Hi Folks,

As we do each Monday, here are our exclusive Game Recaps where we sit a couple of our guys down in front of every NFL game to pull out the important items you need to know from a Fantasy Football standpoint.

We try to go way beyond what the box score or standard game recaps will offer and bring you what you really Need to Know and what you Ought to Know. Let's jump to it.

Joe

Playoff Week 2 GAME RECAPS

Footballguys Game Recap Writers: Mike Anderson, Bill Brown, Michael Brown, Jeff Caldwell, Stan Dorsey, Cathy Fazio, Rich Fix, Mike Flynn, Bradley Gabbard, Cory Gilbert, Clayton Gray, Tracy Hackler, A. Jalen, Alex Knapik, Mike Krucek Jeff Lewis, Scott Martin, Allen Matirossian, Dave Oleyar, Jeff Pasquino, Greg Porzucek, Steve Prosapio, Steve Schone, David Shick, Jeff Siedsma, Mark Strickland, Dave Teller, Michael Tudor, Kerry Walls, Mark Westmyer, Todd Young

Edited by Joe Bryant

Tennessee Titans 14 at New England Patriots 17

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

RB Eddie George looked like the same RB who averaged 3.0 yards per carry all season. He plowed straight ahead for moderate gains making no one miss and not shedding many tacklers. Backup RB Chris Brown showed burst and was more effective. Brown had the fourth and fifth carries of the game for Tennessee and scored their first TD.

QB Steve McNair did a great job of keeping the Titans moving during the second and third quarters completing 12 of 14 passes (1 TD) during this stretch. Although the Titans dominated the time of possession during the middle of the game, they were only able to tie the game. The cold and lack of range from KR Gary Anderson prevented the Titans from scoring after 39-yard and 54-yard drives.

WR Derrick Mason was McNair's receiving security blanket leading the team in receptions and targets, but McNair went to WRs McCareins and Bennett late with the game on the line. Both delivered with two catches each in the fourth quarter, but Bennett dropped what could have set up a game tying FG on fourth down shortly after making a fantastic sideline grab.

New England Patriots

QB Tom Brady spread the ball around to 10 different receivers in the game. WR David Givens led the team with 9 targets, but it appeared that Brady didn't favor any particular player. Trying to predict who will be the leading WR each week for New England is not an easy task.

RB Antowain Smith was just effective enough to keep the Titans guessing. He was injured on the final play of the third quarter, but returned half way through the fourth. The presence of a mild running attack combined with a short and quick passing game from Brady kept the Titan's pass rush at bay. Brady was not sacked and hit very seldom.

The Patriots confused the Titans with several blitz formations and forced Tennessee into false starts and delay of game penalties. New England committed only 2 penalties compared to 9 from Tennessee.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Tennessee Titans

QB: Steve McNair: (18-26-210 1 TD 1 INT passing, 2-11 rushing) McNair had a rough start completing only 2 of his first 6 attempts including an interception during one of Tennessee's first two drives. McNair then locked into WR Derrick Mason and moved the team well in the second and third quarters. Seven of McNair's first ten passes towards WRs went to Mason. McNair threw an interception to LB Teddy Bruschi on a blitz adjust late that the WR failed to pick up, but the play was blown dead because of a false start. On the Titan's last drive McNair had a great run for a first down plowing over a DB. He then took a very costly intentional grounding penalty throwing a pass away because his line couldn't pick put an all out blitz.

RB: Eddie George: (16-48 rushing, 2-7 receiving on 2 targets) George attempted to power forward through tacklers unsuccessfully. His rushing attempts went for 2, 0, 4, 0, 3, 2, 3, 2, 1, 8, 7, 5, 0, 2, 3, and 2 yards. The numbers tell the story. George didn't make tacklers miss and showed no sign of cutting into holes.

Chris Brown: (7-35 1 TD rushing, 0-0 receiving on 0 targets) Brown entered the game on Tennessee's second series. His first two carries went for 4 and 5 yards resulting in a TD. Brown showed more elusive moves than George while breaking a few tackles.

WR: Derrick Mason: (7-90 1 TD receiving on 10 targets) Mason dropped his first target of the game, and then rebounded to pull in 7 out of his last 9 targets. 6 of his receptions came on short out patterns. He was able to break tackles on two of these plays for longer gains including a TD on Tennessee's first possession in the third quarter. On the TD reception Mason went high to get over the tackler. He came up limping noticeably, but returned to the game on the Titan's next series. He only had one catch for 7 yards after this play.

Justin McCareins: (2-21 receiving on 4 targets) McCareins started the game, but wasn't targeted until the second quarter and his first reception wasn't until the fourth quarter.

Tyrone Calico: (1-30 receiving on 2 targets) Calico had his one reception in the third quarter. It came on 3rd and 6, and led to the Mason TD that tied the game. Calico was also targeted once in the fourth quarter, but was mostly an afterthought behind Mason, McCareins, and Bennett.

Drew Bennett: (3-48 receiving on 6 targets) Bennett's first catch (24 yards) helped set up RB Chris Brown's TD in the first quarter. Bennett made both of his other catches late in the game. He last catch was a beautiful leaping grab on the sideline that was reviewed and upheld. On the following fourth down play McNair heaved a long pass up for grabs that hit Bennett in the hands, but he bobbled the ball and had it knocked away by a DB that virtually ended the game. Bennett also pulled in another pass in the fourth quarter that was called back due to a penalty on the offensive line.

