By Justin Albright and Nic Velasquez Posted February 10, 2012
The NFL playoffs are always a thrill to watch each year for the die-hard football fans of America. This year’s playoffs did not disappoint as there were multiple thrilling games.
Without a doubt, the best upset of the playoffs was the Denver Broncos over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tim Tebow led the Broncos to a shocking victory over the Super Bowl Favorites. The Bronco defense held the Pittsburgh offense in check for most of the game as Ben Roethlisberger tried to play through a lingering high-ankle sprain. The Houston Texans got the franchise’s first-ever playoff win as they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10. The New York Giants got started off on the right foot as they demolished the Falcons 24-2. The highest-scoring game was the Detroit Lions vs. the New Orleans Saints. This game featured two very high powered offenses, but the Saints won the game 45-28
The second round of the playoffs featured Tom Brady and the New England Patriots destroying Tebow and the Denver Broncos 45-10. Everyone’s Super Bowl favorites, the Green Bay Packers, faced an obstacle in the New York Giants as their playoff hopes came to an end in a 37-20 loss. The Baltimore Ravens ended the Houston Texans playoff hopes in a 20-13 win as the Ravens’ suffocating defense held the Texan offense in check throughout the game. The best game of the second round was between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints. The 49ers ended up winning the game 36-32 on a game-winning touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis as Drew Brees led a Saints comeback. The Saints somehow managed to stay in the game despite turning the ball over constantly.
Tom Brady and the Patriots bagged up another win in the AFC championship. This close-knit game against the Ravens was decided at the last minute with a field goal from Stephen Gostkowski. Even though Tom Brady played one of his worst games of the season, the Patriots escaped with a 23-20 win. In the NFC championship, the Giants overcame a big 20-17 victory over the 49ers to set up a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Giants.
The anticipated rematch of the Giants and the Patriots ended the same way that it ended a few years back. The Giants ended up on top and took home the trophy. Eli Manning won MVP. The 2011-2012 NFL playoffs ended up very exciting with many upsets and good games just like usual.
