Bos-Wash Corridor

Super Bowl Barnburners

The Super Bowl long had a bad reputation for not living up to its billing, but the game has had its share of barnburners, and as you'll see that has an especially recent flavor...

1970: Baltimore 16 Dallas 13
It was a sloppy game, but the Colts finally won it on Jim O'Brien's field goal with five seconds left. It marked a Baltimore sweep of the big events, as the Orioles won the World Series.

1975: Pittsburgh 21 Dallas 17
A 64-yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann just as he was being knocked flat on a blitz was the play that turned the tide for the Steelers.

1988: San Francisco 20 Cincinnati 16
Joe Montana led an 88-yard drive in the closing moments, hitting John Taylor with the winning touchdown pass.

1990: NY Giants 20 Buffalo 19
The Giants controlled the ball for forty minutes, but the Bills still had a shot. Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal hooked wide right on the final play.

1997: Denver 31 Green Bay 24
John Elway got his first ring in a back-and-forth game when the Broncos finally broke the tie with a late fourth quarter touchdown.

1999: St. Louis 23 Tennessee 16
The Rams won their first and only Super Bowl when the Titans final play ended up one yard short of the tying touchdown.

2001: New England 20 St. Louis 17
New England starts a new dynasty by preventing one. The Rams and Kurt Warner were heavy favorites, but unknown quarterback Tom Brady played a game-managing style and ultimately set up Adam Vinateri's field goal on the last play.

2003: New England 32 Carolina 29
Brady was no unknown this time and his performance here was well above game managing. The end result was the same as '01--a last-play field goal by Vinateri.

2007: NY Giants 17 New England 14
Perhaps the most historic Super Bowl, as the Patriots' bid for a 19-0 season is denied, when the Giants mount a late drive for the winning touchdown.

2008: Pittsburgh 27 Arizona 23
A thrilling fourth quarter, with Arizona rallying for the lead, ultimately saw Pittsburgh take it back, with a terrific catch by Santonio Holmes giving the Steelers the winning score and their record sixth Super Bowl victory.

The Middle-Class Super Bowls

Today we'll look at the Super Bowl games that fell into the broad middle class. They weren't memorable routs or thrilling barnburners. To some degree or another, they were interesting games, but you had a good sense of who was going to win in the fourth quarter. Some of these games lean closer to blowout, some lean close to barnburner, others are straight in the middle. Remember, these don't include the four Redskin Super Bowls, who will be covered in the final post in this series.

1974: Pittsburgh 16 Minnesota 6
Modern fans, schooled on offense, see this as a close game. But in a defensive era, this one was decisive. Minnesota blocked a punt to get on the board after it was 16-0, but couldn't get any closer. This game was played in Tulane Stadium, not exactly the place you'd expect the Super Bowl to be played in this day and age.

1978: Pittsburgh 35 Dallas 31
Fans who saw this game are howling that I didn't classify it as a barnburner. But the Steelers pulled to a 35-17 lead, before the Cowboys rallied. But Pittsburgh covered the onside kick with 22 seconds left and Dallas never got a chance to even threaten to take the lead, a core tenet of a barnburner game.

1979: Pittsburgh 31 LA Rams 19
A good game for three quarters, as the Rams held the lead. Pittsburgh scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch by John Stallworth on a 73-yard play. 

1981: San Francisco 26 Cincinnati 21
Another one that's close to a barnburner. Frisco led 20-0, before the Bengals closed to 20-14. In between Cincy's touchdowns they were stopped four straight times from the 1-yard line. San Fran controlled the fourth quarter and added two insurance field goals, then recovered the final onside kick.

1993: Dallas 30 Buffalo 13
Buffalo came out ready to play in this one for a half, but the Cowboys gradually pulled away behind the power running of Emmitt Smith, winning their second straight. It was the fourth straight Super Bowl loss for the Bills. 

