May 26, 2013

Righting the Ship

April 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Well, the 2013 draft is now complete and it is time to take a look at each and every player that Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie drafted.  With the departures of defensive tackles Desmond Bryant, Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour, the consensus for the first round pick would to be to address the pass rush.  McKenzie traded the third overall pick to the Miami Dolphins for the 12th pick in the first round and the 42nd overall pick.  With the 12th pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders selected DJ Hayden.  Hayden is a cornerback from Houston and was the top player on McKenzie’s board.  Even though there were plenty of top notch defensive linemen available to help with the pass rush, that need wasn’t addressed in the first round.

Still, the Raiders got a good player and cornerback is also a position that needs upgrading.  Hayden is 5′ 11″, 191 pounds and was the number two ranked cornerback in the draft behind Dee Milliner from Alabama.  Mike Mayock of the NFL Network had him ranked as the best corner in the draft.  After watching some film of him, I liked what I saw.  He has a nose for the ball, makes plays and rarely gets beat.  It’s possible that he could become a starter on day one.  But the amazing thing about this kid is that he almost died on the practice field late last year.  During practice, Hayden and another teammate collided and the collision resulted in massive internal bleeding.  He was rushed to the hospital and it was discovered the main blood vessel in his heart was nearly torn completely off.  The doctors immediately went to work on him and were able to repair the damaged vessel.  The road to recovery was pretty long, but Hayden is back at full strength and has been cleared by doctors to play football again.  I am really looking forward to seeing him play.

With their second round pick, (#42 overall) the Raiders took Florida State offensive tackle Menelik Watson.  When his name was announced, I stared at the television and said “WHAT? Who the hell is that?”  Watson is 24 years old and stands at 6′ 5″ and weighs in at 310 pounds.  He’s a former basketball and soccer player from England who played one year of football at Saddleback Junior College and then transferred to Florida State where he started in 12 of 13 games.  Although he is a raw talent,  he is very athletic and has been compared to Michael Oher of the Ravens.  Despite bringing back right tackle Khalif Barnes and signing free agent Alex Barron, the Raiders still have a need at that position.  You can count on Barnes to have AT LEAST one false start a game and that can be very frustrating.  False starts can kill the momentum of a drive.  With the zone blocking scheme being scrapped and the power blocking scheme being installed, Watson definitely has a chance to get some quality playing time at right tackle.

With their third round pick, (#66 overall) the Raiders selected outside linebacker Sio Moore from Connecticut.  Moore is 6′ 1″ and weighs 245 pounds.  Being a fan of Big East football, I knew who this guy was.  He’s non-stop energy on the field and always around the ball.  He was a three-year starter at Connecticut and racked up 274 tackles, 16 sacks, 44 tackles for a loss and picked off four passes.  He has something the 2012 Raider linebackers didn’t have.  That would be solid coverage skills.  I can’t recall the last time I saw I saw a linebacker from the Raiders pick off a pass.  He has played on the weak and strong sides and in a conference call with the Bay Area press, he said “Oakland is getting a real pissed off player.  I’ll outwork everyone out there and do everything they ask of me.  I’ll even be a special teams war daddy if they need me to.”  Hey, I’ll take that.  This is now a young team with few veterans and they need some good high energy players.

The fourth round pick, (#112 overall) was quarterback Tyler Wilson from Arkansas.  Wilson is 6′ 2″ and weighs 215 pounds.  The Raiders coached against him in the Senior Bowl, so they are familiar with his talents.  In his junior year, he completed 63 percent of his passes and threw for 3,638 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.  His numbers dropped off a bit in his senior year, but he still managed to complete 62 percent of his passes and throw for 3,387 yards in 11 games.  He’s a leader and has been compared to Brett Favre because he can throw the ball from a variety of angles while under pressure.  Although he is somewhat mobile, he prefers to stand in the pocket and look for his target.  Throws a good mid-range pass, but needs to work on the deep ball.

The Raiders didn’t have a fifth round pick in this draft.  But, McKenzie did some wheeling and dealing and they ended up with four sixth round picks.  Their first pick of the sixth round, (#172 overall) was tight end Nick Kasa from Colorado.  With free agent tight end Brandon Myers heading to the Giants, drafting a tight end was definitely a good idea.  At 6′ 6″ and 269 pounds, Kasa is indeed a large mammal.  He’s a former defensive end and power fullback and should fit right into the power blocking scheme.  In his senior year, Kasa caught 25 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns.  I look for him to be more of a blocking tight end, but on occasion, he’ll go out for a pass.  He could end up being a target in goal line situations.

The second pick of the sixth round, (#181 overall) was running back Latavius Murray from Central Florida.  Murray is 6′ 3″ and weighs 223 pounds.  Although he wasn’t invited to the scouting combine, Murray ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at his pro day and that definitely got some interest from teams around the league.  He  is a nice complement to McFadden and will be able to grind out the tough yards between the tackles.  In four years at Central Florida, he had 453 carries for 2,424 yards and 37 touchdowns.  Out of those 453 carries, he had just one fumble.  Not only does he take care of the ball, his receiving skills are good too.  He caught 50 passes for 524 yards and six touchdowns in his four years at Central Florida.  This is an intriguing pick.  McKenzie may have found a diamond in the rough with Latavius Murray.

The third pick of the sixth round (#184 overall) was another tight end.  The pick was Mychal Rivera from Tennessee.  Rivera is 6′ 3″ and weighs 242 pounds.  He’s a pass catching tight end who has very deceptive speed.  A transfer from Oregon, Rivera caught 76 passes for 1,018 yards and six touchdowns.  He also set the Tennessee record for receiving yards for a tight end in one year with 562.  That beat the old record of 493 yards set by Jason Witten in 2002.  Rivera is also another player the Raiders coached against in the Senior Bowl.  Although not as big, he’s been compared to Kellen Winslow Jr.  He has “sneaky speed” and can stretch the field for big chunks of yardage.

With the fourth pick of the sixth round, (#205 overall) the Raiders finally took a defensive tackle.  Stacy McGee from Oklahoma was the pick.  McGee is 6′ 4″ and weighs 299 pounds.  There aren’t a whole lot of stats on this guy and that’s because he was nothing but trouble when he was a Sooner.  He’s had a DUI charge, been busted for smoking marijuana and countless other violations.  He was suspended from Oklahoma indefinitely.  My only guess with this pick is that McKenzie saw some promise with his play on the field.  I would also imagine he gave McGee an ultimatum.  It probably went something like “If you screw up once, you’re gone.  We’re giving you a chance and if you blow it, you most likely will not get another chance from any other team in the league.  Got it?  Good.”  To me, this looks more like a guy Al Davis would choose.  I hope it works out, but my hopes aren’t too high.

Their first pick in the seventh round (#209 overall) was used on wide receiver Brice Butler of San Diego State.  Butler is 6′ 3″ and weighs 214 pounds.  He began his football career at Southern Cal and after three years, he transferred out.  Apparently he and head coach Lane Kiffin weren’t getting along too well.  In his lone year at San Diego State, Butler caught 24 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns.  He’s the son of former Atlanta Falcon defensive back Bobby Butler and he definitely has the size and ability to make the team.  The potential is there and I hope he gets a chance to show off his skills.

With their last pick in the draft (#233 overall) the Raiders selected defensive end Davis Bass from Missouri Western State.  Bass is 6′ 4″ and weighs 262 pounds.  He was a dominant player and played in 50 games.  He had a school record 40.5 sacks and 56 tackles for a loss.  Very impressive.  But, is he good enough for the pro level?  In the pros, will he be a defensive end or linebacker?  I guess time will tell, but he has a good burst and is very quick off the snap.  If he makes the team, he definitely fills a position of need.  With only 25 sacks last year, the Raiders need guys that can get to the quarterback.  I wish him the best of luck.

This was a good draft and it definitely filled some of the holes that were left by departing free agents.  Still, this team is a work in progress.  There’s too many positions that need quality players and not enough money to get the players to fill those holes.  It has been reported that they’ll be almost 60 million under the salary cap next year and McKenzie can start spending some money on free agents.  But before he starts bringing in guys from other teams,  he needs to re-sign some key players on the current roster.  Players like defensive end Lamarr Houston, left tackle Jared Veldheer and if McFadden proves he can stay healthy, I’d love to see him brought back as well.  There’s still a long way to go until opening day in Indianapolis, but it will be here before you know it.  I’ll be back before then with some more analysis.  Take it easy.

The Raider Guy

 

 

 

Filed Under: NFL, Pro Tagged With: , ,

Super Bowl XLVII

February 4, 2013 by 1 Comment

This year, the Super Bowl matched up the AFC champion Baltimore Ravens against the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.  It was the first time in Super Bowl history that brothers (John and Jim Harbaugh) were coaching the teams and it was being billed as the “Har-Bowl” or the “Super-Bro.”  So, after two weeks of hype, we were finally ready for the game to start.  The Ravens won the toss and deferred to the second half.  Kicker Justin Tucker kicked it deep for a touch-back and the 49ers started at their 20.  They got the game off to a good start when quarterback Colin Kaepernick completed a 20-yard pass to tight end Vernon Davis.  Unfortunately, that play was called back due to an illegal formation penalty.  Three plays later, punter Andy Lee came on and hit a 50-yard punt that was fielded at the Raven 32 by return man Jacoby Jones.  He returned it to the 49 and the Ravens had good field position for their first drive.

From the 49, quarterback Joe Flacco completed a short pass to fullback Vonta Leach that went for eight yards.  Running back Ray Rice ran for four yards on the next play and that got the Ravens a first down at the San Francisco 39.  From the 39, Flacco went to wide receiver Torrey Smith for 20 more yards and the Ravens were marching.  A short run by Rice and an incomplete pass made it third and nine.  On third down, Flacco looked for tight end Dennis Pitta and the pass was incomplete.  However, the 49ers were flagged for an offside penalty.  On third and four from the 13, Flacco threw for the end zone and the pass was caught by wide receiver Anquan Boldin for a touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens had an early 7-0 lead.

Starting from their 20, the 49ers went to work.  Running back Frank Gore was thrown for a loss of one on first down, but Kaepernick came back with a 19-yard completion to wide receiver Michael Crabtree.  Runs of nine and five yards by Gore and 16 more rushing yards from Kaepernick moved the ball to the Raven 32.  Kaepernick then found Davis open for a gain of 24 and the 49ers were at the Raven eight-yard line.  They would go no further.  In fact, they went backwards as Kaepernick was sacked on third down for a loss of ten by linebacker Paul Kruger.  Kicker David Akers came into the game and made his 36-yard field goal attempt.  That made it 7-3 with 3:58 to go in the first quarter.

The Ravens managed to get a couple of first downs on their next drive but ended up punting.  Sam Koch’s punt went into the end zone and the 49ers were starting from their 20 again.  Passes of 29 and 11 yards to Davis had the 49ers off to a good start.  Rookie running back LaMichael James ran up the left side for eight yards and Gore got seven more on the next play.  On first down from the Raven 24, James ran off right end and the ball came loose.  It was recovered by defensive end Arthur Jones at the 25.

Running back Bernard Pierce got some action to start this drive and he netted 12 yards on three carries.  From the 37, Flacco found Pitta for nine and Pierce got two yards on his next carry for a first down at the 48.  Flacco then found tight end Ed Dickson for 23 yards and Rice ran up the right side for seven more.  Flacco looked for Dickson again and he was dragged down at the San Francisco eight-yard line.  A facemask penalty on safety Donte Whitner made it first and goal from the four.  On second and goal from the one, Flacco fired a pass into the end zone that was caught by Pitta for another Raven touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now led 14-3 with 7:06 to go in the first half.

