The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is in the books......and what a divisional round it was. First up for the recap was the most exciting game of the year between the Saints and 49ers. Alex Smith's 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis with 9 second left gave San Francisco their first playoff win since 2002 at the end of a wild, back and forth final quarter which featured four lead changes in a span of 3:53.
New Orleans started off the game with a 78-yard drive to the 49ers 2-yard line, but came up empty when defensive back Donte Whitner forced a fumble from Pierre Thomas that was recovered by linebacker Patrick Willis. Thomas was injured on the play and did not return. Later on, San Francisco opened up the scoring with Smith's 49-yard touchdown pass to Davis. A few plays into the next drive, Dashon Goldson intercepted a pass from Saints quarterback Drew Brees and returned it 41 yards to the 4-yard line, setting up Smith's touchdown completion to Michael Crabtree and giving the 49ers a 14–0 lead. Then Courtney Roby lost a fumble on the kickoff that San Francisco linebacker Blake Costanzo recovered on the Saints 13-yard line. This time New Orleans managed to keep them out of the end zone, but David Akers kicked a field goal to give the 49ers a 17–0 lead less then a minute into the second quarter.
Brees led the Saints back, completing 7 consecutive passes for 65 yards and rushing for 5 on an 80-yard drive that ended with his 14-yard scoring pass to tight end Jimmy Graham. Then after a punt, he threw a 25-yard touchdown completion to Marques Colston, cutting the deficit to three points. Later on, Brees threw his second interception, this one to Tarell Brown, but San Francisco could not convert and the score remained 17–14 at the end of the second quarter, despite three Saints turnovers.
Early in the second half, Costanzo forced a fumble from Darren Sproles on a punt return and Colin Jones recovered it, leading to Akers' second field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Saints managed to close the gap back to three points with a franchise postseason record 48-yard field goal from John Kasay. But a 42-yard run from San Francisco's Frank Gore helped put the margin back up to six on Akers' third field goal of the day.
With 4:02 left in the game, New Orleans took their first lead of the game at 24–23 with Brees' 44-yard touchdown pass to Sproles. But it lasted less then 2 minutes before San Francisco took it back, with Smith hitting Davis for a 37-yard gain before taking the ball into the end zone himself on his career long 28-yard run, making the score 29–24 after the two-point conversion failed. Not to be outdone, Brees matched the score with his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 66-yard completion to Graham, and then threw the ball to Sproles for a successful 2-point conversion, giving the Saints a 32–29 lead.
San Francisco got the ball back on their own 15-yard line with 1:37 left in the game. Smith started the drive with two completions to Gore for 18 yards. Then after an incompletion, the connected on a 47-yard pass to Davis, advancing the ball to the Saints 20-yard line. A 6-yard completion to Gore then moved the ball to the 14, where Smith spiked the ball to stop the clock. On the next play, he threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Davis with 9 seconds left, earning San Francisco their first conference championship game since 1997.
Smith threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, while adding 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Davis caught 7 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, setting the NFL postseason record for receiving yards by a tight end. Gore rushed for 89 yards and caught 7 passes for 38. For the Saints, Brees completed 40 of 63 passes for 462 yards and four touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. His top target was Sproles, who caught 15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, while adding 59 more yards on rushing and special teams returns. Graham caught 5 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Colston caught 9 passes for 136 yards and one score.
Davis' game winning touchdown catch occurred four days after the 30th anniversary of The Catch – Joe Montana's famous touchdown pass to Dwight Clark – known as one of the most famous plays in San Francisco 49ers history. Sports writers and 49ers fans have taken to referring Davis' catch as The Catch III. With the 36-32 win the 49ers move on to the NFC title game since 1994.
Next up is the Denver Broncos getting blown out by the New England Patriots 45-10. New England quarterback Tom Brady completed 18 of 25 passes for 246 yards and a postseason record five touchdowns in the first half as the Patriots dominated the game the whole way through, setting new franchise postseason records for total yards (509), points (45), and margin of victory (35). Denver quarterback Tim Tebow was held to just 9 of 26 completions, only three more completions then Brady's final amount of touchdown passes.
New England scored on their opening drive, moving the ball 80 yards in five plays, including a 43-yard run by Aaron Hernandez, before finishing it off with Brady's 7-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker. Denver responded with a drive to the Patriots 37-yard line, but then Tebow lost a fumble while being sacked by Rob Ninkovich and linebacker Brandon Spikes recovered it. Brady went right back to work, completing five consecutive passes for 47 yards on the way to a 10-yard touchdown toss to Rob Gronkowski.
After a punt, Broncos defensive back Quinton Carter intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it 17 yards to the New England 24-yard line. On the last play of the quarter, Tebow kept the drive going with a 12-yard completion Demaryius Thomas on 3rd and 3, and then Willis McGahee ran the ball into the end zone from five yards out, cutting the score to 14–7.