1995: Dallas 27 Pittsburgh 17
Definitely an upper-middle class game. Pittsburgh might have won it had there not been some type of miscommunication between Steeler quarterback Neil O'Donnell and his receivers, resulting in two passes going directly into the hands of Dallas corner Larry Brown.

1996: Green Bay 35 New England 21
The Patriots had the lead in the second half, before a kickoff return by Desmond Howard turned the tide. It was the peak of Brett Favre's career, one that ranks higher than another game in the New Orleans Superdome played thirteen years later.

1998: Denver 34 Atlanta 19
To show how middle class this game was, I watched the entire thing with friends and was stone sober. But I don't remember a thing about it. Just that my brother won our in-game pool by guessing the exact ending time of the game. It was Denver's second straight Super Bowl win. It was John Elway's last game. As Redskins' fans, we're hoping Mike Shanahan has another run left in him. 

2004: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The score says barnburner, but in reality the Patriots had the Eagles at arms-length in the fourth quarter. Philly got a late TD against the prevent and then failed to get the onside kick. The win was the Patriots' third and this one completed the city of Boston's triumphant run through the World Series and Super Bowl.

2005: Pittsburgh 21 Seattle 10
This one was very close to a barnburner, but four very tough calls went against the Seahawks. There was a lot of controversy surrounding this, thinking Seattle was robbed. But the calls were close, not bad. On a personal note, I watched this game in an Irish club in Pittsburgh with old-timers who knew the Rooney kids back from their days in the neighborhood and drove back to my apartment amid throngs of cheering fans.

2006: Indianapolis 29 Chicago 17
The game was played in a monsoon in Miami, and the Bears ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. But Indy gradually got control and got Peyton and Tony Dungy over the top for a ring.

Super Bowl Blowouts

Our breakdown of the Super Bowl era continues today. In looking at the period from the merger in 1970 to the present, I'm going to separate the games in four distinct categories: The Blowouts, The Barnburners, The Middle-Class and the final most important category of all--Redskin Super Bowls. Today we'll cover the all to numerous blowouts. Remember, this won't include 1983, 1987 or 1991 since those will be saved for last.

1971: Dallas 24 Miami 3
Dallas linebacker Chuck Howley became the first defensive player to be named game MVP, and the Cowboys rebounded from a tough loss in this game the previous year. The game still marked the return of Don Shula to prominence after being run out of Baltimore for the upset loss in 1968.

1973: Miami 24 Minnesota 7
This one was nowhere near as close as even the decisive final score makes it sound. It was 24-0 late in the game before the Vikings got on the board. And can you imagine a Super Bowl being played in Rice Stadium? This one was.

1976: Oakland 32 Minnesota 14
Bud Grant continued to have his problems in the big game, while John Madden finally got his first ring. And after their five turnovers against the Saints on Sunday, it's still Minnesota's last trip to the Super Bowl.

1977: Dallas 27 Denver 10
The Broncos made their first Super Bowl, but the Dallas defense was too much. D-Lineman Randy White & Harvey Martin were game MVPs. On a personal note, it's the first Super Bowl I remember watching start to finish.

1980: Oakland 27 Philadelphia 10
Raider quarterback Jim Plunkett completed his rise from the NFL scrap heap. It was the Eagles' first appearance in the Super Bowl, with current Monday Night Football analyst Ron Jaworski at quarterback.

1984: San Francisco 38 Miami 16
It was the showdown of quarterbacks, Joe Montana vs. Dan Marino. But the second-year Marino was under pressure and ineffective from the start. To everyone's surprise, he never made it back to the biggest stage.

1985: Chicago 46 New England 10
The Bears lived up to their midseason rap video, "The Super Bowl Shuffle." With flamboyant quarterback Jim McMahon, classy running back Walter Payton and mouthy defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, the Bears just overwhelmed everyone all year long and finished the job in New Orleans.

1986: NY Giants 39 Denver 20
John Elway and the Broncos were playing well early and led 10-9 at halftime. But Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor and Bill Parcells' Giants dominated the second half. It was one of five straight Super Bowl routs, with the above three games bracketed by 'Skins games in 1983 & 1987.