The 49ers got the ball back at their 21 and Kaepernick put up a deep ball for wide receiver Randy Moss.  The ball was picked off by safety Ed Reed at the San Francisco 44 and returned to the 38.  After that, a huge brawl ensued.  Offsetting penalties were called and the Ravens were in business again.  Three runs by Rice, a short pass to Leach and a seven-yard pass to Rice got them a first down at the San Francisco 15.  The next three plays netted one yard and Tucker came on for a field goal attempt.  Instead of kicking the ball through the uprights, Tucker took the snap and ran up the left side in hopes of getting a first down.  He was pushed out of bounds one yard short of the first down marker by safety Darcel McBath.

A quick three and out by the 49ers gave the Ravens the ball at their 44.  On third and ten, Flacco looked deep for Jones and the ball was caught at the San Francisco nine.  After Jones caught the pass, he fell to the turf, quickly got up and made his way into the end zone for a touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now had a 21-3 lead with 1:45 to go in the half.

Starting at the 20, Kaepernick completed a six-yard pass to Crabtree and a 14-yard pass to tight end Delanie Walker.  A roughing the passer penalty on defensive tackle Haloti Ngata got them 15 more yards and a first down at the Raven 45.  Kaepernick looked for Walker again and found him for a gain of 28.  That got them down to the 17, but they couldn’t get the ball into the zone.  Akers made his 27-yard field goal attempt and the Ravens took a 21-6 lead into the locker room.

The second half got started with a bang as Jones fielded the kickoff eight yards deep in the end zone and ran straight up the middle.  Not a 49er could catch him and he ran it in for a 108-yard touchdown.  By the way, that was the longest scoring play in Super Bowl history.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now led 28-6 with 14:49 to go in the third quarter.  The 49ers started at their 14 and on first down, Kaepernick hooked up with Crabtree for a gain of 29 yards.  On first down from the 43, Gore ran up the left side for three and Kaepernick was sacked for a loss of six yards.  And then the lights went out.  The lights stayed out for a grand total of 34 minutes.  I felt like I was in the twilight zone.  After they finally came back on, the 49ers faced a third and 13 and didn’t get the first down.  The Ravens didn’t fare much better on their next drive and punted after four plays.

From their 20, the 49ers went to work knowing they had to get something going if they wanted to avoid being blown out.  Kaepernick had two scrambles that netted 20 yards and a first down at the 40.  On third and eight from the 42, Moss caught a nine-yard pass for a first down at the Raven 49.  From the 49, Kaepernick hit Davis for 18 yards and a first down at the 31.  Next, Crabtree caught a pass on the left side, bounced off a couple of defenders and made his way into the end zone for a 49er touchdown.  Akers made the point after and the score was now 28-13 with 7:20 to go in the third quarter.

On their next drive, the Ravens went nowhere as Flacco was sacked on third and ten by linebacker Ahmad Brooks.  49er return man Tedd Ginn fielded the punt at the San Francisco 48 and returned it to the Raven 20.  It took two plays to go 20 yards and Gore ran the ball in from the six-yard line for a touchdown.  Akers made the point after and it was now 28-20 with five minutes to go in the third quarter.  You could feel the momentum swing in favor of the 49ers.  What made it worse for the Ravens was an injury to Ngata.  He would not return to the game.  It couldn’t get worse than that, could it?  Yes it could.  On second and seven from the 23, the 49ers brought the blitz.  Flacco managed to dump off a pass to Rice on the left side where he was hit by cornerback Tarell Brown.  The ball came loose and Brown recovered it at the 24.

This time, the Raven defense was ready.  The 49ers managed to gain only three yards on three plays and it was up to Akers to put some more points on the board.  His kick sailed wide left, but the Ravens were flagged for running into the kicker.  That moved them up five yards and Akers was granted another try from 34 yards.  The kick was good and the score was now 28-23 with 3:10 to go in the third quarter.

The Ravens took over at their 28.  Two runs by Pierce and a 30-yard catch and run by Boldin moved the Ravens to the San Francisco 35.  Pitta caught another one for seven yards, Rice ran for two and Pierce had a nice run up the left side for a gain of eight.  He was hurt after that play, but would return later in the game.  A four-yard run by Rice and a nine-yard catch by Boldin made it first and goal at the four.  Two runs by Rice got them down to the one.  Instead of running it again, Flacco rolled out to the right side and couldn’t find anyone open.  The pass was incomplete and the Ravens had to settle for a 19-yard field goal attempt.  The kick was good and that made it 31-23 with 12:54 to go in the game.

The 49ers had little trouble moving the ball from their 24-yard line.  A five-yard run by Gore, a 32-yard catch by Moss and a 21-yard run by Gore made it first down at the Raven 18.  On second and seven from the 15, Kaepernick took it the rest of the way for another touchdown.  That made it 31-29 and they went for two to tie the game up.  The Ravens blitzed and Kaepernick’s pass to Moss was overthrown.  The score remained 31-29 with 9:57 to go in the game.

The Ravens started at their 21 and on third and nine, a pass interference penalty was called on cornerback Chris Culliver.  That gave them a first down at their 36.  A short run by Pierce and another catch by Boldin appeared to give the Ravens another first down.  But 49er head coach Jim Harbaugh challenged the spot and it was ruled Boldin was short of the first down.  That made it third and one from the 45.  I think everyone in the building was expecting a run up the middle on the next play.  Instead, Flacco called an audible and threw to the right side to Boldin.  Despite being blanketed by cornerback Carlos Rogers, Boldin managed to haul in the pass for a gain of 15 and a crucial first down.  Rice finally got loose for a gain of 12 and another first down at the San Francisco 28.  Two short runs by Rice and an offside penalty made it third and two at the 20.  Flacco fired a pass to Pitta, but he couldn’t hold on and that brought up fourth down.  Tucker came into the game again and his 38-yard attempt was good.  The Ravens now led 34-29 with 4:19 to go in the game.

Eight-yard runs by Kaepernick and Gore got the 49ers a first down at their 36.  On second and ten from the 36, Kaepernick hit Crabtree for a gain of 24 and a first down at the Raven 40.  From the 40, Gore ran up the left side and was finally pushed out of bounds at the seven-yard line.  The 49ers had to go seven yards to take the lead after they had trailed 28-6 earlier in the game.  From the seven, James ran for two yards.  On second down from the five, Kaepernick looked for Crabtree and the pass was incomplete.  He would look for Crabtree again on third down and get the same result.  That made it fourth and goal from the five.  Kaepernick took the snap and once again looked for Crabtree in the end zone.  The pass fell incomplete and the 49ers turned the ball over on downs.  There was definitely some contact between Crabtree and cornerback Jimmy Smith on that final play, but no flag was thrown.  This caused Jim Harbaugh to lose his mind and he was very critical of the zebras after the game.

The Ravens took over at their five-yard line and three plays got them exactly three yards.  The 49ers used up their remaining timeouts and on fourth down with 12 seconds remaining, the Ravens went into punt formation.  Koch took the snap and held the ball as long as he could before running out of the end zone for a safety.  That made it 34-31 with four seconds remaining.  From the 20, Koch blasted a 61-yard punt that was fielded by Ginn.  He fielded it at the 19 and was brought down at midfield.  That brought the game to an end with the final score: Baltimore Ravens 34 San Francisco 49ers 31.

For the Ravens, Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco completed 23 of 33 for 287 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.  Anquan Boldin led the team in receptions with six and receiving yards with 104 and a touchdown.  The Ravens had a tough time moving the ball on the ground and Ray Rice led the way with 59 yards on 20 carries.  Rice also had 19 yards receiving and one lost fumble.  As a team, the Ravens rushed for just 93 yards on 35 carries.  Defensively, linebacker Dannell Ellerbee led the Ravens with six solo tackles and one tackle for a loss.

For the 49ers, Colin Kaepernick completed 16 of 28 for 302 yards, one touchdown and one interception.  He also had 62 yards rushing on seven carries and one rushing touchdown.  Vernon Davis led the team in receptions with six and Crabtree had the most yards receiving with 109 and a touchdown.  On the ground, Frank Gore led the way with 110 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.  As a team, the 49ers averaged 6.3 yards a carry and racked up 182 yards on 29 carries.  Defensively, linebacker Patrick Willis led the 49ers with eight solo tackles.

That was one hell of a game.  The Ravens could do no wrong until the lights went out.  After they came back on, all the momentum switched to the 49ers.  But, when it came to crunch time, the Raven defense got the job done.  Linebacker Ray Lewis played his last game and is retiring a champion.  The next time we see him will be at his Hall of Fame induction speech.  It was indeed a tough loss for the 49ers, but they have a bright future with Colin Kaepernick at the helm.  I would imagine quarterback Alex Smith won’t be back next year.  Maybe he’ll end up in Arizona or Kansas City.  As of right now, your guess is as good as mine.

I enjoyed writing all these post season articles and I’ll return next month as The Raider Guy.  They have the third pick in the draft this year and need help at lots of positions.  As far as I am concerned, Damontre Moore from Texas A&M is the guy they need to get.  That will be discussed at a later time.  Until then, take it easy.

 

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Ravens 28, Patriots 13

January 21, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Baltimore Ravens headed north to New England to take on the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.  The Ravens were coming off a huge 38-35 double overtime win over the Denver Broncos and the Patriots were coming off a 41-28 win over the Houston Texans.  The Ravens won the toss and deferred to the second half.

Neither team could do much on their first possessions until the Patriots started their second drive of the game from their 21.  An eight-yard completion from quarterback Tom Brady to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and a three-yard run by running back Stevan Ridley got them a first down at the 32.  An eight-yard pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez and another one to Lloyd for 13 yards moved them to the Raven 47.  Brady found Hernandez again for ten more yards and a first down at the 37.  A short run by Ridley and another pass to Lloyd for 16 more yards made it first down at the 20.  They would get as far as the 12 and the drive stopped there.  Kicker Stephen Gostkowski came on and made his 30-yard attempt and the Patriots led 3-0 with 6:21 to go in the first quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Ravens were flagged for an illegal block and started at their ten.  Aside from a 17-yard pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to fullback Vonta Leach, the Ravens didn’t do much.  On third and 12 from the 25, Flacco looked for wide receiver Anquan Boldin and the pass was incomplete.  Cornerback Aqib Talib was injured on this play and would not return.  That was a big blow to the Patriot secondary.

As the game progressed, neither offense could get into a rhythm and the first quarter ended with the score still at 3-0.  The Ravens found themselves back at their ten-yard line again and a three-yard run by running back Ray Rice, a five-yard pass to Leach and a 17-yard pass to tight end Daniel Pitta got them out to their 33-yard line.  A couple of short runs and an 11-yard reception by Rice netted another first down at the 46.  From the 46, running back Bernard Pierce made an appearance.  On second and eight from the 48, Flacco found Pierce for eight yards and a first down at the Patriot 44.  A four-yard run by Pierce and a 25-yard completion to wide receiver Torrey Smith moved the Ravens into the red zone.  Rice finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run.  Kicker Justin Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now led 7-3 with 9:28 to go in the second quarter.  The Patriots suffered another injury on this drive as cornerback Patrick Chung left the game.

