It was Sunday, Jan. 22, and I woke up full of energy, life, and joy for the day ahead of me. It was one of the most exciting days in a sports fan’s year. The day ahead of me was going to be fantastic; the AFC and NFC Championship games were taking place. What more could a fan ask for? Instead, I felt sorrow, confused, and like most sports fans, like I got punched in the stomach. On Sunday morning, the world lost one of the biggest icons in sports history. Joseph Vincent Paterno lost his life after 85 luxurious years as a teacher, coach, husband, and loving father.
There will be numerous views on the cause of death. He had recently suffered complications due to his treatment for lung cancer, but people close to the Penn State icon seem to think he died of a broken heart. A broken heart caused by the downfall of the legendary Penn State football program, and the alleged actions of Jerry Sandusky.
Known as Joe Pa to everyone, he had achieved more goals in his life then some people could only dream of. Most notably, he had won two national championships and had the most wins as a coach in Division 1 football. Although Paterno was a once in a lifetime figure, and will never be forgotten, it is paramount that the community and the ones close to the legendary coach begin to move forward. For right now, the Penn State community is feeling sorrow and in disbelief, but we can only hope that sometime in the near future they can return to “Happy Valley.”
Even though the entire sports community, including former players under Paterno, was dealing with heavy hearts, there was still football to be played on Sunday.
The first matchup featured the top two teams in the AFC. The Baltimore Ravens traveled to Foxboro to attempt to slow down Tom Brady and the high-powered Patriots offense. The contest was a nail biter until the final second with neither team recording more than a seven point lead. The quarterback to look out for in this game was Joe Flacco. Flacco was the more efficient of the two, with two touchdowns to Brady’s two interceptions. With both teams squandering numerous opportunities and settling for field goals throughout the game, it was ironic that the final moments of the game came down to a field goal attempt by Billy Cundiff. After driving down the field and failing to convert on a touchdown attempt from Flacco to Lee Evans, the Ravens set up for what looked like to be a field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. To the surprise to everyone in Gillette Stadium, and those watching on television, was the missed 32-yard field goal by Cundiff. This missed field goal ultimately sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
The nightcap featured two teams from the NFC that very few people would have predicted to have been in this situation when the season started. After the season kicked off with the defending champions Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints, I for one thought we would see a rematch of those two teams in the NFC Championship game. The only thing standing in the way of my prediction was the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. Last week, the fearless Giants walked into Lambeau Field and bullied the Packers on their way to a 37-20 victory. The 49ers felt the same excitement as the Giants last weekend, when they beat the Saints in an offensive outburst, 36-32.
With both teams riding big waves of momentum into Sunday night’s contest, it was hard to predict who would come out on top. It would come down to who could take care of the ball and take advantage of their opportunities. Eli Manning continued his postseason magic, throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns. The game changed half way through the fourth quarter, when Kyle Williams muffed the punt, allowing it to graze off of his knee. The Giants took advantage converting the fumble to a touchdown to take a 17-14 lead. After David Akers tied the game up 17-17, the game went into overtime. The 49ers stopped Manning for the second consecutive series and were able to force another punt. Instead of receiving the ball and driving for the game-winning score, Williams earned himself the award for being the most hated person in San Francisco after fumbling another punt, helping the Giants set up for the game-winning field goal.
After going 2-0 last week, including predicting the correct score in the latter game, I am going to try my luck in the game of all games. The “rematch” of Super Bowl XLII will be one to watch. In Phoenix, the Giants were the only thing standing between the Patriots and perfection. The Patriots will have a lot of revenge they want to take out on the Giants in two weeks. I don’t see this happening. Manning is playing as well as he did when he won his first Super Bowl, and I believe the Giants are overall the better team. They will make it three straight wins against New England, including a win earlier this season in Foxboro. Manning will lead the game-winning drive on their way to a 27-24 victory.
At the end of the night, I expect to see Eli holding the Lombardi Trophy in the house that Peyton built.
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