Broncos 23 The best part of the divisional round wasn’t the epic Cards/Pack game, Seattle’s near-comeback, Peyton Manning’s return from injury, or the “revenge of the home team” a week after road teams swept the postseason slate. It was Demaryius Thomas and his mom. It just feels like the sort of story that gets a ton of play during the two week wait for Super Bowl Sunday. (It certainly goes down easier than Von Miller’s mozzarella sticks …) Pittsburgh fell short against a mediocre Manning, but this wasn’t a terrible loss considering the Vontaze Burfict Effect left a banged up Big Ben with a depleted receiving corps and forced them to feature a 4th-string running back. If Fitzgerald Touissant played less like a French general and more like Frenchy Fuqua, perhaps the Steelers don’t lose for the fourth time in their last five trips to Denver. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Panthers 31 Carolina said all week they were the better team and only needed 30 minutes to prove it. But the Panthers better get those sphincters right before Sunday, or else Arizona will win much easier than they did Saturday. Pete Carroll said this game was a microcosm of Seattle’s season and he was totally right. Any team capable of shrugging off a 2-4 start to the season and a 31-point halftime deficit against a 15-1 team to get within an onside kick recovery of a 3rd straight conference championship game should be feared. For once I can actually agree with Richard Sherman. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
AP Photo/Mike McCarn
Cardinals 26 (OT) This might be the most thrilling, surreal postseason game we’ve seen since Arizona lost Super Bowl XLIII. Right when you thought Carson Palmer’s lucky TD was the craziest thing you’d seen all year, Aaron Rodgers had another Hail Mary answered in the affirmative. Then Larry Fitzgerald used overtime to remind us he’s one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game (fastest player in postseason history to score 10 career receiving TDs). This makes me sure 1) we’ll have another instant classic in Carolina next Sunday and 2) even in defeat, Rodgers is the best QB in the game. Think about it: Rodgers took Green Bay 96 yards in 70 seconds — with no time outs, no pass protection and no top receivers. Jeff Janis — who had two catches all season — had just as many clutch, big yardage grabs on that final drive. As long as #12 is under center, Titletown will be in the title conversation. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Patriots 27 In his league-record 30th playoff appearance, Tom Brady now has 17 career postseason games with multiple TD passes, the most such games since 1970. Brady’s Patriots also joined the 1973-77 Raiders as the only teams in the Super Bowl Era to reach five straight conference championships. New England is the most consistently great team we’ve seen since the AFL-NFL merger … and they look poised for Belichick and Brady’s 7th trip to the Super Bowl. That said, Kansas City was able to hang around until the end even though Andy Reid’s late game clock management was again under scrutiny. The Chiefs’ biggest offseason need is someone to coach up the coach on how to be better in the clutch. (AP Foto/Steven Senne)
AP Foto/Steven Senne
