From an overtime thriller in Denver to an unlikely upset in Green Bay, this year’s NFL Playoffs have been anything but ordinary.
The parody began in the Wildcard Round, when the Denver Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in an overtime thriller that shocked the sports world. Quarterback Tim Tebow threw an 80-yard pass to receiver Demaryius Thomas 11 seconds into overtime, setting NFL records for both the longest pass in playoff overtime and shortest overtime victory. The Steelers were the defending AFC champions and the heavy favorite in this matchup.
Along with the Broncos, the New York Giants, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints escaped the first round of the 2012 playoffs with victories.
The Divisional Round in week two of the playoffs left even more sports analysts scratching their heads. The New York Giants entered legendary Lambeau Field, home stadium of the Green Bay Packers, as underdogs. Green Bay is the defending Super Bowl champion and finished the regular season with an NFL best 15-1 record, while the Giants sat at an unimpressive 9-7. Despite the seeming disparity between the two teams, the Giants were more than confident, with several players guaranteeing victory over the Packers.
Turns out their confidence was well-grounded, as they went on to dismantle the powerful Green Bay offense and win 37-20. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished the game with a QB Rating of 78.5, while the Giants’ Eli Manning finished at 114.5. The Packers turned the ball over four times, fumbling three times and throwing one interception. The Giants were able to take advantage of Green Bay’s mistakes, and sent the Packer’s home early.
While the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints had identical regular season records at 13-3, the Saints were favored by many to win this game based on the recent outstanding play by quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints offense. Despite their impressive record, many questioned whether the 49ers’ 26th-ranked offense could compete with New Orleans’ high-scoring passing attack. After the game, it became evident how the 49ers had accumulated so many wins throughout the regular season. Their defense forced the Saints to turn the ball over five times, and their normally underachieving quarterback Alex Smith threw for three touchdowns, including a game-winning 14-yard toss to Vernon Davis to win the game.
Despite the turnovers, the Saints still had an opportunity to win after Brees completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham to give the Saints the lead with just over one minute to play. However, Smith answered with nine seconds left to defeat the Saints 36-32.
Other action in the Divisional Round included the Patriots ending the Broncos Cinderella-esque run in a 45-10 romp and the Baltimore Ravens squeaking past the Houston Texans 20-13 in a defensive struggle.
The conference champ-ionships are this Sunday, and feature the Ravens against the Patriots for the AFC championship at 2 p.m. on CBS, and the Giants against the 49ers at 5:30 p.m. on Fox.