The Patriots started at their 21 and Ridley ran for a gain of three yards.  An unnecessary roughness penalty on the Ravens got them 15 free yards and a first down at the 39.  Brady found wide receiver Wes Welker for seven yards and Lloyd again for three more.  Two more runs by Ridley and a 24-yard pass to Welker had them marching into Raven territory.  On second and two from the eight, Brady connected with Hernandez at the one to make it first and goal.  On third down, Brady looked to his right and found Welker for a touchdown.  Gostkowski made the point after and the Patriots were back on top, 10-7 with 4:18 to go in the first half.

Three plays got the Ravens zero yards and they brought Sam Koch into the game to punt again.  A 15-yard return by Welker put the Patriots at the Raven 43 with 2:32 to go.  Runs by Brady, Ridley and Woodhead made it fourth and one from the 34.  Woodhead took the direct snap and ran up the left side for a gain of seven and a first down.  On third and ten from the 27, Brady found Hernandez again for a gain of 17 and a first and goal from the ten.  With 26 seconds left, the Patriots called their second timeout.  On first down, Brady ran for a gain of three and instead of calling timeout, he tried to get the offense back to the line of scrimmage to run another play.  Precious seconds ran off the clock as they tried to get organized.  That forced Brady to take the third timeout with four seconds remaining.  That wasn’t enough time to run a play and they had to settle for a 25-yard field goal attempt.  The kick was good and the Patriots took a 13-7 lead into the locker room.

The Ravens would get as far as the 50 on their first drive of the second half and would be forced to punt.  The Patriots took over at their nine and a six-yard pass to Lloyd, a five yard run by Ridley, a five-yard pass to Hernandez and a 24-yard pass to Welker moved the ball to midfield.  Add another unnecessary roughness penalty on the Ravens and the Patriots were looking good with a first down at the Raven 36-yard line.  But, they would only get as far as the 34.  With the swirling winds making field goal attempts difficult, the Patriots opted to punt.  Zoltan Mesko punted the ball to the 13 where it was fair caught by safety Ed Reed.

With ten minutes to go in the third quarter, the Ravens took to the air and Flacco brought out the no huddle offense.  A 15-yard pass interference penalty on the Patriots and a 22-yard pass to Pitta moved the Ravens to the 50.  From the 50, Flacco hooked up with Rice for 15 yards.  A five-yard pass to Smith and an eight yard run by Pierce netted a first down at the 22.  From the 22, Flacco found Boldin for 12 and Pitta for five more.  On second and goal from the five, Flacco tossed a short pass to his right and Pitta caught it for a touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now led 14-13 with 6:14 to go in the third quarter.

The Patriots went nowhere on their next drive and punted.  Return man Jacoby Jones fielded the punt at the Raven 26 and returned it to the 37.  On second and 14 from the 33, Flacco went deep for Smith and he hauled it in for a gain of 23 yards.  An offside penalty and runs by Rice and Pierce got them a first down at the Patriot 25.  A six-yard run by Pierce and a six-yard completion to Pitta made it first down at the  13.  From the 13, Flacco completed an eight-yard pass to Boldin and Rice ran up the right side for a gain of two yards and that made it first and goal from the three.  On first down, Flacco tossed a high pass into the middle of the end zone for Boldin.  Despite the fact that there were two defenders in the area, Boldin came down with the ball for a touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now led 21-13 with an entire quarter remaining.

The Patriots started their next drive at their 16 and moved quickly to the 39 on the strength of three runs by Ridley and a 12-yard pass to Lloyd.  From the 39, Ridley ran up the right side and after a gain of eight yards, he was hammered by safety Bernard Pollard.  The ball came loose and there was a huge pileup.  Defensive end Arthur Jones emerged from the pile with the ball and the Ravens took over at the Patriot 47.  Ridley would leave the game and not return.  The Ravens needed four plays to go 47 yards and on second and four from the 11, Flacco once again found Boldin in the end zone for a touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens went up 28-13 with 11:13 to go in the game.

Now it was time for Brady to break out the no huddle offense.  From his own 29, he completed passes to Lloyd, running back Shane Vereen and Welker  to move the ball to the Raven 25.  On fourth and four from the 19, Brady ran to the left and looked like he may be able to get the first down.  Instead of running for it, he tossed the ball to the end zone where it fell incomplete.  That gave the Ravens the ball at the 19 with 8:27 to go.  Instead of running the ball, Flacco tried three pass plays.  That resulted in a grand total of minus one yard.  They had the ball for a whole minute and two seconds and punted.

The Patriots took over at their 40 and Brady wasted no time finding Welker for a big gain of 36 yards.  On first down from the 24, Brady looked for Hernandez and the ball was knocked up in the air by defensive end Pernell McPhee.  Linebacker Dannell Ellerbee got under it and picked it off.  That was a killer for the Patriots.  This time, the Ravens ran the ball and took a little over four minutes off the clock and the Patriots used all their timeouts.  With 2:05 to go, the Patriots moved from their 33 to the Raven 22.  On second down from the 22, Brady threw for the end zone and his pass was picked off by cornerback Cary Williams.  That sealed the deal and got the Ravens a ticket to the Super Bowl.  Final score: Ravens 28 Patriots 13.

For the Ravens, Joe Flacco completed 21 of 36 for 240 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.  Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta tied for the lead in receptions with five and Torrey Smith had the most yards receiving with 69.  Bernard Pierce led the ground game with 52 yards on nine carries and as a team, the Ravens rushed for 121 yards on 33 carries.  Linebacker Ray Lewis led the team with six solo tackles.

For the Patriots, Tom Brady completed 29 of 54 for 320 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.  Aaron Hernandez had the most receptions with nine and Welker had the most yards receiving with 117 and a touchdown.  Stevan Ridley had the bulk of the carries and led the team with 70 yards on 18 carries.  All totaled, the Patriots rushed for 108 yards on 28 carries.  Defensively, linebacker Brandon Spikes led the team with six solo tackles.

In two weeks, the San Francisco 49ers will meet the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII.  It’ll be the first brother versus brother coaching match-up in Super Bowl history as John Harbaugh will be matching wits with his younger brother Jim.  The last time they met was in 2011 and  the Ravens won that game by a score of 16-6.  It will also be the last game for the great Ray Lewis.  I would also imagine 49er wide receiver Randy Moss may call it quits after this game too.  Honestly, all I’m hoping for is a good and entertaining game.  I’ll be traveling on Super Bowl weekend and will not be back in town until Monday afternoon.  I’ll have a recap of the game up no later than Monday night.  Until then, take it easy and enjoy the game.

 

 

 

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49ers 28, Falcons 24

January 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Up first on the schedule was the NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons.  The 49ers were coming off a dominant 45-31 win over the Green Bay Packers and the Falcons were coming off a game in which they blew a 27-7 lead, but managed to pull out a 30-28 win over the Seattle Seahawks.  49er kicker David Akers kicked the ball deep for a touch-back and the Falcons started at their 20-yard line.

A three-yard run up the gut by running back Michael Turner and a 13-yard completion to Julio Jones got the Falcons a first down at the 36.  On third and nine from the 37, quarterback Matt Ryan completed a pass to wide receiver Roddy White for a gain of 16 and a first down at the San Francisco 47.  Two plays later, Ryan went deep for Jones who had gotten by safety Dashon Goldson and hit him in stride for a 46-yard touchdown.  Kicker Matt Bryant made the point after and the Falcons had an early 7-0 lead with 11:24 to go in the first quarter.

The 49ers netted exactly one yard on their first possession and punter Andy Lee nailed a 62-yard punt that was fielded at the Falcon 17 and returned to the 18 by return man/wide receiver Harry Douglas.  Completions of eight and six yards to Jones were followed by a five-yard catch by tight end Tony Gonzalez and a ten-yard catch by White.  That made it first down at the 50.  Then Ryan found Jones for 27 more.  However, a two-yard loss on a run by running back Jacquizz Rodgers and an eight-yard completion made it third and four from the 17.  Ryan looked for Rodgers on the right side and the pass was incomplete.  That brought out Bryant for a 35-yard field goal attempt.  His kick was good and the Falcons led 10-0 with 3:12 to go in the first quarter.

The 49ers followed with another three and out and the Falcons took over at their 43.  Rushes of ten and four yards by running back Michael Turner and a 23-yard pass to White made it first and ten from the San Francisco 20-yard line.  Ryan wasted no time in looking for the end zone.  He put one up the left side and Jones did an excellent job of keeping his feet in bounds for another Falcon touchdown.  Bryant made the point after and they went up 17-0 with 14:54 remaining in the second quarter.

It was time for the 49ers to get something going and they did just that.  They started at their 20 and two runs by running back Frank Gore got them a first down at the 30.  Two more carries got ten more yards and another first down at the 40.  Quarterback Colin Kaepernick looked for wide receiver Randy Moss from the 40 and found him for a gain of eight.  Two completions to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, a short one to running back LaMichael James and a 27-yard pass to tight end Vernon Davis gave them a first down at the Falcon 15.  From the 15, James ran off right guard for an easy touchdown.  Akers made the point after and the lead was cut to 17-7 with 8:08 to go in the first half.

This time, it was the Falcons who went three and out.  Punter Matt Bosher punted the ball away and it was fair caught at the San Francisco 18 by return man Ted Ginn Jr.  With just under six minutes to go in the half, the 49ers went to work.  A short run by James and a 19-yard completion to Davis  had them headed in the right direction.  On second and ten from the 31, Kaepernick showed off his scrambling ability and took off up the left side for a gain of 24 yards and a first down at the Falcon 47.  After a short gain by Gore, Falcon linebacker Stephen Nicholas was flagged for unnecessary roughness.  That gave them a first down at the 29.  Next, Kaepernick hit Davis who was wide open for a gain of 25 yards.  He was open again on the next play for a four-yard touchdown.  Akers made the point after and it was now 17-14 with 1:55 to go in the first half.

1:55 was plenty of time for the Falcons to get some more points.  Ryan found White for 15, Gonzalez for 16 and White for 13 more.  Jones caught another one for 16 and the Falcons called a timeout.  On first down from the 16, Ryan hooked up with Gonzalez for a gain of six.  On second and four from the ten, he found Gonzalez in the end zone for a touchdown.  Bryant made the point after and the Falcons took a 24-14 lead into the locker room.

The 49ers started the second half from their 18-yard line.  A 21-yard pass to Moss and two runs by Gore got them to the Falcon 44.  On second and eight from the 42, Kaepernick completed a 20-yard pass to tight end Delanie Walker.  On first down from the 22, Moss caught another one and was brought down at the five.  Gore got the carry on the next play and easily made it into the end zone.  Akers made the point after and that made it 24-21 with 10:47 remaining in the third quarter.

On the strength of two more receptions by Gonzalez and a couple of runs by Turner and Rodgers, the Falcons found themselves in San Francisco territory again.  On the play after a short run by Rodgers, Ryan couldn’t get his receivers set and was forced to waste a timeout.  On second and ten from the 47, Ryan looked to his right and fired a pass that was picked off by cornerback Chris Culliver at the 38.  He returned it to the 44 and the 49ers were in business.  They got down to the Falcon 20 and on third and five, Kaepernick looked for wide receiver Chad Hall.  The ball was knocked away by safety William Moore.  That brought Akers out for a 38-yard field goal attempt.  His kick hit the left upright and it was no good.

