The dream! Denver flips the script on Carolina, the entire league

Posted on February 8, 2016 by tdten

The formula was simple: go 1 for 14 on 3rd down.

The 50th edition of a legendary game goes to a legendary player, and that’s pretty cool. (Photo credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Before the game, I felt that no matter who the confetti fell on, it would be a fitting end. It could’ve been Carolina sticking the landing to a near-perfect season, with Cam smiling next to the trophy while the talking heads praise his improved maturity and leadership. Instead, it’s what we saw last night. A game that, through both its quality of play and eventual winner, epitomized an NFL season that should be remembered for its surplus of flawed teams. Even with a record number of undefeated teams through six-plus weeks, we were somehow still left wondering, “Is anyone great?” And of the undefeated teams, “Who have they beaten?” And now, after watching Denver go 1 for 14 on 3rd down while Peyton threw for under 150 yards and no touchdowns, we’re asking similar questions. “Is anyone really great?”

Yes, one is. That Denver defense.

With doubts of Denver’s ability to win this game, I asked how they could possibly pull this off. I settled on the obvious: Denver’s defense must be great. Carolina launched into huge leads in their first two playoff games and it was too much for even the most spirited of comebacks. If the same happened here, it was over. Denver’s offense simply did not possess the firepower. And so, the defense had to be great. And holy crap, were they ever.

If you watched the game, you saw. Denver abused a great offensive line and harassed Cam Newton all night. Carolina faced 15 third downs and converted just three of them. They may have gained 315 yards and 21 first downs, but they lost the ball four times. Defensive games are almost always within reach, but Denver’s defense was suffocating. The frustration boiled over in the 4th quarter as Cam writhed on the ground in pain. The Denver defense didn’t just beat Cam, they broke him.

Even during his sullen and reserved press conference, Cam Newton offered three words of hope: “We’ll be back.” (Photo credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Perhaps the most telling aspect of Denver’s dominance is the fact that we’ve gone this far without mentioning Peyton Manning’s legacy or retirement. If this is indeed the end for Peyton, it’s a strange one. He’s a legend, one of the best ever, and he went out in the way every player dreams of: walking into the sunset with a Super Bowl win as their last game. Yet, this “walk” into the sunset was more of a ride on the backs of his defense. He didn’t play particularly well this game or all season. There was even a time midway through the season where we wondered if he had played his last game. How will history remember him for this? It’s impossible to say less than 24 hours later, but history does have a knack for leaving out the details. The hard numbers are this: four Super Bowl appearances under four different coaches and two different teams. Two rings with two different teams. That’s something no other QB can say and that’s pretty memorable.

As for Carolina? Pain, for now. Plenty of blame will go around as it always does with losing teams. In this case, I don’t think that’s warranted. Cam didn’t choke. Rivera didn’t gameplan poorly. Denver simply played better, but it still hurts. The future, however, is extremely bright for Carolina. Cam is just now entering his prime and the defense will retain its young, growing stars. As much disbelief as I had throughout this whole run, this was no fluke season for the Panthers. Yesterday’s loss was just their second since November 30, 2014. This is a winning team and I don’t expect that to change.

Overlooked in this game: Denver up 16-7; with 5:44 left in the 3rd quarter, Cam Newton throws an interception to TJ Ward. Ward fumbled the ball at the Denver 14-yard line, which was somehow recovered by Denver’s Danny Trevathan at the 7. If Carolina recovers that fumble and scores, the game is 16-14 with an entire quarter left to play. Instead, Carolina never sees the inside of Denver’s 20-yard line again.

These are the type of plays that define a season. And with it, the Denver Broncos are Super Bowl 50 Champions.

The 2015-16 NFL season is over, but that doesn’t mean we have to be. In the coming weeks, we’ll take a look back on some preseason posts and see what we learned from another yet another weird year.

Super Bowl XLVIII Pick

Posted on February 2, 2014 by tdten

Welp, we’re finally here. We couldn’t have asked for a better matchup for the final game of the 2013-14 NFL season. The top offense in the league faces the top defense in the league. An unstoppable force against an immovable object (how many times have you heard that one by now?). The Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks for Super Bowl XLVIII. It’s been two long, frustrating weeks of listening to the experts pick apart every stat, matchup, and soundbite they can find. I’m not going to drone on about every angle of this game (trust me, I could for a while). Instead, I’ll stay with the theme I’ve been following this entire postseason and keep the preview short and sweet.

Throw out the fluff statistics like what side of the ball traditionally wins the Super Bowl, what Madden predicted, or who Eli the Ape picked. Let’s consider some relevant trends that will actually come into play in this game.