1989: San Francisco 55 Denver 10
The score tells it all on this one. It was the second straight crown for the 49ers, their fourth in the 1980s and the first under rookie head coach George Seifert.

1992: Dallas 52 Buffalo 17
Dallas spotted the Bills a 7-0 lead after a blocked punt and then took the game over. Although this one's more remembered for Cowboy lineman Leon Lett prematurely celebrating a fumble return for a touchdown and being stripped of the ball by husting Bill receiver Don Beebe.

1994: San Francisco 49 San Diego 26
Steve Young hit Jerry Rice on a post pattern on the first possession and it was all Niners all the way, as Young showed he could lead a team to the ultimate win.

2000: Baltimore 34 NY Giants 7
In the sixth year that Baltimore had football back, the most dominating defense since the 1985 Bears or 1986 Giants, led the Ravens to a title. After a 5-4 start to the season, they didn't lose the rest of the way.

2002: Tampa Bay 48 Oakland 21
The Buccaneers were another team with an aggressive defense and they intercepted Rich Gannon five times.

During the 1980s and part of the 1990s it seemed as though every game was a blowout. But not since '02 have we had an honest-to-goodness rout in the season's final game. The Middle Class games will be up next.

The Early Super Bowl Era

As part of our Super Bowl preparation on this site, we'll wait until next week before diving into the matchup itself. And we'll certainly leave discussion of what Peyton Manning's brand of toothepaste is, or what Drew Brees' favorite food is, to the mainstream media. We're going to spend this week taking a brief overview of the Super Bowl's rich heritage, with a brief blurb on each game in its 43-year history. Today we start with the early period--the first four games when the AFL & NFL were still entirely separate entities, meeting only in the final championship game. The NFL was considered the vastly superior league, so the game not only was far from its modern popularity, it even lacked a certain legitimacy. Let's watch how it evolved from 1966-69..

1966: Green Bay 35 Kansas City 10: Vince Lombardi's Packers were the heavy favorite as they
represented the NFL before a three-quarters full Los Angeles Coliseum. The Chiefs got some attention in the media where their defensive back, Fred Williamson, began talking trash and calling himself The Hammer. Packer receiver Max McGee got some unexpected news prior to the game--he was going to play, due to an injury to starter Boyd Dowler. Unprepared for this, Max had gotten tanked the night before and was hungover. It didn't stop him from catching the game's first touchdown pass and adding another one. KC hung with the Pack for a half, trailing only 14-10, but the NFL powerhouse pulled away with three second half touchdowns. And the Hammer? Packer backup Donnie Anderson ran him over and knocked him out.

1967: Green Bay 33 Oakland 14: It was Lombardi's swan song, as least temporarily, before he resurfaced with the 'Skins two years later. Once again his team pulled away in the second half from an outmanned AFL opponent. The Packer dynasty was
solidified, but the Super Bowl was no closer to gaining legitimacy. It was just a showcase for the NFL to demonstrate its superiority over the junior league. For now.

1968: It was the upset for the ages. The Baltimore Colts, led by Don Shula were three-touchdown favorites to take out Joe Namath's Jets. Prior to the 1970 merge, Baltimore was an NFL franchise and with the fall of the Packers, were ready to step and become the new power. Don Shula was a rising star at head coach, and Earl Morrall had proven a capable replacement for the oft-ailing Johnny Unitas. But the cocky Namath guaranteed a win. Then he backed up on the field. Calling a conservative, ball-control attack, he orchestrated a 16-7 win.

1969: History often tells us that the Jets' win was what brought the AFL to even par in the public eye. That's only half-true. The younger league needed to prove it wasn't a fluke. That came this year. Kansas City was another two-touchdown
underdog, this time against Bud Grant's Minnesota Vikings. It was assumed Grant's Purple People Eater defense would run roughshod over Len Dawson and the Chiefs. But just as the Jets completely controlled the tempo the previous year, KC controlled Super Bowl IV. It was an easy 23-7 win. The merger would be official next year and AFL purists celebrated pulling even 2-2 in the four Super Bowls of the early era.

