GAME OVER

I think it's over. With six minutes to play, the Pats are up by 14, and they have the ball. Super Bowl XXXIX will feature the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles and the soon-to-be-crowned AFC Champion New England Patriots.

The Steelers had a great third quarter, but it wasn't enough as Roethlisberger's third interception should finish the Steeler season.

Scoreboard:
New England Patriots - 34
Pittsburg Steelers - 20
6:07 left in the game

REVERSE IT

While the CBS announcers think the ruling on the field that Ben Roethlisberger's pass will remain an interception, I think the call will be overturned. You can clearly see the ball hit the ground. The ruling on the field should be overturned. But will it be? If it isn't overruled, this game is over.

Kick or be kicked

Even though the Steelers fans booed Bill Cowher's decision to kick a field goal from New England's 2-yard line, I think it was the right decision. The momentum is entirely with Pittsburg.

If the Steelers' defense can hold the Patriots again, they would have a chance to cut the lead to 3. While it's tempting to go for the TD from such close range, I think it's better to take the sure points than gamble and lose at such a pivotal point of the game.

3rd and OUCH

With Brady's pass to Givens overturned by a Pittsburg challenge, the moment took a HUGE swing in favor of the Steelers. The fans erupted. The terribly towers began to fly. And more importantly, the Patriots had to punt. With :36 left in the 3rd quarter, Pittsburg has the ball on the New England 30 and could cut the lead to seven with a touchdown on this possession.

From flustered to fabulous

New England Patriots - 31
Pittsburg Steelers - 17
2:35 left in the 3rd qtr

Just before Ben Roethlisberger let go of the ball on 4th and 5 from the NE 30 with 2:45 left in the 3rd quarter, I said the words "Wow, he's flustered!" It looked like this play would be the one to end the Steelers' season. Instead, it preserved it. Roethlisberger floated the ball over New England defenders to Hines Ward for a 30 yard touchdown pass to once again cut into New England's lead.

Pittsburg has found the endzone twice on its two second half possessions. If the Steeler defense can make another stop, this game could be very interesting come the fourth quarter.

SCOREBOARD

New England Patriots - 31
Pittsburg Steelers - 10
7:27 left in the 3rd qtr

Dillon does it

Tom Brady handed off the Corey Dillon who might as well have run all the way to Jacksonville. The touchdown, made possible by Pittsburg DE Aaron Smith's defensive holding penalty on 3rd and 17, gives New England a 31-10 lead with 7:27 left in the 3rd quarter. Unless the Steelers duplicate the heroics of the '92 Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card game against the Houston Oilers, New England will be playing Jacksonville.

I don't think the Steelers will be able to do it. Things looked promising before Smith's penalty. It would have been 4th and 17 without that penalty. Even if the pass Brady threw on that 3rd and 17 play had been completed to his intended target, Corey Dillon, someone most likely would have tackled him before he gained 17 yards for the first down. The Steelers had the Pats stopped. Now it seems the Patriots can't be stopped.

Turnover turnaround

Looking at the replay of the New England fumble, David Givens was down. His right knee hit the ground before the ball came out. Bill Belicheck has decided to challenge, and that's going to be reversed.

BUSted

Don't count the AFC North champs out yet. With Jerome Bettis' 5-yard touchdown blast, the Steelers have cut the Pat's lead to 24-10. It's still an uphill battle, but if the first four minutes of the second half are any indication, this game might be more interesting than I thought.

After the Steelers' defense forced a New England three-and-out on the Pat's first second-half drive, they went 56 yards to the house. I'm not saying that one Pittsburg touchdown is going to make this game close, but it's the first step.

Maybe Maddox

According to hafltime reports from the CBS sideline reporters, Bill Cowher would replace Ben Roethlisberger with the Steelers' original starter Tommy Maddox if Roethlisberger continues to struggle. In this situation, when you have a capable starter as your backup, I would give Roethlisberger no more than two drives to produce until putting in Maddox.

