NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES RECAP

Well the NFC and the AFC have crowned their 2009 Champions and the Super Bowl match up is set. We have the NO. 1 seeded New Orleans Saints as Champions of the NFC and we have the No. 1 seeded Indianapolis Colts as Champions of the AFC. Lets take a closer look at each of the Conference Championship games.

THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NEW ORLEANS 31 MINNESOTA 28 IN OT

The Minnesota Vikings dominated every phase of this game but two, the turnover battle and the scoreboard. The Vikings won time of possession by almost ten minutes, they more than doubled the Saints in first downs 31 to 15, the Vikings had 475 total yards to the Saints 257 but the Vikings had five turnovers to the Saints 1. The -4 in the turnover battle really done the Vikings in. Minnesota had a chance to go up 21 to 14 at the half, after recovering Reggie Bush's muffed punt in the Saints red zone, but Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson fumbled a hand off exchange inside the Saints ten yard line and they went into the half tied at 14.

The Vikings defense really played well in the second half as they shut down the Saints high powered offense. It was Viking turnovers that set the Saints offense up for points. Even with all of the turnovers by the Vikings, the game was tied at 28 when their defense got the ball back for Brett Favre and their offense for one last attempt to win the game and send the Vikings to their first Super Bowl in 33 years. With the Vikings within their kicker's field goal range with about 25 seconds left on the clock they faced a third down. The Vikings wanted to get a few more yards to give the kicker a better shot at a game winner and they get flagged for a five yard penalty for 12 men in the huddle. What a dumb and costly mistake that would be. Facing about a 56 or 57 yard field goal if they didn't gain any more yards Brett Favre knew he needed to get some yards for his kicker. Favre took the snap and he rolled to his right to buy some time and he had a running lane that he could have probably picked up 8 to 10 yards if he would have ran with the ball. Instead of running Favre passed across his body into the middle of the field to try to get the ball to Sidney Rice but the play turned into their most costly turnover of the game as it was picked off.

The game went to overtime and the Saints won the coin toss drove the ball into Minnesota territory having to overcome a 4th and inches to keep their drive alive. Then the Vikings were flagged for pass interference to move the Saints into field goal range. The Saints sent in their little-known kicker Garrett Hartley to try a 40 yard field goal for a chance to go to their first Super Bowl. THE KICK WAS GOOD, THE KICK WAS GOOD THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!

THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME INDIANAPOLIS 30 NEW YORK JETS 17

In the AFC Championship Game the Cinderella New York Jets jumped out to a 17 to 6 second quarter lead on the NO. 1 seeded Indianapolis Colts. Then Peyton Manning and the Colts woke up as Manning threw a TD pass to cut the Jets lead to 17 to 13 at the half.

The second half was all Colts as they out scored the Jets 17 to 0 to get the win and another trip to the Super Bowl. This will be the Colts second Super Bowl appearance in the last four years. They defeated the Bears in Miami in the Super Bowl three years ago. The Colts got a huge game from Peyton Manning as he was 26 of 39 for 377 yards and 3 TD passes. The Colts also got a huge game from Haitian native Pierre Garcon as he had 11 catches for 153 yards and 1 TD. SO IT IS THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AND THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS IN THE SUPER BOWL THIS SEASON!!!

DID YOU KNOW? The Minnesota Vikings have lost five straight NFC Title games.

DID YOU KNOW? Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell is only the fifth rookie Head Coach to reach the Super Bowl.

THE ARMCHAIR COACH went 1 and 1 in predicting the NFL Conference Championship Games last week. My record for the season is 228 and 106 for a percentage of .683.

The ArmChair Coach will have his Super Bowl preview blog next Wednesday. Stay tuned.

Until Next Wednesday.