Indy & New Orleans Move On

It was an exciting Sunday of football, even if the Colts pulled away at the end, and the drama in the NFC title game was more about whether the Saints could commit enough penalties to balance out the Vikings' tendency to shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Minnesota took care of that last question when Brett Favre pulled out a semi-automatic and blasted away his team's entire lower body with the last interception. Still, both games were competitive into the fourth quarter and we had an overtime thriller. As a fan, not much to complain about, even if my rooting preferences went down in both cases.

Peyton Manning got the accolades after the AFC Championship Game and deservedly so. With the Jets attacking and taking away his tight end Dallas Clark, Manning still got the ball to his receivers with ruthless consistency. Both Austin Collie and Pierre
Garcon racked up over 100 yards in receiving and Indy was unstoppable after they dug themselves a 17-6 second quarter hole. But the biggest accolade should go to the Colts' run defense. The potent New York ground game was rendered impotent, neither Thomas Jones or Shonn Greene clearing 50 yards. Without a running game, there was no way the Jets were going to win this game.

Two things have been overrated in the aftermath of the NFC Championship Game. First, that it was all Minnesota incompetence that created their five turnovers, thus costing them a win when they dominated total yardage. This ignores the fact that Gregg Williams, who we 'Skins fans remember fondly for coordinating our better defenses in recent years, came after Favre with waves of pressure. It was high-risk, high-reward on both sides. The Vikes made their plays and got their yards. The Saints made theirs and got turnovers. In a nip-and-tuck game, New Orleans made one more play
than Minnesota did. The defensive strategy of New Orleans created the statistical disparities in both yards and turnovers.

The other thing overrated is that Favre's final, fateful throw was the worst seen in a playoff game. Now it was awful, I grant you, but if anyone saw Favre's overtime pass in Philadelphia in the 2003 NFC semis...well, this one was done with Montana-like precision by comparison. I love the guy, and I say with all due affection, that no one throws an ill-advised ball like Brett does. Until that last pass, he held up well in the face of the pressure and had he only taken the open turf in front of him and set up an easy field goal, we'd all be talking about how a battered and beaten forty-year old took off in the face of a ferocious defense to get his team to the Super Bowl. But this is Brett, and he's never done easy what could be done hard. Gunfighters never die a quiet, peaceful death, and he was either going to win the Super
Bowl or go down in this fashion, one way or another.

In the meantime, congratulations to both the Jets and the Vikings. To their fans--please avoid the tendency to say "We'll get 'em next year", as though 2009 was some lost cause. Redskin fans, who haven't seen a conference championship game in 18 years, know how hard it is to make it to this stage. Instead of waiting until next year, try celebrating this year. Minnesota won an NFC North title, saw Favre author countless memorable moments, from the two Packer games to the playoff rout of Dallas. The Jets made an unlikely trip to the playoffs and an even more unlikely run, with their upset of San Diego, one of the biggest I've seen in recent years and has a colorful head coach at the helm. They are that rarity of rarities--a likeable team from New York. Enjoy 2009 for what it was, not what it might have been.

I don't mean to diss the Colts and Saints, but we've got two weeks to talk about
them. One more game to go...

Vikings-Saints Preview

When it comes to the NFC Championship Game (6:40 ET, Fox) all that really comes to mind is "Wow." What a matchup. The explosive quarterbacks are no secret, but each team has a competent running game and they both play enough defense to give their other team's offense pause. Former Redskin coordinator Gregg Williams is orchestrating the New Orleans D, and I'm sure he'll be looking to bring pressure on Favre. On the other side, Jared Allen and Ray Edwards getting to Brees is going to be absolutely vital. This is where the New Orleans homefield edge is going to be a big difference. The ability to audible and check off at the line of scrimmage is going to be necessary, and beyond the December controversy over how much leeway Favre has in that regard, there's a practical concern--the place is going to be too damn loud.