Nothing person against Big Ben. He's done a great job this season and will start for the Steelers next season, but he is not having a good game. If that's the case, it is Cowher's job to replace him with Maddox in order to give the team a chance to win. I'm not saying Pittsburg doesn't have a chance to win with Big Ben at QB, but he didn't play like it in the first half.

If Cowher wants to give his team a chance to win, he'll have to give Roethlisberger the hook quick. Like I said, one or two drives, then find out if the former XFL MVP has what it takes.

HALFTIME SCOREBOARD

New England Patriots - 24
Pittsburg Steelers - 3

30 minutes for ball control

Last week, the Patriots beat the explosive Colts by not giving Peyton Manning a chance to win. They dominated the time of possession, and that's all they have to do in the second half of this game against the Steelers to secure their third Super Bowl berth in four years.

With a 21-point lead and a defense that wouldn't allow receivers to catch a cold, the Patriots are in position to go the Super Bowl with 30 minutes to play in the AFC Championship game.

The Patriots have three takeaways while the Steelers defense has none. If Steelers are able to even out the turnover ratio in this game, they have a chance. But with the Patriots up 21 with no need to air it out, the Steelers front four and linebackers will need to force fumbles if coach Bill Cowher's crew is going to have a chance to make it close.

The beginning of a long day

The AFC Championship game is arguably over. The Patriots are up 24-3 with just over two minutes to go in the half. The Patriots have won the last 11 games where the Pat's defense scores, and Rodney Harrison's 87-yard INT return will seal the fate of the Steelers.

The Patriots' defense isn't the type of squad that would give up a 21-point lead. They aren't even the type to give up a two possession lead. If the Steelers come back and win this game, I will be thoroughly shocked. Next season, though, I'd watch out for Pittsburg. They have proven that all the pieces are in place to remain a conference powerhouse. They are, however, down by 21 to the defending world champs and potential newest NFL dynasty.

The Return of Dynasties

With the Patriots up 14-3 in the first half, it looks like the NFL is returning to a time where dynasties ruled and the one-hit-wonder teams are slowly fading away. If the Patriots return to the Super Bowl, their would-be third in four years, they will truly be considered the team of the decade. Just as the Packers were the team of the 60s, the Steelers/Cowboys in the 70s, the 49ers in the 80s, and the Cowboys/Broncos of the 90s, the Patriots will solidify themselves in the history books.

More importantly, they will revitalize a time in the NFL where there was a clear team-to-beat. They are setting the bar, just as the Cowboys did from 1992-1997. They are dominating the league, just as Montana's 49ers did from 1981-1990. I believe this would be a good thing for the NFL. We'll see the Patriots become the next team in a long line of NFL dynasties.

SCOREBOARD

New England Patriots - 10
Pittsburg Steelers - 3
1:22 left in the 1st qtr

With Jeff Reed's 43-yard field goal the Steelers closed the gap to seven. If this game remains close, look for the home-field advantage to come into play. While both teams are cold-weather outdoor teams, the Steeler fans will make it very difficult for Tom Brady and the Patriots to overcome the 12th man at Heinz Field.

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AFC Championship SCOREBOARD

New England Patriots - 10
Pittsburg Steelers - 0
3:48 left in the 1st quarter

No experience necessary

Everyone is talking about how the Patriots should win this game. They will beat the Steelers because of their experience. That's what the majority of analysts and reporters are saying. Roethlisberger doesn't have playoff experience. Brady does. Advantage: Brady.

I DON'T THINK SO!

Did Tom Brady have playoff experience when the Patriots beat the Super Bowl tested St. Louis Rams three years ago? Did the Dallas Cowboys have playoff experience when they first made the postseaon and went on to beat the two-time Super Bowl contestant Buffalo Bills? Did it matter?

NO WAY!