TE: Erron Kinney: (1-5 receiving on 1 target) Kinney started the game, but was non-factor in the Tennessee passing attack besides his one reception.

Frank Wycheck: (2-9 receiving on 2 targets) Wycheck made his two receptions on non-scoring drives in the second quarter. In the third quarter Wycheck pulled in a lateral pass that looked like it might have been intended to be a double pass, but the play was blown up by the New England defense.

Chad Meier: (0-0 receiving on 1 target) Meier was targeted on a deep ball down the right sideline in the first quarter. The DB made a nice play on the ball and it was intercepted. Meier was unable to gain any separation on the play.

K: Gary Anderson: (0-1 FG 31 yd blocked, 2-2 XP) Anderson had his only FG attempt blocked by DT Richard Seymour. The Titans had another opportunity to attempt a long FG, but choose to punt instead.

Pass Defense: The pass rush was not able to get to QB Tom Brady. His quick drops and short passing game had the ball out long before Tennessee could get to him. The DBs were torched for five plays longer than ten yards in the first quarter (including a 41-yard TD bomb), but the longest pass play allowed after this point was only nine yards.

Rush Defense: The Titans weren't able to stuff RB Antowain Smith to force New England to abandon the run entirely. The Patriots continued to mix in the run game just enough to keep the Titans honest and respect the run.

New England Patriots

QB: Tom Brady: (21-41-201 1 TD passing, 5-5 rushing) Brady started off red-hot. He hit 10 of 16 for 152 yards and his TD in the first quarter, then completed only 11 of 25 for 49 yards in the last three quarters. However, Brady didn't take any sacks and didn't turn the ball over. He converted a 4th and 3 pass to WR Troy Brown on the game winning drive to set up KR Adam Vinatieri in the fourth quarter. Brady didn't appear to be affected by the cold as much as everyone else. His passes had plenty of zip on them. The WR corps might say catching the ball was much more difficult than throwing it in sub zero temperatures.

RB: Antowain Smith: (16-69 1 TD rushing, 1-1 receiving on 2 targets) Smith gave the Patriots just enough of a rushing attack. He broke away for carries of 10 and 17 yards in the third quarter, but left with an injured ankle on the final play of the quarter. Smith returned in the fourth and had two more carries, but gave way to RB Kevin Faulk down the stretch.

Kevin Faulk: (5-22 rushing, 3-31 receiving on 5 targets) Faulk was utilized in all long down and distance situations and mostly as a receiver until late in the game. Faulk had four of his five carries after Smith went down with injury.

Larry Centers: (1-0 rushing, 1-4 receiving on 3 targets) Centers was used all over the place. He was targeted out of the backfield, and also lined up out wide as a WR. His only catch came in the first quarter just before Brady's long TD to Bethel Johnson.

WR: Troy Brown: (2-11 receiving on 3 targets) Brown was not targeted in the first quarter when Brady was moving the Patriots well. However, when the Patriots had to have a play they went to Brown on 4th and 3 that set up the game winning FG. On negative note, Brown made a mistake not fair catching a punt at the 13-yard line. The ball ended up being downed inside the 5-yard line.

David Givens: (4-26 receiving on 9 targets) Givens was targeted on short crossing routes throughout the game. His four receptions went for 8, 6, 6, and 6 yards. He was the only WR that Brady consistently targeted throughout the game.

Deion Branch: (3-10 receiving on 8 targets) Branch was targeted within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage too many times to count. Several of the targets were thrown away over Branch's head, as Brady had to get the ball out too early to avoid a sack. Branch was targeted one time deeper down field in the end zone.

Bethel Johnson: (2-55 receiving on 2 targets) Bethel Johnson had the two oddity receptions for the Patriots in the first quarter. His first was the long TD. The play came immediately after a New England timeout on 3rd and 6. Johnson used his speed to blow through the secondary. He was wide open. His second reception was on a quick hitter WR screen, but Johnson reversed his field and back around the formation for a 14-yard gain on 3rd and 13.

Dedric Ward: (1-22 receiving on 1 target) Ward had his only target on the second play of Patriots second possession. It led to a missed FG attempt by Vinatieri.

TE: Dan Graham: (1- -1 receiving on 4 targets) Graham had a hard time connecting with Brady. He fumbled his only reception in the third quarter and dropped a pass that he had to dive for just before Vinatieri's winning FG.

Christian Fauria: (3-42 receiving on 3 targets) Fauria had all three of his receptions in the first quarter, and then disappeared. He wasn't targeted in the game after that point.

K: Adam Vinatieri: (1-2 FG missed 44, made 46, 2-2 XP) Vinatieri missed his first FG wide left and in the first quarter. He barely was able to sneak his game winning FG just inside the left post and barely over the cross bar.

Pass Defense: New England sacked QB Steve McNair three times. Two of the sacks caused drives to stall for the Titans. The other one came just before the blocked FG. The DBs had a tough time staying with the WRs, but the constant barrage of blitz packages and looks caused Tennessee to take false start penalties, holding calls, and delay of game penalties.

Rush Defense: The Patriots kept RB Eddie George in check and consistently stuffed him within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage. The Titans had a hard time getting around DT Ted Washington while LBs Bruschi and Vrabel filled hole after hole.

