The NFL conference championship games were not as close as some of last weekend’s games were, but they did provide fans clarity. It’s now obviously clear which two teams are the best in football and now those two teams will meet in Houston on February 5th for Super Bowl 51.
NFL Conference Championship
NFC Championship
The Atlanta Falcons flew high in the Georgia Dome on Sunday. They beat the visiting Green Bay Packers 44-21 in what was another blowout for Atlanta. This game saw its fair share of miscues and the Falcons were able to capitalize. Last weekend in the Dome, Russell Wilson was stepped on in his own end zone for a safety while turning the football over twice. On Sunday, Crosby missed a 41-yard field goal on the opening drive and Aaron Ripowski fumbled the football in the red zone on the ensuing drive. In both games, Atlanta capitalized on their opponents miscues.
The falcons would score on their next drive to enlarge their lead to 17-0. Aaron Rodgers was intercepted by Ricardo Allen which led to a Julio Jones touchdown with 6 seconds remaining in the half. Who would have thought the Falcons would be up 24-0 at halftime to the red-hot Green Bay Packers? The bleeding doesn’t stop there.
On its next drive, Atlanta scored on a 73-yard scamper by Julio Jones. Jet Jones kicked on the afterburners after receiving the 6-yard pass and outmuscled two defenders all the way to the end-zone. Rodgers and the Packers responded with a 12 play, 75 yards touchdown drive that ended with Devonte Adams diving in the end zone. In the 3rd and 4th quarters, the Atlanta Falcons scored 20 points while the Green Bay Packers scored 21.
The Atlanta Falcons recorded 30 first downs while converting 10-13 on 3rd down. They ran 68 total plays for 493 total yards. Matt Ryan went 27/38 and threw for 392 yards while averaging 10.3 yards per pass attempt. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers recorded 26 first downs while converting 4-10 on 3rd down. The Packers ran 64 plays for 367 total yards. Rodgers went 27/45 and threw for 268 yards while throwing an interception while averaging only 5.7 yards per pass attempt. Julio jones led all receivers with 9 grabs for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns.
There are many storylines in this game but two telling statistics are the time of possession and possession/points scored efficiency. The Packers controlled the football for 26:21 minutes while the Falcons had it for 33:39 minutes. The Falcons nearly had the football for half a quarter longer than the Packers. Going into the game, I thought the Falcons would win if they controlled the football for longer than 30 minutes. The second statistic is possession/points scored efficiency. The Atlanta Falcons had nine drives and seven of them resulted in points scored; six resulted in touchdowns. That is a recipe destined for success. The last game ever played in the Georgia Dome certainly was a memorable one.
It’s on to Super Bowl 51 for the Atlanta Falcons where they will face the New England Patriots in Houston.
AFC Championship
In an effort to have an epic Brady vs. Roethlisberger battle at the highest competitive level, Pittsburgh failed on both sides of the ball. New England was able to control everything in the game. It didn’t help that Le’Veon Bell went down with a groin injury early in the game and failed to return. Although Deangelo Williams is a great backup running back, the offense lacks a certain element that is there when Bell is in.
If you were unable to catch the game and just saw the box score, Roethlisberger’s numbers won’t tell you the true story. Ben had a decent game, but Pittsburgh had scoring problems again. Big Ben had 314 yards, but only 1 garbage time touchdown. An interesting stat was also brought to the attention of the few people still watching the game- Pittsburgh is now 0-4 when Roethlisberger throws for over 300 yards in a playoff game. A crazy thing to think about since he has been to three super bowls. The reasons why? The winning equation for Steeler playoff games is a good run game while controlling the clock and a great scoring defense. Pittsburgh was unable to do any of that.
Tom Brady was able to shed the Steeler defense on practically every drive. Blown coverage after blown coverage, the Patriots had the perfect game plan against the zone coverage. Brady has traditionally been able to kill defenses like Pittsburgh’s because their offense is all about short little passes and YAC. It was on full display Sunday night when Brady threw for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns. Chris Hogan ended up being the X-factor for the Pats as he racked up 180 yards on 9 catches, including 2 touchdowns.
Although the Steelers defense did not play well, they still had chances to get back into the game. Eli Rogers fumbled the ball in their own territory, which led to a New England score. Jesse James caught a pass that was ruled a touchdown but reversed as the refs said he was down at the 1 making it 1st and goal. The Steelers were unable to get into the end zone and had to settle for a field goal. Chris Boswell missed an extra point. Sammie Coates had a deep ball that might have gone for a touchdown fall off his fingertips, which continues to keep his roster spot in doubt. Cobi Hamilton dropped a touchdown. When it finally looked like the Steelers had caught a break and Brady had fumbled with Javon Hargrave coming out with the ball after the dog pile, the play was ruled New England ball due to not enough evidence of a clear recovery.
The Steelers hopes for getting back to the AFC Championship game next year shouldn’t be far fetched. They will reportedly franchise tag Le’Veon Bell and sign Antonio Brown to a big contract extension. Even though the defense didn’t look good on Sunday, they have 3 rookies starting and will probably get another one in the first round in the upcoming draft. Pittsburgh will also have their star wideout, Martavis Bryant, hopefully, reinstated after a year-long suspension. It just wasn’t their night, especially with the Patriots clicking on all levels.
The Patriots are set to face off against the Atlanta Falcons in Houston in what looks to be a good matchup. The Falcons proved again Sunday afternoon that they have the best offense in the league. The key will be Vic Beasley and company getting pressure on Brady and Matt Ryan and the Falcons scoring touchdowns and not field goals. But there will be a lot of planning, preparation and scheming ahead of the big game on February 5th.
