NFL playoffs, 2006-07
Encyclopedia
The National Football League playoffs for the 2006 season
began on January 6, 2007 and led up to Super Bowl XLI
on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium
in Miami Gardens, Florida
.
's three interceptions, the Indianapolis Colts
out-gained the Kansas City Chiefs
in total yards, 435-126, and first downs, 28-7. Indianapolis's defense forced three turnovers, four sacks, and prevented Kansas City from gaining a single first down until late in the third quarter. The game was never in question despite Manning's turnovers as Indy dominated Kansas City from start to finish to earn a trip to Baltimore
The Colts opened up the scoring on their first drive of the game with Adam Vinatieri
's 48-yard field goal. The next time they had the ball, they drove 68 yards to the Kansas City 2-yard line, but had to settle for another Vinatieri field goal to give them a 6-0 lead. After another Kansas City punt, Chiefs cornerback Ty Law
intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 43 yards to the Colts 9-yard line. But Kansas City failed to get the ball into the end zone with three rushing attempts and came up empty when Lawrence Tynes
' 23-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. After another interception thrown by Manning and another Kansas City punt, the Colts increased their lead to 9-0 by driving 33 yards and scoring on Vinatieri's 50-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. The Chiefs ended the half with 16 total yards and no first downs. This was the first time in the Modern Era (post AFL-NFL merger
) and the first time since 1960 that an NFL team had been held without an offensive first down in the first half of a playoff game.
On the Colts' opening possession of the second half, Manning threw his third interception of the game (and his second to Law), but the Chiefs could not take advantage of the turnover and had to punt. Indianapolis then drove 89 yards in 12 plays and scored with Joseph Addai
's 6-yard touchdown run, giving them a 16-0 lead.
Kansas City got their first first down of the game on their ensuing possession, driving 60 yards in 8 plays. Trent Green
finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez, and then completed a pass to tight end Kris Wilson
for a successful two-point conversion to cut their deficit to within one touchdown, 16-8. However, the Colts increased their lead to 23-8 on a 71-yard, 9-play drive ending with Reggie Wayne
5-yard touchdown reception. Indianapolis's defense forced three turnovers on the Chiefs' last three drives to clinch the victory.
' quarterback Tony Romo
, a four-year veteran who earned the starting job and made the Pro Bowl
for the first time in his career during the regular season, botched the hold on a potential game-winning field goal with 1:19 left in the fourth quarter, allowing the Seattle Seahawks
to escape with a victory.
Taking advantage of Dallas kicker Martin Gramatica
's opening kickoff, which went out-of-bounds and gave Seattle the ball at their own 40, the Seahawks marched down the field on their opening drive and scored with Josh Brown's 23-yard field goal. Dallas was forced to punt on their ensuing possession, but Cowboys defensive back Anthony Henry intercepted Seattle's next pass and returned it to the Seahawks 43-yard line, setting up Gramatica's 50-yard field goal to tie the game.
Early in the second quarter, Seattle drove 54 yards and retook the lead with Brown's second field goal of the game. After an exchange of punts, the Cowboys took the lead again. Aided by Jason Witten
's 32-yard reception, Dallas drove 76 yards in ten plays and scored on Romo's 12-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton
with only 11 seconds left in the half, giving the Cowboys a 10-6 lead. In the third quarter, Seattle drove 62 yards in 12 plays, featuring two fourth-down conversions by running back Shaun Alexander
, and scored with Matt Hasselbeck
's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Stevens
, gving them a 13-10 lead. However, Dallas promptly took the lead right back after Miles Austin
returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.
Early in the final period, Dallas defensive back Roy Williams
intercepted a pass from Hasselbeck at the Cowboys 43-yard line. Eight plays later, Gramatica kicked a 29-yard field goal to increase his team's lead to 20-13. On Seattle's ensuing drive, a pass interference penalty on Dallas's Terence Newman
gave them a first down on the 1-yard line. But Seattle failed to get into the end zone with their next four plays, turning the ball over on downs at the 2-yard line. On the first Dallas play after the turnover, Cowboys receiver Terry Glenn
caught a short pass, but then lost a fumble. The ball was recovered by Seattle in the end zone for a touchdown, but after a Dallas challenge the referee ruled the play a safety, cutting the score to 20-15 and giving the ball back to the Seahawks at around the 50-yard line after the ensuing free kick and return. Four plays later, Hasselbeck's 37-yard touchdown pass to Stevens gave Seattle a 21-20 lead. The Seahawks attempted a two-point conversion to give themselves a three-point lead, but Hasselbeck's pass failed.
Dallas took the ensuing kickoff and marched down to the Seahawks' 8-yard line. On third down, Witten caught a pass that was initially ruled a first down on the 1-yard line, but after an instant-replay challenge, officials ruled Witten had been tackled at the 2-yard line, bringing up fourth down. With 1:19 left in the game, Gramatica lined up to attempt a 19-yard field goal, but Romo dropped the ball while setting it up for a hold. Romo picked up the fumble and tried to run with it for either a touchdown or a first down, but he was tackled at the 2-yard line by safety Jordan Babineaux
, turning the ball over on downs and allowing Seattle to run the clock down to eight seconds before punting back to Dallas. On the last play of the game, Romo's Hail Mary pass
fell incomplete in the end zone.
"I know how hard everyone in that locker room worked to get themselves in position to win that game today and for it to end like that, and for me to be the cause is very tough to swallow right now," Romo said after the game. "I take responsibility for messing up at the end there. That's my fault. I cost the Dallas Cowboys a playoff win, and it's going to sit with me a long time. I don't know if I have ever felt this low."
completed 22 out of 34 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while New England Patriots
running backs Corey Dillon
, Laurence Maroney
, and Kevin Faulk
combined for 145 rushing yards in a win over the New York Jets
. Receiver Jabar Gaffney
, who caught only 11 passes during the season, finished his first career playoff game with 8 catches for 104 yards.
New England took the opening kickoff and drove down the field, with Gaffney catching three passes for 34 yards on a 65 yard-drive that ended with Dillon's 11-yard touchdown run. Later in the quarter, Jets defensive back Hank Poteat
recovered a fumble from Dillon on the Patriots 15-yard line, setting up Mike Nugent
's 28-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 7-3. On their first possession of the second quarter, the Jets took a 10-7 lead after receiver Jerricho Cotchery
(who finished with 100 receiving yards and 19 rushing yards) caught a pass from Chad Pennington
and took it 77 yards for a touchdown. However, New England countered with Stephen Gostkowski
's 20-yard field goal on their next drive to tie the game. Then, after forcing the Jets to punt, the Patriots marched to New York's 1-yard line. On third down with 11 seconds remaining in the half and no timeouts left, Brady took the snap, faked a handoff to Dillon, and then hit tight end Daniel Graham
in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to give them a 17-10 halftime lead.
