Joe Anello's NFL Football fan blog

Are you ready for two weeks of hype for a Brett Favre versus Peyton Manning Super Bowl?

Well TOO FREAKING BAD! The Saints were having none of it today. And what a coincidence that in a year marred by missed field goals, it was on the leg of lesser-known Saints kicker Garrett Hartley that the Saints earned a spot in their first ever Super Bowl with a 31-28 win over the Vikings.

With two minutes left to go in a 28-all tie, Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings marched the ball down the field in the hopes of setting up a game-winning field goal. A costly 12-man in the huddle penalty put the Vikes in a third and 15 situation, forcing Brad Childress to call a pass. It was there that the Brett Favre gunslinger of years past appeared on the field, throwing an interception to end any hopes of ending this game in regulation and to keep the Saints' hopes alive. And then there was overtime. The Vikings never saw the ball, so Favre's last play on the field as a Viking (this season, anyway) ended with an interception. The Saints started at the 39 and drove the length of the field, with three plays receiving lengthy reviews, ending in a 40-yard Hartley field goal.

Continue reading "Saints in the Super Bowl after 31-28 win over Favre and the Vikings"

Don't mess with Peyton Manning. That's what the number one ranked Jets defense learned Sunday afternoon, as they saw their 11-point second quarter lead evaporate under the intense heat of the Colt offense on the way to a 30-17 loss.

After a Colt field goal started the second quarter, an 80 yard pass from Mark Sanchez to Braylon Edwards put the Jets on top 7-3. Responding to another Colt 3-pointer, wide-out Brad Smith tossed a 45-yarder to Jericho Cotchery to set up a touchdown to Dustin Keller, stretching the lead to 14-6. From there, Manning whipped out his leather-skinned scalpel, switching to surgical mode in a 26 of 39, 377 yard performance. 

Rex Ryan's defense did exactly what they wanted to, which was keep Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne under wraps. Wayne only snagged three balls for 55 yards and Clark caught four for 35 and a fourth quarter TD. What they couldn't account for was the man-sized games of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, who each went over 100 yards receiving. Each of Garcon's 11 receptions were critical and helped keep Colt drives alive. Collie's 46-yard grab set up the second of Indy's scores, keeping it close before halftime. When the break ended, it was all Manning. Well, mostly anyway...

Continue reading "Manning crushes Jets' Super Bowl dreams with a 30-17 victory"

Here it is: the last weekend of real football. Conference Championship Sunday is here and isn't lacking for drama. From Brett Favre and Peyton Manning's legacy to the Jets' dominating defense or the surge in New Orleans, every team is a great story. Who do I think will make it to the Super Bowl in Miami? Read on in this edition of the Opening Drive!

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts
2:00PM ET CBS

If the New York Jets weren't crazy enough already, just wait if they somehow manage to defeat Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. They will be insufferable for the two weeks heading into the Super Bowl, and I'm not even talking about the fans. That team is boisterous and confident thanks to their equally as cocky head coach Rex Ryan. All-Pro corner Darelle Revis will be locked against Reggie Wayne, leaving Dallas Clark for the Jet safeties or linebackers to handle. New York's defense should have no problems shutting down the Indy running game, so the pressure is on their secondary to cover Manning's complement of receivers. On the offensive side of the ball, Ryan must ensure rookie QB Mark Sanchez isn't put in dangerous situations. If all goes to plan the Jets will have 40-plus rushing attempts with Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones, keeping Sanchez somewhere in the 18-24 pass attempt range. Any more than that and the Jets cannot win. 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Conference Championship Sunday"

It was an ugliest of games for the team in the prettiest of cities. After winning 11 straight games to finish the regular season, the San Diego Chargers came out with a resounding thud at home against the Jets on Sunday. Penalties, missed field goals and turnovers formed a perfect storm of suck for the Chargers and kept the Jets in the game until the final quarter where they took and held onto the lead to advance to the AFC championship game with a 17-14 victory.

Following a scoreless first quarter, the Chargers jumped out to a 7-0 lead as Philip Rivers found rarely-used tight end Kris Wilson in the endzone. That was the lead taken into halftime, thanks to a stingy Jet defense and a lackluster but safe Jet offense. New York added a field goal in the third to close the gap, but you never felt like the Chargers offense could be stifled for four quarters. Seems like the Jets offense didn’t get the memo, as they were the ones who refused to be held down.

Continue reading "Jets stun Chargers 17-14 in San Diego"

Count me among the "fooled" pundits who thought the Dallas Cowboys would have the upper hand over the Minnesota Vikings in their divisional round match-up. How wrong we were. Tony Romo turned the ball over three times en route to an embarrassing 34-3 loss to Brett Favre and the Vikings. 

