NFL Divisional Weekend

Another four games of football were played, determining who will face off for the rights to play in Super Bowl XLV. It starts with the AFC Divisional...

Between the host Pittsburgh Steelers and visiting Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh was the first team to visit the end zone on a Rashard Mendenhall run of 1 yard for a touchdown, followed by a Shaun Suisham extra point. Baltimore answered back with a Ray Rice 14 yard touchdown run, after which Billy Cundiff tied the game with the extra point. Ben Roethlisberger then was pressured and lost control of the ball, and after a spell, Cory Redding of the Ravens took it to the house, and Cundiff made it 14-7. Baltimore extended the lead in the second quarter as Joe Flacco connected with Todd Heap for 4 yards, allowing another Cundiff extra point to produce the halftime score of 21-7 Baltimore. Roethlisberger tied the game with touchdown passes of 9 and 8 yards to Heath Miller and Hines Ward, and the tying point coming from Suisham's foot. Suisham and Cundiff exchanged field goals in the fourth quarter, with Suisham good from 35 yards and Cundiff from 24 yards away. With the score tied at 24 with under 2 minutes in the game, Mendenhall runs a 2 yard touchdown in, and Suisham supplies the extra point to make it 31-24 Steelers. The Ravens failed to recover, and were eliminated by that score from the playoffs, with Pittsburgh waiting to see if they will host the New York Jets or travel to New England next weekend.

Hopping to the NFC Divisional game between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta dented the scoreboard first with a Michael Turner touchdown run of 12 yards, and Matt Bryant provided the extra point. Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay answered in the second quarter with a 6 yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson, followed by a Mason Crosby extra point. However, the ensuing kickoff was fateful, as Eric Weems returned the ball 102 yards for the Falcons, and Bryant put them up 14-7 with the extra point. John Kuhn got the Packers back together and ran a touchdown in for 1 yard, allowing a tying extra point by Crosby. Rodgers gave Green Bay the lead with a 20 yard touchdown connection with James Jones, followed by yet another Crosby extra point. Hoping to take momentum into the locker room, Matt Ryan threw one up for Atlanta, and Tramon Williams picked it off and ran it in 70 yards to give the Packers some push, putting them up 28-14 at half with Crosby making his extra point. Rodgers took to the ground to extend the lead for Green Bay, running 7 yards to crack the goal line, with Crosby adding another extra point. Rodgers found Kuhn for 7 yards as well, and after a Crosby extra point, it was all but certain the the Packers had strong control over the game at 42-14. Ryan passed to Roddy White for a 6 yard touchdown as a last whimper for the Falcons, with Bryant's extra point making the score 42-21. Crosby put the Falcons out of their misery after two more field goals, from 43 and 32 yards to bring the final to 48-21, with Green Bay either traveling to Chicago or Seattle depending on who wins the match today.

Into day 2 of the divisional weekend, with the Chicago Bears hosting the Seattle Seahawks. Jay Cutler put Chicago out front early when connecting with Greg Olsen for 58 yards and a touchdown, followed by a Robbie Gould extra point. Chester Taylor extended the Bears lead with a 1 yard touchdown run, with Gould adding another extra point. Cutler took matters in his own hands for the third touchdown, running in 6 yards for the score, allowing another Gould extra point. The score going into halftime was 21-0, and the Bears extended the lead once more on the legs of Cutler, with his second touchdown rush, this time of 9 yards, and Gould was true on the extra point to make it 28-0. Seattle decided it would be good to actually score some points and Olindo Mare blasted a 30 yard field goal through the uprights. Matt Hasselbeck continued the scoring for the Seahawks, finding Mike Williams in the end zone for a 2 yard touchdown, with Mare making the extra point. Cutler's pass to Kellen Davis for 39 yards was good enough to be a dagger for Seattle's comeback hopes, with that touchdown and the subsequent extra point making it 35-10. Hasselbeck added two more touchdown passes, of 3 and 9 yards to Williams and Brandon Stokley, and after Mare's two extra points, the score stood at its eventual final of 35-24 Bears over Seahawks. Chicago advanced to the NFC Championship, staying at home to host their fierce rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Seattle, after a surprising season and playoff run will return home.

Lastly, the most hyped and trash-talked match between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. Shayne Graham opened the scoring by booting a 34 yard field goal in for New England. Mark Sanchez and New York answered in the second quarter with two touchdown passes, one of 7 yards to LaDainian Tomlinson and the other for Braylon "Banana Feet... err... Hands" Edwards for 15 yards. Footsmith Nick Folk came on for both extra points. The Patriots came back in the third quarter as Tom Brady connected with Alge Crumpler for 2 yards and a touchdown, and the two point conversion by the quick-footed Sammy Morris was successful. Sanchez answered back for the Jets with a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes for 7 yards and a touchdown, allowing Folk to nail another extra point in. Graham came back out for another field goal, this time of 35 yards, putting New England down only 21-14. Shonn Greene however turned New York's fortunes around and put them up by a more comfortable lead by running with flying feet 16 yards to find the end zone, with Folk kicking in another extra point. Brady attempted to get the Patriots back into the game, allowing Deion Branch to catch a 13 yard touchdown pass and plant his feet for the score, before Graham knocked in the extra point. The onside kick was no good, and the Jets held on to win by a toe, or a touchdown (whatever Rex Ryan thinks) by the 28-21 score. The Patriots started to book tee times, while Rex Ryan and the Jets could go home and kick their feet up on the foot stools. Final count on bad foot puns aimed at Rex Ryan: 8, so I lose to Wes Welker.

Next week will feature two games to determine who plays in the Super Bowl. I, as a fan, no longer care that much, but because you readers do, I'll grudgingly cover the games.