles Jack the stud linebacker of the Jaguars, tackled Dion Lewis, forced a fumble and recovered it! That kind of an effort and result on the play, would break the fire and momentum of any player on the offensive side of the ball. But all those offensive players, play for the New England Patriots. All those players are coached to stay calm and never give up. Plus, they are led by Tom Brady, a quarterback who has done many unbelievable things in the past, and brought his team back from big deficits to win games. So every single Patriot player on offense and defense knew, that there was over thirteen minutes left in the game, and a lot could happen from that point. A lot did happen and started happening quick. Patriots' defense quickly forced a three and out, got the ball back to offense just a little over a minute, and then offense took over. Brady and the offense for the last twelve minutes of the game, played an incredible and a damn near perfect game. It started with a big play on 3rd & 18. How many quarterbacks do you know could convert on third and this long, against the best pass defense in the league while being down by two scores? Few, but we know which offense usually does convert on third and long in these situations, and its the Patriots' offense, led by the GOAT! Brady on that play, bought himself time while moving around the pocket, threw a picture perfect pass in the middle of the field, to Danny Amendola who safely caught it for twenty-one yards. Then the Pats went no-huddle and came up with a flea flicker pass, in which Brady threw another perfect pass to his receiver, this time it was Phillip Dorsett who was the target and came with a thirty-one yard catch. Two plays later, Brady and the Pats scored their first touchdown of the second half and got themselves within three points. It was Amendola, who came up with the touchdown reception. Then Jags' offense came back to the field, pick up one first down, and then punted the ball right back to the Patriots. Defense of the Patriots had figured out the Jags' offense, as it constantly came up with stops on all of the Jags' third down attempts in the fourth quarter. Pats on their next possession of the quarter, drew a huge penalty on the Jags' defense for about thirty-six yards, but then quickly settled for the punt, as Jags' defense came up big on three straight plays. Time was ticking. Both teams knew just under six minutes were left in the game and they needed to make important plays to either, secure a victory (if you are the Jags), or come from behind to win the game (if you are the Patriots). Jags' offense got the ball back with 5:53 left on the clock, needed to pick up couple first downs and put up points, to make it difficult for Patriots to comeback and win the game. They didn't do it and give the ball back to Tom Brady, as the Jaguars went three and out, again! Brady came to the field and said to himself that, he won't leave the field this time without scoring a touchdown. That's exactly what he did. Tom Brady in that drive, which started at 4:58 left on the clock, led his offense to a five play scoring drive. It started with him completing two straight passes, one to James White for fifteen yards and second to Amendola for eight yards. Then Brady on 2nd & 2, did a quick quarterback sneak to pickup a first down. Talk about going for the kill! On the next play, he handed off to White for a one yard gain just before, he threw a bullet to Amendola for a four-yard touchdown. That wasn't a perfect pass, as it was high but, it wasn't that high and only Amendola could have made a play on it. Which he did as he caught the pass and came down with both his feet inbounds, before his shoulder touched the outside area. What a way to take the lead! Jags' offense came back to the field, picked up couple first downs, before they were slowed down by the Pats' defense. Jaguars' quarterback, Blake Bortles took a sack for loss of nine, on 2nd & 10 from the Pats' thirty-eight. Season was in the hands of Jags' offense, with possibly two more plays to go. Then on 3rd & 19, Bortles completed a pass for four yards just before on 4th down, when he threw a riffle pass which ended being incomplete. That pass on 4th & 15 could have been completed for a touchdown if it wasn't for Stephon Gilmore making a play on it. He knocked it down while diving in the air! The game wasn't over there. Pats' offense came to the field, knowing they needed only one first down to ice the game. The Pats picked up the first down in typical Patriots fashion. Dion Lewis on 3rd & 9, ran to the left side for eighteen yards and game-clinching first down. Game over! Patriots completed another comeback in a big playoff game. Now they are heading to Super Bowl and will have a chance to win back to back for the first time, since they did it last time in 2003 and 2004 seasons.

  A day after the game was over, I heard some of you saying on twitter and other social media sites, that the Patriots got lucky again, as they were bailed by the refs. Don't you guys get tired? Come on, really? Yes, I know the Jaguars had six penalties for ninety-eight yards as compared to the Patriots having only one for fifteen yards, but that's not injustice. The pass interferences on Jags were fifty-fifty calls, but you can't say those were awful calls. In every single pass interference call, none of the Jags' corners were looking at the ball and not put their hands on the receivers (mainly Brandin Cooks). Their corners just got burned by Brady and Cooks. On the hand, Patriots are not known for getting flagged too much. You know why? Because they play disciplined and smart football, and they have been playing like this since 2001. Jaguars are young, play fast and aggressive, and they make hard hits. That's a recipe for making errors and drawing up flags. Oh by the way, the refs didn't take a knee for the Jaguars when they got the ball with fifty-five seconds on the clock. The refs didn't let Tom Brady convert on 3rd & 18. Refs didn't have the Jaguars go 0 for 5 on third down conversions in the fourth quarter. The Jags simply got beat by a veteran and well-coached team.

 
  So the Super Bowl 52 stage is set! It is a rematch of Super Bowl 39, which was played between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. In that game, Tom Brady's Patriots defeated Donovan McNabb's Eagles 24-21. Let's see if this Eagles' team, led by Nick Foles, could beat this Patriots' team who are looking to win their sixth Super Bowl title, to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl trophies by an NFL franchise. Or maybe finally, the City of Philadephia could enjoy its first Super Bowl title. Just ten more days to go!