Carolina Panthers 29 at Saint Louis Rams 23, 2 OT

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Carolina Panthers

WR Steve Smith scored on a 69-yard catch-and-run on the first play of the 2nd overtime, as the Carolina Panthers shocked the St. Louis Rams in the first of four wild playoff games this weekend. His explosive run after the catch catapulted him to 163 yards on six receptions on the day. Smith's touchdown came on 3rd down and 14 yards to go, and came immediately following a roller-coaster overtime period that saw each team fail on two realistic scoring opportunities.

For the Panthers, the fifteen minutes and ten seconds of overtime should not have been necessary. Carolina dominated this game offensively both on the ground and through the air. QB Jake Delhomme played a flawless game after a 1st quarter interception, and finished with 290 yards on 16 of 26 passing. He played a calm game in a difficult environment, and was accurate with his passes.

RB Stephen Davis looked poised for a huge game after he took the Panthers first play of the 2nd quarter 64 yards down the sideline to the Rams 4-yard line. Unfortunately, this was Davis' last carry of the game as he limped off the field with a strained groin. Davis ran six times for 86 yards prior to the injury, and his run set up a crazy touchdown on a fumble recovery by WR Muhsin Muhammad in the end zone for a 7-6 Carolina advantage.

Davis took a seat on the sideline and watched backup DeShaun Foster nearly fill his shoes. With Foster in, the Panthers didn't miss a beat. He carried the ball 21 times for 95 yards, including four carries of ten yards or more. In all, the Panthers averaged 5.3 yards per carry on the way to 216 rushing yards.

Defensively, the Panthers bent but would not break until late when they allowed the Rams to march for 11 points in the final 6:29 of the 4th quarter. Rookie CB Ricky Manning made the defensive play of the game in OT when he ripped the ball away from the Rams Torry Holt on an interception. Holt appeared to have both hands on the ball, but Manning tore it away with just his left hand and came down with the catch.

PK John Kasay made field goals of 34, 45 and 52 yards. He also missed from 53 yards out and hooked a potential 45-yard game-winner in overtime wide right. This came after his 40-yard kick would have won it, if not for a delay of game penalty.

Despite excellent run blocking and pass protection, the Panthers offensive line did everything in their power to keep St. Louis in the game. Kevin Donnelley had three penalties in four plays that moved Carolina from 2nd and three at the Rams 19-yard line to 1st and 35 at the Rams 49-yard line. Later, a false start on Todd Steussie helped stall a drive in Rams territory in overtime. In all, the line accounted for five false start penalties, two holding calls and a personal foul facemask violation.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams rally late in the 4th quarter was ultimately not enough to overcome their red zone failure earlier in the game. QB Marc Bulger momentarily came back from adversity and a hostile home crowd to lead his team back in the game, but in the end, it wasn't enough. Bulger finished with 332 passing yards, but he could do little in the red zone and threw three interceptions. Two of his interceptions came on back-to-back plays in the 4th quarter, which brought the boo-birds out in force.

RB Marshall Faulk found the going tough for most of the game. He carried 19 times for 53 yards, but his 1-yard plunge cut the Panthers lead to three points with 2:39 left in the game. He was very effective in the passing game, though, catching nine passes for 78 yards.

WR Torry Holt was invisible most of the game, until he had the ball ripped out of his hands by Ricky Manning at the end of the first overtime. Earlier, he just missed a 66-yard touchdown reception after beating his defender badly. Bulger overthrew a ball that he could have under-thrown and still scored on, and Holt's reaching attempt to catch the ball with his left hand failed as he tried to pull it in. Holt finished with only 21 yards on two catches.

WR Isaac Bruce picked up some of Holt's slack, catching 7 passes for 116 yards. He seemed to always be streaking open downfield, and showed no ill effects from a previous injury.

PK Jeff Wilkins kept the Rams in the game with field goals from 20, 26, 24, 51 and 33 yards out. He missed his lone attempt in overtime, a 53-yard try that came up just short. Wilkins also recovered his onside kick in the 4th quarter, which led to the tying score and could have led to a victory.

At the end of regulation, Coach Mike Martz inexplicably passed up shots in the endzone. He chose to sit on a timeout and 35 seconds with the Rams down by three at the Carolina 15-yard line so they could go for the tying field goal. Martz explained that he felt if the Rams got the game to overtime, they would win it. That was not the case.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme (16-26-290-1-1) executed the Panthers game plan expertly and threw accurately most of the game, while showing poise in a hostile environment. His interception came in Rams territory on the Panthers second drive, trailing 3-0. Rams LB Tommy Polley jumped a quick out pass, bobbled the ball before eventually catching it and returning it to the Carolina 25-yard line. On the next drive, Delhomme's fumble actually gave the Panthers a 7-6 lead. On 3rd and goal at the Rams 5-yard line, Delhomme attempted to shovel the ball to DeShaun Foster, but Rams DE Leonard Little blew up the play and deflected it. The ball, which was ruled a backward lateral, hit the turf near the 7-yard line and bounced forward towards the end zone where WR Muhsin Muhammad fell on it for an unusual touchdown. From there, Delhomme was nearly perfect. After the interception, Delhomme led the Panthers to scores on their next five possessions, and finished the game by hitting Steve Smith in-stride on the winning score.