Denver has scored 20 points or more in every game this season (including playoffs), but they haven’t faced the best defense that has allowed 20 points or less in their past nine games. Get the picture? 20 is the magic number in this game and don’t be surprised if the game is decided in OT following a 20-20 tie. Let’s focus on a few players/units for a second. I have to imagine that Peyton will be Peyton and throw for plenty of yards and that Seattle will be Seattle and force a turnover or two. So who can provide an edge? Seattle will have Percy Harvin back, an extremely valuable asset on offense that Seattle has been without for nearly the entire season. His added presence can give Seattle a boost on offense that they might need to keep up with Denver’s stacked WR corp. On the other side, Denver’s O-line will absolutely have to be on their A game. No, not because Seattle has a good rush–which they do–but because Seattle has the best coverage, and Manning is going to need a little more time than usual to find an open man. While it’s tough to predict who will be the difference maker out of 106 players, I am going to keep my eye on Percy and Denver’s line to see how they shape the outcome.

Let’s be honest, picking a winner is as tough as it gets with these two. They have the exact same road record, they both won their conferences, and they did so using two different methods. Seattle likes to pound the ball on the ground, extend plays with their mobile QB Russell Wilson, and play hard-nosed, turnover-generating defense. Denver loves to air it out with Peyton Manning, keep the defense honest with a solid running attack, and back up their high-scoring offense with a good-not-great defense. We already know both methods work, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. Out of all the snaps we’ll watch on Sunday night, it’s crazy to say that only a few will decide the game, yet that’s how I feel. In the waning final minutes of the season, one or two key plays will tip the scales in one team’s favor. And I’m not talking about scoring plays or game-ending plays. I’m talking about the ones that build or break a champion before we even know. We’ve seen them before in the recent past: the Tyree catch, the Welker drop, Holmes’ third down catch, etc. Considering this, when all else seems to cancel out, there is one guy I trust most with the fate of the game in his hands: Peyton Manning.

Denver Broncos 24, Seattle Seahawks 20

Super Bowl XLVI Post-Game Analysis: Giants vs. Patriots

Posted on February 6, 2012 by tdten

New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17

How the Giants won: The Giants of New York got out to a great start in the Super Bowl. Justin Tuck, of all people, scored the first points of the game for the Giants. He pressured Brady in his own endzone on the Patriot’s first offensive play of the game and forced Brady to chuck the ball up to nobody, resulting in a intentional grounding penalty. A penalty in the endzone is a safety. The Giants’ defense couldn’t have dreamed of a better start. In addition to that, Eli Manning completed his first nine passes of the game en route to a Victor Cruz touchdown.

But the quick start was soon matched by a brilliant second quarter from Tom Brady. He threw a quick touchdown before the half to put his team up by one. He continued his hot streak in the beginning of the third quarter driving down the field easily and throwing another touchdown. By the end of this run, he had completed 16 straight passes. Brady was on fire. The Giants defense didn’t have an answer. The Pats D was stopping Manning’s productive drives short. Down eight, it didn’t look good for the Giants.

But then, the Giants said no.

Just like they had so many times in the past month and a half, they came alive when their backs were up against the wall. And they did it very slowly. So slowly, in fact, that the game-winning touchdown run was scored to soon, if you ask the Giants. But back too the third quarter.

While the Giants somehow contained Brady, the Giants kicked a couple of field goals to make it a two-point game. In the fourth, an early interception by Chase Blackburn was huge in stopping a Pats drive before it started. However, the Giants couldn’t capitalize. In fact, there was no scoring of any kind in the fourth quarter until the final minute. Late in the game, the Patriots had a chance to deliver the knock out punch to the surging Giants and for a moment, it looked like they had. Then this happened:

Wes Welker had inexplicably dropped the pass that, in my opinion, would have ultimately led to a Patriots’ Super Bowl win. New England would have been in field goal range with a lead under four minutes left. He just didn’t make the play. This led to a punt, giving Eli Manning a little more than three minutes to score. Then Eli Manning did what he does best. He drove his team down the field for a fourth-quarter touchdown. And one of the catches on the drive was as memorable as any in Super Bowl history:

A few passes later, the Giants were inside their own 10 staring at the endzone. With about a minute left, Manning handed the ball off to Bradshaw who burst threw the whole and……….accidentally scored? Yes, it’s as weird as football gets. In hopes of getting the ball back as soon as possible, the Patriots let Bradshaw run free down the middle. Realizing at about the one-yard line that he wanted to take a knee, his momentum carried into the endzone for the (eventual) winning TD.

Who knew the Super Bowl’s game winning touchdown would be reluctant?

The Patriots got the ball back and moved the ball down the field about 30 yards. A last-second hail mary and…….the Giants are world champions. The ball hit the ground and the game was finally over. There were so many turning points in the game but if you ask me what won the game, it was the Giants’ receivers making plays where the Patriots’ receivers didn’t. The defense did a great job pressuring Brady late and forcing some errant throws. The game could have gone either way, but the Giants buckled down when it mattered and now they are World Champions.