Nugent kicked a field goal on the Jets' opening drive of the second half, but New England responded with another field goal from Gostkowski to retake their 7-point lead. On the Jets' ensuing possession, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin
deflected a lateral from Pennington behind the line of scrimmage. Most of the players on both teams (including Colvin) thought the lateral was an incomplete forward pass and the play was over, but New England's Vince Wilfork
realized the play was still ongoing and recovered the fumble. After picking up the ball, Wilfork ran 31 yards to the Jets 15-yard line before being tackled by Cotchery, setting up Gostkowski's third field goal to make the score 23-13.
Early in the fourth quarter, Nugent kicked his third field goal to cut New York's deficit back to within a touchdown, 23-16. However, the Patriots responded with a 13-play, 63-yard drive that took 6:23 off the clock and ended with Brady's 7-yard touchdown pass to Faulk. Then on the first play of the Jets' ensuing drive, New England defensive back Asante Samuel
put the game away by intercepting Pennington's pass and returning it 36 yards for a touchdown.
on the last play of the game.
New York took the opening kickoff and scored quickly, driving 67 yards in seven plays and scoring with Eli Manning
's 17-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress
only 3:12 into the game. All of the remaining drives of the first quarter ended in punts, but early in the second period, Eagles running back Brian Westbrook
's 49-yard touchdown run tied the game at seven. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Philadelphia defensive back Sheldon Brown intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it to the Giants 37-yard line, setting up a 19-yard field goal by Akers to take a 10-7 lead. On New York's ensuing possession, a 41-yard run by halfback Tiki Barber
sparked a 78-yard drive capped by Jay Feely
's 20-yard field goal to tie the game with 4:45 left in the half. Philadelphia responded, with quarterback Jeff Garcia
leading the Eagles down the field 80 yards in ten plays and finishing it off with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Donté Stallworth, giving his team a 17-10 halftime lead.
Two penalties by the Eagles in the second half allowed the Giants to stay close. Late in the third quarter, an illegal block-in-the-back by rookie Torrance Daniels nullified Westbrook's second touchdown of the game, which came on a 65-yard punt return. The Eagles still managed to score on their drive with a 48-yard field goal by Akers, increasing their lead to 20-10. The second penalty, a 47-yard pass interference call against Brown, came on the Giants' next possession giving the Giants offense the ball at the Philadelphia 14. The Eagles' defense dug in and forced the Giants to settle for Feely's second field goal of the game from 24 yards out, leaving the Giants down only one touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Later in the period, the Giants drove to the Eagles 23-yard line. Two false starts and a holding penalty pushed the them back to the 43, but Manning overcame the situation by completing three passes to Burress; the first went for 18 yards and the second for 14 and a first down, before the third, an 11-yard strike, found Burress in the end zone for his second touchdown of the game that tied the score with 5:04 to play. Philadelphia responded by driving 46 yards in ten plays, including a first down rush by Westbrook, allowing the Eagles to take the clock all the way down to three seconds before calling on Akers to kick a 38-yard field goal as time expired.
In the final game of his career, Barber rushed for a career postseason high 137 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards. Westbrook rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 12 yards.
's five field goals boosted the Colts to victory over the Ravens
in the first NFL playoff game without a touchdown since the 1979 NFC title game.
Indianapolis forced the Ravens to punt on their opening possession, and Terrence Wilkins
gave them good field position with a 21-yard return to their 46-yard line. The Colts subsequently drove to Baltimore's 5-yard line where Vinatieri kicked a field goal to give them a 3-0 lead. On the second play of the Ravens' next drive, Indianapolis linebacker Gary Brackett
recovered a fumble from tight end Todd Heap
at the Baltimore 31-yard line, setting up another Vinatieri field goal to make the score 6-0.
Later in the period, Cory Ross
' 18-yard punt return gave the Ravens a first down on the Colts' 42-yard line. Six plays later, Matt Stover
kicked a 40-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to cut their deficit to 6-3. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Baltimore safety Ed Reed
intercepted a pass from Peyton Manning
at the Ravens' 45-yard line. Baltimore subsequently moved to the ball to the Colts' 4-yard line, but then gave it back when Steve McNair
's third-down pass was intercepted by Antoine Bethea
. Following the turnover, the Colts marched 63 yards in 13 plays and scored with Vinatieri's third field goal, which hit the cross bar and bounced through the uprights, to give them a 9-3 halftime lead.
Indianapolis took the second half kickoff and drove 54 yards, featuring a 27-yard catch by tight end Dallas Clark
. Vinatieri finished the drive with a 48-yard field goal to increase their lead to 12-3. After an exchange of punts, the Ravens cut the score to 12-6 by driving 62 yards and scoring on a 51-yard field goal from Stover. Then, on the third play of the Colts' ensuing possession, Reed recorded his second interception from Manning, giving his team a first down on their 39-yard line. However, just like his previous pick, the Ravens could not take advantage of the turnover. Five plays later, McNair's pass was intercepted by defensive back Nick Harper
.
After each team punted once, the Colts put the game away with a 47-yard drive that took 7:16 off the clock and included three successful third down conversions. Vinatieri finished the drive with his fifth field goal, giving Indianapolis a 15-6 lead with only 23 seconds left in regulation. Colts defensive end Robert Mathis
then sealed the victory by forcing and recovering a fumble from McNair on the Ravens' final play.
The game had added significance to many Baltimore fans, due to the circumstances of the Colts' departure from Baltimore 23 years earlier. The Indianapolis Colts advanced to their second AFC Championship game in four years. It was the third consecutive playoff defeat for the Ravens.
gained 208 rushing yards and 435 total yards, both postseason franchise records, en route to a 27-24 victory over the Eagles
, allowing them to advance to the conference championship game for the first time in the team's 40-year history.
In the first quarter, a 28-yard run from New Orleans' Deuce McAllister
set up a 33-yard field goal from John Carney to open up the scoring. Later in the period, two big plays from the Saints, a 25-yard run by Reggie Bush
and a 35-yard reception by Devery Henderson
, set up Carney's second field goal 15 seconds into the second quarter, making the score 6-0.
Three plays after the kickoff, Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia
threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Donté Stallworth to give his team a 7-6 lead. The Saints responded with a 78-yard drive, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by Reggie Bush to retake the lead at 13-7. However, the Eagles stormed right back, driving 80 yards in 11 plays. On third down and goal, running back Brian Westbrook
took a handoff and jumped over top of the defensive line and fell into the end zone for a touchdown, giving them a 14-13 lead with 50 seconds left in the half. New Orleans returned the kickoff to their 47-yard line. With 2 seconds left, quarterback Drew Brees
threw a Hail Mary pass
to the end zone. Wide receiver Marques Colston
initially caught the ball, but it squirted out of his arms as he fell to the ground, and was ruled an incompletion.
