2007-01-21 - 9:19 a.m.
Championship Sunday is here. This is like Super Bowl Sunday without the added hype. Unfortunately, this is often the last Sunday of competitive football in most seasons as the Super Bowl becomes a super blowout.
Remember those epic Cleveland/Denver AFC title games in '86, '87 (probably not). Well, they were great games, heartbreaking losses put another way as a Cleveland fan, only to see Denver get waxed by the Giants and the Redskins in the Super Bowls.
Denver blew out Atlanta over a decade later after Atlanta beat Minnesota in a great NFC title game.
It can go the other way too. The Rams beat the Buccaneers in a horrible NFC title game as the Titans beat the Jags in a blowout AFC title game but Rams/Titans Super Bowl could have been the most exciting ever because it ended on the one yard line with the world title on the goal line.
Then you get the New York Giants who blew out the Vikings in 2000 then get demolished by the Ravens. They would have been the first team to ever be shutout in the Super Bowl if not for a kick return touchdown.
The other closest shutout came back in 1972 when the Dolphins finished their perfect 17-0 season by only allowing a blocked field goal return for a touchdown.
You'd think the guys on that Dolphin team would make a bigger deal out of that 17-0 season. Especially if they are as myopic as Dolphin fan.
The Bears were in a Super Bowl 21 years ago and they beat the Patriots so badly that a refrigerator even scored. This is the second title game they have hosted in Chicago since then. The 49ers, led by Joe Montana, beat them 28-3 en route to one of their 5 Lombardi Trophies. The Saints come into Soldier Field with an offense that reminds me of those great 49er offenses of yore (but they're getting good again with Frank Gore) and the great Bear defense has one more chance to show the NFL they are still great. The Bears defense, since losing Tommy Harris on the D-line, has been vulnerable to the running game and it has led to big passing numbers for the opposing QB's. Drew Brees is nothing if not accurate so with a steadu running game at his disposal, there could be many sustained New Orleans offensive drives.
The key will be Rex Grossman. He needs to give his defense a lead with his own sustained drives that end in touchdowns and not field goals.
Look for the Bears to survive in a tight game.
The AFC Championship Game is right where it belongs, in the second slot. This is the game that we all wanted. The regular season game is long gone as the Patriots again are on the doorstep of a Super Bowl.
No one's gonna answer their knock today. Peyton Manning is going to come out like a gunslinger. He is going to pick apart the Patriots slowly, painfully with underneath passes. He will slowly, painfully drive the Colts up and down the field. If they get field goals then the Patriots will stay close. If they get touchdowns then their running game will salt away the second half as the Colts stampede to Super Bowl XLI.
The worries are early turnovers and the Patriots establishing that running game. If the Patriots can keep Peyton off of the field then they will keep the game close. The Colts need to keep Brady off of the field this time around since that is how the Patriots have beat the Colts the last two times in the playoffs.
The best Super Bowl would the the Colts versus the Saints as the team with the ball last will probably be the one who wins a great shootout. Ahving said that, I think the Bears will find a way and keep the Super Bowl close until the Colts pull away late.