What surprised me: Missed opportunities by the Pats. There were more than a few instances that the Patriots could have seized the game. One was a fumble by Cruz inside the Pats’ 15 that was overturned because there were too many defenders on the field. A sloppy mistake by the coaching staff. A couple more came when Nicks and Bradshaw fumbled to only have the Giants recover. One of those fumbles was actually in Giants territory, which would have been devastating for the Giants if the Pats have recovered. And then there was Welker’s drop. It was shocking to see so many miscues in such a big game.

Looking ahead: To the dismay of NFL fans everywhere, the 2011 NFL season comes to a close. And what a season it was. A great season full of great plays, surprises, shining rookies, record-breaking veterans, comebacks, blowouts, close playoff races, and an amazing postseason was beautifully punctuated with a thrilling Super Bowl. The New York Giants are the champions of the NFL and the Patriots fall to New York in the big game for the second time in four years.

An Inside Look: New York Giants

Posted on January 30, 2012 by tdten

Eli Manning has carried the team on his back through the enitre season.

The New York Giants came into this season quietly, overshadowed by the hype of the favored Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East. Plagued by injuries, the Giants were commonly predicted to occupy the third spot in the division. They hadn’t won a playoff game since Super Bowl XLII and the last three seasons had a recurring theme; a hot start followed by an epic downfall. Simply put, expectations were low.

Their first game of the season did little to set these expectations any higher. They played miserably against the Redskins, losing by two touchdowns. But the Giants turned things around quickly, winning their next three. Won of those wins was against the Eagles, who had lost two of three. The New York offense was on fire, scoring at least 28 points in each of these wins. They built on this momentum for the next four weeks, concluding with a win against the New England Patriots. Eli Manning once again defeated the Pats with a game winning touchdown drive late in the game. After this game, the Giants were red hot. They were 6-2, on top of the NFC East with the 4-4 Cowboys and 3-5 Eagles well behind them.

Then, as it had so many times before, disaster struck.

The Giants' 49-24 loss to the Saints was the lowest point of their season.

The Giants lost their next four, dragging their stellar record down to an even 6-6. To be fair, the Giants’ schedule got brutally tough. They faced the 49ers, Eagles, Saints, and Packers in that one stretch. Ironically, the closest loss among them was the 38-35 thrilling defeat against the undefeated Packers. Nevertheless, the losing streak was all too familiar for New York and its fans. Their next four games would determine their playoff fate.

Their first was a road game against their hated rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. A win here would be a huge step towards the playoffs. A loss would be a huge step the other way. It was an even game throughout until the Cowboys jumped out to a 34-22 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the game. It looked as if the Giants had dug themselves a hole too deep. Playoff hopes were nearly shattered.

But again, the Giants shifted gears when NFL fans everywhere least expected it.

Eli Manning led the Giants to an improbable comeback where they took the lead with 46 seconds in the game. But the Cowboys were still alive. Romo had brought the Cowboys into field goal range with a chance to force the game to OT. Here’s what ensued:

Jason Pierre-Paul had just saved the Giants’ season.

Although their season still very much hung in the balance, they weren’t out just yet. In fact, with three games left now, if they could just win one of the next two games and beat the Cowboys in the season finale, they would be rewarded with a playoff birth. Their first of those two games was supposedly the “easy” one against the Redskins. Just like in week 1, they failed to show up, losing again 23-10. This put them in a position where anything but winning the next two games would virtually eliminate them from playoff contention.

Lawrence Tynes sent the Giants to the Super Bowl with a field goal just as he did back in 2008.

Their next game against the Jets was big for multiple reasons. It was the marquee match-up between New York’s two teams to determine whose city it really was and both teams were desperately trying to squeeze into the playoffs. The loser would most likely miss out. In a game where turnovers played a huge role, the Giants came away with a dominating win. The Jets ended up missing the playoffs.

Then there were the Cowboys. With the Boys not faring much better throughout the season, the winning team in this game would move on to the postseason while the loser would go home. The Giants jumped out to a 21-0 lead but let the Cowboys back in it, 21-14. With the playoffs on the line, it was the Giants who stepped up, winning easily without needing the extended arms of Jason Pierre-Paul this time.

New York was suddenly red hot again, just as they were in the beginning of the season. But how could a team that was 7-7 at one point do anything in the playoffs? The Giants answered by knocking off the Falcons, the defending champion Packers, and the 49ers on the road to the Super Bowl. That 7-7 team is now one win away from the NFL’s ultimate goal: winning the Super Bowl. Interestingly enough, they face the team they beat in Super Bowl XLII, the New England Patriots.

Jason Pierre Paul, in his sophomore year of the NFL, is already playing like a veteran.

The Giants’ playoff run can be largely attributed to their fierce pass rush. Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and Alex Smith have all been put under intense pressure by the Giants’ front four. If the Giants want a repeat of Super Bowl XLII, that pass rush will have to be stronger than ever.

Also, check out the Inside Look on the New England Patriots.

The Extra Point

My place for all things NFL, written by Taylor Davis

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