With Michael Turner out with a sore ankle, the running chores now belonged to Rodgers and running back Jason Snelling.  The two of them combined for 30 yards on four carries and the Falcons moved into San Francisco territory again.  On third and ten from the 42, Ryan completed a 13-yard pass to Jones for a first down at the 29.  On second and nine, the 49ers showed blitz and Ryan bobbled the snap.  It rolled to the left side of the field and was recovered by linebacker Aldon Smith.

That gave the 49ers the ball at their 37.  On third and seven from the 40, the Falcons were flagged for a personal foul and that set up the 49ers with a first down at the Falcon 45.  On second and eight from the 43, Kaepernick found Crabtree again and he got loose for a gain of 33 yards.  On second and goal from the five, Crabtree caught another one and headed for the end zone.  He was flattened by Moore just short of the goal line.  Cornerback Dunta Robinson knocked the ball loose and it was recovered at the one-yard line by Nicholas.

From their one, Ryan looked for White on first down and the ball was knocked away.  On second down, fullback Mike Cox took it up the middle for four yards.  That made it third and six.  On third down, Ryan found Gonzalez on the left side, but he was brought down short of the first down.  Bosher punted and the ball was returned 20 yards by Ginn to the Falcon 38.  That gave the 49ers excellent field position and this time they would take advantage of it.  Gore capped off a six play, 38-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run.  Akers made the point after and the 49ers now led 28-24 with 8:23 to go in the game.

Starting at the 20, Ryan went to work and found White for a gain of nine.  Rodgers netted a first down at the 31 with a two-yard run.  A six-yard pass to Douglas and a five-yard pass to Jones moved the ball to the 42.  A three-yard scramble by Ryan, a five-yard completion to Jones and a 22-yard completion to Douglas had the Falcons at the San Francisco 28.  On the pass to Douglass, cornerback Carlos Rogers fell down and Douglas was wide open with no one around him.  Unfortunately for him, he also lost his balance and fell down after making the catch.  The initial ruling was a catch, but it looked like the ball may have come loose.  49er head coach Jim Harbaugh challenged the play, but the ruling was upheld.  A nine-yard run by Rodgers and another short completion to Douglas got them a first down at the 16.  From the 16, Rodgers was stuffed for a gain of one by linebacker Patrick Willis.  On second down, Ryan completed a five-yard pass to Snelling.  After he got rid of the ball, he was brought down hard on his left shoulder and was in obvious pain.  That made it third and four from the ten.  White was open on the next play, but the ball was knocked down by Brooks.  It all came down to this play.  On fourth and four, Ryan threw a pass down the middle of the field for White and it was broken up by linebacker NaVorro Bowman.  There was definitely some contact going on, but no flag was thrown.

The 49ers took over at their ten with 1:09 remaining in the game.  Gore ran for three yards and the Falcons called their second timeout.  If you recall earlier in the game, Ryan had to waste a timeout.  They sure could have used it now.  Two more runs by Gore didn’t get a first down and Lee punted with 13 seconds on the clock.  The Falcons took over at their 41 and Ryan completed a 24-yard pass to Jones.  He was brought down by Rogers and that ended the game.  Final score: 49ers 28 Falcons 24.  The 49ers came back from a 17-point deficit and held the Falcons scoreless in the second half.

For the 49ers, Colin Kaepernick completed 16 of 21 for 233 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.  Unlike last week where he ran all over the Packers, he only had 21 yards rushing on two carries.  Michael Crabtree led the team in receptions with six and Vernon Davis had the most receiving yards with 106 and one touchdown.  Frank Gore led the ground game with 90 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns.  As a team, they racked up 149 yards on 29 carries and three rushing touchdowns.  Defensively, Patrick Willis was the leader in solo tackles with 11.  He also had one tackle for a loss.

For the Falcons, Matt Ryan completed 30 of 42 for 396 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and one lost fumble.  Julio Jones caught two of those touchdown passes, had the most receptions with 11 and the most receiving yards with 182.  The ground game never really got going for the Falcons.  Jacquizz Rodgers had the most rushing yards with 32 on ten carries.  As a team, the Falcons rushed for a grand total of 81 yards on 23 carries.  Defensively, safety Thomas DeCoud and linebacker Akeem Dent tied for the team lead in solo tackles with five apiece.  Dent had one tackle for a loss and DeCoud had one pass defensed.

So, the NFC champion has been crowned.  The 49ers will meet the winner of the Ravens-Patriots game in the Super Bowl on February 3rd.  I’ll be back tomorrow morning with a recap of that game.

 

 

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Patriots 41, Texans 28

January 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The last game on the playoff schedule had the Houston Texans heading up to New England to take on the Patriots.  The Texans were coming off a 19-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and the Patriots had a first round bye.  These teams met in week 14 of the regular season and the Patriots shredded the Texans by a score of 42-14.  The Texans won the toss and elected to receive.  That was a good idea as return man Danieal Manning fielded the kick six yards deep in the end zone and returned it to the Patriot 12-yard line.  From the 12, running back Arian Foster ran up the left side for a modest gain of three yards.  On second down, quarterback Matt Schaub threw a pass to fullback James Casey and the ball went right through his hands and fell incomplete.  On third down, Schaub looked for wide receiver Andre Johnson and that pass was also incomplete.  With such great field position, the Texans had to settle for a field goal attempt from kicker Shayne Graham.  His 27-yard attempt was good and the Texans had an early 3-0 lead.

After that possession, the Patriots punted twice and the Texans followed suit.  But with 4:29 to go in the first quarter, the Patriots put together a nice drive on the strength of running back Stevan Ridley from their 35.  Ridley had two carries for 12 yards and caught a pass for 13 more yards.  From the Texan 40, quarterback Tom Brady threw a short pass to running back Shane Vereen and he took it 25 yards down to the Texan 15.  Brady then hooked up with tight end Aaron Hernandez for a gain of 14 to set up a first and goal at the one.  Vereen took it in from the one for a touchdown.  Kicker Stephen Gostkowski made the point after and the Patriots led 7-3 with 1:28 remaining in the first quarter.

The kickoff went nine yards deep in the end zone and the Texans got the ball at the 20.  Completions to Johnson and Foster moved the Texans quickly to their 47.  But the next three plays gained exactly zero yards and they punted again.  The punt was fair caught at the 16 by wide receiver/return man Wes Welker.  Speaking of Mr. Welker, on third and eight from the 18, he caught a pass for a gain of 30 yards.  Then Vereen ran off left tackle for 22 more and a first down at the Texan 30.  Two more carries by Vereen got them another first down at the 16.  But, an unsportsmanlike penalty on wide receiver Brandon Lloyd moved them back 15 yards.  They managed to get down to the 19, but the drive stalled there.  Gostkowski made his 37-yard attempt and the Patriots now led 10-3 with 10:16 to go in the first half.

After another Texan punt, the Patriots started from their 20.  A 13-yard pass to Welker on third and 11 kept the drive alive and Brady found Lloyd for seven more yards.  A six-yard carry by Ridley and a 47-yard pass to Welker made it first and goal from the eight-yard line.  On first down, Brady tossed a pass to his left and Vereen caught it for an eight-yard touchdown.  Gostkowski made another extra point and the Patriots went up 17-3 with 3:38 to go in the half.

On the kickoff, Gostkowski was penalized for a horse collar tackle and that set up the Texans at the Patriot 47.  Two carries by Foster set up a first and goal from the seven-yard line.  Three more carries got them six points as Foster found the end zone from the one-yard line.  Graham made the point after and the Texans now trailed 17-10 with 1:15 to go in the half.

The Patriots netted exactly four yards on their next drive and punted.  With 24 seconds remaining, the Texans had the ball at their 38 and three timeouts.  A nine-yard pass to Casey and an 11-yard pass to Daniels had them in Patriot territory with precious seconds ticking away.  From the Patriot 42, Schaub found Daniels for a gain of five and they called their final timeout with two seconds left.  Graham came on and his 55-yard field goal was good.  That made it 17-13 as the half came to a close.

The Patriots got the ball to start the second half and started their next possession at their 31.  Two passes to Welker and two to Hernandez had them rolling into Texan territory.  From the 12, Ridley ran for a gain of four yards.  Ridley got the call again and this time he crossed the goal line for another Patriot touchdown.  Gostkowski made the point after and the Patriots went up 24-13.

The teams punted on their next possessions and the Texans took over at their ten with just under nine minutes to go in the third quarter.  A false start penalty pinned them back to their five.  Schaub tossed a short pass to Foster who took it up the left side for a gain of 28 yards.  A short run by Foster and a loss of nine on a sack made it third and long again.  On third and 16, Johnson caught a pass at midfield for another first down.  If the Texans wanted to stay in this game, they had to get some points on this drive.  Foster ran for seven more yards and Casey caught a pass for five yards and a first down at the Patriot 39.  On third and eight from the 37, Schaub had time and threw a pass right down the middle that was caught by Rob Ninkovich at the 31.  There’s only one problem with that.  Ninkovich is a Patriot.  He returned the ball to the 37.  Three carries by Ridley, and passes to Hernandez and Lloyd put the ball at the Texan five-yard line.  On first down, Brady looked for Lloyd and found him for another touchdown.  Gostkowski made the point after and the Patriots now had a very comfortable 31-13 lead.

The Texans found themselves with terrible field position again as they started at their 14-yard line.  An eight-yard pass to tight end Garrett Graham and two short runs made it fourth and one from the 23.  When you’re down big in a playoff game, desperate times call for desperate measures.  They went for it on fourth and the zebras ruled Foster made it.  The Patriots challenged the ruling, but it was upheld and the Texans had a first down at the 24.  Three plays later, they had another fourth and one from the 33.  This time, Schaub threw it deep and it was incomplete.  The Patriots will make you pay if you turn the ball over in your own territory.  Sure enough, from the 33, Brady took the snap, looked to his left and threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Lloyd.  That was entirely too easy.  Gostkowski made the extra point and the Patriots now led 38-13 with 13 minutes to go in the game.

Manning got loose on another kick return and was finally brought down at the Patriot 37.  A couple of runs by Foster got them down to the 25 and from the 25, wide receiver DeVier Posey caught a pass on the right side for a touchdown.  Initially it was ruled incomplete, but the Texans challenged the ruling and it was overturned for a touchdown.  Graham made the point after and the score was now 38-20 with 11:35 left.

The Patriots netted a grand total of minus five yards on their next possession and Mesko blasted a 64-yard punt that was downed at the Texan 21.  Completions to Johnson and Daniels and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the Patriots gave the Texans a first down at the Patriot 48.  A pass to Foster and two more to Daniels made it first and goal at the four.  It took four plays to go four yards, but Schaub hit Foster with a one-yard touchdown pass.  They decided to go for two and Johnson caught the pass and the two-point conversion was good.  That made it 38-28 with 5:11 to go.

The Texans tried an onside kick and it was recovered by Ninkovich.  The Patriots stuck to the ground game to kill the clock and Gostkowski ended up making a 38-yard field goal to make the final score 41-28.  That win propels the Patriots to yet another AFC title game.

For the Texans, Matt Schaub completed 34 of 51 for 343 yards, two touchdowns and one very bad interception.  Owen Daniels led the team in receptions with nine and Andre Johnson had the most receiving yards with 95.  Although he didn’t get loose many times, Arian Foster managed to gain 90 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown.  He also had seven receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.  The only other player credited with rushing yards was Schaub and he had one yard on one carry.  So that gives the Texans a total of 91 yards on 24 carries.  Defensively, linebacker Connor Barwin, cornerback Danieal Manning and cornerback Johnathan Joseph tied for the lead in solo tackles with three.  Barwin also had one tackle for a loss and two quarterback hits.