The better team will win. If the Patriots are better, they will come out on top. If the Steelers are better, they will advance to Jacksonville. This is why they play the games, so sit back and watch as the two best teams play in what I think will determine who will hoist the Lombardi trophy in two weeks.

Patriots @ Steelers

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GAME OVER

The Eagles will go to Jacksonville. Donavan McNabb's pass to Chad Lewis sealed the deal, putting the Eagles up 27-10 over the Falcons. And after 25 long years, the Eagles are only 3:21 away from advancing to the franchise's second Super Bowl where they will face the winner of the AFC Championship game between the Patriots and Steelers.

SCOREBOARD
Falcons - 10
Eagles - 27
3:21 left in the 4th

All kinds of time

As I watched Donavan McNabb complete at 20 yard pass to Atlanta's 20, I wondered if anyone on the Falcons was considering putting any pressure on him. The Eagles' O-line is dominating the Falcons' front four.

Also, Andy Reid has yet to go conservative with his play-calling. He isn't trying to take the clock all the way down on this drive. Instead, he's going for the kill. With another score, the Eagles will solidify their place in the Super Bowl.

Defense wins conference championships

The Eagles once again stopped the Falcons from going anywhere. With just over 10 minutes left in the game, Eagles fans can start making plans for Jacksonville. Finalize those hotel reservations and plane tickets. All the Eagles need to do is control the ball and take the yards Atlanta gives them. As long as the Eagles don't give the Falcons a chance to take the ball away from them, this game is all but over.

Now is the time

The Eagles were in position to lock up this game. They needed to keep their drive alive, but with Donavan McNabb's passing sailing incomplete on 3rd and 6 and the drive taking up less than three minutes, the Falcons' defense has done it again.

Philly is close to the Super Bowl. They are really close. Had they converted that third down with 11:45 left in the game and made it to midfield, they would be in position to grind down the clock and close out the Falcons. Instead, the Falcons defense buckled down.

Now it is time for Vick and Falcons to show what they can do. The Eagles are winning the turnover battle, 1-0, but if the Falcons can score and then take the ball away from the Eagles, this game could result in Philly's fourth straight disappointing visit to the conference title game.

Idiot fan

What a hit! No, not by Brian Dawkins or Keith Brookings or anyone on either roster. A security guard just leveled an idiot fan who ran onto the field before the Falcons' punt with 14:07 left in the game. Just before the punt, on the left side of the TV screen, I saw some moron in a sweatshirt jumping up and down waving his arms. At first he looked like a ref waving his arms to stop the play, but he wasn't wearing stripes. Then a security guard, coming from behind him, put a monster hit on him and took him to the ground.

Congratulations you idiot fan. Enjoy your jail time and fine.

Achin' Akers

David Akers, one of the better kickers in the NFC, took a hit on the kickoff after this second field goal that left him stumbling toward the Eagles' sideline. The replay shows that a Falcon play hit Akers in head with his shoulder while Akers was running down the field on the kickoff. It wasn't a dirty hit, but trainers are still working with Akers.

If the Falcons can make a game of this, the Eagles are going to want him back in the lineup. He's a career 83% field goal kicker who only missed five field goals all season (27-32). The Falcons are in Eagles territory, and there is still 15 minutes of football to play.

SCOREBOARD

Thanks to their defense, the Falcons are still alive in this game. The Eagles were unable to cross the goal line despite excellent field position. David Akers second field goal on the day put the Eagles up 10.

FALCONS - 10
EAGLES - 20
2:00 min in the 3rd

Passed out

All game long, I have been saying that the Falcons should run. Run the ball down the Eagles' collective throat. On this play, when Philadelphia had 10 players within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, the Falcons came out throwing on 1st and 10 from their own 14. Michael Vick - while channelling Neil O'Donnell - threw the ball directly to Brian Dawkins who returned it 19 yards to the Atlanta 11.

The Falcons play-calling isn't what's hurting them. I liked the decision to throw against a 10-man front, but play-calling and executing are two different things. The Falcons need to start executing the offense or they will essentially execute themselves.

