THE GOLD SHEET
SAN DIEGO (13-5) at NEW ENGLAND (17-0)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
TEAM SUR PSR PF PA YR YP T-R-P YR YP T-R-P TO DIFF OPR
San Diego 13-5 13-5 25 17 123 200 55-21-26 105 219 38-11-23 27 5.8 5.3
New Eng. 17-0 10-7 36 17 117 293 79-18-53 97 195 36-7-25 18 5.6 5.3
NEW ENGLAND 34 - San Diego 14
?This isn?t the first time these two have run
into each other in the postseason. Remember, it was New England in the road
underdog role last January in a Division Round battle vs. a hot San Diego team
then coached by Marty Schottenheimer, with the Patriots rallying in the 4th Q to
score a 24-21 win. And, going back a bit (make that a lot) further, oldtimers might
remember San Diego, with vet Tobin Rote at QB, crushing the Boston Patriots in
the ?63 AFL title game at old Balboa Stadium, 51-10, on a day in which RB Keith
Lincoln (206 YR and 349 yards total offense) ran wild.
The teams also met earlier this season, in Week Two, to be exact, just a few
days after Bill Belichick was busted for the infamous ?Spygate? episode the week
before against the Jets. New England was an angry team that night in
Foxborough, as it was for most of the first half of the campaign, and punished the
Bolts, 38-14, racing out to a 24-0 halftime lead in the process. It was a dominating
performance, as the Patriots rolled up a 407-201 total yardage edge, with L.T.
hardly a factor when gaining just 43 YR. Randy Moss and Wes Welker each caught
8 of Tom Brady?s passes, and New England punted only once all night in the rout.
Some things, however, have changed since mid-September, especially as far
as San Diego is concerned. Unlike that adjustment period under new HC Norv
Turner (and new d.c. Ted Cottrell) early in the season, when the Chargers were
struggling just to reach .500, they?re on fire at the moment, winning and covering
their last eight, including last week?s stunner over the Colts at the RCA Dome. But
there?s a chance they?re not going to be quite the same team that compiled that
long win streak, either, not if L.T. & QB Philip Rivers, both KO?d with knee injuries
last week at Indy, are either compromised or not ready to go vs. the Patriots. Key
TE Antonio Gates is also ? with a toe injury suffered in the wildcard round vs.
Tennessee. And though backups Michael Turner (71 YR in L.T.?s place vs. the
Colts) & Billy Volek (who led the game-winning TD drive at Indy when relieving
Rivers) were more than serviceable a week ago, do we really want to trust a San
Diego recommendation if its best weapons might not be at 100%?
Instead, we?d rather take our chances with unbeaten New England, which,
despite failing to cover hefty pointspreads in 6 of its last 7 games, is imminently
capable of extending the margin as it did September 16 and just as numerous
conference title game winners have done in the past (see cover story). Brady
remains on his game, and how; his 26 of 28 passing performance last week vs.
the Jags set an NFL playoff completion mark. Routinely spreading opposing
defenses with 4 and 5-receiver sets, and with Moss (an NFL-record 23 TD
catches in ?07) often drawing double coverage, Brady?s pinpoint accuracy allows
the likes of Welker, underrated wideouts Jabar Gaffney & Donte? Stallworth, & TE
Ben Watson to dominate underneath. With the exception of Pro Bowl CB
Anthony Cromartie, the Bolt 2ndary isn?t especially formidable. And we suspect
defensive whiz Belichick can devise another game plan to limit the damage San
Diego can cause, as he?s done the last two meetings when Rivers, L.T., and
Gates were all available and 100% healthy.
It?s going to take more than a potentially-compromised Charger team to end
New England?s unbeaten run. And unless Al Roker helps San Diego with a
weather forecast that might slow down Brady?s aerial show, a rerun of the
September meeting isn?t out of the question.