Philadelphia took the second-half kickoff and scored in just 3 plays with a 62-yard touchdown romp from Westbrook, increasing their lead to 21-13. However, the Saints responded with a 5-yard touchdown run by McAllister on their next drive. Then after forcing a punt, New Orleans drove to the Eagles' 29-yard line. After two penalties (a holding call against the Saints and an illegal contact call against the Eagles), McAllister rushed for 25 yards and followed it up with an 11-yard touchdown reception, giving the Saints a 27-21 lead.
With 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia scored on a 24-yard field goal from David Akers
, cutting their deficit to 3 points. After an exchange of punts, the Saints drove from their 29 to the Eagles 35-yard line with 3:24 left in the game. New Orleans was in great position to take more time off the clock and increase their lead, but Bush fumbled a high pitch from Brees and Philadelphia's Darren Howard
recovered the ball, giving his team a chance to drive for a tying field goal. However, the Eagles were unable to get a first down and chose to punt the ball back with 1:57 left. The Saints then clinched the victory by keeping possession of the ball for the rest of the game.
's 49-yard field goal in overtime propelled the Bears
over the Seahawks
and to their first NFC championship game since the 1988 season. This was also their first playoff win since 1995.
Chicago running back Thomas Jones capped off the opening drive of the game with a 9-yard touchdown run. Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson
gave his team great field position with a 41-yard kickoff return to the 47-yard line, but the Bears forced Seattle to punt after three plays. Then, after forcing Chicago to punt, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck
tied the score with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Burleson on the first play of the second quarter. However, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman
threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian
on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, giving his team a 14-7 lead.
Later in the quarter, Grossman lost a fumble while being sacked by lineman Julian Peterson
, and Seattle's Chuck Darby
recovered the ball at the Bears' 26-yard line. Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander
subsequently took the ball into the end zone with four running plays, the last one a 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Seattle decided to squib kick the ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return, but Bears tight end Gabe Reid
gave Chicago good field position with a 20-yard return to the 43-yard line. After the two-minute warning, Grossman completed a 21-yard pass to Muhsin Muhammad
and followed it up with a 18-yard completion to Rashied Davis
, advancing the ball to the 7-yard line. Following a timeout, Jones scored his second rushing touchdown, giving the Bears a 21-14 halftime lead.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Josh Brown's 54-yard field goal cut the Seahawks deficit to 21-17. Then, after the Bears were forced to punt, receiver Deion Branch
caught two passes for 33 yards on a 7-play, 51 yard drive that ended with Alexander's second touchdown on a 13-yard run, making the score 24-21. Chicago responded by advancing the ball to the Seahawks 10-yard line, but cornerback Pete Hunter
ended the drive by intercepting a pass intended for Muhammad. However, Bears defensive back Ricky Manning Jr. intercepted Hasselbeck's next pass and returned it to the 32-yard line. Chicago ended up getting pushed back to the 36 and decided to punt rather than risk a 54-yard field goal attempt.
In the fourth quarter, Chicago lost a scoring opportunity when Devin Hester
's 63-yard punt return touchdown was nullified by an illegal block penalty on Manning. Instead, they ended up driving 48 yards and scoring with Gould's 41-yard field goal to tie the game. Seattle responded with a drive to Chicago's 46-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs when Alexander was tackled for a 1-yard loss by Lance Briggs
on 4th-and-1 with under two minutes left in regulation. However, Chicago was unable to get a first down and had to punt. Seattle then drove to the Bears 45-yard line, but Tank Johnson
sacked Hasselbeck for a 9-yard loss with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, and the game ended up going into overtime.
Seattle won the coin toss, but had to punt after three plays. On the punt, Chicago defender Israel Idonije
broke through the offensive line and attempted to block the kick. He didn't quite make it there in time, but he forced Ryan Plackemeier
to rush his punt, which ended up going just 18 yards to the Chicago 36-yard line. Two plays later, a 30-yard reception by Davis set up Gould's game-winning 49-yard field goal.
faced the San Diego Chargers
team, who were unbeaten at home in the regular season. The Chargers' roster included league MVP running back LaDainian Tomlinson
, who broke several league records, nine Pro Bowlers, and five All-Pro players. However, four Chargers turnovers, three of which were converted into Patriots scoring drives, helped lead to a Chargers loss. San Diego lost despite outgaining the Patriots in rushing yards, 148-51 and total yards, 352-327, while also intercepting three passes from Tom Brady
.
In the first quarter, after San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer
opted to go for it on 4th-and-11 instead of attempting a 47-yard field goal, quarterback Philip Rivers
lost a fumble while being sacked by Mike Vrabel
, setting up Stephen Gostkowski
's 51-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the period. In the second quarter, Chargers receiver Eric Parker's 13-yard punt return set up a 48-yard scoring drive that ended with LaDainian Tomlinson
's 2-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 7-3 lead. Then, on the Patriots' next drive, linebacker Donnie Edwards
intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it to the 41-yard line. But the Chargers ended up punting after Rivers was sacked on third down by defensive back Artrell Hawkins
. Later in the quarter, Tomlinson rushed twice for 13 yards and took a screen pass
58 yards to the Patriots' 6-yard line, setting up a 6-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner with 2:04 left in the half. New England responded with a 72-yard scoring drive, with receiver Jabar Gaffney
catching four passes for 46 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown reception with six seconds left in the half, cutting their deficit to 14-10.
In the second half, Brady threw his second interception of the game. But once again, the Chargers were forced to punt after Rivers was sacked on third down. Mike Scifres
' 36-yard punt pinned New England back at their own 2-yard line, and San Diego subsequently forced a punt, but Parker muffed the kick and New England's David Thomas recovered the fumble at the Chargers' 31-yard line. New England's drive seemed to stall after Brady fumbled on 3rd and 13. Patriots' tackle Matt Light
recovered it and Chargers defensive back Drayton Florence
drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting Patriots tight end Daniel Graham
. The drive continued and Gostkowski eventually kicked a 34-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 14-13. Then, on San Diego's next drive, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin
intercepted a pass from Rivers at the New England 36-yard line. The Patriots then drove to the Chargers 41-yard line, but were halted there and had to punt. After the punt, Rivers completed two passes to tight end Antonio Gates
for 31 yards and a 31-yard pass to Vincent Jackson
, setting up Tomlinson's second rushing touchdown to give the Chargers an 8-point lead, 21-13.
