-Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963

I had that written down on Monday.  With so much to write concerning football over the previous two days, I was more in the holiday mindset.  January 16th was to be a day of rest in America, honoring the life of King.  I thought about trudging on and still writing the column, but then I realized that MLK's birthday wasn't the only anniversary for me to celebrate that day...

-Bart Scott on January 16, 2011

With these two celebrations in play, it was abundantly clear that Monday was to be a day of reflection, not labor.  So when Tuesday rolled along, I was revved up and ready to go.  That was, of course, until I found out it was Kid Rick's 41st birthday.  It's a day I celebrate privately every year.  I wouldn't dare soil tradition with a blog posting.  So all the sudden we were knocked back to Wednesday.

But we're here now, and we're here 'til the end.  Eight teams were left going into Saturday afternoon.  We now have four.  Things played out the exact way most people thought they would in the AFC.  The #1 seeded Patriots will host the #2 seeded Ravens.  Houston and Denver had their carpet rides come to an end (or in the case of Denver, the carpet incinerated and crash-landed into a cesspool.)  The NFC had a little more tricks up its sleeve.  In any case, we're left with two Harbaughs and two Elite Quarterbacks in the conference championships.  Yum yum.

It's convenient that the first game of the weekend was also the best one.  By far.  Going into the game, I mentioned that New Orleans just had more outlets to victory than the Niners did.  Too many weapons, too much experience, too much of a quarterback advantage, etc.  Well, when you turn the ball over five times, it kinda sorta saps away your outlets to victory.  Sure enough, the Niners built a 17-0 first-half lead.

But even so, I was simply wondering not if, but how fast the Saints would come back.  It was the typical disrespect I've shown the Niners since training camp started.  And this foolhardy mindset was temporarily justified when New Orleans got hot and made it a 17-14 game at the half.  Just like the Lions game the week before, it was time for the touchdown avalanche...

But not this Niners team.  That 'avalanche' I was thinking about...how about the Saints scoring all of three second half points until less than five minutes remained in the game.  And just when you thought you were impressed at the Niners performance (holding the Saints to just 17 points with five minutes left) was when things really got nutty.

Defense versus offense.  Force versus immovable object.  One football philosophy pitted against another.  For 55 minutes of the game, San Francisco was beating New Orleans by playing their own game.  For the final five minutes, San Fran beat New Orleans at their own game.  And that was the shocker of the divisional weekend.

Because yes, a 23-17 game deep into the 4th quarter turned into a 36-32 victory.  The Saints scoring with 4:02 left put them up by one point and certainly made New Orleans breathe a sigh of relief.  After a crazy start, they finally had the lead, very late in the game.  After playing calm and collected the entire day, an Alex Smith-led offense now was trailing and needed to efficiently and effectively drive the field.  The heartbreak 49er ending just seemed to be predictable.

Welp, before those thoughts even processed through my skull, Smith was already deep in New Orleans territory.  By hooking up with his once-upon-a-time-unfocused tight end Vernon Davis, Smith had me going, "Wow, he got them into range.  They'll kick a field goal, take their chances with Brees, and live to play another minute of so."  Then it happened.

I mean IT happened.  It was a play straight out of the Mountain West conference of college football.  If you don't know the saga of Alex Smith's career, I would strongly encourage a Wikipedia visit on the matter (ya know, on a day it's not shutdown in protest.)  But to see him running down that sideline...wow.  I know it may be blasphemy, but I was equally as shocked watching that play as I was watching Marshawn Lynch mow down the Saints the year before.  Not in terms of athletic ability and difficulty, of course.  But just in terms of pure shock value in terms of play call, player involved, and the high stakes involved.  When the Saints scored with 4 minutes left, who the hell would have thought the Niners would not only score, but also leave too much time for Brees afterwards??

Sure enough, the Saints scored in about 30 seconds to go up 32-29.  Any rational person thought the game was over.  But if lightning was ever going to strike twice, it was going to be in Candlestick Park on this day.  Smith to Davis once, and Smith to Davis twice.  Smiles and Yippies! from Alex, nothing but water-works from Vernon.  And even in a game like this, 10 seconds wasn't enough time for Brees and the vaunted Saints to respond.  New Orleans is already a built team that won't have much major tweaking to do this offseason.  But you gotta think priority number one for them in 2012 will be avoiding a playoff trip to an NFC West team by any means necessary.

Now, never you worry.  I realize this post is on pace to be about 30,000 words.  I assure you this will not be the case.  Because as good as the San Francisco-New Orleans matchup was, that's how ho-hum the two AFC games were.  Real quick on those two...

First off, the Patriots looked pretty darn impressive on Saturday night.  Six touchdown passes, nothing for Tebow to do, Gronk, etc.  Sure, Denver proved it would not have been anywhere near that game if the Steelers has any semblance of health or if Ike Taylor played like anything close to a moderately-skilled football player.  But New England finally got off their one-and-done schnide and look to be peaking as they host Baltimore this Sunday.  

...and Baltimore will be there due to plenty of good fortune as well.  Houston did not get eliminated because they were the worse team.  They were eliminated because in a game all about the quarterbacks, it finally became clear that they didn't have what it took from TJ Yates.  If Matt Schaub were healthy and playing, we're likely talking about a double-digit Texans victory.  Nonetheless, injuries happen.  The Ravens won't be giving this game back, but they know that scoring just 3 points in the final three quarters of this week's game will result in a New England slaughter.  Brady won't be nearly as accommodating as the rookie Yates.