RB: Stephen Davis (6-86) left the game after a 64-yard run early in the 2nd quarter. Initially termed a strained quadriceps, Coach John Fox later called it a groin strain. On the play where he was injured, Davis burst through a small hole on the left side and quickly got to the sideline. Rams CB Aeneas Williams ran him down at the 4-yard line after 64 yards, Davis' longest run of the season.

DeShaun Foster (21-95, 1 catch for 8 yards on 2 targets) played well in Davis' absence. He showed excellent vision and patience running the ball, along with good cut-back ability. In addition to his 103 total yards, he had another 17 taken away on penalties by Kevin Donnelley.

With Davis out, Nick Goings and FB Brad Hoover saw expanded roles. Goings had 34 yards on 7 touches, while Hoover's highlight was a 7-yard scoring run up the middle, where he went nearly untouched into the end zone.

WR: Steve Smith (6-163-1 on 8 targets, 1-7 rushing) made the play of the game when he caught a pass over the middle between three defenders. He burst up field and got past a diving Jason Sehorn. From there it was all speed, as he easily outran the Rams defense to the end zone for the winning touchdown. Smith was truly a force all day long. Smith had a 36-yard catch in the 4th quarter on a beautifully thrown ball, and then followed on the next play with a 7-yard run. The Panthers went on to score from there for what seemed to be a safe 23-12 lead.

Muhsin Muhammad (5-70 on 7 targets, 1-3 rushing and a TD on a fumble recovery) made the early play of the game when he recovered Delhomme's backwards lateral. The Panthers led 7-6 after that, instead of possibly trailing 6-0 and being in danger of losing big. Muhammad caught two passes for 34 yards in the overtimes.

TE: Jermaine Wiggins caught a 21-yard pass in the first overtime to the Rams 21-yard line that resulted in Kasay's second missed field goal.

PK: John Kasay was perfect on kicks of 34, 45 and 52 yards. He made another good kick in the 4th quarter when his 53-yard try just missed off the left upright. Had the Panthers lost, however, he would be remembered for missing a 45-yard try in overtime wide right, where he simply hooked it a bit. The kick came after he made a 40-yard try that was called back on a delay of game penalty.

Run Defense: Any time you limit Marshall Faulk and the Rams 64 rushing yards and 2.8 per carry, you've done your job. Faulk's longest run was 8 yards. The Panthers line won the battle at the line of scrimmage.

Pass Defense: Greg Favors and Julius Peppers each had a sack, but for the most part Carolina did not get a pass rush on Marc Bulger. The secondary did combine to almost totally shut down Torry Holt, though, and Ricky Manning made a tremendous interception in overtime. The other two interceptions came on woefully overthrown passes.

St. Louis Rams

QB: Marc Bulger (27-46-332-0-3, 4 rushes for 11 yards) played poorly despite the yardage numbers, as he failed to take advantage of numerous early chances. Not counting when they ran the clock out at the end of the first half, the Rams scored field goals on their first four possessions of the game. While this resulted in a 12-10 lead, their failure to get in the end zone gave the Panthers the confidence boost they needed to eventually dominate most of the second half. The first three drives stalled at the Panthers 2, 8 and 6-yard lines, respectively. Bulger was 4-9 for 24 yards and no touchdowns in the red zone.

Bulger threw two horrible interceptions to open the 4th quarter, overthrowing Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt on consecutive plays. He then responded to lead the Rams on a 15-play drive for a score and converted a pass to Dane Looker for the 2-point conversion. After that, he drove the Rams to the Carolina 15-yard line, but his previous miscues may have led to Martz's conservative call to kick the tying field goal instead of trying for the end zone. His final interception cost the Rams the game but was more of a great play by Ricky Manning than it was a poor throw.

RB: Marshall Faulk (19-53-1, 9-78 on 9 targets) had a difficult time getting free in the running game but was very effective in the passing game, especially late. Faulk's longest carry was just 8 yards, and then had only one catch heading to the 4th quarter. From there, he and Isaac Bruce became the main options in the passing attack and his 25-yard catch in overtime put the Rams at the Carolina 38-yard line, one play before Manning intercepted Bulger.

WR: Isaac Bruce (7-116 on 16 targets) played a terrific game, especially late. He had four catches and 72 yards after the 3rd quarter, including a 20-yard and 13-yard catch on back-to-back plays to set up the tying field goal. He added a 26-yard reception on the Rams first drive of overtime, but the Rams could only get 3 more yards and ended up missing a potential 53-yard game-winning field goal by a matter of feet.

Torry Holt (2-21 on 8 targets) was non-existent most of the game. He did not catch a pass the final 54 minutes of the game. Bulger overthrew him on a wide-open target late in the 3rd quarter, then threw an interception later in the 4th on another overthrow. Holt was the intended receiver on the final interception, and failed to come back for the pass as Manning ripped it from him, amazingly, with just one hand.

TE: Cam Cleeland caught a 28-yard pass on three targets. He was also the target of an incomplete pass near the goal line.

PK: Jeff Wilkins made field goals of 20, 24, 26, 33 and 51 yards. His potential game-winner from 53-yards out in overtime came up just short.

Run Defense: Carolina ran all over the Rams defense, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and racking up 216 rushing yards. It's tough when Davis and Foster run like they did, but the Rams couldn't even stop Nick Goings and Brad Hoover.