New England responded by driving to San Diego's 41-yard line. On a fourth-down conversion attempt, Brady's pass was intercepted by Marlon McCree
, but Troy Brown
stripped the ball, and receiver Reche Caldwell
recovered it. Schottenheimer unsuccessfully challenged the play and lost a timeout. Four plays later, Brady threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Caldwell. On the next play, running back Kevin Faulk
took a direct snap and scored the two-point conversion, tying the game. Then, after forcing a punt, Brady completed a 19-yard pass to Daniel Graham
. Two plays later, Caldwell caught a 49-yard strike down the right sideline to set up Gostkowski's third field goal to give them a 24-21 lead with only 1:10 left in the fourth quarter. With no timeouts left, San Diego drove to the Patriots 36-yard line on their final possession, but Nate Kaeding
's 54-yard field goal attempt fell short with three seconds remaining in the game.
outgained the Bears
in total yards, 375-335, their four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception) contributed to a Bears victory.
On the opening drive of the game, Saints receiver Devery Henderson
caught a 40-yard pass at the Bears' 32-yard line. But three plays later, Bears lineman Israel Idonije
sacked quarterback Drew Brees
on the 36-yard line, and the Saints decided to punt rather than attempt a 54-yard field goal.
With 5:28 remaining in the first quarter, Bears defensive back Nathan Vasher
recovered a fumble from Marques Colston
and returned it 14 yards to the Saints' 36-yard line. Several plays later, Robbie Gould
kicked a 19-yard field goal to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. Then, Chicago's Danieal Manning
recovered a fumble from Michael Lewis on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Gould's second field goal to increase the lead to 6-0. New Orleans was forced to punt on their next possession, and Devin Hester
gave his team good field position with a 10-yard return to the Saints' 49-yard line. Two plays later, tight end Desmond Clark
's 30-yard reception moved the ball to the 19. Once again, New Orleans kept Chicago's offense out of the end zone, but Gould kicked his third field goal to give the Bears a 9-0 lead. Then, after forcing another punt, Chicago stormed down the field on a drive in which running back Thomas Jones carried the ball on eight consecutive plays, gaining 69 yards and finishing it off with a 2-yard touchdown run. This time, New Orleans managed to respond, with Brees completing 5 passes for 73 yards on their ensuing possession, the last one a 13-yard touchdown pass to Colston, to cut their deficit to 16-7 by halftime.
Two plays after forcing a punt from Chicago on the opening drive of the second half, running back Reggie Bush
caught a pass from Brees and took it 88 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to two points. Then after forcing another punt, New Orleans drove to the Bears' 29-yard line. But this time, they failed to score, as Brees threw three incompletions and Billy Cundiff
missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.
After the ensuing kickoff, Brad Maynard
's 51-yard punt gave the Saints the ball at their own 5-yard line. Two plays later, Brees committed an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Two possessions later, Chicago stormed 85 yards in five plays, with quarterback Rex Grossman
completing four consecutive passes for 73 yards, the last one a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian
, increasing their lead to 25-14.
The next time the Bears had the ball, they scored another touchdown with a 12-yard run by Cedric Benson
on a drive that was set up after Brees lost a fumble while being sacked by Adewale Ogunleye
. Then, on New Orleans' next drive, Brees was intercepted by defensive back Nathan Vasher
. After the ensuing possession, Maynard's 46-yard punt pinned the Saints at their own 8-yard line, and the Saints could only reach their own 30 before turning the ball over on downs. Five plays later, Jones closed out the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run, making the final score 39-14.
In addition, Reggie Bush became the fifth Heisman Trophy
winner to play in a conference championship game the year after winning the trophy. Mike Garrett
, who also went to the University of Southern California
, did so with the Chiefs in 1966 (technically it was the AFL title game since the league didn't merge until 1970), Tony Dorsett
did with the Cowboys in 1977, Earl Campbell
did with the Houston Oilers in 1978 and Ron Dayne
did with the Giants in 2000. Campbell and Bush are the only two of those to not advance to the Super Bowl in that season. (Reggie Bush has since vacated the Heisman Trophy due to ineligibility during the 2005 NCAA football season.)
gained 455 offensive yards, 32 first downs, and managed to overcome a 21-3 deficit to the Patriots
to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 1970 season. Their 18-point comeback was the largest ever in an NFL conference championship game, and tied the record for the fourth largest NFL postseason comeback. The Colts' win came after the Patriots had eliminated the Colts from the playoffs twice in the previous three seasons.
Midway through the first quarter, the Patriots drove 71 yards to the Colts' 4-yard line, featuring a 35-yard run by Corey Dillon
. On third down, running back Laurence Maroney
fumbled a handoff, but the ball rolled into the end zone where offensive lineman Logan Mankins
recovered it for a touchdown. The Colts responded by driving 56 yards and scoring with Adam Vinatieri
's 42-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 7-3. On their ensuing drive, the Patriots drove to a fourth down on the Colts' 34-yard line. Rather than attempt a 52-yard field goal, New England decided to go for it and Tom Brady
completed a 27-yard pass to Troy Brown
. On the next play, Dillon scored on a 7-yard touchdown run. Then, two plays after the ensuing kickoff, cornerback Asante Samuel
intercepted a pass from Peyton Manning
and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, giving New England a 21-3 lead. Later in the quarter, Indianapolis drove 80 yards in 15 plays, with Vinatieri finishing the drive with a 26-yard field goal, cutting the score to 21-6 with 11 seconds left in the half.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Colts marched down the field and scored with a 1-yard run by Manning. Then, after forcing a punt, a 25-yard reception by Dallas Clark
and a 19-yard run by Dominic Rhodes
moved the ball to the Patriots' 32-yard line. Following a pass interference penalty on defensive back Ellis Hobbs
in the end zone, Manning threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to defensive lineman Dan Klecko
, who had lined up at the fullback position on the play. Then, receiver Marvin Harrison
caught a 2-point conversion pass to tie the game at 21.
Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to the Colts' 21-yard line. Four plays later, Brady threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jabar Gaffney
, who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone. Although he landed out of bounds, officials ruled that he was pushed out while in the air, and the Patriots took a 28-21 lead. Rhodes started out the Colts' next drive with two receptions for 23 yards and a 9-yard run. Then, Clark caught a 23-yard pass at the 9-yard line. Three plays later, Rhodes fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line, but center Jeff Saturday
recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown to tie the game.
After an exchange of punts, New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski
made a 28-yard field goal to give them a three-point lead. The Colts responded with a 36-yard field goal by Vinatieri, set up by Clark's 52-yard reception, to tie the game at 31. Hobbs returned Vinatieri's kickoff 41 yards to the Patriots' 46-yard line. Then, Brady completed a 25-yard pass to tight end Daniel Graham
. Indianapolis managed to halt the drive at their 25-yard line, but Gostkowski kicked a 43-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 34-31 lead with 3:49 left in the game. New England's defense subsequently forced a punt, but the Patriots ended up punting back to the Colts after running only a minute off the clock.