For the Patriots, Tom Brady completed 25 of 40 for 344 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.  Wes Welker led all receivers in receptions with eight and yards with 131.  Stevan Ridley had a good game on the ground with 82 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown.  All totaled the Patriots ran for 122 yards on 24 carries.  Defensively, cornerback Aqib Talib led the team with nine solo tackles.

Up next for the Patriots is a rematch of last year’s AFC title game as the Baltimore Ravens will be coming to town.  In the NFC, the 49ers will be heading to Atlanta to play the Falcons.  Both games are scheduled for next Sunday and the NFC title game will kickoff at 3 eastern time.  The AFC title game will start at 6:30 eastern time.  Until then, take it easy.

 

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Falcons 30, Seahawks 28

January 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The third playoff game on the schedule had the well traveled Seattle Seahawks heading down south to take on the Atlanta Falcons.  The Seahawks were coming off a 24-14 win over the Washington Redskins and the Falcons had a first round bye.  The Falcons won the toss and elected to receive.  Return man Jacquizz Rodgers fielded the kick three yards deep in the end zone and returned it to the 25.  Running back Michael Turner got things off to a good start and rumbled up the right side for a gain of 15 yards.  Turner got the call again and got a short gain.  Quarterback Matt Ryan then hooked up with tight end Tony Gonzalez for nine yards and a first down at the Seahawk 49.  A couple of carries by Rodgers and a 13-yard completion to wide receiver Roddy White put the ball at the 28.  Turner and Rodgers gained seven yards on the next two plays and that brought up a third and three at the 21.  Ryan threw for White in the end zone, but the ball was knocked away by cornerback Richard Sherman.  That brought in kicker Matt Bryant to attempt a 39-yard field goal and the kick was good.  The Falcons took an early 3-0 lead with 9:40 to go in the first quarter.

Two carries by running by Marshawn Lynch and an incomplete pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Sidney Rice forced the Seahawks to punt.  The Falcons started at the 50 and on third and three from the Seahawk 43, Ryan’s pass intended for Gonzalez was picked off by linebacker Bobby Wagner.  That gave the Seahawks the ball at their 33-yard line.  A scramble by Wilson got them to the 50.  From the 50, Lynch ran up the middle for a nice gain, but the ball was knocked loose by linebacker Sean Witherspoon.  There was a mad scramble and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux came up with it at the Falcon 39.

From the 39, Ryan connected with wide receiver Julio Jones for 13 yards.  Turner then got another carry for a gain of four.  The Seahawks were flagged for a horse collar tackle and that moved them down to the Seahawk 29.  A short run and a false start made it third and 14 from the 33.  Ryan calmly stood in the pocket and completed a 16-yard pass to White for a first down at the 17.  From the 17, Ryan floated one up the right sideline for tight end Chase Coffman.  He was ruled out of bounds at the one-yard line.  From there, Gonzalez made a nice catch in the back of the end zone for a Falcon touchdown.  Bryant made the point after and the Falcons went up 10-0 with 3:10 remaining in the first quarter.

The Seahawks started at their 20 and on the strength of two receptions by tight end Zach Miller, got down to the Falcon 44.  On third and eight from the 42, Wilson’s pass to wide receiver Golden Tate was incomplete.  They punted again and the ball was downed at the 13-yard line.  From the 13, Rodgers burst up the middle, bounced off a big hit and ran 45 yards to the Seahawk 42.  Completions to Jones and White netted another first down at the 30.  The drive came to an end at the 19 and Bryant made his 37-yard attempt to put the Falcons up 13-0 with 9:13 to go in the first half.

Passes to Miller and Tate put the Seahawks at the Falcon 20.  A three-yard gain and a six-yard catch by Lynch made it third and one at the 11.  For me, the answer to getting a first down on third and short is to give it to Lynch.  He was standing on the sideline and the carry went to Robert Turbin for no gain.  Seahawk head coach Pete Carrol decided to go for it on fourth and short.  This time, Lynch was back on the field.  But he didn’t get the ball.  Fullback Michael Robinson did and he was stuffed for no gain.  I honestly don’t understand why Lynch wasn’t used to get the first down.  The Seahawks turned the ball over on downs.

With 5:33 to go in the half, the Falcons looked to increase their lead.  A 33-yard run by Turner on second and seven from the 15 got them off to a good start.  A defensive holding call on the Seahawks got them into Seahawk territory.  On first down from the 47, Ryan went deep down the middle of the field and the pass was caught by White for a 47-yard touchdown.  Bryant made the point after and the Falcons now led 20-0 with 4:16 to go.

The Seahawks got the ball at their 20.  Some scrambling by Wilson and passes to Tate, Rice and Miller had them at the Falcon 19 with time ticking away.  A nine-yard pass to Miller and a four yard-pass to Tate made it first and goal at the nine.  That was followed by a three-yard pass to Rice, a false start and an incomplete pass to Tate.  On third and goal from the 11, Wilson was sacked by Babineaux.  With no timeouts, Wilson tried to get his offense set for one more play.  Time ran out and they didn’t get the play off.  The Falcons took a 20-0 lead into the locker room.

The Seahawks knew they really had to get something going quickly or this game may end up being a blowout.  Another touch-back meant they would be starting at their 20 again.  An 11-yard completion to Rice, a short gain by Lynch and a 17-yard scramble by Wilson had the Seahawks at midfield.  Carries by Lynch, Wilson and Turbin netted another first down at the Falcon 40.  Wilson was sacked on the next play for a loss of eight by defensive tackle Vance Walker.  But, on second and 18, he hooked up with Miller again for 19 yards and a first down at the 29.  Tate took it the rest of the way as he caught a pass on the left side and weaved his way into the end zone for a touchdown.  Newly acquired kicker Ryan Longwell made the point after and the Seahawks now trailed 20-7 with 9:47 to go in the third quarter.

Rodgers returned the kickoff to the 20 and the Falcons went looking for another score.  A five-yard carry by Turner and a six-yard pass to Gonzalez moved them to the 31.  Ryan then spread the ball around to Rodgers, Jones and wide receiver Harry Douglass for a first down at the Seahawk 44.  On second and ten from the 44, Ryan tossed a short pass to Jones who turned it into a 21-yard gain.  On third and nine from the 22, Gonzalez caught another pass for a gain of 11 and a first down at the 11.  On first down, Rodgers caught a pass for six yards to make it second and goal from the five.  From the five, Ryan completed a pass to running back Jason Snelling who took it in for the score.  Bryant made the point after and the Falcons now led 27-7 with 2:11 to go in the third quarter.

The Seahawks were now officially in “panic mode.”  Lynch ran up the right side for five yards and Tate caught another pass for a gain of 24 yards.  That was followed by a 12-yard pass to Rice and a 26-yard pass to Miller.  All that passing got them down to the Falcon 13.  From the 13, Wilson threw a short pass to the right side that was caught by Turbin for a gain of seven yards.  A carry by Turbin moved the ball to the one-yard line and made it first and goal.  On second down, the Falcons brought the pressure up the middle, Wilson faked the hand-off to Lynch and took the ball in for a touchdown.  Longwell made the point after and it was now 27-14 with 13 minutes to go in the game.

I was thinking the Falcons may want to take some time off the clock on their next drive.  They had the ball for exactly one minute and 58 seconds.  That’s because on second and 11 from the Falcon 32, Ryan went deep into double coverage looking for White.  White fell down at the Seahawk 39 and the ball was easily picked off by safety Earl Thomas.  That gave the Seahawks another chance to close the gap.  They went 62 yards in four plays with the big plays being a 24-yard pass to Rice and a 30-yard catch and run by Turbin.  That got them a first and goal from the three.  From there, Wilson found Miller wide open for a touchdown.  Longwell made the point after and it was now 27-21 and there was an eerie hush over the Atlanta faithful.

Again, I thought the Falcons would pound the ball with Turner and Rodgers to take the clock down.  But, with 9:13 to go, they called three pass plays that got them exactly three freaking yards and took only 1:50 off the clock.  They punted the ball back to the Seahawks who took over at their 40.  The Falcon defense rose up this time and forced a punt.  The ball hit the goal line for a touch-back and the Falcons went to work from their 20.  This “drive”  got them a grand total of 14 yards (12 came on a carry by Turner) and took 2:32 off the clock.

So, with exactly three minutes to go in the game, the Seahawks found themselves at their 39 with a chance to take the lead.  A three-yard run and a seven-yard catch by Lynch got them a first down at the 49.  Tate was wide open in the middle of the field on the next play and Wilson connected with him for a gain of 19.  That made it first down at the Falcon 32.  Wilson scrambled for a gain of five and on third and five from the 27, Wilson was flushed out of the pocket and looked for a receiver.  He found Lynch and he took the ball down to the three-yard line.  The Falcons were flagged for 12 men on the field and that moved the ball to the two.  From the two, Lynch ran off right guard for a touchdown.  Or was it?  The ball came loose as he entered the end zone, but replay showed it had crossed the plane before it came loose.  Longwell made the point after and that put the Seahawks up 28-27 with just 31 seconds to go.

The Falcons started at their 28 and Ryan quickly hooked up with Douglass for a gain of 22 yards.  Just like that, they were at midfield and called their second timeout.  From the 50, Ryan completed a pass to Gonzalez at the 31.  In two plays, the Falcons went 41 yards.  What kind of defense was that, Seattle?  With 13 seconds remaining, the Falcons called their final timeout and Bryant came on for the crucial field goal attempt.  The Seahawks called timeout, but Bryant kicked the ball anyway.  It sailed wide right.  But, with Seattle calling that timeout, Bryant had another chance.  This time, his kick was good and the Falcons led 30-27 with eight seconds to go.

The ensuing kickoff was very short and the Seahawks recovered it at their 46.  Wilson completed a pass to wide receiver Doug Baldwin and he ran out of bounds at the Falcon 46 with two seconds to go.  So, what do you do?  Try a 64-yard field goal?  You’re in a dome, why not give it a shot?  Longwell was standing on the sideline waiting for a chance.  That chance never came.  Wilson threw a deep pass for the end zone that ended up being picked off by Julio Jones.  That’s how the game ended.  Final score: Falcons 30 Seahawks 28.  The Falcons will go on to face the 49ers in Atlanta for the NFC championship.

For the Seahawks, Russell Wilson completed 24 of 36 for 385 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.  Zach Miller had a stellar day and led the team in receptions with eight and yards with 142 and one touchdown.  Wilson was also the leading rusher with 60 yards on seven carries and one touchdown.  All totaled, the Seahawks rushed for 123 yards on 28 carries.  Defensively, linebacker Bobby Wagner led the defense with seven solo tackles, an interception and one pass defensed.

For the Falcons, Matt Ryan completed 24 of 35 for 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.  Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones tied for the lead in receptions with six and Roddy White had the most receiving yards with 76 and a touchdown.  Michael Turner rumbled for 98 yards on 14 carries and as a team, the Falcons racked up 167 yards on 26 carries.  Defensively, Sean Witherspoon and cornerback Asante Samuel led the team in solo tackles with five apiece.  Witherspoon also forced a fumble.

Well, after years of frustration and saying he was 95% sure he was going to retire, Tony Gonzalez finally got his first playoff win.  Hey it had to happen eventually, right?  It was fitting that his catch on the final drive put the Falcons in position for the game winning field goal.  They’ll have their hands full next week against the 49ers.  One game remains on the schedule and that’s the Texans and the Patriots.  I’ll be back at the conclusion of that game for a recap.

