All right, before we get to the crazy Giants Packers game, let’s break down what we saw in the AFC Championship Game.

(1) I thought I was watching a CFL game with the amount of times both teams were operating out of the shotgun despite the cold weather.

(2) The Chargers actually had a shot to beat the Pats if it wasn’t for their lousy red zone offence. New England only had 36 more yards, but San Diego had to kick field goals from the 9, 6, 23 and 7 yard lines. You can’t beat the Patriots with field goals. Just ain’t gonna happen.

(3) Kevin Faulk once again came up big in the playoffs. People forget just how important he is to this team. The last time the Pats won the Super Bowl, Faulk had one of the biggest plays of the 2005 playoffs. In New England’s 20-3 win over the Colts, the Patriots faced a third-and-ten at their own six-yard line, up by only 10 points early in the 4th quarter. Faulk made his only catch of the game: an athletic 11-yard catch to convert that third down. The Pats went on to score a touchdown on that drive, and that catch ended any chances of a Colts comeback.

(4) The fact that Randy Moss had only one catch is much ado about nothing. He was the ultimate decoy and allowed Welker and Faulk to collect 15 catches.

(5) Brady had the flu, but still he was mediocre at best yesterday. His end zone interception was brutal. He locked on to a well covered Welker in the right flat, and then tried to force the ball to Ben Watson in the back of the endzone. Brady should have known better-- throw the ball out of bounds and take the three points.

(6) Best play of the game: Reserve WR Kelley Washington downing a Pats punt inside the five-yard line. Asante Samuel picked off Rivers five plays later, and the Pats scored quickly to take a 7-6 lead... a lead they would never relinquish.

(7) On a scale of 1-10, how angry do you think Fantasy Owners of Laurence Maroney are right now? He had only one game all year where he had more than 20 carries during the regular season, but has 47 carries in two playoff games.

(8) This might sound crazy but I say the Chargers should trade LaDainian Tomlinson right now. He will be 29 years old when the 2008 NFL season starts, and has about 3,000 carries/receptions on his career. The team would get multiple high draft picks, and would still have the effective combo of Michael Turner and Darren Sproles to run the ball. Did the Giants have a drop off after losing Tiki Barber? The Patriots were just as effective with Heath Evans as the tailback (yes, THE Heath Evans) as they were with Maroney. If there is anything we know about winning in the NFL, it’s that having an elite single RB is way down on the list of top priorities.

... as a Giants fan I need some more time to get my thoughts around what happened on Sunday. More to come on Tuesday.

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