Manning started off the drive with three nonconsecutive completions for 58 yards, with a roughing-the-passer penalty on the third play adding another 12, moving the ball 70 yards in a span of 19 seconds and bringing up a first down at the Patriots' 11-yard line. Three plays later, Joseph Addai
's 3-yard touchdown run gave the Colts their first lead of the game with only one minute remaining. Brady responded by leading his team to the Colts' 45-yard line. But cornerback Marlin Jackson
intercepted Brady's next pass with 17 seconds left, ending the game, and sending the 2006 Indianapolis Colts to their third Super Bowl in team history (first as the Indianapolis Colts).
The Colts were the first #3 seed since the NFL expanded the playoffs in 1990 to host a conference championship game and the first overall since the Washington Redskins
did so in 1987. It was also the first time since said season where a team hosted a championship game after playing a road game in the divisional round, and was also the first conference championship game in which neither team had the first round bye and had to play three rounds to get to the Super Bowl.
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
began on January 6, 2007 and led up to Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium
Dolphin Stadium
Sun Life Stadium is an American football stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami. It is the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins National Football League team, and the University of Miami Hurricanes football team. It also hosts the Orange Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. It...
in Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...
.
AFC: Indianapolis Colts 23, Kansas City Chiefs 8
Despite quarterback Peyton ManningPeyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
's three interceptions, the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
out-gained the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
in total yards, 435-126, and first downs, 28-7. Indianapolis's defense forced three turnovers, four sacks, and prevented Kansas City from gaining a single first down until late in the third quarter. The game was never in question despite Manning's turnovers as Indy dominated Kansas City from start to finish to earn a trip to Baltimore
The Colts opened up the scoring on their first drive of the game with Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
's 48-yard field goal. The next time they had the ball, they drove 68 yards to the Kansas City 2-yard line, but had to settle for another Vinatieri field goal to give them a 6-0 lead. After another Kansas City punt, Chiefs cornerback Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 43 yards to the Colts 9-yard line. But Kansas City failed to get the ball into the end zone with three rushing attempts and came up empty when Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...
' 23-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. After another interception thrown by Manning and another Kansas City punt, the Colts increased their lead to 9-0 by driving 33 yards and scoring on Vinatieri's 50-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. The Chiefs ended the half with 16 total yards and no first downs. This was the first time in the Modern Era (post AFL-NFL merger
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
) and the first time since 1960 that an NFL team had been held without an offensive first down in the first half of a playoff game.
On the Colts' opening possession of the second half, Manning threw his third interception of the game (and his second to Law), but the Chiefs could not take advantage of the turnover and had to punt. Indianapolis then drove 89 yards in 12 plays and scored with Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai, Jr. is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.-Early years:Addai's family hails from Ghana in West Africa...
's 6-yard touchdown run, giving them a 16-0 lead.
Kansas City got their first first down of the game on their ensuing possession, driving 60 yards in 8 plays. Trent Green
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez, and then completed a pass to tight end Kris Wilson
Kris Wilson (American football)
Kristopher "Kris" Wilson is an American football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh...
for a successful two-point conversion to cut their deficit to within one touchdown, 16-8. However, the Colts increased their lead to 23-8 on a 71-yard, 9-play drive ending with Reggie Wayne
Reggie Wayne
Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...
5-yard touchdown reception. Indianapolis's defense forced three turnovers on the Chiefs' last three drives to clinch the victory.
NFC: Seattle Seahawks 21, Dallas Cowboys 20
Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
' quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
, a four-year veteran who earned the starting job and made the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
for the first time in his career during the regular season, botched the hold on a potential game-winning field goal with 1:19 left in the fourth quarter, allowing the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
to escape with a victory.
Taking advantage of Dallas kicker Martin Gramatica
Martin Gramatica
Martín Gramática is an Argentine-American former football placekicker.Gramática was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft after playing college football at Kansas State, and has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Dallas...
's opening kickoff, which went out-of-bounds and gave Seattle the ball at their own 40, the Seahawks marched down the field on their opening drive and scored with Josh Brown's 23-yard field goal. Dallas was forced to punt on their ensuing possession, but Cowboys defensive back Anthony Henry intercepted Seattle's next pass and returned it to the Seahawks 43-yard line, setting up Gramatica's 50-yard field goal to tie the game.
Early in the second quarter, Seattle drove 54 yards and retook the lead with Brown's second field goal of the game. After an exchange of punts, the Cowboys took the lead again. Aided by Jason Witten
Jason Witten
Christopher Jason Witten is an American football tight end who plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee....
's 32-yard reception, Dallas drove 76 yards in ten plays and scored on Romo's 12-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton
Patrick Crayton
Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
with only 11 seconds left in the half, giving the Cowboys a 10-6 lead. In the third quarter, Seattle drove 62 yards in 12 plays, featuring two fourth-down conversions by running back Shaun Alexander
Shaun Alexander
Shaun Edward Alexander is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama.- Early career :Alexander was born and...
, and scored with Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Stevens
Jerramy Stevens
Jerramy Stevens is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks 28th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.-Early years:...
, gving them a 13-10 lead. However, Dallas promptly took the lead right back after Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.
Early in the final period, Dallas defensive back Roy Williams
Roy Williams (safety)
Roy Lee Williams is a retired American football safety. He played college football at Oklahoma before he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys eighth overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Cowboys and earned five straight Pro Bowl selections from 2003–2007...
intercepted a pass from Hasselbeck at the Cowboys 43-yard line. Eight plays later, Gramatica kicked a 29-yard field goal to increase his team's lead to 20-13. On Seattle's ensuing drive, a pass interference penalty on Dallas's Terence Newman
Terence Newman
Terence Newman is a starting American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. He played in the 2008 pro-bowl and has 32 interceptions in his career....
gave them a first down on the 1-yard line. But Seattle failed to get into the end zone with their next four plays, turning the ball over on downs at the 2-yard line. On the first Dallas play after the turnover, Cowboys receiver Terry Glenn
Terry Glenn
Terry Tyree Glenn is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots seventh overall in the 1996 NFL Draft...
caught a short pass, but then lost a fumble. The ball was recovered by Seattle in the end zone for a touchdown, but after a Dallas challenge the referee ruled the play a safety, cutting the score to 20-15 and giving the ball back to the Seahawks at around the 50-yard line after the ensuing free kick and return. Four plays later, Hasselbeck's 37-yard touchdown pass to Stevens gave Seattle a 21-20 lead. The Seahawks attempted a two-point conversion to give themselves a three-point lead, but Hasselbeck's pass failed.