The beleaguered Dallas star regressed tremendously from the cautiously efficient QB he became in the latter half of the regular season and last week's win over Philly. Two first half fumbles put the Cowboys in a deep hole. As bad as Romo was, Favre was just the opposite, throwing three TD's to Sidney Rice and another late to Visanthe Shiancoe without tossing a single interception. Needing to complete only 15 passes, Favre relied heavily on his stout defense and a running game that was consistent while not spectacular. Adrian Peterson carried the ball 22 times for a meager 59 yards but kept the defense honest along with back-up Chester Taylor. Dallas did not have that luxury.

Continue reading "Cowboys make quiet exit from playoffs with 34-3 loss to Vikings"

Even if yesterday's were drama-less (story of the playoffs so far), I couldn't miss a second. That won't change today as the most hyped game of the weekend starts Divisional round Sunday. New York's Cinderella story (is Rex Ryan the fairy godmother?) closes out the night with a west coast appearance. The Opening Drive of Divisional Sunday in the NFL starts now!

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
1:00PM ET FOX

I don't know if you knew, but Brett Favre is a Viking. Back for one last (?) Super Bowl run, Favre has done all Minnesota has asked him. Now its time for his team to show up. That means blocking for Adrian Peterson and the secondary showing up to play. Hopefully Brad Childress did some coaching this week,

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Divisional Sunday"

I guess the Ravens used up all their karma. After everything went Baltimore's way last week against New England, they fell completely flat in Indianapolis Saturday night, missing every opportunity imaginable. Against a lesser foe, they could have mounted a comeback. Against Peyton Manning and the Colts, they had no chance.

While the first quarter saw each squad produce a lengthy drive, neither could punch it into the endzone. Peyton Manning decided the second quarter would be a different story. Capping off an eight minute, 14-play drive, a ten yard pass from Manning to Austin Collie put Indy up 7, giving Joe Flacco two minutes until halftime to respond. From there it all went downhill for the Ravens. 

Continue reading "Manning's Colts prove too much for Ravens in 20-3 win"

After Tim Hightower took the opening hand-off 70 yards for a touchdown, all I could think of was how awful the Saints fans would feel if their team lost in their playoff opener. Luckily for them Reggie Bush showed up with his bird-killing cleats on, leading the Saints to a 45-14 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals to kick-off the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Responding to the quick score, the New Orleans Saints proved why they were the number one seed on the NFC by scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions to give them a 21-7 lead before the end of the first quarter. Bush lowered the hammer on two early carries to set the tone early: these Saints would not be denied. A Beanie Wells score early in the second brought the Cardinals back into striking distance, but that would be the last time the Cardinals would hit the scoreboard. Their two turnovers killed drives and gave the Saints 14 points.

Continue reading "Reggie Bush goes off as Saints crush Cardinals 45-14"

In case you haven't heard, we're knee-deep in the NFL playoffs. Today kicks-off the best weekend of football all year. Eight teams remain in the Super Bowl hunt, with the top seeds in each conference joining in on the action. Let's not waste any time, here's the Opening Drive for Divisional Saturday in the NFL!

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
4:30PM ET FOX 

After last Sunday night's shoot-out in the desert, the Cardinals head to the Superdome, ready to repeat last year's post-season success. Quarterback Kurt Warner has a knack for playing his best football in the playoffs and last week was no exception. He is expected to be without receiver Anquan Boldin for the second straight week, but that will be a game-time decision. He'll still have Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston on the outside, so he'll be just fine. Arizona shocked Green Bay with their commitment to the running game last week, gaining over 150 yards on the ground. Concerns arise when discussing their defense, but as we saw in overtime last week, they can make plays when they need them. Darnell Dockett, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Adrian Wilson all have thr ability to affect the outcome.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Divisional Saturday"

It's fitting that in a game with over 1000 yards of offense, a defensive play decides the outcome. On the first drive of overtime, an Aaron Rodgers fumble was recovered by Cardinal Karlos Dansby and taken back 17 yards for the game-winning touchdown, eliminating the Packers from post-season play with a final of 51-45.

After a first quarter which saw the Packers turn the ball over twice and miss a field goal as the Cardinals scored two touchdowns and a field goal, it seemed like all four wild-card games this weekend would be drama-free at halftime. For some viewers, it was. Five consecutive Packer touchdowns to start the second half brought Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers back from the brink and to the verge of overcoming a 21-point third quarter deficit and heading to New Orleans.

Continue reading "Cardinals eliminate Packers in an overtime thriller 51-45"