 

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49ers 45, Packers 31

January 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The second game on the playoff schedule had the Green Bay Packers heading out to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.  The Packers were coming off a 24-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings and the 49ers had a first round bye.  The 49ers won the toss and elected to receive.  Return man LaMichael James fielded the kick at the five and returned it 23 yards to the 28.  A nine-yard pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree and two carries by running back Frank Gore moved them to the 47.  On second and six, quarterback Craig Kaepernick looked for tight end Vernon Davis and the pass was picked off by cornerback Sam Shields and returned for a 52-yard touchdown.  Kicker Mason Crosby made the point after and the Packers took an early 7-0 lead.

From their 20, the 49ers went to work again.  Short runs by Gore and Kaepernick set up a third and two at the 28.  A defensive holding call gave them five yards and a first down.  On third and ten from the 33, Kaepernick rolled to his left and lofted a pass to Gore.  The play went for 45 yards and Gore was finally dragged down at the Packer 22.  On third and eight from the 20, Kaepernick took things into his own hands and ran up the left side for a 20-yard touchdown.  Kicker David Akers made the point after and the game was tied at seven with nine minutes to go in the first quarter.

The teams traded punts and with 3:13 remaining in the first quarter, the Packers got the ball at their 20.  Three carries by running back DuJuan Harris got ten yards and a first down.  On third and five from the 38, quarterback Aaron Rodgers let one go down-field and the pass was caught at the San Francisco 18 by wide receiver James Jones.  Harris took the ball right up the middle on the next play and the Packers went up 13-7.  Crosby made the point after and the Packers now led 14-7.

With 11:43 remaining in the second quarter, the 49ers started their next drive from their 20.  Kaepernick hooked up with Crabtree on first down for a gain of 15.  They got to midfield and were forced to punt.  Punter Andy Lee got off a high punt and return man Jeremy Ross muffed the ball at the nine-yard line.  It was recovered by 49er safety C.J. Spillman.  That set the 49ers up nicely.  On third and goal from the 12, Kaepernick found Crabtree across the middle for the touchdown.  Akers made the point after and the game was tied at 14 with 11 minutes to go in the second quarter.

A holding call on the kickoff return moved the Packers back to their seven-yard line.  On third and seven from the 26, Rodgers looked for wide receiver Jordy Nelson and the pass was picked off by cornerback Tarell Brown at the San Francisco 13.  He returned it to the Packer 48 and the 49ers were in business again.  Some good running by Gore and James got them down to the 25.  On third and nine from the 24, Kaepernick scrambled down to the nine for a first down.  After his impressive run, he was flagged 15 yards for taunting.  They still had a first down, but the ball was moved back to the 24.  On second and six, Kaepernick put one up the left side to Crabtree for a 20-yard touchdown.  Akers made the point after and the 49ers now led 21-14 with 5:26 to go in the first half.

Starting at their 20 again, Rodgers scrambled for a nine-yard gain and Harris ran up the middle for three yards and a first down.  Then, Rodgers completed a pass to tight end Jermichael Finley for a gain of 19.  Harris ran off right tackle for a gain of three and safety Dashon Goldson came in late with a brutal helmet to helmet hit.  That cost him 15 yards and the Packers got a first down at the San Francisco 31.  Three plays later, Rodgers looked for Jones in the end zone and found him for a 20-yard touchdown.  The extra point was good and the game was tied at 21 with 2:33 to go in the half.

Two scrambles by Kaepernick netted 22 yards and had his team moving in the right direction.  On third and ten from the 42, he took off again for 18 more yards and a first down at the Packer 40.  They got as far as the 18 when they were faced with a fourth and one.  With time running short, Akers was called on for a 36-yard field goal attempt.  The kick was good and the 49ers took a 24-21 lead into the locker room.

The second half started with each team unable to move the ball very well.  With just under 12 minutes to go in the third quarter, the Packers took over at their 11.  Two completions to wide receiver Greg Jennings gave them a first down at the 43.  Then, two completions to Nelson got them into San Francisco territory.  A carry by wide receiver Randall Cobb went for 19 yards and a first down at the 22.  The drive stalled at the 13 and Crosby snuck the ball just inside the right upright for a 31-yard field goal.  That knotted the game at 24 with 8:25 to go in the third quarter.

Starting at their 20, Kaepernick hooked up with Crabtree again for gains of 18 and six yards.  Then he totally caught the Packers off guard.  From the shotgun, he took the snap and bolted up the right side for a 56-yard touchdown.  Some good down-field blocking helped him out too.  Still, I knew Kaepernick was fast, but, I didn’t know he was THAT fast!  He left the Packer secondary in the dust.  Akers made the extra point and the 49ers now led 31-24 with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter.

That long run seemed to ignite the 49er defense.  They allowed the Packers only 21 yards on their next drive and forced a punt.  Punter Tim Masthay got off a good one that was fair caught by Ted Ginn at the seven-yard line.  Two carries by Gore and a 16-yard completion to Crabtree made it first down at the 31.  Another holding call on the Packers gave them another first down at the 39.  On second and eight from the 41, Davis caught a pass for a gain of 44 and they were knocking on the door again.  Gore ran straight up the middle and was brought down at the two.  He finished the drive on the next play with a two-yard touchdown run.  Akers made another point after and the 49ers went up 38-24 with just one quarter to go.

The Packers went from their 11 to their 49 and on third and five, Rodgers saw Jennings behind the secondary on the left side.  The ball hit his hands and fell incomplete.  That was a killer for them.  If he had been able to catch that pass, he may have scored and the Packers would have been right back in the game.  Instead, it led to another punt.

The 49ers took over at their seven and some more carries by Gore and Kaepernick had them moving again.  The Packer defense was getting worn down and frustrated.  It seemed like after every play, players had to be separated.  There were no personal fouls called, but it was obvious these teams do not like each other.  Some more tough running by Gore brought the 49ers down to the Packer 27.  A holding call moved them back ten yards.  A four-yard run by Kaepernick and a 14-yard pass to Crabtree made it fourth and one at the 18.  On fourth down, defensive tackle B.J. Raji jumped offside and that gave the 49ers a first down at the 13.  Gore ran up the middle for 11 and on second and goal from the two, running back Anthony Dixon finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run.  Akers made his final extra point attempt of the night and the 49ers now had a commanding 45-24 lead with 3:34 to go in the game.  Rodgers would hook up with Jennings for a three-yard score, but it was too little too late.  Final score: 49ers 45 Packers 31.

For the Packers, Aaron Rodgers completed 26 of 39 for 257 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.  James Jones led the team in receptions with four and receiving yards with 87 and a touchdown.  DuJuan Harris had only 11 carries in this game and ended up with 53 yards and a touchdown.  As a team, the Packers rushed for 104 yards on 16 carries.  Defensively, linebacker Brad Jones led the team with nine solo tackles.

For the 49ers, it was a great night for Colin Kaepernick as he completed 17 of 31 for 263 yards, two touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground.  His lone bad spot was an interception early in the game that was returned for a touchdown.  Michael Crabtree led the team in receptions with nine and receiving yards with 119 and two touchdowns.  Kaepernick paved the way on the ground with a quarterback rushing record of 181 yards and two touchdowns.  Frank Gore also had a good night with 119 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown.  Gore also caught two passes for 48 yards.  As a team, the 49ers rushed for 323 yards on 43 carries.  They out-gained the Packers in total yards 579-352.  Defensively, linebacker Patrick Willis led the team with seven solo tackles, one sack and a tackle for a loss.

Up next for the 49ers will be the winner of the Seahawks-Falcons game.  If the Falcons win, the 49ers will travel to Atlanta.  If the Seahawks win, they’ll head to San Francisco.  The Falcons and Seahawks are the early game today followed by the Texans and Patriots.  I’ll return with recaps of those games later today.  Until then, take it easy and enjoy the games.

 

 

 

 

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Ravens 38, Broncos 35 in Two Overtimes

January 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

The first game on the playoff schedule had the Baltimore Ravens flying out to Denver to take on the Denver Broncos.  The Broncos were coming off a first round bye week and the Ravens defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the wildcard round by a score of 24-9.  The Broncos won the toss and deferred to the second half.

After moving the ball from their own 20-yard line to the to the 38, running back Ray Rice was stopped short of the first down on third and two.  Punter Sam Koch got off a nice 52-yard punt that was fielded by return man Trindon Holliday at the the Bronco ten.  He ran straight up the middle and cut up the right sideline.  Koch gave his best effort to stop him short of the end zone, but Holliday was too quick.  Just like that, it was 6-0.  Kicker Matt Prater made the point after and the Broncos led 7-0 with 12:14 to go in the first quarter.

After a muffed kickoff return by Jacoby Jones, the Ravens were starting at their own six-yard line.  A pass interference penalty on the Broncos gave them a first down at the 33.  On second and two from the 41, quarterback Joe Flacco went deep for wide receiver Torrey Smith who got behind the secondary.  Smith caught the ball in stride and made it to the end zone for a Raven touchdown.  Kicker Justin Tucker made the point after and the score was quickly knotted at seven with 10:31 to go in the first quarter.

The Broncos got the ball back at their 25 and on third and six from the 29, quarterback Peyton Manning looked for wide receiver Eric Decker.  The ball was knocked up into the air and promptly picked off by cornerback Corey Graham at the 39.  He returned it all the way for another Raven touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now led 14-7 with 9:49 to go in the first quarter.

The Broncos started out at their 26 and completions to tight end Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen got them to midfield.  A short run by running back Knowshon Moreno and a 13-yard pass to Decker got them down to the Raven 36.  A short pass to running back Ronnie Hillman, an illegal hands to the face penalty on the Ravens and an 11-yard pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas made it first down at the 17.  On third and eight from the 15, Manning looked for his old friend wide receiver Brandon Stokley in the end zone.  Stokley did a good job of keeping his knee in bounds for a Bronco touchdown.  Prater made the point after and the score was now tied at 14 with four minutes to go in the first quarter.

The teams traded punts on the next few possessions and the Broncos took over at their 14.  Completions to Thomas and Moreno had the Broncos rolling again.  A pass up the right side to Decker netted 32 yards and they found themselves in the red zone.  From the 14, Manning tossed a pass to the right side for Moreno who caught it for yet another Bronco touchdown.  Prater made the point after and the Broncos led 21-14 with 7:26 to go in the first half.

A missed field goal by Prater after a 14 play, 47-yard drive gave the Ravens the ball at their 42 with 1:16 remaining in the first half.  Flacco found wide receiver Anquan Boldin for 11 yards and and tight end Dennis Pitta for 15 more.  On first down from the Bronco 32, Flacco looked to his right and put one up for Smith who got behind cornerback Champ Bailey again.  Smith made a nice leaping catch for a Raven touchdown.  Tucker made the extra point and the first half ended with the score tied at 21.

At halftime, it was obvious nobody told Tucker not to kick the ball to Holliday.  He fielded the ball four yards deep in the end zone and ran it out.  The Ravens managed to get a couple of hands on him, but he slithered away and ran the kick back for a touchdown.  Prater made the point after and the Broncos now led 28-21 with 14:47 to go in the third quarter.