However, this ended up being the closest scoring margin the Broncos would reach for the rest of the game. At the end of New England's next drive, Zoltan Mesko's 40-yard punt pinned Denver back at their own 5-yard line. After a three and out, the Patriots got the ball back with great field position at their own 48. Brady then completed four consecutive passes for 41 yards, the last one a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. Later in the quarter, New England increased their lead to 28–7 on Brady's 61-yard touchdown completion to Deion Branch. And after forcing a punt, Brady threw a 20-yard completion to Hernandez and an 11-yarder to Julian Edelman on the way to his 19-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski, increasing the lead to 35–7 with just five seconds left in the half.
The second half didn't get any better for the Broncos. New England forced a punt on the first drive, which Edelman returned 15 yards to the Broncos 42-yard line. Five plays later, Brady tied a playoff record with his sixth touchdown pass of the day, a 17-yarder to Hernandez. This time Denver responded, with Tebow completing an 18-yard pass to Matt Willis and a 15-yard pass to Eddie Royal on fourth down and 3. However, New England halted the drive at their 24-yard line, forcing them to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Matt Prater. In the fourth quarter, Brady completed two passes to Gronkowski for 48 yards to set up the last score of the day, a 20-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski making the final score 45–10.
Brady finished the game with 26 of 34 completions for 363 yards and six touchdowns. Gronkowski caught 10 of those passes for 145 yards and tied a playoff record with three touchdown receptions. Ninkovich had four solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. McGahee was the top rusher of the game with 76 yards and a touchdown, while Thomas was Denver's top receiver with 6 receptions for 93 yards, including a 41-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
Now that we've looked at Saturday's games let's take a look at the action from Sunday. In the most even game from Sunday Baltimore Ravens knocked off the Huston Texans 20-13. Baltimore gained just 227 yards, but their defense forced four turnovers to make up for the difference, including Ed Reed's clutch interception on his own 4-yard line with less then two minutes left.
Houston's Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Ravens 41-yard line, setting up a field goal by Neil Rackers. Their defense quickly forced a punt, but returner Jacoby Jones fumbled the ball and defensive back Cary Williams recovered for Baltimore on the Texans 2-yard line. Two plays later, Joe Flacco put the Ravens on the board with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kris Wilson. Then after forcing a punt, Flacco's 21-yard completion to Anquan Boldin set up a 48-yard field goal from Billy Cundiff, making the score 10–3. Later inn the quarter, Baltimore cornerback Lardarius Webb intercepted a pass from T. J. Yates at the Houston 34-yard line. On third down and 9, Ray Rice kept the drive going with a 20-yard gain on a screen pass, and Flacco ended up finishing it off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Boldin.
In the second quarter, Houston managed to fight back. First, Arian Foster rushed three times for 29 yards and caught a pass for 16 on a 59-yard drive that ended with Rackers' second field goal, cutting the score to 17–6. Then after a punt, Foster rushed for 53 yards, including a 28-yard burst on the first play, on a 12-play, 86-yard drive that consumed just 5:46 and ended with his 1-yard touchdown run, making the score 17–13. Baltimore responded with a drive to the Texans 33-yard line. But on third down, lineman J. J. Watt sacked Flacco for a 9-yard loss, pushing the Ravens out of field goal range.
On Houston's first drive of the second half, Yates completed a 17-yard pass to Andre Johnson and a 19-yarder to Kevin Walter, moving the ball to the Ravens 32-yard line. But Baltimore halted the drive there and Rackers missed a 50-yard field goal try. The Ravens then took the ball back and drove all the way to the Texans 1-yard line, but Rice was stuffed for no gain by Tim Dobbins on fourth down – Dobbins' only tackle of the game – and they failed to score.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Webb recorded his second interception of the day on the Ravens 29-yard line, and Baltimore converted the turnover with a 44-yard field goal, taking a 7-point lead at 20–13. Yates responded with two completions to Johnson for 34 yards, moving the ball to the Ravens 38-yard line. But on the next play, Reed picked off a deep pass from Yates on his own 4-yard line with less then two minutes left in regulation. Houston still managed to force a punt with 45 seconds left, but the Ravens defense rose to the occasion once again, forcing a turnover on downs at their own 43-yard line.