Dallas took the ensuing kickoff and marched down to the Seahawks' 8-yard line. On third down, Witten caught a pass that was initially ruled a first down on the 1-yard line, but after an instant-replay challenge, officials ruled Witten had been tackled at the 2-yard line, bringing up fourth down. With 1:19 left in the game, Gramatica lined up to attempt a 19-yard field goal, but Romo dropped the ball while setting it up for a hold. Romo picked up the fumble and tried to run with it for either a touchdown or a first down, but he was tackled at the 2-yard line by safety Jordan Babineaux
Jordan Babineaux
Jordan Jude Babineaux is an American football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2004 out of Southern Arkansas University....
, turning the ball over on downs and allowing Seattle to run the clock down to eight seconds before punting back to Dallas. On the last play of the game, Romo's Hail Mary pass
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
fell incomplete in the end zone.
"I know how hard everyone in that locker room worked to get themselves in position to win that game today and for it to end like that, and for me to be the cause is very tough to swallow right now," Romo said after the game. "I take responsibility for messing up at the end there. That's my fault. I cost the Dallas Cowboys a playoff win, and it's going to sit with me a long time. I don't know if I have ever felt this low."
AFC: New England Patriots 37, New York Jets 16
Tom BradyTom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
completed 22 out of 34 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
running backs Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
, Laurence Maroney
Laurence Maroney
Laurence Maroney is an American football running back who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 21st overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.-Early years:Maroney attended Normandy Senior High School in St...
, and Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
combined for 145 rushing yards in a win over the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Receiver Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, who caught only 11 passes during the season, finished his first career playoff game with 8 catches for 104 yards.
New England took the opening kickoff and drove down the field, with Gaffney catching three passes for 34 yards on a 65 yard-drive that ended with Dillon's 11-yard touchdown run. Later in the quarter, Jets defensive back Hank Poteat
Hank Poteat
Henry Major "Hank" Poteat, II is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh.Poteat has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and...
recovered a fumble from Dillon on the Patriots 15-yard line, setting up Mike Nugent
Mike Nugent
Mike Nugent is an American football placekicker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
's 28-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 7-3. On their first possession of the second quarter, the Jets took a 10-7 lead after receiver Jerricho Cotchery
Jerricho Cotchery
Cotchery was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft.-New York Jets:In 2004, Cotchery caught 6 passes for 60 yards in 12 games as the team's 5th receiver...
(who finished with 100 receiving yards and 19 rushing yards) caught a pass from Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
and took it 77 yards for a touchdown. However, New England countered with Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
's 20-yard field goal on their next drive to tie the game. Then, after forcing the Jets to punt, the Patriots marched to New York's 1-yard line. On third down with 11 seconds remaining in the half and no timeouts left, Brady took the snap, faked a handoff to Dillon, and then hit tight end Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to give them a 17-10 halftime lead.
Nugent kicked a field goal on the Jets' opening drive of the second half, but New England responded with another field goal from Gostkowski to retake their 7-point lead. On the Jets' ensuing possession, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue....
deflected a lateral from Pennington behind the line of scrimmage. Most of the players on both teams (including Colvin) thought the lateral was an incomplete forward pass and the play was over, but New England's Vince Wilfork
Vince Wilfork
-2004–06 seasons:The Patriots drafted Wilfork with the 21st overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. In his rookie 2004 season with the Patriots, he compiled two sacks, 42 tackles, and three deflected passes...
realized the play was still ongoing and recovered the fumble. After picking up the ball, Wilfork ran 31 yards to the Jets 15-yard line before being tackled by Cotchery, setting up Gostkowski's third field goal to make the score 23-13.
Early in the fourth quarter, Nugent kicked his third field goal to cut New York's deficit back to within a touchdown, 23-16. However, the Patriots responded with a 13-play, 63-yard drive that took 6:23 off the clock and ended with Brady's 7-yard touchdown pass to Faulk. Then on the first play of the Jets' ensuing drive, New England defensive back Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
put the game away by intercepting Pennington's pass and returning it 36 yards for a touchdown.
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 23, New York Giants 20
Philadelphia built up a 20-10 fourth quarter lead and thwarted a late Giants comeback attempt, winning on a 38-yard field goal by David AkersDavid Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
on the last play of the game.
New York took the opening kickoff and scored quickly, driving 67 yards in seven plays and scoring with Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
's 17-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
only 3:12 into the game. All of the remaining drives of the first quarter ended in punts, but early in the second period, Eagles running back Brian Westbrook
Brian Westbrook
Brian Collins Westbrook is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at Villanova...
's 49-yard touchdown run tied the game at seven. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Philadelphia defensive back Sheldon Brown intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it to the Giants 37-yard line, setting up a 19-yard field goal by Akers to take a 10-7 lead. On New York's ensuing possession, a 41-yard run by halfback Tiki Barber
Tiki Barber
Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-Ah "Tiki" Barber is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia....
sparked a 78-yard drive capped by Jay Feely
Jay Feely
Thomas James "Jay" Feely is an American football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. Jay played for the Temple Terrace Spirit Soccer team that won the National Championships when he was 16....
's 20-yard field goal to tie the game with 4:45 left in the half. Philadelphia responded, with quarterback Jeff Garcia
Jeff Garcia
Jeffrey Jason "Jeff" Garcia is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State University....
leading the Eagles down the field 80 yards in ten plays and finishing it off with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Donté Stallworth, giving his team a 17-10 halftime lead.
Two penalties by the Eagles in the second half allowed the Giants to stay close. Late in the third quarter, an illegal block-in-the-back by rookie Torrance Daniels nullified Westbrook's second touchdown of the game, which came on a 65-yard punt return. The Eagles still managed to score on their drive with a 48-yard field goal by Akers, increasing their lead to 20-10. The second penalty, a 47-yard pass interference call against Brown, came on the Giants' next possession giving the Giants offense the ball at the Philadelphia 14. The Eagles' defense dug in and forced the Giants to settle for Feely's second field goal of the game from 24 yards out, leaving the Giants down only one touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Later in the period, the Giants drove to the Eagles 23-yard line. Two false starts and a holding penalty pushed the them back to the 43, but Manning overcame the situation by completing three passes to Burress; the first went for 18 yards and the second for 14 and a first down, before the third, an 11-yard strike, found Burress in the end zone for his second touchdown of the game that tied the score with 5:04 to play. Philadelphia responded by driving 46 yards in ten plays, including a first down rush by Westbrook, allowing the Eagles to take the clock all the way down to three seconds before calling on Akers to kick a 38-yard field goal as time expired.
In the final game of his career, Barber rushed for a career postseason high 137 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards. Westbrook rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 12 yards.
AFC: Indianapolis Colts 15, Baltimore Ravens 6
Adam VinatieriAdam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
's five field goals boosted the Colts to victory over the Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
in the first NFL playoff game without a touchdown since the 1979 NFC title game.
Indianapolis forced the Ravens to punt on their opening possession, and Terrence Wilkins
Terrence Wilkins
Terrence Olondo Wilkins is a former wide receiver and punt returner for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League. He signed with the Colts on November 10, 2003. He also played with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. He has 1,466 career receiving yards in the...
gave them good field position with a 21-yard return to their 46-yard line. The Colts subsequently drove to Baltimore's 5-yard line where Vinatieri kicked a field goal to give them a 3-0 lead. On the second play of the Ravens' next drive, Indianapolis linebacker Gary Brackett
Gary Brackett
Gary Lawrence Brackett is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Rutgers.-Early years:Brackett attended Glassboro High School in Glassboro, New Jersey....
recovered a fumble from tight end Todd Heap
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State-Early years:At Mountain View High School, in Mesa, Arizona,...
at the Baltimore 31-yard line, setting up another Vinatieri field goal to make the score 6-0.
Later in the period, Cory Ross
Cory Ross
Cory Ross is an American football running back for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Nebraska.-Early years:Ross attended Thomas Jefferson High School. While in high...
' 18-yard punt return gave the Ravens a first down on the Colts' 42-yard line. Six plays later, Matt Stover
Matt Stover
John Matthew "Matt" Stover is a former American Football placekicker. As of the start of the 2009 NFL season, he was the third most accurate kicker in the history of the National Football League. He is of Greek origin. He has played for the New York Giants, the Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore...
kicked a 40-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to cut their deficit to 6-3. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Baltimore safety Ed Reed
Ed Reed
Edward Earl Reed Jr. is an American football free safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens 24th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
intercepted a pass from Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
at the Ravens' 45-yard line. Baltimore subsequently moved to the ball to the Colts' 4-yard line, but then gave it back when Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
's third-down pass was intercepted by Antoine Bethea
Antoine Bethea
Antoine Bethea is a professional American football safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Colts...
. Following the turnover, the Colts marched 63 yards in 13 plays and scored with Vinatieri's third field goal, which hit the cross bar and bounced through the uprights, to give them a 9-3 halftime lead.
Indianapolis took the second half kickoff and drove 54 yards, featuring a 27-yard catch by tight end Dallas Clark
Dallas Clark
Dallas Dean Clark is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts 24th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa...
. Vinatieri finished the drive with a 48-yard field goal to increase their lead to 12-3. After an exchange of punts, the Ravens cut the score to 12-6 by driving 62 yards and scoring on a 51-yard field goal from Stover. Then, on the third play of the Colts' ensuing possession, Reed recorded his second interception from Manning, giving his team a first down on their 39-yard line. However, just like his previous pick, the Ravens could not take advantage of the turnover. Five plays later, McNair's pass was intercepted by defensive back Nick Harper
Nick Harper
Nick Harper is an English singer-songwriter/guitarist. He is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper.-Early life:Nick Harper was born in London in 1965 to the famous folk singer-songwriter Roy Harper...
.
After each team punted once, the Colts put the game away with a 47-yard drive that took 7:16 off the clock and included three successful third down conversions. Vinatieri finished the drive with his fifth field goal, giving Indianapolis a 15-6 lead with only 23 seconds left in regulation. Colts defensive end Robert Mathis
Robert Mathis
Robert Nathan Mathis is an American football defensive end who currently plays for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.-Early years:Mathis attended McNair High School in Atlanta, Georgia....
then sealed the victory by forcing and recovering a fumble from McNair on the Ravens' final play.
The game had added significance to many Baltimore fans, due to the circumstances of the Colts' departure from Baltimore 23 years earlier. The Indianapolis Colts advanced to their second AFC Championship game in four years. It was the third consecutive playoff defeat for the Ravens.
NFC: New Orleans Saints 27, Philadelphia Eagles 24
The SaintsNew Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
gained 208 rushing yards and 435 total yards, both postseason franchise records, en route to a 27-24 victory over the Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, allowing them to advance to the conference championship game for the first time in the team's 40-year history.
In the first quarter, a 28-yard run from New Orleans' Deuce McAllister
Deuce McAllister
Dulymus Jenod "Deuce" McAllister is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
set up a 33-yard field goal from John Carney to open up the scoring. Later in the period, two big plays from the Saints, a 25-yard run by Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
and a 35-yard reception by Devery Henderson
Devery Henderson
-New Orleans Saints:On November 5, 2006, Devery had his best day as a professional in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught 3 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Henderson had 158 receiving yards on 5 catches, including a 76 yard touchdown, against the Atlanta Falcons on November...
, set up Carney's second field goal 15 seconds into the second quarter, making the score 6-0.
Three plays after the kickoff, Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia
Jeff Garcia
Jeffrey Jason "Jeff" Garcia is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State University....
threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Donté Stallworth to give his team a 7-6 lead. The Saints responded with a 78-yard drive, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by Reggie Bush to retake the lead at 13-7. However, the Eagles stormed right back, driving 80 yards in 11 plays. On third down and goal, running back Brian Westbrook
Brian Westbrook
Brian Collins Westbrook is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at Villanova...
took a handoff and jumped over top of the defensive line and fell into the end zone for a touchdown, giving them a 14-13 lead with 50 seconds left in the half. New Orleans returned the kickoff to their 47-yard line. With 2 seconds left, quarterback Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
threw a Hail Mary pass
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
to the end zone. Wide receiver Marques Colston
Marques Colston
Marques Colston is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a supplemental compensatory pick. Following the trade of receiver Donté Stallworth, Colston was inserted into the starting lineup for week 1 of...
initially caught the ball, but it squirted out of his arms as he fell to the ground, and was ruled an incompletion.
Philadelphia took the second-half kickoff and scored in just 3 plays with a 62-yard touchdown romp from Westbrook, increasing their lead to 21-13. However, the Saints responded with a 5-yard touchdown run by McAllister on their next drive. Then after forcing a punt, New Orleans drove to the Eagles' 29-yard line. After two penalties (a holding call against the Saints and an illegal contact call against the Eagles), McAllister rushed for 25 yards and followed it up with an 11-yard touchdown reception, giving the Saints a 27-21 lead.
With 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia scored on a 24-yard field goal from David Akers
David Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
, cutting their deficit to 3 points. After an exchange of punts, the Saints drove from their 29 to the Eagles 35-yard line with 3:24 left in the game. New Orleans was in great position to take more time off the clock and increase their lead, but Bush fumbled a high pitch from Brees and Philadelphia's Darren Howard
Darren Howard
Darren M. Howard is an American football defensive end. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State.Howard has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles....
recovered the ball, giving his team a chance to drive for a tying field goal. However, the Eagles were unable to get a first down and chose to punt the ball back with 1:57 left. The Saints then clinched the victory by keeping possession of the ball for the rest of the game.