With the help of three penalties by the Broncos and a 20-yard run by running back Ray Rice, the Ravens moved into Bronco territory.  However, on first down from the 43, Flacco fumbled the snap and the ball was recovered by linebacker Keith Brooking at the 43.  Despite the good field position, the Broncos could do nothing with the ball and punted.  The Ravens followed suit and punted it right back to the Broncos.  They took over at their 25 and on the strength of two completions to Tamme, moved the ball to the 46.  On second and 13 from the 43, Manning found Tamme again for a gain of 12 down to the Raven 45.  On third and one, the Broncos were flagged for holding.  That put them in a third and long situation back at their 46.  On third down, defensive end Pernell McPhee sacked Manning and the ball came loose.  It was recovered by linebacker Paul Kruger at the Bronco 37.

It was time for the Ray Rice show to begin.  Five straight carries by Rice got the Ravens into the end zone and they were now down 28-27.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens tied the score at 28 with 20 seconds to go in the third quarter.  Both teams punted on their next possessions.  With 12 minutes to go in the game, the Broncos started their next drive at their 12.  Filling in for the injured Moreno, Hillman became the main running back.  An 11-yard pass to Hillman, a four-yard run and a seven-yard pass to Dreessen got them a first down at the 34.  Another 11-yard completion and a personal foul on the Ravens got them a first down at the Raven 40.  A defensive holding on third and three netted another first down at the 28.  From the 28, Hillman ran up the left side for three yards and Decker caught another pass for eight more.  On first down from the 17, Manning threw a short pass to Thomas who caught it and weaved his way through several Raven defenders for a Bronco touchdown.  Prater made the point after and the Broncos now led  35-28 with 7:11 to go in the game.

The Ravens got the ball back and knew they had to score on this drive to hopefully force overtime.  They started at their 25 and on third and seven from the 28, Boldin made a nice grab for a gain of 19.  Another pass to Boldin went for 17 yards and a first down at the Bronco 36.  A false start penalty moved them back five yards and made it first and 15 from the 41.  Three straight carries by Rice netted ten yards and the Ravens now had a fourth and five from the 31.  Flacco looked for Pitta on fourth down and the pass was incomplete.  The Broncos took over with 3:12 to go in the game.  The Ravens had two timeouts and the two-minute warning to stop the clock.  Hillman ran four times and moved the ball from the 31 to the 47.  On third and seven, he was stuffed for a loss and the Broncos were forced to punt with 1:15 to go.  The ball was fair caught at the 23 and the Ravens needed a miracle.  Flacco looked for Pitta again on first down and it was incomplete.  He scrambled up the middle for seven yards on second down and with 31 seconds to go, Flacco put one up the right side for Jones who had gotten behind the secondary.  Jones caught it for a stunning 70-yard touchdown.  The rowdy Denver crowd stood in stunned silence at what they had just witnessed.  Tucker made the point after and the game was now tied at 35.  Manning took a knee to end regulation and the game went to overtime.

The Ravens won the toss and got the ball at their 20.  They got down to the Bronco 44 and on third and two, Flacco was sacked for a loss of nine by linebacker Von Miller and defensive end Elvis Dumervil.  A whole lot of punting went on until the 3:47 mark.  On the last punt by the Ravens, Koch hit a nice 52-yarder that was fielded by Holliday at the 14.  Cornerback Jimmy Smith brought him down for a loss of seven.  Starting at their seven, the Broncos went to work.  A short pass to Hillman, an 11-yard pass to Decker and a couple of runs by Hillman and fullback Jacob Hester netted a first down at the 34.  On second and six from the 38, Manning threw a pass intended for Stokley and it was picked off by Graham.  He was brought down at the Bronco 45.

On second and ten from the 45, Rice ran up the middle for a gain of 11.  That brought the first overtime to a close.  Three more carries by Rice got five yards and on fourth down from the 29, Tucker trotted onto the field for the game-winning kick.  There was no timeout called by the Broncos and his kick was good.  That gave the Ravens a 38-35 win and they will face the winner of the Texans-Patriots game in the AFC Championship.

For the Ravens, Joe Flacco completed 18 of 34 for 331 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a lost fumble.  Torrey Smith led all receivers in receptions with three and receiving yards with 98 and two touchdowns.  On the ground, Ray Rice grinded out 131 yards on 30 carries and one touchdown.  As a team, the Ravens rushed for 155 yards on 39 carries.  Defensively, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs tied for the team lead in solo tackles with ten apiece.  Suggs also had two sacks, one tackle for a loss and one pass defensed.

For the Broncos, Peyton Manning completed 28 of 43 for 290 yards, three touchdowns and two very costly interceptions.  One was returned for a score and the other set up the game winning field goal.  Eric Decker and Joel Dreessen tied for the lead in receptions with six and Decker had the most receiving yards with 84.  Ronnie Hillman led the Broncos in rushing yards with 83 yards on 22 carries.  As a team, the Broncos rushed for 125 yards on 41 carries.  Defensively, linebackers Von Miller and Wesley Woodyard tied for the lead in solo tackles with seven.  Miller also had a half sack.  I will be back tomorrow morning with a recap of the Packers-49ers game.

 

 

 

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Seahawks 24, Redskins 14

January 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The fourth and final game of wildcard weekend had the Seattle Seahawks visiting the Washington Redskins.  Of all the games, I was looking forward to this one the most.  It was the battle of rookie quarterbacks Robert Griffin and Russell Wilson.  To be honest, of the rookies playing in this game, the one who impressed me the most this season was Redskin running back Alfred Morris.  The Redskins won the toss and elected to receive.

Starting at their 20, the Redskins got off to a good start with runs of eight and nine yards by Morris.  A nine-yard pass to wide receiver Pierre Garcon and a three-yard run by Griffin moved the Redskins to midfield.  A 30-yard pass to Garcon and an 18-yard run by Morris made it first and goal from the three-yard line.  On third and goal from the four, Griffin fired a dart to running back Even Royster for a Redskin touchdown.  Kicker Kai Forbath made the extra point and the Redskins went up 7-0 with ten minutes to go in the first quarter.

The Seahawks went nowhere on their first drive and punted.  The Redskins took over at their 46 and on third and three from the Seahawk 47, Griffin faced some pressure, but managed to complete a ten-yard pass to wide receiver Santana Moss.  A neutral zone infraction on the Seahawks and an eight-yard run by Griffin gave the Redskins another first down at the 24.  Tight end Logan Paulsen caught a 15-yard pass on third and one and the Redskins were knocking on the door again.  They found themselves in another third and goal situation from the four.  This time, they had the same result as their previous drive.  Griffin had loads of time and hit Paulsen in the end zone for another Redskin touchdown.  Forbath made the point after and the Redskins went up 14-0 with a little over two minutes to go in the first quarter.  Long after Griffin got rid of the ball, he was knocked down by defensive end Bruce Irvin and he was flagged for unnecessary roughness.  After that hit, Griffin left the field, but would return shortly.

The Seahawks started at their 20 and a 12-yard completion to tight end Zach Miller on third and 12 got them a first down at the 30.  A short run by running back Marshawn Lynch, a 19-yard scramble by Wilson and a nine-yard pass to Lynch moved the Seahawks into Redskin territory.  On first down from the 39, Wilson put up a floater and wide receiver Sidney Rice did a great job of catching it and keeping both feet in bounds for a gain of 27.  But a delay of game penalty and three incomplete passes stalled the drive at the 14.  Kicker Steven Hauschka  was brought in to try a 32-yard field goal.  The kick was good and that made it 14-3 with 12 minutes to go in the second quarter.

After giving up two early touchdowns, the Seahawk defense made some adjustments and really started bringing the pressure and forced the Redskins to punt.  The punt was fair caught by return man Leon Washington at the Seahawk 27.  Two runs by Lynch and an offside penalty on the Redskins moved the ball to the 45.  On first and five from the 45, Wilson fumbled, but the ball was picked up by Lynch and he took it down to the Redskin 36.  On second down from the 35, Wilson threw a screen to fullback Michael Robinson for a gain of 19 yards.  An 11-yard run by Wilson made it first and goal from the five.  On second and goal from the four, Wilson tossed the ball to his left and it was caught by Robinson for a Seahawk touchdown.  Hauschka made the extra point and the Seahawks closed the gap to 14-10 with just under five minutes to go in the second quarter.  Hauschka injured his calf on the point after attempt and punter Jon Ryan kicked the ball off.

The next “drive” for the Redskins ended abruptly.  On second and seven from the 29, Griffin threw a deep ball into double coverage intended for Garcon.  The ball was picked off by safety Earl Thomas.  He was brought down at the Seahawk 26 and with 3:36 remaining in the first half, Wilson went to work.  On third and five from the 31, he completed a six-yard pass to wide receiver Doug Baldwin.  On the next play, he hooked up with Baldwin again.  This pass went for 33 yards and he was brought down at the Redskin 30.  Two more runs by Lynch netted 11 yards and another first down at the 19.  On fourth and two from the 11, Hauschka limped onto the field and nailed a 29-yard field goal to end the half.  At halftime, the Redskins led 14-13.

The Seahawks picked up right where they left off on their first drive of the second half.  Lynch, Robinson and rookie running back Robert Turbin moved the Seahawks from their 30 to the Redskin 32.  A 15-yard pass to wide receiver Golden Tate and a 15-yard run straight up the middle by Lynch put the ball at the two-yard line.  On second down from the one, Lynch got the call again and defensive tackle Barry Cofield put his helmet right on the ball.  It came loose and defensive end Jarvis Jenkins came up with the fumble recovery.

The Redskins took over at their three and managed to move the ball to the 26 before punting.  On this drive, defensive end Chris Clemons was injured and it has been reported he has a torn ACL.  He will miss the rest of the playoffs.  The Seahawks got down to the Redskin 28, but on third and eight, Wilson was sacked for a loss of nine by cornerback Josh Wilson.  That took them out of field goal range and they punted.  The Redskins were flagged for holding on the return and they started from their own six-yard line.  As the game went on, it was becoming more and more evident that Griffin was playing in excruciating pain.  From the six, Griffin was sacked for a loss of four by defensive tackle Alan Branch.  He managed to complete a pass to Garcon on third and 14, but he was brought down short of the first down marker.  Redskin punter Sav Rocca came on and hit a nice 53-yard punt that went out of bounds at the Seahawk 37.  The Redskin defense did a good job and forced another punt.

A limping Robert Griffin led his team onto the field in hopes of putting some more points on the board.  On first down from their 22, Griffin took the snap and “ran” up the left side for a gain of nine yards.  That play call totally boggled my mind.  You have perfectly good running backs who could do the same thing.  After the play was over, Griffin limped back to the huddle.  Morris got the call on the next play and gained five yards for a first down at the 36.  They would only gain three more yards and Rocca punted the ball away again.  Washington fielded it at the eight and returned it to the 21.

A seven-yard pass to Tate and an 18-yard run by Lynch moved the Seahawks to midfield.  On third and ten, Miller made a nice catch and run for a gain of 22.  He was finally dragged down at the Redskin 32.  On third and five from the 27, Lynch reminded everyone why he is known as “The Beast.”  He ran up the right side for a 27-yard Seahawk touchdown.  Wilson completed the two-point conversion with a pass to Miller and the Seahawks now had a 21-14 lead with seven minutes to go in the game.

I really thought I’d see backup quarterback Kirk Cousins come into the game for the Redskins.  I was wrong.  Griffin remained at quarterback and on first down from the 24, he was sacked for a loss of 12 by Irvin.  On second and 22, it got even worse for Griffin.  A bad snap sent the ball bouncing crazily toward him.  There was a big pileup at the five-yard line and the Seahawks came away with the ball.  Griffin stayed down for several minutes as trainers worked on him.  He managed to get to his feet and walk off the field, but that was the last we’d see of him.  The Seahawks took over at the five and gained a grand total of one yard.  Hauschka made the 22-yard field goal and the Seahawks upped the lead to 24-14 with five and a half minutes to go in the game.