Now onto those hometown boys in Blue.  Or if you've listened to the New York fans/media this week, "The Team of Invincibility That Beats 15-1 Teams No Problem Even Though the Refs Tried to Give Green Bay the Game."  To make things easy and political correct, we'll just call them the Giants.

On the surface, a 37-20 beatdown on the road against a 15-1 team says plenty.  Eli Manning is playing at a level that...well, isn't making things any easier for Mark Sanchez and his struggles in this town.  Hakeem Nicks again exploded, reiterating the fact that spotlighting Victor Cruz isn't the best idea on defense.  The running game was capable, the defense forced turnovers with consistency, and the Giants played an unbelievably complete game.  The better team on Sunday was really never in doubt.

Now that being said....What the hell happened to the Packers?  Ya know, the Packers?  The fellas that scored 30 points in 11 of their games this season?  The unstoppable offense?  The MVP playing quarterback?  The Packers were playing with the focus and crispness of an August preseason game.

Now of course the Giants had plenty to do with this.  It would be foolish to think the ever-ferocious pass rush and improved secondary play got lucky all day.  But starting in December 2010, every single imaginable thing seemed to go right for the Packers.  Their defense took advantage of every mistake.  Rodgers threaded passes into the tiniest window imaginable.  The backs and receivers wouldn't dare drop a pass or fumble the ball.

Over a year's worth of near-perfection really got flipped on its head Sunday.  Ryan Grant and John Kuhn may not be dynamic gamebreakers, but they have been sure-handed backs for the Packers over their careers.  A fumble apiece, and give the Giants credit for hopping on them both.  The Packers defense definitely regressed throughout the season, but always had the personnel to get to the quarterback.  On most of his dropbacks Sunday, Eli Manning had time to scarf down a sandwich before throwing a pass to an open receiver.  

But this game can be broken into five plays.  On offense, it would be Rodgers' early incompletion to Jennings and Rodgers' late incompletion to Finley.  I can't locate it on Youtube, but you can just imagine the tone of the telecast on that Jennings play.  It's a touchdown the Packers have put in the bank dozens of times this season.  Jennings didn't have a soul within five yards of him, and his all-world quarterback flat-out missed.  By quite a bit.  The later one to Finley was no sure touchdown, but just showed a mortal side of Rodgers that had gone unseen for over a year.

So those things happened...fine.  No offense can be invincible for every single week.  The Giants defense did everything they needed to wreak havoc.  But the three plays on defense that changed the game were inexcusable in every way.

Play #1: An 'Oh my God, it happened again." play.  Over the last month, the Giants have had a knack for turning normal gains to crazy plays.  You would think the Packers would place post-reception tackling at the very top of their list on defense.  They respond with some flailing pinball approach on defense.  I mean...are you kidding me?  Full credit goes to Nicks for being unbelievable hard to bring down in the open field...and full discredit to the Packers for being the only people on earth that didn't seem to be aware.

Play #2: (The first 35 seconds of the video.)  Not the most damaging play of the game, but certainly the most egregious.  It was halftime.  It. Was. Halftime.  Everybody playing on the field seemed to want halftime.  Go ahead and play Madden, put the settings on the easiest level of gameplay, and see if you're able to run the ball to the left and then be able to get all the way across the field out of bounds.  Try it 100 times.  It should just never happen in a professional game.  Green Bay refused to touch Bradshaw the entire play, and did the only thing they couldn't afford to do.  And that was set up the possibility for...

Play #3: (Everything after the first 35 seconds of the video.)  I mean, you saw it happening.  The ball seemed to be in the air for ten seconds.  Actually, it was just three seconds, from :47-:50 of the video.  Pausing the video at :49 seconds, there are 3 Giants in the endzone and just 2 Packers.  It what universe could this ever be allowed to happen?  There is no time left on the clock.  There are five Packers running with the guy who isn't in the endzone, but two guys covering the three Giants who are actually a threat.  Simply unbelievable.  Great throw by Eli, better catch by Nicks, inexcusably woeful defensive football by Green Bay.

And after that...what can you say?  The Packers never recovered from that devastating shell-shock before the half.  The Big Blue defense just  moseyed along, allowing yards but not points.  Making the clock their best friend.  There were certainly times where the Packers seemed to be getting things together (and after watching the insane 49ers-Saints game, didn't 4:46 seem like an eternity when Rodgers & co. made the game 30-20?)  

But when push came to shove, Eli Manning went into Lambeau and had himself a ball.  Plenty of time to throw, plenty of open receivers, plenty of yards after the catch.  It was the formula that had people talking about potential back-to-back titles in Green Bay.  The Giants played with composure on the road, and have now earned the chance to go to San Fran in the NFC Championship game.  Who the hell woulda thought?

Alex Smith, 49ers. Stats be damned.  Brady and Gronkowski were...admirable(?)....in running up the score on a 8-8 team.  Smith put up the numbers when everything was on the line.  As I covered (eeeeeeextensively) before, his run up the left side will long live in 49ers lore.  Playing in the same conference with Vick, Romo, Eli, Romo, Rodgers, Stafford, Cutler, Brees, Ryan, and even Newton...it's been real easy for Alex Smith to be left in the dust.  He put on a 'How you like me now?' performance on the biggest of stages.  And it's him who will be hosting the NFC Championship game  Long time coming for the man named Smith.