Pass Defense: Again, Jake Delhomme had his way most of the game against the Rams secondary. Brian Young sacked him twice, both in overtime. DE Tyoka Jackson also had a sack that led to Kasay's miss from 53 yards out. Other than that, Delhomme was free to hit Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad at will for most of the game.

Indianapolis Colts 38 Kansas City Chiefs 31

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

Manning silenced his critics last week. This week he had them running for cover as he turned in another incredible post season performance in a "big" game. Even with the scoreboard encouraging the crowd to "don't let the QB audible", he calmly led his team from the outset and seemed totally unfazed by the hostile environment.

With P Hunter Smith not being called into action for a second straight week, this was the first time in the history of the playoffs that neither team punted the ball.

The Chiefs never looked capable of stopping Manning and the Colts offense. The Chiefs' Defense played receivers very loose, allowing them to get open almost at will. The only limited successes for the Chief's defense came as they asserted some pressure on Manning, forcing him to throw early. The Colt's offensive line opened huge holes for James to run through, along with providing Manning excellent protection for most of the day.

Although Holmes looked super-human, the Colt's defense did a great job compared to the effort of the Chiefs' defense. The Colt's were able to stop the drive just enough to make the Chiefs settle for FG attempts in lieu of touch downs.

Kansas City Chiefs

Priest Holmes did his best to carry the Chiefs. With the offensive line opening monster holes, Holmes picked up a Chiefs playoff record 176 yards. Most of the football world predicted that if the Chiefs and Holmes could establish the run, they would come away with a victory. With Holmes picking up 53 yards in the opening drive alone, it looked as if the Chiefs were going to roll. Holmes found running room on almost every attempt. Holmes had a number of long carries best demonstrated when he broke off a 24 yard run to set up his own 1 yard touch down.

The Chiefs secondary was very loose in coverage, giving receivers huge cushions. This allowed Manning's targets to get open in coverage, and make bigger gains with the ball after the catch. The biggest successes against Manning came on the rare occasions when the Chiefs defensive front were able to put pressure on him.

At the end of the game, Green started operating in a shotgun no-huddle offense, that made a number of short passes to Holmes that was very successful, setting up Holmes for his second touch down. This is where Holmes picked up basically all of his receptions on the game.

The Chief's receivers struggled greatly at the end of the game. Kennison failed to get 2 of the 4 balls thrown his way. Hall dropped the only ball thrown to him in the second half. Morton failed to catch all three balls thrown to him in the second half making two crucial drops on balls that hit him right in the hands. With the receivers struggling, the running back corps had to take over. Holmes went 4 of 4, with Blaylock and Richardson each adding a reception as well.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Peyton Manning (22/30, 304, 3 TDs, 1/-1 rushing) Manning came out aggressive, attacking downfield all game, not letting up. Manning hit Brandon Stokley on a 19-yard pass to open the scoring, and also connected with Tom Lopienski for 2 yards and Reggie Wayne for 19. As he did a number of times during the game, Manning operated in "no-huddle" for the Wayne score. The "no-huddle" attack wasn't used as a game plan necessarily, but it did keep the Chiefs from making defensive substitutions at a few key places in the game. Manning converted every big play. "He doesn't throw an inaccurate ball," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. "Every pass is where it should be."

RB: Edgerrin James (26/125, 2 TDs, 1/16 receiving) With the Colts offensive line manhandling the Kansas City defensive front, James was able to take the ball straight up the middle for a number of nice gains. James put in touchdowns from the 1 and 11 yard lines. Surprisingly, James didn't catch a single pass during the game.

Dominic Rhodes (5/18) Rhodes biggest carry was at the start of the 2nd half, where he broke off a left tackle run for 13 yards. Although Rhodes was the recipient of the great blocking James was enjoying, it was a very nice run. Rhodes looked slow and indecisive in his capacity of returning kicks.

Tom Lopienski (1/2, TD, 1 target) The Rookie Fullback had not touched the ball a single time this season before catching the 2 yard score from Manning. It was the first touch, reception, and score of his career.

WR: Marvin Harrison (6/98, 11 targets) Harrison had another great game, but seemed to lose concentration down the stretch failing to catch almost half the balls thrown to him in the second half. In what could have been another great Harrison heads up play, on 3rd and 9 play on the Colts' second TD drive, Harrison caught the ball for the first down and was laying there while the Chiefs stood around. FS Jerome Woods dove over him and appeared to touch him. Harrison looked like he was about to get up and run, exactly like the play last week against Denver. After about a second or so, ROLB Barber ran over to touch him.

Reggie Wayne (6/83, TD, 6 targets) Wayne was non-existent in the first half, only seeing a single pass. He led the Colts with Harrison in targets for the second half with 5. Once again, Wayne caught each and every ball thrown to him. He is a model of consistency.

Brandon Stokely (4/57, TD, 5 targets) After last weeks production, one would have thought that the Chiefs would be prepared for Stokley. Stokley got into the end zone untouched for a very easy score on the Colts' first drive. A big part of this was the Chiefs inability to play tight man-to-man defense during the game.

TE: Marcus Pollard (3/41, 5 targets) Pollard operated very successfully out of the slot as an extra wide out. Pollard dropped an easy pass early in the game that would have most assuredly gone for a 10+ yard gain.

Joe Dean Davenport (1/7, 1 target) Davenport's lone catch was on a 1st and 10 just 13 yards away from the score, that helped set up a James TD.

