Here we are, the end of division weekend.  What a weekend it was.  Saturday was great and Sunday, well wasn’t nearly as exciting.

First, the Ravens vs. Texans.  Truth be told, I was out for most of the game, so I didn’t get to see it.  However, what I did see wasn’t overly impressive.  Though, to say the team’s played poorly isn’t fair.  After all, the Texans had a rookie, and a rather good one at that.  It seems what he really needs to do is get a better understanding of the deep ball, as that’s where he seemed to struggle.  Other than that, against a tough Ravens defense he looked better than playing in what I believe was only his 6th start in the NFL.  What I’m worried about is the Ravens next week.  They only put up 20 points, and I know the Texans have a solid defense, but they’re going to have to somehow figure out how to get more points on the board if they want to compete against Tom Brady’s lethal passing attack.  Well, either way, good job Ravens, who do continue to impress me and I wish them the best of luck next week.  You know what, for their first playoff appearance and without a starting Quarterback, the Texans really show a lot of promise for next year, and I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for them.  I say the Ravens sneak by mainly because they let the Texans hang on, or rather the Texans wouldn’t let the game get out of hand.

Ravens: 20

Texans: 13

What’s there to say about the Packers vs. Giants game, it took forever to get remotely exciting.  The Packers looked incredibly unorganized for most of the game, and their receivers were about as useless as could be most of the time.  Neither defense was impressive, and they did that fake tackling.  What I mean by that is they didn’t wrap people up, but rather tried to push them or trip them up.  I can’t stand that, it never works and it hurt the Packers a few times as Giants were able to just push them off and keep running.  Honestly, the Packers looked as bad as the Eagles on defense and not much better on offense (granted, Rodgers is a lot better than Vick, but that’s a given).  Still, the Giants put on an impressive show.  Now, it’s really not hard to put up a lot of points, as the Giants proved in their last meeting, the hard part is stopping the Packers offense.  Sure, the Packers didn’t play well, but the Giants did, and their defense got it going more and more as the game went on.  While I didn’t like the referees ruling the fumble in the beginning of the game as not a fumble, it proved to barely bother the Giants.  Eli Manning continues to be a big time Quarterback, which you would never guess by listening to Philadelphia media that find the need to constantly lie and say he’s not good.  I’m kind of glad the two offensive powerhouses have been eliminated, this way the NFC Championship game will be more balanced across the board, forcing each team to play their best at every position.  That’s next week, right now congratulations to the Giants, who were often forgotten in the NFC East that had all the hype go to the Eagles and Cowboys.

Giants: 37

Packers: 20

Now, for next week.  Oh my, next week is going to be a fun one.  Championship weekend.

For the AFC Championship game I’m very interested to see how the Ravens defense faces the Patriots offense.  Assuming they are able to keep it close the focus switches to the Ravens offense and Patriots defense.  Now, it was impossible to judge the Patriots defense against the Broncos since Tebow just isn’t good.  I’ve always been a fan of Joe Flacco, and want him to have a good game.  The problem is, the Patriots just look like a team on a mission they aren’t willing to let get away from them.  The few times I was able to watch the Ravens in the past two years it seems like while Flacco gets his job done, the receivers drop what seem to be sure catches.  Even watching some recap of the game today it looks like that still is a lingering issue.  Though, with their defense I see the Ravens making it a close game that should go down to the last minute.

Then there’s the NFC Championship game, the one I’m more interested in (mainly because I want to see Alex Smith continue proving he’s not a “game manager”).  Granted, it would be rather awesome to see the Giants and Patriots back in the Super Bowl together, but two Harbaughs would also be great since they both have teams that are somewhat similar, especially in terms of strong defenses.  Now, the Giants and 49ers are on a role right now, there’s no denying that.  Each look like they really want to win, and I have to give the edge to the 49ers.  Unlike the Giants, their defense actually hits, and hard.  They don’t try to trip people up or push them down.  No, they grab them and wrap them up.  Their hits are hard.  After watching the final touchdown of their game it was shown to me what a team that wants nothing more than to win and get to the Super Bowl looks like (much like the Patriots in the AFC).  The Giants do have a lethal offense, but a slightly better than serviceable defense (there were quite a few opportunities for the Packers to come back, their receivers just weren’t catching anything).  I’m looking forward to the 49ers beating the Giants.  Though, if it’s the other way around I won’t really care that much, as the Giants really aren’t a hated rival for me, that honor goes to the Cowboys.