This is probably my favorite week of the season.  It’s the day we find out who plays in the Super Bowl.  These games are usually great.  This past weekend, one was great, and the other, not so much.  The Big Game is set.  But first, let’s recap:

Seattle-28 Green Bay-22 (OT)

I don’t even know where to start.

What if I told you Seattle turned the ball over five times?

What if I told you they were down 16-0 at halftime?

What if I told you the PUNTER OF THE SEAHAWKS HAD A BETTER QBR THAN RUSSELL WILSON?

All of this happened in this game.  And yes, the score at the top is correct.

So, how did it happen?  Well, Green Bay came out on fire.  They looked unstoppable.  Aaron Rodgers’ calf treated him well, or at least, better than it had last week.

Yet, the first drive of the game, he threw an interception, giving Seattle the ball in their own territory.  But guess what?  Seattle gave it right back!  TWO PLAYS LATER.  It was one of FOUR interceptions Russell Wilson would throw in this game. Green Bay took advantage, and kicked a field goal.

It was a sloppy start.  Get used to that.  It was a common trait during this game.

On the kickoff return, Doug Baldwin fumbled, and the Packers recovered.  Yea, we were all confused.  How could Seattle start this bad?

Green Bay though, didn’t totally take advantage of the great field position.  They kicked another field goal.  The Packers finally got something better than that at the end of the first, with a Aaron Rodgers TD pass.  They led 13-0 after the 1st.

More Russell Wilson interceptions gave the Packers opportunities, but they didn’t capitalize on them all.  That would play killer later in the game.  It was only 16-0 at halftime.  The deficit sucked the energy out of Century Link Field, and trust me, that place was jacked before the game.  I thought I was there when I heard the fans screaming through the speakers in my basement.

Russell Wilson had three interceptions at halftime.  The Seahawks were killed by those, because Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the team had a good day.  Lynch finished with 157 yards and a TD.

Speaking of running backs, Eddie Lacy had a great day.  That dude has so many incredible moves.  Spins, jukes, and whatever.  He’s gonna do a backflip to avoid someone next.

The turnovers were really what gave Green Bay the big lead at halftime.  They weren’t great in the first half.  Aaron Rodgers was half decent, and finished with a QBR of 51.

So, Seattle got the ball back to start the second half.  You’d expect them, to try and actually do something with this drive.  Not a chance.  Wilson didn’t throw a pick, but the drive lasted four plays.  Green Bay countered and did the same thing when they got it.

At this point, Seattle was desperate.  They needed something.  Anything at all would have been great.

Finally, with 10:53 left in the 3rd quarter, they got something going.  The Seahawks went down the field, yet couldn’t get in the end zone.

On the Green Bay 19 yard line, Seattle set up for a field goal.  BUT WAIT.

A FAT GUY TD!

Jon Ryan, the Seahawks punter, and placeholder, faked it, and threw it to Garry Galliam for a TD pass instead.  Just like that, it was 16-7.  We had a ball game.  That was the only score of the quarter, but man, was it a big one.  It completed turned this game around.

Green Bay answered, though it was only another field goal.  It gave them a little bit more cushion.  It was another long drive, which it almost a waste when you can’t score more than three out of those.

Seattle failed to provide an answer, which led them in a desperate spot.  They regained the ball shortly after, but Russell Wilson threw another interception, his fourth of the day.  At this point, all hope was lost, as the Seahawks were down 19-7 with 5:13 left.  Their winning percentage sat at 8.5% at that time, per ESPN Stats and Info.  I remember seeing that, and telling my Dad, “If they come back, remember that stat.”

After another stagnant drive by the Packers, Seattle got the ball with 3:52 left.  A huge 35 passing TD to Marshawn Lynch looked like the score that would put them back in it, but Lynch stepped out of bounds, forcing the ball back.

With no fear though, Russell Wilson just plays later took it in on his own.  It was now a 19-14 game with 2:09 left.

Then, the most hilarious, and unthinkable thing happened:

Ouch dude.  That’s Brandon Bostick, who had the ball right in his hands.  He dropped it, and Seattle recovered.  Had he caught it, we’d be talking about him catching it, not him dropping it.

With the drop, Seattle went right down the field, and scored on a Marshawn Lynch beast mode TD run.  It was ridiculous.  Oh yeah, did I mention the Seahawks took the lead with it?

This game was absolutely insane.

Green Bay is drained at this point.  They can’t believe what just happened.  Neither can Packer fans.  They’re sobbing.  They can’t believe they blew this lead.  They know it’s Seattle, who’s done crazy stuff in the past, yet they were playing so well.  They aren’t used to this.

There was still time on the clock.  Green Bay had a chance, and they took it.  Aaron Rodgers, who’s calf acted up at this point, led his team down the field, and gave Mason Crosby the chance of tying the game.  He nailed it, and we had a tie game.  At 22.  Yes, 22.

