NFL Championship Sunday: Reactions

The two games last weekend – the 49ers vs the Falcons and the Pats vs the Ravens- featured some excellent matchups. Here are my reactions to both games:

Jan 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter in the NFC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

San Francisco 49ers 28 – Atlanta Falcons 24

The Atlanta Falcons came out like gangbusters in the NFC Championship game.  QB Matt Ryan played out of his mind, and he was clearly on the same page as WR Julio Jones.  Jones had 100 yards receiving in the first quarter, and then he added two touchdowns early into the second quarter.  The Falcons had a 17-0 lead!  Where was the 49ers team that thumped Green Bay so handidly last week?

Apparently, they just needed some time to wake up.  On three straight possessions (last two in the first half and first in the second half), the 49ers scored touchdowns; Atlanta’s defense really had issues stopping them.  They were letting TE Vernon Davis run loose and get wide open all over the field, and Davis hadn’t done much of anything since Colin Kaepernick took over as quarterback.  Fortunately for the Falcons though, a touchdown to end the first half gave them a 24-14 halftime lead.

Just as in the divisional game against the Seahawks, no Atlanta lead was safe.  After the 49ers made it 24-21, Matt Ryan made two costly mistakes, one on a pick in which it looked a little like his wide receiver slipped, but the other one was inexcusable.  Ryan fumbled the snap looking up to see what the defense was giving him and it killed a drive for Atlanta that had them in 49er territory and had momentum going their way.  A field goal at the minimum would have been huge because that would have given the Falcons a six point lead and David Akerswasn’t looking too confident having missed a field goal earlier.

Jan 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) tries to escape Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (56) during the third quarter in the NFC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers turned it right back over in the redzone when WR Michael Crabtree was stripped, but Atlanta was forced to go three and out and when they did, the 49ers made them pay with a Frank Gore touchdown.

Atlanta marched right back down the field, but failed to convert a fourth down in the redzone although it appeared that Falcons WR Roddy White was being held.  Alas, no such luck though they should have had a touchdown earlier in the drive had Harry Douglas not stumbled on a catch that he would have made it to the endzone easily.  The Falcons just made too many mistakes when it mattered most; the 49ers were cooler under pressure, and they were able to execute better.  That is why Jim Harbaugh‘s squad is in the Super Bowl.  That is why Harbaugh has gotten the 49ers to two straight NFC championship appearances and now to their first Super Bowl since 1995.  They are able to execute and boy are they dangerous.  They never gave up and fought back.  They showed major strength in handling the adversity of the environment, playing in front of a loud crowd in a domed stadium.  Now they get to head to another dome, though this time, they will have a large number of fans cheering them on.  To New Orleans they go, while the Falcons can only wonder “what if.”  They had a good season, but failed to hang on to leads at home in the playoffs.  They are close, but in this league, close just doesn’t cut it.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Anquan Boldin (not pictured) in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens 28  – New England Patriots 13:

One Harbaugh coach was already in the Super Bowl.  Would another one join him?  Yes.  John Harbaugh‘s Ravens took it to the Patriots in the second half in route to their 28-13 win; they advance as the AFC representative in the Super Bowl.

Wind played a factor in this game.  A couple of times in the first half, the Patriots could have tried a long field goal or maybe gone for it, but with the weather, they chose to play conservatively.  Baltimore’s offense really didn’t do anything in the first half except for a 90-yard drive in which they scored their only touchdown of the half. QB Tom Brady really botched things up at the end of the half when he scrambled for a few yards.  Rather than call a timeout, he tried to get the guys lined up and it cost them a chance to have a shot at the endzone.  Instead of a possible touchdown, the Patriots only got a field goal and a 13-7 lead at half.

The Ravens made the adjustments they needed to in the second half.  Baltimore QB Joe Flacco and WR Anquan Boldinreally started to click, especially in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns.  Flacco threw three touchdowns in the game.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) walks off the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens 28-13 in the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

His counterpart, superstar and media-darling Tom Brady, was less than good.  Yet again, Brady really struggled in a playoff game.  He threw two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter and had balls frequently tipped. Patriots WR Wes Welker had a critical drop in the second half that would have given the Patriots a first down and kept the drive alive.  The Patriots really unraveled in the second half, something we’re not used to seeing from a Bill Belichick coached team.  There was talk this week about Flacco perhaps being the better quarterback in the playoffs recently than Brady.  That definitely has some validity to it now.  And Baltimore keeps Ray Lewis‘ career going for two more weeks and one final game.  They hope to send him out as a champion.  For Patriots fans, they might not want to put up any billboards in the near future.

Intial Super Bowl thoughts:

So we have the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens.  The 49ers will be making their sixth Super Bowl appearance (they’ve won all five previous trips) while the Ravens will be making their second Super Bowl appearance (they won their only other trip).  Something clearly will have to give there.  The obvious major storyline is that it will be brother versus brother coaching against one another in the Super Bowl, Jim Harbaugh with the 49ers, John Harbaugh with the Ravens.  Poor Jack and Jackie Harbaugh.  This is going to be tough for them.  It’s going to be tough for America too having to listen to this for two weeks about the brothers coaching against one another.  I’m already sick of it.  Yes, it is a Super Bowl first, but this will turn into more of the Harbaugh Bowl, then it will be the Super Bowl between the 49ers and Ravens.  Not looking forward to it.  Then of course you have Ray Lewis wanting to go out and retire a winner.  Joe Flacco wants to establish himself as an elite quarterback.  The 49ers offense.  Yes, there are plenty of storylines and either later this week or at the beginning of next week, we’ll take a look at one storyline per day leading up to the Super Bowl, which is still two weeks away.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh during the first half of the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts after his team wins the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The 49ers won 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports