Can No. 1-seeded Colts, Saints get to Super Bowl?
NEW ORLEANS (AP)—For all the talk about the importance of home-field advantage in the NFL playoffs, the cruel truth for top-seeded teams is this:
The last time both of them made the Super Bowl was 1993.
The Colts and Saints can’t like hearing that. Plus, both of them lost at home late in the regular season, albeit not in critical games.
Even so, both are favored to reach the Super Bowl on Sunday when they host conference championships.
The Colts welcome the surprising Jets for the AFC crown, while the Saints stage their first NFC title game against the Vikings
Only the Colts and Jets have won a Super Bowl, with one each in their current guises. The Saints have never been to the big game while the Vikings have four times without a win—the last in 1977.
The Vikings were a great team at home this season, but a mediocre one on the road. Not that star quarterback B. Farve will be uncomfortable in the Superdome, where he earned his only Super Bowl victory (with Green Bay) and was home to the Saints team he cheered as a youngster growing up in Mississippi.
Favre picked apart the Cowboys 34-3 last week, and Dallas has a much better defense than New Orleans. The Saints, though, are very opportunistic, and will seize on any mistakes or bad decisions Favre makes.
The Vikings, though, are drawing from Favre’s past: Two Super Bowls and one win, and the most victories for any quarterback in NFL history.
“When you have a quarterback that steps in the huddle and has that look on his face and the body language and the demeanor like, ‘Hey this is old hat, we can do this, this is nothing more than anything we practiced all week,’ regardless of the situation, it kind of builds confidence in the rest of the guys in the huddle and has the soothing effect,” said Vikings guard S. Hutchinson.
Of course, if A. Peterson gets the running game going, it will open up the entire field for Favre, S. Rice, V. Shianicoe and offensive rookie of the year P. Harvin.
Minnesota will need lots of offense against the potent Saints, whose receiving corps is deeper than even the Vikings’. Although New Orleans doesn’t have a match for Peterson, it has three solid running backs in P.Thomas,M.Bell and fit-again R. Bush, who was sensational in last week’s 45-14 rout of Arizona.
The matchup of Favre against Saints passer D. Brees is as spicy as a French Quarter etouffee. Both should find the end zone a few times.
New York’s impressive run is expected to end in Indianapolis, but if the Jets are close in the fourth quarter, they can’t be counted out.
Coach Rex Ryan has the Jets believing they can achieve anything, and so far they have. Since he mentioned they were out of playoff contention with a pre-Christmas loss to Atlanta, the Jets have won four straight, twice on the road in the playoffs against division champions Cincinnati and San Diego.
In their 29-15 win at Lucas Oil Stadium to end the Colts’ record 23-game regular-season winning string—including the first 14 this season—the Jets benefited greatly from P. Manning sitting out much of the second half. Ryan knows his top-ranked defense will see plenty of Manning on Sunday.
With all the blitzing they do, the Jets are not great at sacking quarterbacks. They won’t likely rattle four-time league MVP Manning, whose supporting cast is deep and talented. While Jets cornerback D. Revis is the best cover man in the NFL and will be charged with shutting down star receiver R.Wayne, Manning will find other targets. Frequently.
Manning’s work this season was his most impressive considering he had to train two new wideouts in rookie A. Collie and the raw P. Garcon. Tight end D. Clark had his best season with 100 catches.
New York’s best chance is for its No. 1-rated rushing game to dominate the ball and the clock. It could happen behind a superb offensive line, but the Colts shut down Baltimore’s staunch running game last week. If Jets rookie quarterback Sanchez has to win this game, then the Jets will be in trouble.
Can No. 1-seeded Colts, Saints get to Super Bowl?
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