(07-N. ENG. 38-S. Diego 14...N.25-14 N.32/144 S.20/52 N.25/31/1/263 S.19/30/2/149 N.1 S.1)
(06-N.Eng. 24-S. DIEGO 21...S.21-18 S.33/148 N.21/51 N.27/51/3/276 S.14/32/1/204 N.0 S.3)
(07-NEW ENG. -3' 38-14; 06-New Eng. +4' 24-21 (AFC Playoffs)...SR: New England 19-14-2)
N.Y. GIANTS (12-6) at GREEN BAY (14-3)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
TEAM SUR PSR PF PA YR YP T-R-P YR YP T-R-P TO DIFF OPR
NY Giants 12-6 12-6 23 21 130 193 50-17-27 99 207 45-14-26 -5 .5 5.5
Green Bay 14-3 13-3 28 18 108 265 55-16-33 99 208 33-7-24 3 3.5 6.5
GREEN BAY 31 - N.Y. Giants 19?I
t?s shades of the Lombardi years in this
one, as the Packers of Bart Starr, Paul Hornung & Jim Taylor defeated the Giants
of Y.A. Tittle, Alex Webster & Del Shofner 37-0 at City Stadium for the NFL title
of 1961, then again 16-7 at freezing, windy Yankee Stadium in 1962. Now, it?s
young Mike McCarthy vs. veteran Tom Coughlin for a berth in the Super Bowl.
Despite the somewhat remarkable achievements of N.Y. in recent weeks, the
preference here is for healthier, better-rested, surprising, surging Green Bay.
Give the Giants all due credit for their nine straight road victories since their
opening-week loss at Dallas. And for coming from behind in the second half to
edge the Cowboys 21-17 last week. But they paid (another) price in that physical
confrontation, with fully-emerged No. 1 draft pick DB Aaron Ross (check status)
being felled by a shoulder injury. This with starting CB Sam Madison already
sidelined, TE Jeremy Shockey gone for the year, and WR Plaxico Burress (12
TDC TY; only 1 rec. for 5 yards last week) again ineffective due to his ailing ankle.
These two teams met in Week Two of the regular season, with G.B. trailing 10-
7 at the half at Giants Stadium, but then erupting for a 35-13 triumph in a game
in which it was not clear Eli Manning would start for the G-Men because of a
bruised shoulder sustained the previous week. Since then, the maturing Eli has
helped rally the New Yorkers to this title level, with the Giants going 12-4 SU.
Nonetheless, the Packers? 14-3 season (13-3-1 vs. the spread) has been even
more eye-opening, as youthful G.B. is now 18-3 SU and 16-4-1 vs. the spread its
last 21 games overall. Last week?s snowy comeback from an early 14-0 deficit vs.
veteran Seattle demonstrated what most Packer fanatics have been saying since
early in 2007. That McCarthy is better than most experts expected. That he has
Brett Favre playing with more discipline than most expected. That the WRs are
better than expected. That the rebuilt OL is way better than expected. And that
the front office that drafted the WRs & OLmen and moved to acquire the likes of
RB Ryan Grant (via trade from the Giants after the preseason!), PK Mason
Crosby (No. 6 pick TY), and SS Atari Bigby has been way, WAY better than
expected. In their first playoff test, this young group?led by the irrepressible
Favre?quickly, relatively easily, dug itself out of a big hole, with Grant leading the
way with 201 YR.
A victory this week against N.Y. and its furious pass rushers won?t come so
easily. But with Favre?s quick passes and the Pack?s big, bright upside, it?s likely
to eventually come, with McCarthy saying he?s got plenty of un-used tricks (such
as last week?s double-FB sets) still in the bag. And, certainly don?t mind looking
?OVER? with a dauntless G.B team that?s now 13-4 ?over? the total TY.
(07-G. Bay 35-GIANTS 13...G.25-20 N.16/94 G.29/83 G.29/38/1/285 N.20/40/1/231 G.0 N.1)
(07-Green Bay +2' 35-13...SR: Green Bay 29-22-2