Watching Westbrook - Part III

Here he goes again. After just 55 total first-half yards, Westbrook now has 116 total yards with more than three minutes still to go in the 3rd quarter. Despite having to punt on their last drive, the Eagles have now successfully established Westbrook well enough to start openning up their playbook and spreading out the field. If they are able to take advantage and get the ball the receivers Pinkston and Mitchell, they just might make it to the Super Bowl.

Runnin' Runnin' and Runnin' Runnin' - Part II

The Eagles are putting nine and 10 men in the box to stop the Falcons running attack yet they are still chipping away and gaining yards. When the Falcons tried to pass on 1st and 10 from their own 33, he was sacked. Vick needs to realize when the Eagles are in a pass defense and aubile to a run play. I don't care if it's 2nd and 19. When you have the running threat of DVD (Dunn, Vick, Duckett), you have to utilize it.

Vick may not be the play-caller that Peyton Manning is. Actually, Vick isn't even close. But if the Falcons are going to win, the last thing they need is balanced play-calling. The first five plays the Falcons ran were runs. Keep pounding away at the Eagles! They have yet to prove they can stop the run in this game.

SCOREBOARD

David Aker's 31-yard field goal extend's the Eagles' lead to seven with 8:58 left in the 3rd quarter.

FALCONS - 10
EAGLES - 17

Watching Westbrook - Part II

Just after I post a comment about Westbrooks involvement, there he goes.

After only six first-half touches, he has five on this drive, with the 33 yards rushing and 9 yards receiving on the last three plays.

Look out, Falcons.

Watching Westbrook

NFL reporters and analysts all week long have said that if the Eagles are going to win, RB Brian Westbrook will need to touch the ball at least 25 times.

Two minutes into the second half, Westbrook has only 8 touches:
6 rushing attempts for 52 yards
2 receptions for 11 yards

AT THE HALF

The Eagles hold a 4-point lead going into halftime and will get the ball to start the 3rd quarter going into the wind. They are in position to put to rest their 3-game conference title game losing streak and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than 20 years.

That still doesn't mean that they will win. With 30 minutes of football still to come in the NFC Championship game, here are a few things to look for in the second half that will determine the outcome:

The running game
The elements are a factor. The wind chill at the Link is at three degrees. There are 35 mph winds swirling around inside this stadium. The bottom line is passing won't be easy. Both quarterbacks can scramble. Both teams have great backs, and a controlled running game will get the job done. The Falcons are a run-based team, and their defense is geared up to stop Eagles' RB Brian Westbrook.
ADVANTAGE: FALCONS

Field position
Because of the winds, the Eagles' Dirk Johnson and the Falcons' Chris Mohr are going to be major factors in this game. I know you're probably wondering who the hell those guys are. They are the punters in this game. Because of the wind and the cold, pinning a team deep in their own territory will be huge. But with the home field and the wind at their backs in the fourth quarter, it's touch to pick against the Eagles. Alan Rossum will do his part returning kicks for Atlanta to give Michael Vick and the offense good positioning but will it be enough?
ADVANTAGE: EAGLES

Conservative calls
In previous years, Eagles' coach Andy Reid went conservative with the play calls, and the Eagles didn't advance. If the Eagles have a chance to blow the game open, they have to take it. They need to prove to themselves that they are capable of asserting themselves as the true conference champions. Also, because Terrell Owens isn't a lock to play in the Super Bowl should the Eagles win today, the receivers must once again come up big in the clutch this week in order to maintain the swagger that TO brought to this team.
The Falcons offense is anything but conservative. In a Vick-coast offense (because you can't run the west coast offense when you have a quarterback like Michael Vick, a defense will be on its heels. If the Falcons can exploit the Eagles' defense, they will make their second trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history.
Jim Mora Jr's crew is already a run-based team so they can't really shut it down and go conservative.
ADVANTAGE: EVEN

Getting it Dunn

Warrick Dunn just ran for 10 yards and a Falcons TD capping a 6-play 70-yard drive. On this drive, Vick went 2-3 for 45 yards with a big 15-yard roughing the passer penalty and ahuge catch by TE Alge Crumpler setting up the score.