The Redskins got the ball back at their 18 and Cousins found wide receiver Leonard Hankerson for gains of 15 and 12 yards.  Another bad snap was picked up by Cousins and he was thrown for a loss of four yards.  After that, Cousins threw three straight incomplete passes and turned the ball over to the Seahawks with 4:16 to go in the game.  Lynch and Turbin split some carries and they ended up punting the ball back to the Redskins with a minute to go.  Cousins threw four incomplete passes and that’s how the game would end.  Final score: Seahawks 24 Redskins 14.

For the Seahawks, Russell Wilson completed 15 of 26 for 187 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.  He also had 67 yards rushing on eight carries.  Tight end Zach Miller led the team in receptions with four and in receiving yards with 48.  Marshawn Lynch led the ground game with 132 yards on 20 carries, one touchdown and one lost fumble.  As a team, the Seahawks had a total of 224 yards on 37 carries.  Defensively, linebacker Bobby Wagner led the Seahawks in solo tackles with five and had one tackle for a loss.

For the Redskins, Robert Griffin completed 10 of 19 for 84 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.  He also had 21 yards rushing on five carries.  Kirk Cousins didn’t do much better as he completed three of ten for 31 yards.  Pierre Garcon was the leader in receptions with four and receiving yards with 50.  Alfred Morris led the ground game with 80 yards on 16 carries.  In my opinion, he didn’t get enough carries in this game.  As a team, the Redskins ran for a total of 104 yards on 23 carries.  Defensively, safety Reed Doughty led the Redskins in sacks with two and the most solo tackles with seven.  He also had two tackles for a loss and one pass defensed.  All totaled, the Redskins sacked Wilson five times.

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is being heavily criticized for leaving Griffin in the game too long.  Griffin entered the game with a knee brace and was obviously not anywhere near 100 percent.  Yet, Shanahan left him out there despite the fact that he was in obvious pain.  That’s nothing new for Shanahan.  When he was in Denver, quarterback Brian Griese had a badly injured shoulder and Shanahan didn’t take him out.  There’s also a sound byte from Super Bowl 32 where he asked running back Terrell Davis if he was feeling okay.  Davis replied “I can’t see.  I’ve got another one of my headaches.”  Shanahan said “Well I need you to get back in there for the next play.  We’re going to fake it to you.”  Davis ended up being okay and was named the MVP of that game.  But what the hell are you doing putting a blind running back into a game?

The playoffs continue next week with Baltimore at Denver on Saturday at 4:30 eastern time followed by Green Bay at San Francisco at 7:30.  Sunday’s games will feature Seattle at Atlanta at 1:00 and Houston at New England  at 4:30.  Those are definitely some interesting match-ups!  Until then, take it easy.

 

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Ravens 24, Colts 9

January 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The next playoff game on the schedule had the Indianapolis Colts visiting the Baltimore Ravens.  The big story in this game was that it would be the last one linebacker Ray Lewis would ever play in Baltimore.  After 17 seasons, he decided this season would be his last.  Judging by the entrance he made coming into this game, he was ready to go.  The other big story in this game was that Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was hospitalized with an undisclosed illness and was absent from the game.  Quarterback coach Clyde Christensen ended up calling the plays.  The Colts won the toss and elected to receive.

The kickoff went nine yards deep into the end zone for a touch-back and the Colts started at their 20.  Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck led his team onto the field and on the first play of the game, the Colts started out with some trickery as wide receiver Donnie Avery took an end around up the right side for a gain of 15.  That was the only play that gained any yards for the Colts and they promptly punted the ball away.  Return man Jacoby Jones fielded the punt at the 14 and returned it to the Raven 48.

With good starting field position, the Ravens went to work.  On second and seven from the Colt 49, quarterback Joe Flacco found tight end Ed Dickson across the middle for a gain of 24 yards and a first down at the 25.  A pass interference penalty on the Colts moved the ball to the 15.  On second and six, running back Ray Rice fumbled and despite the fact that guard Marshal Yanda came out of the pile with the ball, the zebras still ruled the Colts had recovered the fumble.  Replay showed that defensive end Lawrence Guy fell on the ball, but it squirted free and was recovered by Yanda.  Still, the Colts were given possession of the ball at their 11.

A four-yard run by running back Vick Ballard and an eight-yard scramble by Luck got the Colts a first down at the 22.  An illegal contact penalty on the Ravens, a nine-yard pass to wide receiver Reggie Wayne and some more shifty running by Ballard got the Colts down to the Raven 35.  On third and five from the 30, the Ravens brought the pressure and Luck was sacked by linebacker Paul Kruger.  The ball came loose and was recovered by defensive end Pernell McPhee at the 37.  The Colts took over seven minutes off the clock and came away with nothing.

Speaking of ending up with nothing, the remainder of the first quarter featured two more punts and zero points scored.  The second quarter began with the Ravens starting their next drive at their 29.  Ray Rice was given a breather and running back Bernard Pierce entered the game.  On second and four from the 35, Pierce ran up the left side for a gain of five and a first down.  Flacco then found wide receiver Torrey Smith across the middle for a gain of 22 yards.  Another five-yard run for Pierce and a seven-yard catch by tight end Dennis Pitta moved the ball to the Colt 26.  From the 26, Pierce got loose for an 18-yard gain and that made it first and goal from the nine.  The Ravens abandoned the running game and got as far as the five-yard line.  On fourth down from the five, kicker Justin Tucker kicked a 23-yard field goal and the Ravens took a 3-0 lead with 11 minutes to go in the second quarter.

On first down from his own 20, Luck looked for Avery, but the ball was tipped by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and by all rights, Ray Lewis should have had an interception.  The ball hit his hands, bounced off his chest and fell incomplete to the ground.  Two more plays netted eight yards and the Colts were forced to punt again.  Jones fielded the ball at the 19 and returned it to the 36.  But a holding call moved them back to their 20.  They went nowhere and punted the ball back to the Colts.

With eight minutes to go in the first half, the Colts took over at their 20.  Runs by Ballard and an eight-yard pass to Wayne gave them a first down at the 33.  Luck then found tight end Dwayne Allen across the middle for a gain of 22.  Two plays later, Luck found Allen again for a gain of 13.  The Ravens brought the blitz and Luck was sacked by Kruger and cornerback Corey Graham for a loss of six yards.  On third and 14 from the Raven 36, Luck completed a short pass to tight end Coby Fleener for a gain of seven.  That brought out kicker Adam Vinatieri for a 47-yard field goal attempt.  The kick was good and the score was knotted at three with a little over two minutes to go in the first half.

A 37-yard kickoff return by Jones set the Ravens up with good field position.  On third and four from the 43, Flacco found Jones across the middle for a gain of eight.  On second and ten from the 49, Flacco hit Rice with a short pass and thanks to some good down-field blocking, Rice weaved his way down to the two-yard line.  Fullback Vonta Leach finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens led 10-3 with 50 seconds to go in the first half.

With time running short, Luck took to the air and completed passes to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and Wayne to move the ball to the Raven 43.  An intentional grounding penalty moved them back to their 41, but Luck found Hilton again for a gain of 25 yards.  With no more time to run a play, Vinatieri was brought in to try a 52-yard field goal.  He snuck it inside the right upright and the kick was good.  At halftime, the score was 10-6 in favor of the Ravens.

With ten minutes to go in the third quarter, the Ravens took over at their 25.  Throughout the entire first half, wide receiver Anquan Boldin had been invisible.  It was time for him to make some noise.  From the 25, Flacco found Boldin for ten yards.  On second and six from the 39, Boldin caught a deep ball on the right sideline for a gain of 46 and a first down at the Colt 15.  A false start moved them back five yards, but Flacco was unfazed and found Pitta on the right side for a nice 20-yard catch and run for a touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens increased their lead to 17-6 with eight and a half minutes to go in the third quarter.

The Colts started at their 20 and they knew they had better get the ball rolling.  A couple of runs by Ballard, a 17-yard completion to wide receiver LaVon Brazill and a nice six-yard scramble on third and two by Luck moved the Colts to the Raven 43.  Luck continued to spread short passes to his receivers and a 20-yard pass to Wayne set them up with a first down at the 14.  The Ravens really brought the pressure and the drive stalled at the eight-yard line.  Vinatieri made his 26-yard field goal attempt and the score was now 17-9 with 40 seconds to go in the third quarter.

From the 21, Flacco hooked up with Boldin again for 21 yards and a first down at the 42.  Rice got the call on the next play and took off up the left side for a big gain.  As he was running, the ball was knocked loose by safety Joe Lefeged and bounced forward.  It was recovered by linebacker Pat Angerer at the Colt 29.  The Colts put together a decent drive on the strength of a 19-yard catch by Wayne and a 24-yard run by Ballard.  Still, they couldn’t put the ball into the end zone and the drive came to an end at the Raven 22.  It’s a rare occasion that Vinatieri misses a field goal, but his 40-yard attempt sailed wide right and the Colts came away with nothing again.

The Ravens got the ball back at their 30 and knew one more touchdown would most likely put the Colts away.  A nine-yard pass to Smith and a 43-yard run by Pierce got the Ravens in business at the Colt 18.  On second and ten, Flacco put up a high pass into the end zone for Boldin.  Despite having a man in his face, he was able to bring the ball in for a touchdown.  Tucker made the point after and the Ravens now led 24-9 with nine minutes to go in the game.

The Colts wouldn’t go down without a fight and went from their 20 down to the Raven 18.  On fourth and one from the 18, Luck looked for Wayne but the pass was picked off by cornerback Cary Williams at the 15.  That sealed the deal and the Ravens ran out the clock.  Final score: Ravens 24 Colts 9.  It was a great and emotional day for the Ravens as their defense brought relentless pressure and Ray Lewis got a win in his last home game as a Raven.  What I was thinking as the game came to a close was that it may also be the final home game for safety Ed Reed.  Both he and Lewis are destined for the Hall of Fame.

For the Colts, Andrew Luck completed 28 of 54 for 288 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and one lost fumble.  Reggie Wayne led the team in receptions with nine and receiving yards with 114.  Vick Ballard led the ground game with 91 yards on 22 carries.  As a team, the Colts rushed for 152 yards on 30 carries.  Defensively, safety Antoine Bethea and defensive end Cory Redding tied for the lead in solo tackles with six.

For the Ravens, Joe Flacco completed 12 of 23 for 282 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.  Anquan Boldin was the star of the show and had 145 yards on five receptions and a touchdown.  Bernard Pierce led the ground game with 103 yards on 15 carries.  Ray Rice also had a good day with 70 yards on 15 carries.  He also had 47 yards receiving and lost two fumbles.  As a team, the Ravens rushed for 172 yards on 32 carries.  Defensively, the Ravens brought the pressure and sacked Luck three times.  He was also knocked down ten times.  Fittingly, Ray Lewis led the team in solo tackles with nine and he also had one tackle for a loss and one pass defensed.  Up next for the Ravens is a trip to Denver to take on the Denver Broncos.  In week 15, they met in Baltimore and the Broncos came away with a dominant 34-17 win.  I’ll be back tomorrow morning with a recap of the Seahawks-Redskins game.

 

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