K: Mike Vanderjagt (1/1 FG [45], 5/5 XP)

Pass Defense: Some combination of playing from behind, the inability of the Chief's receivers to catch the ball, and the Colts' pass defense held the Chiefs' passing attack in check for the game. The Chiefs receivers seemed almost unable to catch the ball in the second half, and Kansas City went to Holmes in the passing attack. Unfortunately, this didn't result in any long attempts down field to advance the ball dramatically.

Rush Defense: ROLB David Thornton (9 tackles/2 assists) led the attack. The Colts' rush defense gave up 176 rushing yards to Holmes, but did stop him just enough to win the battle. Holmes was able to tear off huge runs behind his offensive line at will, but the defense was able to keep the Chiefs to just a FG attempt on a couple of key drives. The biggest play by the defense was the forced fumble after a 48 yard run. Watching the game, it was humorous to hear announcer Dick Enberg say "he has one man to beat" as Holmes was surrounded by three Colt's defenders.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: Trent Green (18/30, 212, TD, 3/18 rushing) On the day, Green had his successes, but the offensive plan of the Chiefs was obviously to establish Holmes, and run with him. Green was most comfortable with Gonzalez, looking for him repeatedly when the Chiefs needed something to break open for them. Green found himself in 3rd and long situations often, so no clear "Safety Blanket" for Green can be determined, as he went to Morton, Kennison, and Gonzalez in these tight positions. Green's first playoff career TD came when Dante Hall slipped behind the Colts' defense in the end zone for a 9 yard score. Green lost 5 rushing yards on a holding call.

RB: Priest Holmes (24/176, 2 TD, fumble, 5/32 receiving, 5 targets) Holmes set the Chiefs franchise playoff rushing record with 176 yards on the ground. The opening drive of the second half might have been the nail in the coffin for Holmes and the Chiefs. Holmes broke free for a 48-yard run, but fumbled when hit by Macklin at the Colts' 22 and Macklin recovered. The offensive plan of the Chiefs was to run Holmes. He opened with 53 yards alone in the Chief's first drive. During the Chief's 55 yard drive that resulted in a one yard Holmes score, he was responsible for every one of those 55 yards save a 4 yard reception by Blaylock. With the game on the line, and Green operating in no-huddle, Holmes picked up 4 of his 5 receptions at the very end of the game. Note should be taken that Green went to Holmes in the passing attack with everything on the line.

Derrick Blaylock (2/-3 rushing, 1/11 receiving, 1 target) Blaylock did nothing of import in the rushing attack, and had a single reception for 11 yards in the second half with the Chief's receivers struggling.

Tony Richardson (1/10 receiving, 1 target) His single touch of the game was late in the second half, when all the Kansas City receivers were failing to catch the ball.

WR: Johnnie Morton (1/14, 1/5 rushing, 7 targets) Morton's lone catch was a big 3rd and 12 that brought the Chiefs down inside the 10 yard line, setting up the Hall TD. With about a minute left in the first half, the play was to Morton on 3rd down for what would have been a new 1st down inside the Colt's 10 yard line. Morton tried to run before he actually caught the ball, and dropped the easy pass. The Chiefs were forced to settle for a failed FG attempt that missed wide left. With the Chiefs needing to get back in the game, Morton failed to catch all 3 of the balls thrown to him in the second half.

Eddie Kennison (3/50, 6 targets) Kennison's first reception was a huge 3rd and 12 play for 25 yards that kept the Chiefs in the track race after the second Colt's score. Kennison was the best Chief's receiver in the second half with the game on the line. However, he still failed to catch 2 of the 4 balls thrown to him in crunch time.

Mark Boerigter (1/21, 2 targets) Boerigter's only catch came in the Chief's second drive of the game. It was a 1st and 10 for 21 yards. Boerigter was not used in the second half after spraining his thumb. The Chiefs started using Gonzalez in the Slot position.

Dante Hall (2/19, 4 targets) Although Hall only caught 2 balls, he certainly added to the game. His first career catch of the post season came on a 9 yard TD where Hall slipped behind the coverage in the end zone for the score. Hall also had a 92 yard kick off return for a touch down, the first kickoff return in Chief's playoff history. Hall dropped the only ball thrown to him in the second half.

TE: Tony Gonzalez (4/55, 5 targets) Gonzalez looked crisp, finding ways for make the catch, and then turn up field fast to pick up extra yards. With the Chief's driving for a score at the end of the 1st half, Green went to Gonzalez on basically 4 straight passes, including the nullified TD. Gonzalez had a 27-yard touchdown reception negated by a suspect offensive interference call.

K: Morten Andersen (1/2 FG [22], 4/4 XP) The usually dependable Andersen botched a 31-yard field goal.

Pass Defense: RDE R-Kal Truluck sacked Manning. Manning dominated the Chiefs defensive play. He found receivers at will, was rarely pressured, and made plays. "He is the master," DE Eric Ricks said. "That was an amazing performance. I never would have thought a quarterback would play two games in a row like that. "They took us behind the woodshed and just beat us. It was embarrassing."

Rush Defense: ROLB Shawn Barber (10 tackles) led the squad. James and the Colt's offensive line owned their side of the ball, springing James for big gain after big gain. The Kansas City Defense was over matched. The one single bright spot in the contest was LB Barber breaking through, and dropping James for a 5 yard loss.