SCOREBOARD
Falcons - 10
Eagles - 14
2:02 left in the 2nd qtr

Winded

Right now, with the Eagles up by 11 and showing no signs of slowing down, the Falcons are in trouble. They have the all-important wind right now. They don't have an offense engineered to come from behind. They are a run first, run second, pass third team.

Also, Atlanta has the wind during the 2nd and 3rd quarter, which means in the 4th quarter, the Falcons will need to have a lead to protect instead of driving to tie or go ahead. The elements aren't in their favor in this match up. The home-dome Falcons are playing in the outdoor stadium of Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Dome teams are 0-8 in outdoor conference championship games.

If the Falcons are going to make that 1-8, they need to do it in the 2nd and 3rd quarter.

SCOREBOARD

FALCONS - 3
EAGLES - 14
4:58 left in the 2nd qtr

Challenged Touchdown

On 2nd and 3 from the Atlanta 3-yd line, McNabb lofted a pass to the right corner of the endzone for TE Chad Lewis who hauled it in for his first reception and a two-possession Eagles' lead. However, it looked to me that Lewis' toe-touching acrobatics didn't do enough for the TD as he never clearly got his second foot down.

Looking at the replays, I did not see an angle to provide CONCLUSIVE evidence to overturn the touchdown call on the field. Without conclusive evidence the call will stand.

Most likely, the touchdown will stand.

Falcons-Eagles NFL.com Game-tracker

In the beginning, there was McNabb

On 3rd and 11, Donavan McNabb showed us why he was "Michael Vick" before Michael Vick. AFter avoiding pash-rusher after pass-rusher, McNabb stayed on his feet for nearly ten seconds before finding Freddie Mitchell for the first down.

It's amazing to me that Philly fans boo-ed McNabb when the Eagles drafted him, but I think any Eagles fan today will agree that McNabb has turned out to be a better investment than the then-higher-rated Ricky Williams.

Runnin' Runnin' and Runnin' Runnin'

Here come the Falcons down the field.

On the 16th play of a long Falcons drive, Vick danced around in the backfield, but the Eagles kept containment and were able to prevent a score. The Falcons have been eating up the clock, however, and with a field goal, the Falcons have closed the Eagles' lead to four.

FALCONS - 3
EAGLES- 7

So after 17 plays and about nine minutes, the Falcons go 69 yards for the score. They dominated the Eagles front four between the 20s on the ground, but Philly clamped down in the red zone. It's that type of physical defense that will win this game for the Eagles.

At the end of 1

After the first quarter:
ATLANTA - 0
PHILADELPHIA - 7

Eagles :01 timeout backfires

I agree with the Eagles calling a timeout with :01 left in the firs quarter because now on 4th and 1, the Falcons are going for it instead of being able to kick a field goal.

In hindsight, the Falcons gave the ball to TJ Duckett who powered his way 3 yards for the first down, but with the swirling winds entering the stadium, the Eagles basically took the field goal opportunity away from the Falcons. If their defense had held Duckett, it would have been a fantastic call. Andy Reid and Co. had the right idea, but it just didn't work out.

Run over

The Falcons, who ran for well over 300 yards last week against the Rams, aren't looking like the NFL's leading rushing team. They have yet to establish a solid running game and the first quarter is almost over.

The good, the bad and the Vick

Michael Vick is ridiculous. He was just stopped in the backfield for a loss but somehow managed to break a 20-yard run. With 1:34 left in the first quarter, he has already thrown one terribly ill-advised pass that should have been picked and one interception that was negated by an Eagles' penalty.

If Vick doesn't take care of the ball when he throws, this is going to be a long day for the Falcons.