San Francisco 49ers, 28 Atlanta Falcons, 24
The Atlanta Falcons 2013 Postseason involved two of the best offensive starts of all time. WR Julio Jones had 100 yards before the end of the 1st quarter and QB Matt Ryan had almost 300 yards before the half (all of which was to Jones, TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Roddy White). The 49ers vaunted secondary looked over-matched. Luckily for the 49ers, QB Colin Kaepernick again showed up to play and the Falcons' D looked similarly over-matched, so that RB LeMichael James and TE Vernon Davis (back from the dead) could keep the 49ers in striking distance 24-14 at half. San Fran went into the locker room hoping their award-winning, big-talking D could stop something, anything whatsoever.
Turns out, the San Francisco D only needed one stop. RB Frank Gore pounded the Falcons for two touchdowns, and Matt Ryan ended two more 49er-gouging drives with Ryan-generated turnovers; a terrible interception and a fumble off a perfectly good snap. After Gore's second touchdown, Falcons down 4 points with 8 minutes left, both cities were sick with dread. San Francsico dreading a Matt Ryan who had yet to see any resistance from any defensive 49er. Atlanta dreading a Matt Ryan who moved the ball with ease only to brutally turn it over two previous times. Unfortunately for Atlanta, theirs was the dread that would be realized, inside the 20, the Falcons turned over on downs.
KEY PLAY: On the Falcons' final drive, Matt Ryan threw to a wide open WR Harry Douglas who barely controlled the ball before going out of bounds. The play was controversial in the usual control-of-the-ball ways and will forever be enshrined by San Francisco Coach Jim Harbaugh's petulant temper tantrum after the call didn't go his way. Lost in the controversy and the overblown reaction, was that Douglas was wide open and if he had not tripped over his own two feet. there is no doubt the Falcons would have went ahead 31-28.
MVP: RB Frank Gore has been on a quest for a long time. I don't know what it is about Gore that allows him to be so easily overshadowed. For years, he has been the unappreciated running back (outside of SF of course) that defies the odds and continues to produce but "not for a contender". Now, he produces for a contender and all eyes are on Kaepernick! Gore, however, didn't need the read-option to produce in this game, this was a career game for him.
Baltimore Ravens, 28 New England Patriots, 13
Another big Patriots/Ravens face-off ends in revenge. In the 'Brady v. Lewis' era, the Patriots had only been defeated once previously, an absolute drubbing from Baltimore in the 2011 Wildcard. The Patriots got their revenge for that game in last year's AFC Championship and now the Ravens get their revenge for that revenge tonight. Simple enough.
The game was a model of good football. New England's offense and Baltimore's defense, a full decade of excellence behind each, battled hard. QB Tom Brady was able to move the ball with a balanced attack of RB Stevan Ridley, TE Aaron Hernandez and WR Wes Welker but where Baltimore bends, Baltimore did not break. The Patriots piled up 8-12 play drives in the 1st half but had only 13 points for their trouble.
The long Patriot drives resulted in awful field position for Baltimore the entire 1st half (13, 10, 8, 10 and 14). The inept Raven offenses of old would be defeated this way, but QB Joe Flacco was able to eat yards and lead at least one 90-yard touchdown drive, which an improvising RB Ray Rice finished off. The Ravens were down a comfortable 13-7 at the half, considering.
Both teams remained efficient, there was not a turnover until 12:48 in the 4th quarter when Ridley was literally knocked out by S Bernard Pollard (he of season-ending Brady (2008), Welker (2009) and Gronkowski (2011) injury fame). The fumble was the turning point of the game, coming shortly after Flacco's 2nd TD and resulting in his 3rd. The Patriot-killer's rep has surely expanded.
KEY PLAY: Ridley's knockout fumble changed the game, when two well-oiled teams play, the turnovers are normally the deciding factor.
MVP: QB Joe Flacco. The Ravens dominated the 2nd half because they put the ball into Flacco's hands, throwing 27 times to 7 runs until LB Darnell Ellerbee's game-deciding, wild tip interception late in the 4th. Flacco converted for two red zone touchdowns to WR Anquan Boldin one a powerful grab to start the 4th quarter, and a 2nd Boldin TD after the KO'd Ridley fumble.
Joe Flacco and the Ravens did what young Ray Lewis could have only dreamed of his offense doing, they went into shotgun and opened it up, putting Brady and Co on their heels. It must have been nice for Lewis, Ed Reed, Suggs etc to play great but to not have to win the game themselves.
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