With the playoff OT rules, if the first team to possess the ball scores a TD, that’s it.  It’s over.  If they kick a field goal, the other team gets a chance.  Seattle got the ball first.  At this point, the NFL had moved the AFC Championship Game back 10 minutes, to avoid interference of the two.  They didn’t need that extra 10 minutes.

Long story short, Doug Baldwin caught a huge 35 yard pass from Russell Wilson on 3rd&7 to keep the drive alive.  The next play, well:

For the same exact amount of yardage came the game-winning TD to Jermaine Kearse.  The TD carried the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

As for the Packers, I mean, I’m sorry, but how in the world do you blow that?  It was a combination of conservative play calling, bad drives, and simply bad team play altogether.  There were many ways they could have held it even when Seattle was rallying.  This falls on you, Green Bay.

As for Packer fans, tough luck.  You now join understand how Cowboys fans felt a week ago.

New England-45 Indianapolis-7

Good grief, this was a horror show.  I really thought the Colts had a chance in this one.  I thought that, if Andrew Luck could have another huge game, and Indianapolis played good defense, the Colts would sneak it out.  That, didn’t happen.  It didn’t even come close.

The Patriots owned the Colts last night.  They ripped them apart.

On offense, New England clobbered the Colts secondary.  A secondary that had been underrated and had played really well this year.  The Pats broke the seal.  They ran deeper, and got open.  It’s what led to Tom Brady throwing three TD passes.

It’s not like though, the Colts gave up big play after big play.  The longest play of the game was a 30 yard pass to Shane Vereen.  The didn’t throw over the top much.  New England was simply consistent with what they were doing.

The other half of this offensive display by New England was running game.  No, Jonas Gray didn’t play a factor.  LeGarrette Blount ran for 148 yards and 3 TD’s.  They pounded the ball to him.  His longest run was 22 yards, again showing how consistent he was.  The Colts weakness on defense is the line, and Sunday, it showed big time.

With New England putting up points, Indy didn’t respond well.  Andrew Luck had miserable game, going for 12/23 and two interceptions. The Colts have him on offense, and that’s pretty much it.  If they are going to have a chance, he has to play well.  Luck doesn’t have a running game around him, and that was exposed once again, with Boom Herron rushing for only 51 yards.

I’m sorry, but I had to.  That team he was talking about is now in the Super Bowl.  They will play the Seattle Seahawks, the defending champions.  That should be fun.

Head Coaching Hirings:

Todd Bowles: Hired as New York Jets Head Coach

Thoughts: As I write this in somber, I want to say that Todd Bowles did an excellent job with the Arizona Cardinals defense.  That guy is mastermind, and he produced one of the best defenses in the league during these past years.  As he moves on, he walks into a similar situation.  The Jets have an outstanding defense, with a line that’s phenomenal.  He should only improve it.  The problem is on the other side of the ball, where the Jets have no QB.  Have fun dealing with that.

Jack Del Rio: Hired as Oakland Raiders Head Coach

Thoughts:

Anyone want to explain to me how these two people still have a job?

Jim Tomsula: Hired as San Francisco 49ers Head Coach

Thoughts:  This came as a surprise.  Reports had Adam Gase linked to the 49ers’ job, but San Francisco decided to go from within and promote Tomsula from defensive line coach to head coach.  I don’t know a whole lot about Tomsula, but I know he’s smart, and that he will get this team back together.  He’s well-respected throughout the organization, and will probably have a longer leash than others.  This is kinda a wait and see, but it should pan out eventually.

John Fox: Hired as Chicago Bears Head Coach

Thoughts:  This is really a great fit.  Fox has always been a defensive minded coach, and will hopefully patch up a really bad defense that the Bears own.  He should be granted some rights when draft time comes around.  Also, Jay Cutler will probably remain a Bear with this hire.  Fox has worked with good QB’s before.  If he can’t fix him, then it’s not his fault, and by then, we’ll know what the Bears have up their sleeve when it comes to Cutler’s future.

Gary Kubiak: Hired as Denver Broncos Head Coach

Thoughts:  This is truly all about keeping Peyton Manning.  Kubiak is an offensive minded coach.  However, not promoting Adam Gase may come back to haunt them.  At this point, Manning is probably not up for learning a new system.  If Kubiak completely revamps the offense, would Manning leave and retire?  It’s still up in the air, but I expect we’ll know soon after the Super Bowl.  One more tidbit, Manning is owed $19 million next year.  Would that be enough for him to stay?

Next:

Pro Bowl, Sunday—-

Oops, nobody cares about the Pro Bowl!

Super Bowl: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks, February 1st, 6:30 PM EST

That’s more like it!