NFL Championship Round Review

Baltimore Ravens v New England Patriots

A tight encounter for the AFC title will forever be remembered as the game Billy Cundiff choked and cost the Ravens a shot at the Super Bowl.

With not much time left on the clock & just 20 yards to master for the game-tying field goal to travel, most of Gillette Stadium was preparing for more agonizing minutes watching the Patriots defense struggle to contain Ray Rice and Joe Flacco.

With Tom Brady not quite at his best and the Ravens defense and Ray Lewis on top, the Patriots point scoring machine was contained and the Ravens deservedly were in the contest.

They deserved to share the honors at the end of regulation, 23-all.

But no, Cundiff absolutely shagged the kick and the Patriots unexpectedly got a reprieve and a ticket to Indianapolis handed to them on a plate.

Even Bill Belichick couldn't believe what he saw as the Ravens surrendered their best ever chance to make it two Super Bowl wins in their short history.

Meanwhile, Brady & the Patriots can start preparing for their 5th tilt at the Super Bowl title since the turn of the millennium & a chance of a 4th Super Bowl title in as many seasons.

They're going to need to work hard in light of who their opponents at Indy will be.













New York Giants v San Francisco 49ers

Another tight title race that this time rightly went to extra time. But yet again a critical error would cost one team further glory - and not for the first time today, it was a Harbaugh team that would lose out.

In a sequence of events eerily similar to the last time the Giants won the Super Bowl, Lawrence Tynes would boot the winning field goal against the home side in the Championship game.

This time a huge fumble recovery from the 49ers return would be the difference in this arm wrestle between two traditional foes.

With the recovery only just on the 49ers 20 yard line and the new extra time rules meaning that because the 49ers had coughed the ball to the Giants on defense, a field goal would only win the game, Manning and co only needed to move the ball a bit for a few plays and kick the goal on whatever 4th down they got.

Mind you, Tynes probably was a bit cautious after what happened to Cundiff only hours before.

As for the 49ers, they can look back on a season where a former giant finally woke up from its slumber falling short to a Giant that finally kicked into gear at the right time of the season.

Meanwhile, the Giants can look forward to meeting the opponents whose perfect record they extinguished in the game that mattered.

And the Giants appear to know how to play the party pooper role after upsetting two parties set for the hosts in two weeks.