Flacco threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Webb had four tackles and two interceptions. For Houston, Foster rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 5 passes for 22 yards. Johnson was the top receiver of the game with 8 receptions for 111 yards. Watt had 12 total tackles (9 solo) and 2.5 sacks, while linebacker Brooks Reed had 6 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
And finally, the best game Sunday, and the big shocker of the divisonal round the Giants upset the Packers 37-20. For the second consecutive year and for the fourth time in five seasons, the #1 seed in the NFC lost its opening game as New York topped Green Bay behind a career postseason high passing yardage day from Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
The Giants received the opening kickoff, and scored on the opening drive with a 31-yard field goal by kicker Lawrence Tynes. The Packers responded with a game-tying field goal on their opening drive, when their kicker Mason Crosby hit a 47-yard field goal. New York scored again on the following drive as Manning threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to receiver Hakeem Nicks.
Once again, the Packers responded on the following drive when Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to fullback John Kuhn on the first play of the second quarter. Green Bay was aided by a controversial call on the drive where receiver Greg Jennings was ruled down by contact on a play where replays showed that he had lost the ball, but after Giants coach Tom Coughlin challenged the call the play was upheld. Kuhn's touchdown tied the score at 10. Green Bay then attempted an onside kick to try and catch the Giants off guard, but New York recovered in Packer territory. However, on the drive that followed Tynes saw his 40-yard field goal attempt blocked.
New York recovered a fumble by Kuhn with 3:37 left in the half and on the first place of the ensuing drive Manning found Nicks for a 29-yard gain to the Green Bay five yard line. The drive stalled afterward and Tynes kicked his second field goal of the game from 21 yards out. After forcing a Packers punt on their next drive, Manning and the Giants advanced into Packers territory on third down with a 23-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw to put the ball at the Packers' 37. More importantly, Bradshaw was able to get out of bounds and stop the clock which gave the Giants four seconds to run one final play before the half. With that play Manning hoisted a Hail Mary pass toward the end zone which Nicks was able to jump up and grab for a half-ending touchdown which game the Giants a 20–10 lead. Nicks' catch, in which he pressed the ball against his helmet, was reminiscent of Manning's pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII.
The Packers turned the ball over on their first drive of the second half after Rodgers was sacked by Osi Umenyiora and Deon Grant recovered the ball after Rodgers fumbled. However, Green Bay got the ball back after forcing a three-and-out and scored on the next drive when Crosby converted his second field goal. It was the last scoring play of the third quarter, as neither team was able to put a drive together for a score.
Green Bay moved into New York territory but the drive was stalled at the Giants' 39 yard line early in the fourth. Coach Mike McCarthy elected to go for the first down on 4th and 5 but Rodgers was sacked by Michael Boley and the Packers turned the ball over on downs. The Giants scored on their possession with a third field goal by Tynes, this time from 35 yards. New York then capitalized on a fumble by Ryan Grant on the second play of the following drive as Chase Blackburn recovered and took the ball to the Packers' 4 yard line. Manning then threw to Mario Manningham for the touchdown on the first play of the new possession and gave the Giants a 30–13 lead.
New York attempted to have stopped the Packers' on a third down when Rodgers threw an incomplete pass to Donald Driver but Umenyiora was called for hitting Rodgers late and the Packers received a new set of downs. Six plays later Rodgers found Driver for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Giants' lead to 30–20. However, they failed to recover the onside kick as Victor Cruz fell on the ball after Spencer Paysinger failed to control the kick from Crosby initially. It took New York six plays to score again when Brandon Jacobs ran it in from 14 yards out.
Trailing 37–20, the Packers took the field trying again to score as they had on their last drive. After hitting Jordy Nelson for an 11-yard gain on the first play Rodgers was then sacked by Umenyiora. After a short pass to James Starks that resulted in the loss of a yard Rodgers tried to throw to Jermichael Finley, but the pass was intercepted by Grant and the Giants ran out the clock from there.
With the victory the Giants advanced to their fifth NFC Championship Game and first since 2007, when they defeated the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl. Manning passed for a postseason career high 330 yards on 21-for-33 passing and three touchdowns. Nicks caught seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns while Cruz added five catches for 74 yards and Manningham caught three passes for 31 yards and one touchdown. In the defeat, Rodgers finished with 264 yards on 26-for-46 passing, two touchdowns, and an interception. Jennings led the Packers in receptions with four for 40 yards while Driver added three and led the team in receiving yards with 45. New York forced four turnovers (the interception and three fumbles) and sacked Rodgers four times.
Green Bay was playing in its first playoff game at home since the aforementioned 2007NFC Championship Game and lost for the second consecutive time. The Packers became the first team to win at least fifteen games during the season and not advance beyond their first playoff game and became the fourth team after the 1998 Vikings, the 2004 Steelers, and the 2007 Patriots to win at least 15 games during the season and not win the Super Bowl. As previously mentioned, the Packers became the fourth team in five years – 2007 Cowboys, 2008 Giants, and 2010 Falcons – to get the NFC's top seed and lose their first playoff game.
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