The Saints=49ers game, marred early by too many turnovers, turned in one of the great finishes in football history. In the final 4 minutes there were 4 touchdowns, each one resulting in a lead change. And these weren't just average touchdowns, great plays were made by Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles, Drew Brees and especially Alex Smith. He was given no chance to match wits with Brees in the game but when the game was on the line he was awesome. I just couldn't believe the way these teams were marching up and down the field on each other so quickly. And they were being so aggressive in going for it. I thought for sure the 49ers would play it safe and kick a game-tying field goal to force overtime, instead Smith hit Vernon Davis for game-winner.
49ers History
When Vernon Davis caught that game-winning touchdown pass and broke into tears, it immediately reminded many people of a similar catch-and-cry by Terrell Owens for the 49ers to beat the Packers. It was actually the 5th last-minute touchdown catch in a playoff game for the 49ers. You may remember the other 4. There was Owens, of course, Dwight Clark making "The Catch," John Taylor winning the Super Bowl against the Bengals and the last one is a little different. It was Tai Streets from Jeff Garcia in a game that was known for something else. It was the one where the Giants had a 38-14 lead, blew it and had one last field goal attempt, trailing 39-38, and botched the snap.
Order Has Been Restored
The playoffs will proceed without Tim Tebow. The most amazing and polarizing story to hit the NFL in a long time is over, for now. I love Tim Tebow the person, and you could see that he was still trying his hardest when the Broncos were losing by 35. The rest of his teammates certainly were not. The defense, which many people said carried Tebow during the amazing winning-streak, absolutely gave up against the Patriots. They couldn't stop anyone, so they stopped trying. Von Miller seemed like he wanted to get ejected, delivering a cheap shot that started a scuffle. And the offensive line was quite offensive. Tebow was running for his life. The Patriots don't even have a good defense and they collapsed the pocket on every single play. Now Tebow has the entire offseason to work on some things to improve his game. And the Broncos front office should use that same time to find a few players with the heart and desire of Tebow.
They Might Be Giants
You can't pull off a major upset without a little bit of luck. Eli Manning's Hail Mary to Hakeem Nicks at the end of the first half really changed the tone for the rest of the game, and it certainly reminded many David Tyree Helmet Catch. But the Giants didn't win on luck alone. Eli Manning played another great game, sealing his place among the Elite quarterbacks in the NFL. He actually outshone Aaron Rodgers, though Rodgers was hamstrung by butter-fingered receivers who dropped balls, and fumbled them.
Heavy Heart
Prior to the game, Giants defensive back Derrick Martin, who spent two years with the Packers, consoled Green Bay offensive coordinator, Joe Philbin. Last week, Philbin's 21-year-old son, Michael was reported missing. His body was discovered in a river near the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The funeral was Thursday and Philbin was back at work on Saturday getting the Packers ready for the Giants.
Picture of the Week
Those Packers fans really love their crazy hats.
If The Super Bowl Were Played Today
New England Patriots 20 New York Giants 17
At this point no one should count out the Giants (though they are not a certainty to beat the 49ers) but I just feel like the Patriots are too good right now. And they won't get caught off-guard this time by an upstart like the Giants.
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