Green Bay Packers 17 at Philadelphia Eagles 20 (OT)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Green Bay Packers

Brett Favre played well until overtime but it was his interception during overtime, a horrible pass thrown into double coverage that eventually cost Green Bay the game.

Both teams began the game slowly, but the Packers showed signs of life quicker than the Eagles. After being forced to punt on their first two possessions, Green Bay went on to score touchdowns on their next two. After Nick Barnett recovered a Donovan McNabb fumble, Favre connected with Robert Ferguson for a 40-yard touchdown pass. They connected again the next series as Ferguson leaped to pull in the football for a 17-yard touchdown reception.

The Packers missed an opportunity to put points on the board near the end of the first half. Ahman Green made a great 33-yard run to the 4-yard line. But the Packers were held at the goal line. They attempted to score on 4rth and 1, but Green was brought down shy of the end zone and the ball was overturned on downs.

The Packers' defense put up a strong defense. Donovan McNabb was sacked 8 times, and Nick Barnett recovered a forced fumble. Though they began to wear down at the end of the fourth quarter, allowing the Eagles to march down field and score the game tying field goal.

Philadelphia Eagles

Donovan McNabb valiantly led the Philadelphia Eagles to their overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers and their third consecutive appearance in the NFC Championship game.

The Eagles began very slowly. They went 3 and out on their first 2 possessions. Then McNabb fumbled the ball, turning it over to the Packers. Followed by a 33-yard field goal attempt that was carried by the wind and was no good. And it wasn't until their second drive of the second quarter that things began to turn around. McNabb connected with Todd Pinkston for a 45-yard reception to the 7-yard line right down the sidelines. He followed that with a short pass to Duce Staley who ran in nearly untouched the remaining 7 yards to score their first touchdown.

In the third quarter, McNabb led the Eagles downfield scrambling for 37 yards on 2 rushes, and connecting with 4 different receivers. He broke 2 potential sacks, spinning out of them to make a 12-yard touchdown pass to Todd Pinkston. In the fourth quarter, he was again able to lead the Eagles downfield with little over 2 minutes left in the game. After being sacked twice and having a pass batted down, he connected with Freddie Mitchell on 4th and 26 to go for a 28-yard pass. The drive ended with David Akers scoring the game tying field goal.

The Eagles won the coin toss in overtime, but were forced to punt on their first possession. Brian Dawkins intercepted Brett Favre giving the Eagles the ball back. David Akers finished by making his 31-yard field goal attempt to win the game.

Duce Staley and Correll Buckhalter were held to 57 combined rushing yards. And were outshone by Donovan McNabb who held the Eagles on his back by scrambling and rushing for a total of 107 yards, and that does not include a 22-yard run that McNabb had brought back on an offensive holding penalty.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Green Bay Packers

QB: Brett Favre (15-28-180, 2 TD, 1 Int, 1-3 rushing) Brett Favre led the Packers on two touchdown scoring drives in the first quarter of the game. He connected with Robert Ferguson for both touchdowns. The first was a 40-yard deep pass. The very next drive, he connected again with Ferguson for a 17-yard pass that Ferguson leaped to pull in. The Packers focused on the rushing game in the second half, but Favre did what he had to, making sharp passes to his receivers. And during the fourth quarter, a deep 44-yard pass to Javon Walker set up Ryan Longwell's field goal. Favre's one rush of 3 yards in the fourth quarter was 1 yard short of a first down conversion. It appeared that the Packers' would make the attempt to convert on 4th down, but Favre unsuccessfully tried to pull the Eagles offside with a hard count. The Packers were given a delay of game penalty and punted the ball. And it was on the Eagles next and final possession of the fourth quarter that David Akers kicked his game tying field goal. The Packers saw the ball only once in overtime. And Favre threw the ball up into double coverage, seemingly to Javon Walker who was not even close. Brian Dawkins made the interception, and the Eagles came back to win the game.

RB: Ahman Green (25-156 rushing, 3-16 receiving on 4 targets) Ahman Green rushed for over 6 YPC with his 156 rushing yards on 25 carries. In the second quarter, he took advantage of a hole on 3rd and 1 and rushed 33 yards to the 4-yard line. He took a breather after the long carry, but came in when the Packers were at 4th and 1. But Green was brought down short of the goal line on his carry. Green was a true workhorse in the second half of the game as the Packers attempted to eat up the time on the clock.

Najeh Davenport (9-42 rushing, 0-0 receiving on 1 target) Najeh Davenport was brought in to spell Ahman Green. He was stopped twice at the goal line. His one receiving target came in the third quarter and was a pass that hit him between the numbers and should have been caught.

Tony Fisher (2-9 rushing, 2-13 receiving on 3 targets) Fisher made an 11-yard reception in the second quarter, converting a third down on the Packers' second touchdown scoring drive.

WR: Robert Ferguson (4-65 receiving on 5 targets, 2 TDs) Robert Ferguson was the leading receiver for the Packers, scoring both of their touchdowns in the first quarter of play. The first was a 40-yard pass over the middle. The second was a 17-yard pass that he had to leap to pull in.

Donald Driver (2-25 receiving on 6 targets) Donald Driver was Favre's leading target, but was only able to make 2 receptions on the 6 targets that came his way. Both of his receptions were during the second quarter and were on back to back plays. After making a 19-yard reception to gain a first down, he made a short 6-yard catch.