For all of Favre's career in Green Bay
it was thought he was incapable of playing well in domes. This year put a rest to that theory. The other theory is that two domed teams playing each other minimizes homefield advantage because there's no weather issue. I disagree. It's the noise, not the weather, that represents a home crowd's biggest impact and those crazy Cajuns are going to blow the roof off the Superdome on Sunday night. We can add to the fact that if you ask yourself which quarterback is most likely to have a four-interception meltdown, the answer is clearly the wily 40-year old. I don't think he will, but the possiblity can't be discounted.

My overall expectation is a game that lives up to its billing. Brett and Brees each come up big on this stage. The Vikings are playing for their first NFC crown since 1976, the Saints their first one ever. A side note to this story is that a couple GM's are watching this game nervously. Everyone knows about Ted Thompson in Green Bay.
But A.J. Smith in San Diego traded away Drew Brees. The Chargers have had success and no can dispute Philip Rivers. But San Diego is coming off a humiliating upset loss, and seeing Brees go to the Super Bowl (a place San Diego would've gone in 2006 had they had Brees instead of the young Rivers at the helm).wouldn't reflect well on a man who's achieved a level of canonization within the football world. Either way, one guy who deserves a few restless nights won't sleep well.

So wins it? Homefield swings this one. Like 2007, Brett only makes one mistake, but that's enough to swing it. New Orleans, 34-31.

Jets-Colts Preview

Indianapolis and New York kick off Championship Sunday at 3 ET on CBS in a matchup that is as unlikely as the one that happened in 1968 when these two franchises met in Super Bowl III. That year the Colts, then in Baltimore, were overwhelming favorites over Joe Namath's Jets. It's now part of football lore how Joe Willie guaranteed a win, New York pulled the upset and the AFL began to be seen as the real deal, thus making the Super Bowl the major national event it now is. The Colts may be a Midwestern team now, but they're still a solid favorite and New York still has a brash-talking leader, this time its head coach in Rex Ryan. Is another upset in the making?

The AFC favorites didn't look overwhelming in beating Baltimore last week, while the Jets showed their ability to completely disrupt a hot offense in San Diego. The key to the game for Indy on
offense will not be Peyton Manning. If Ryan can turn the dogs loose and pressure him they will create problems. But if the Colts can ease the pressure, this game could become a rout. The key to this will be whether Indy can make New York pay for blitzing by slipping the ball to Joseph Addai on traps and draws and keep the defensive line and linebackers a little bit at bay. And just as was the case last week, Ryan has to get relatively mistake-free football from Mark Sanchez. They can't count on an opposing kicker shanking the ball left and right, meaning they will probably need 20-24 points to get the win. If Sanchez tries to rush that process, he'll make mistakes.

It's a lot like last week's New York-San Diego game was. The Jets have a scenario for victory, but it operates with a razor-thin margin for error. Watching them draw the inside straight last week was extraordinary, but it's too much to ask for it to happen again. Indianapolis goes to
the Super Bowl for the second time (fourth in the overall history of the franchise) with a 24-10 win.

NFC Championship History

Yesterday we looked at past great moments in AFC Championship history. Today it’s the NFC’s turn…

1966-67: Battle At The Goal Line
Every football fan is immersed with the story of the 1967 Ice Bowl, the NFC Championship Game (technically it was the NFL in those days, prior to the merger with the AFL, but its practical function was the same as today) between Green Bay and Dallas. Trailing 17-14, Bart Starr moved the Packers down the 1-yard line in the closing seconds in freezing weather before sneaking across for the winning touchdown. It’s forgotten that the same two teams had another goal-line duel the previous year. This one was in Dallas, and it was the Cowboys trying to tie the game as they trailed 34-27. But the Packer secondary batted down two straight passes in the end zone to end the drive on downs and went on to win the first of their two straight Super Bowls.

