Before we look forward to this weekend’s NFL conference championship games, let’s take a look back. What has the NFL been talking about in the last month? Should the Colts seat their starters to rest heading into the playoffs or not? There were many people who were divided on the answer, but I think we would all agree on what the correct answer is: Play them! Or at least rest injured players, but don’t bench most of the starters in the final two weeks of the regular season, even if everything is fixed.
That was the position the Colts found themselves in after that 13-0 start. They had secured it all: the division title, the bye week, the home field for the postseason, the number one spot. However, anyone who saw Sunday’s loss to the Steelers saw an Indy team that was rusty for most of the game. Very rusty.
The Colts were out of sync most of the way in their 21-18 loss to the Steelers. In general, having a bye week gives the team enough time, two weeks, to rest and prepare. It takes time and practice to get a team in sync because there are so many players who need to work together in unison: blocking patterns, running backs hitting the right holes, linemen shooting, catchers running patterns, quarterbacks getting the ball to them on time. roads, etc.
Think of the last game of the Denver Broncos regular season. Denver was a 12-point dog at San Diego in a pointless game for the Broncos. They had everything stitched up and they just needed to stay healthy. Instead, Mike Shanahan had several starters play important first-half minutes. They also played inspired soccer, dominating the Chargers in an impressive performance. I remember the end of the regular season a year ago when the Patriots hosted the terrible 49ers at home in a pointless game, but Bill Belichick started for three quarters. The reason was a little different, as the Patriots played a slow first half, tied 3-3, as a heavy favorite. Belichick didn’t like the performance and sent the headlines for the second half, to hell with injuries! They followed the next few weeks with commanding performances en route to winning another Super Bowl title.
With the remaining four teams, is there anything that stands out? Yes, defense! Carolina and Pittsburgh are ranked # 3 and # 4 in the NFL in total defense, with the Broncos and Seahawks # 15 and 16. More important is the ground defense, and note that all the remaining teams are in the Top 5 of the NFL. to stop the race! It goes through Denver (second), Pittsburgh (third), Carolina (fourth) and Seattle (fifth). One of them will win the Super Bowl, so again, filling the race is a big key to building a championship defense.
That hasn’t translated into a significant number of losses for those teams, but keep in mind that 6 of the 8 playoff games so far have fallen short of total. Yes, it should come as no surprise that the defense wins championships in all sports, once again!