Javon Walker (1-44 receiving on 3 targets) Javon Walker did not make a catch until the fourth quarter, but it was his 44-yard reception that he grabbed out of a defender's hands that set up Ryan Longwell's field goal.

TE: Bubba Franks (1-6 receiving on 2 targets) Bubba Franks made his lone reception over the middle during the first quarter

Wesley Walls (1-7 receiving on 1 target) Wesley Walls was targeted once in the first quarter, on which he made a first down conversion.

K: Ryan Longwell (2 XP, 1-1 FG) Ryan Longwell made a 21-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense: The Packers defense gave up 248 passing yards and 2 touchdowns to Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. That being said, they did cover the Eagles' receivers and forced McNabb to scramble.

Rush Defense: The Packers' defense put up a strong fight, sacking McNabb 8 times and forcing a fumble that was recovered by Nick Barnett. They were able to keep Duce Staley and Correll Buckhalter in check, but had difficulty stopping Donovan McNabb when he would scramble.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb (21-39-248, 2 TD, 1 fumble lost) McNabb began the game slowly, but enough cannot be said about the way that he brought the Eagles back into a position to not only tie the game, but win it in overtime. McNabb had plenty of time in the pocket and showed the scrambling skills that he is famous for. He was the leading rusher for the Eagles, rushing for 107 total yards. And that does not include a 22-yard rush that was brought back on a holding penalty. And though he found that his receivers were not often open, he was able to finish with 21 completions out of 39 attempts for 248 yards. In the second quarter, after making a beautiful 45-yard pass to Todd Pinkston down the sidelines, he connected with Duce Staley for a 7-yard touchdown. In the third quarter, McNabb led the Eagles downfield for his best drive of the game. He connected on 5 out of 6 passing attempts, and rushed twice for 37 yards. Topping the drive off by scrambling through 2 potential sacks to connect with Todd Pinkston who was at the right front corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter, he again led the Eagles downfield. After being sacked twice, and having a pass batted down, he connected with Freddie Mitchell for a 28-yard reception to extend the Eagles drive that ended with David Akers' game tying field goal.

RB: Duce Staley (5-45 rushing, 3-26 receiving on 5 targets, 1 TD) Duce Staley scored the Eagles' first touchdown, running in easily on a short pass. In overtime, Staley spun out of being nearly tackled in the backfield for an 11-yard rush, putting the Eagles into better field goal range.

Correll Buckhalter (9-12 rushing, 1-5 receiving on 1 target) Buckhalter wasn't a very big factor in the game. He made a gain of 5 yards in the first quarter, rushing to the outside. But was stopped short on his next carry. The very same thing happened during the second quarter.

WR: Todd Pinkston (7-95 receiving on 10 targets, 1 TD) Todd Pinkston made a 44-yard reception down the sidelines that set up Duce Staley's touchdown. He made a 10-yard catch and followed that with his 12-yard touchdown reception. In the fourth quarter, he made a catch to the 19-yard line that put the Eagles' in field goal position. He was targeted in the end zone during that drive, but was covered by Mike McKenzie.

James Thrash (1-9 receiving on 6 targets) James Thrash really wasn't able to do anything with the looks that came his way. His only reception went for 9-yards was during the first quarter.

Freddie Mitchell (2-37 receiving on 4 targets) Freddie Mitchell made what had appeared to be a great catch between 3 Packers. The reception would have gained a first down for the Eagles. But Al Harris recognized that Mitchell did not have possession of the ball when he hit the ground and the Packers challenged the call. The play was overturned and followed by David Akers' missed field goal attempt. In the second quarter, he wasn't able to come up with a pass that would have converted a first down, but in Mitchell's defense the pass was thrown very low. But in the fourth quarter, Mitchell redeemed himself making a 28-yard reception on 4th and 26 to go, the Eagles' drive was kept alive and they went on to score a field goal and send the game into overtime.

TE: Chad Lewis (4-37 receiving on 5 targets) TE Chad Lewis caught nearly everything that came his way. In the second quarter, he made 2 receptions for first downs. And in the third quarter, he made a sharp reception over the middle.

L. J. Smith (2-31 receiving on 3 targets) L. J. Smith made a nice catch for a first down in the third quarter of the game.

K: David Akers (2-2 XP, 2-3 FG) Though David Akers missed his first field goal attempt of 33-yards in the first quarter, he made a 37-yard attempt at the end of the fourth quarter that tied the game. And in overtime he made a 31-yard attempt to send the Eagles to their third straight NFC Championship game.

Pass Defense: The Eagles held Brett Favre to a mere 180 passing yards, but did give up 2 passing touchdowns. It was Brian Dawkins' interception in overtime that set up their win.

Rush Defense: Ahman Green rushed for 156 yards and the Eagles gave up a total of 210 rushing yards to the Packers. But it was two key defensive stands that were the deciding factor in the game. Near the end of the first half, the Eagles made a goal line stand holding the Packers 4 times and the ball was turned over on downs without the Packers scoring. Then with just over 2 minutes to go in the game, the Eagles made another outstanding defensive stand. When it seemed as though the Packers would go for it on 4th and 1, they did not buy into Brett Favre's hard count and the Packers ended up with a delay of game penalty and punted the ball.