1990: Three-Peat Denied
San Francisco was led by Joe Montana and looking for its third straight title. The New York Giants had Bill Parcells and Lawrence Taylor, but were playing with backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler after an injury to Phil Simms. The Giants couldn’t get in the end zone, but only trailed 13-12 late in the fourth quarter. Frisco’s Roger Craig fumbled when they were trying to kill the clock, Hostetler moved his team in position and Matt Bahr kicked his fifth field goal as time expired.

2007: Brett’s Swan Song…Sort Of
It was the last game Brett Favre would ever play in Lambeau Field, and it brought together themes from the first two selections. It was cold beyond comprehension and the Giants were looking to spring a road upset. This one went into overtime after New York missed a makeable field goal at the end of regulation. But a Favre interception was his last pass as a Packer, and the Giants didn’t miss their second chance, winning it 23-20.

1983: Controversial Finish
It’s one near and dear to the Redskin readers of this blog and one of frustration to Bill Walsh and San Francisco. The ‘Skins jumped out to a 21-0 lead and that held firm after three quarters. Suddenly Montana opened up and three straight touchdowns had the game tied. Washington got into field goal range thanks to two pass interference penalties that Walsh would vigorously dispute the rest of his career. Mark Moseley kicked the game winner as time wound down.

Those are the top five. We give honorable mention to the Vikings who dropped two games in devastating fashion. One is a game we remember in fine fashion here, when Washington won the 1987 game by a 17-10 count when Darrell Green put a hit on Darrin Nelson in the end zone that prevented him from catching the game-tying pass at the end of regulation on fourth down. And in 1998, Minnesota was a huge favorite over Atlanta, but lost an overtime heartbreaker at home, 30-27.

And there were four other appearances in this game by the ‘Skins. We beat Dallas in 1972 and 1982, games that were chronicled here previously as part of our run-up to the first Cowboy game this year. In 1986 we fell to the Giants 17-0, a game where the wind was blowing ferociously and it was impossible to move the ball the half of the game you were against it. And our last trip was 1991, when The Greatest Team Ever hammered the Lions on the way to a Super Bowl title.

Where will Minnesota-New Orleans stack up? On Friday we’ll preview this year’s edition of the NFC Championship Game.

AFC Championship History

The first two parts of our Championship Sunday preparations will be looking at the bright moments in the history of the AFC & NFC Championship Games, isolating five or six top games in the 43-year history that is the Super Bowl era. Today we start with the AFC. My selections may have the air of one who's yet to hit age 40 (for a few more weeks anyway), but I did go back into the early 1970s and the late 1960s, and consulted with an old-timer from that era, before settling on these five...

2006: Brady vs. Peyton
The Patriots had been the masters of the Colts, knocking them out of the playoffs in 2003 and 2004. With this game being in Indy, it looked like Peyton's year might finally have arrived. But New England jumped out to a 21-3 lead. The Colt offense finally got revved up, got back in the game and Brady and Peyton began trading blows in a
classic showdown. Indianapolis finally got the lead late on a short run by Joseph Addai and held off one final desperate drive to win 38-34. Just like the Red Sox had to dig a hole before finally exorcising their ghosts against the Yankees, Indianpolis had to do the same against New England.

1986-87: Elway vs. Marty
For two straight years Denver and Cleveland went down to the wire. The first time was in Cleveland, and it cemented John Elway's reputation for clutch play. With the Broncos down 20-13 and backed up on their own 2-yard line, Elway engineered a tying drive late in the game and then won it in overtime. The following year, Denver jumped out to a big lead in the first half, before Marty Schottenheimer's Browns rallied and tied it 31-31. After Denver reclaimed the lead, Cleveland was marching back to tie it up. Earnest Byner was heading into the end zone, when little-known Bronco corner Jeremiah Casillas cemented his place in history
by stripping and recovering the ball. The thrilling games set in motion the respective careers and reputations of both Elway and Schottenheimer for the balance of their careers.

1994-95: Tragedy & Triumph In Pittsburgh
Bill Cowher had taken over the Steeler reins from the legendary Chuck Noll just two years earlier, and by 1994 had his team heavily favored to win at home and advance to their first Super Bowl since 1978. But Bobby Ross' San Diego Chargers came to play the game of their life and preserved a 17-13 upset when a fourth-down pass into the end zone was batted away. The following year, Pittsburgh was again a heavy favorite at home and it looked like it might be deja vu all over again. Jim Harbaugh and #5 seed Indianpolis held a 16-13 lead late into the game, before the Steelers scored the lead touchdown, aided considerably by a controversial rule of a catch near the sidelines when it appeared the receiver was out of bounds.
Harbaugh brought his team back and got one last pass into the end zone on a Hail Mary. The Colt receiver appeared to have actually caught it, but it bounced on the ground for a split second and the Steelers survived.

There've been other good games and plenty of noteworthy ones. The two teams to complete perfect regular seasons finished the job in competitively played AFC Championship Games. The 1972 Dolphins beat the Steelers 21-17, and the 2007 Patriots beat the Chargers 21-12 in a game that was tight into the fourth quarter. And honorable mention to 1977, where Denver beat Oakland 20-17 with the help of a controversial fumble call in the end zone. Will the 2009 New York Jets-Indianpolis Colts take its own place in the pantheon of history? On Thursday we'll look at the matchup in more detail.

A Stunning Sunday

Shocked. Stunned. Floored. Whatever word you pick can't possibly convey what I felt as I sat in front of my TV set late Sunday afternoon and into the evening. I could not believe the New York Jets went into San Diego and got a win. The first Nate Kaeding field goal shank in the first quarter was an early hint--would the Charger players start to think "Here we go again?" This isn't a franchise that's known postseason success. Air Coryell (the coaching staff that produced Joe Gibbs) lost the AFC Championship Game in 1980-81 and never made a Super Bowl, despite one of the most potent offenses in league history. They suffered playoff losses with Marty Schottenheimer, when a well-coached, solid team couldn't take that last step. But this team was better. Philip Rivers was a mature quarterback now. And unlike Schottenheimer's 2006 team, they didn't have to draw 12-4
New England, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. This year's Chargers got rookie coach Rex Ryan, rookie QB Mark Sanchez and a passing offense that could only generate 93 yards. And they still lost.

In addition to the intangible effects of Kaeding's miss there's also this little tangible thing called points. This miss, and another devastating one in the fourth quarter (we don't count his desperation 57-yarder at the end of the first half against him) cost his team six points in a three-point game. Regardless of Rivers' two interceptions, of the Bolts' 10 penalties and their lack of a running game, make these two kicks and it's ballgame. But San Diego is out again. And now the front office that showed Schottenheimer the door after a 14-2 season in 2006, declaring that winning in the playoffs was what it was about, must decide what to do with Norv Turner after a brilliant 13-3 run. Here's hoping GM A.J. Smith and owner Dean Spanos show a little more
humility and class about just how tough it can be to win in the postseason and don't make the same mistake twice. Ink Turner to a deserved contract extension, celebrate his three straight AFC West titles (four straight for the organization overall), and come back fighting next year.

My apologies to the Jets, as I turned this into a Charger post. But we'll have plenty of time to talk New York later this week.

Wade Phillips was the defensive coordinator for that '06 Charger team, so he's no stranger to postseason frustration. But Sunday was beyond frustration. The Cowboys were humiliated, returning to their mistake-prone selves. The pass protection collapsed, with Romo being sacked six times. A direct consequence was an inability to throw the ball downfield successfully. Three turnovers all but sealed Dallas' fate. Minnesota was mistake-free. The Brett Favre-to-Sidney Rice combo made big plays. Dallas' early failure to capitalize on
scoring opportunities foretold what was to come and the Vikings pulled away. Favre is in the NFC Championship Game for the second time in three years.