NFC: Chicago Bears 27, Seattle Seahawks 24 (OT)
Robbie GouldRobbie Gould
Robert Paul "Robbie" Gould III is an American football placekicker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Penn State...
's 49-yard field goal in overtime propelled the Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
over the Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and to their first NFC championship game since the 1988 season. This was also their first playoff win since 1995.
Chicago running back Thomas Jones capped off the opening drive of the game with a 9-yard touchdown run. Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson
Nate Burleson
Nathaniel Burleson is an American football player, who currently plays wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . Burleson played college football for the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2003 NFL...
gave his team great field position with a 41-yard kickoff return to the 47-yard line, but the Bears forced Seattle to punt after three plays. Then, after forcing Chicago to punt, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
tied the score with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Burleson on the first play of the second quarter. However, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian is a free agent American football wide receiver who last played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, giving his team a 14-7 lead.
Later in the quarter, Grossman lost a fumble while being sacked by lineman Julian Peterson
Julian Peterson
Julian Thomas Peterson is a free agent linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State...
, and Seattle's Chuck Darby
Chuck Darby
Chartric "Chuck" Terrell Darby is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football for Willie Jeffries at South Carolina State....
recovered the ball at the Bears' 26-yard line. Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander
Shaun Alexander
Shaun Edward Alexander is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama.- Early career :Alexander was born and...
subsequently took the ball into the end zone with four running plays, the last one a 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Seattle decided to squib kick the ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return, but Bears tight end Gabe Reid
Gabe Reid
Gabriel "Gabe" Reid is a former American football tight end for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Brigham Young University. Reid played high school football for Leone High School in American Samoa and followed older brother Spencer...
gave Chicago good field position with a 20-yard return to the 43-yard line. After the two-minute warning, Grossman completed a 21-yard pass to Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad II is a retired American football wide receiver who played for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
and followed it up with a 18-yard completion to Rashied Davis
Rashied Davis
Rashied Khalid Davis is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at San José State...
, advancing the ball to the 7-yard line. Following a timeout, Jones scored his second rushing touchdown, giving the Bears a 21-14 halftime lead.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Josh Brown's 54-yard field goal cut the Seahawks deficit to 21-17. Then, after the Bears were forced to punt, receiver Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
caught two passes for 33 yards on a 7-play, 51 yard drive that ended with Alexander's second touchdown on a 13-yard run, making the score 24-21. Chicago responded by advancing the ball to the Seahawks 10-yard line, but cornerback Pete Hunter
Pete Hunter
Ralph Everette Hunter is a professional American football defensive back free agent.-Early life:Pete graduated from Atlantic City High School, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with honors.-College years:...
ended the drive by intercepting a pass intended for Muhammad. However, Bears defensive back Ricky Manning Jr. intercepted Hasselbeck's next pass and returned it to the 32-yard line. Chicago ended up getting pushed back to the 36 and decided to punt rather than risk a 54-yard field goal attempt.
In the fourth quarter, Chicago lost a scoring opportunity when Devin Hester
Devin Hester
Devin Hester is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Miami, where he became the first person in the university’s recent history to play in all three phases of American football...
's 63-yard punt return touchdown was nullified by an illegal block penalty on Manning. Instead, they ended up driving 48 yards and scoring with Gould's 41-yard field goal to tie the game. Seattle responded with a drive to Chicago's 46-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs when Alexander was tackled for a 1-yard loss by Lance Briggs
Lance Briggs
Lance Marell Briggs is an American football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Bears in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona.-Early years:A Sacramento native, Briggs attended Elk Grove High...
on 4th-and-1 with under two minutes left in regulation. However, Chicago was unable to get a first down and had to punt. Seattle then drove to the Bears 45-yard line, but Tank Johnson
Tank Johnson
Terry "Tank" Johnson is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington....
sacked Hasselbeck for a 9-yard loss with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, and the game ended up going into overtime.
Seattle won the coin toss, but had to punt after three plays. On the punt, Chicago defender Israel Idonije
Israel Idonije
Israel Idonije is a Nigerian-Canadian defensive end for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Manitoba...
broke through the offensive line and attempted to block the kick. He didn't quite make it there in time, but he forced Ryan Plackemeier
Ryan Plackemeier
Ryan Steven Plackemeier is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
to rush his punt, which ended up going just 18 yards to the Chicago 36-yard line. Two plays later, a 30-yard reception by Davis set up Gould's game-winning 49-yard field goal.
AFC: New England Patriots 24, San Diego Chargers 21
In the final game of the divisional playoffs, the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
faced the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
team, who were unbeaten at home in the regular season. The Chargers' roster included league MVP running back LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
, who broke several league records, nine Pro Bowlers, and five All-Pro players. However, four Chargers turnovers, three of which were converted into Patriots scoring drives, helped lead to a Chargers loss. San Diego lost despite outgaining the Patriots in rushing yards, 148-51 and total yards, 352-327, while also intercepting three passes from Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
.
In the first quarter, after San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
opted to go for it on 4th-and-11 instead of attempting a 47-yard field goal, quarterback Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college...
lost a fumble while being sacked by Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
, setting up Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
's 51-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the period. In the second quarter, Chargers receiver Eric Parker's 13-yard punt return set up a 48-yard scoring drive that ended with LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
's 2-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 7-3 lead. Then, on the Patriots' next drive, linebacker Donnie Edwards
Donnie Edwards
Donnie Edwards is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it to the 41-yard line. But the Chargers ended up punting after Rivers was sacked on third down by defensive back Artrell Hawkins
Artrell Hawkins
Artrell Hawkins, Jr. is a former American football defensive back of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
. Later in the quarter, Tomlinson rushed twice for 13 yards and took a screen pass
Screen pass
A screen pass is a type of play in American football. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is being thrown, when in fact the pass is merely a short one, just beyond the defensive linemen. Screens are usually deployed...
58 yards to the Patriots' 6-yard line, setting up a 6-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner with 2:04 left in the half. New England responded with a 72-yard scoring drive, with receiver Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
catching four passes for 46 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown reception with six seconds left in the half, cutting their deficit to 14-10.
In the second half, Brady threw his second interception of the game. But once again, the Chargers were forced to punt after Rivers was sacked on third down. Mike Scifres
Mike Scifres
Michael T. Scifres is a punter for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.-High school:Scifres attended Destrehan High School in Destrehan, Louisiana and lettered in football, soccer, and baseball. In football, he was an All-District selection...
' 36-yard punt pinned New England back at their own 2-yard line, and San Diego subsequently forced a punt, but Parker muffed the kick and New England's David Thomas recovered the fumble at the Chargers' 31-yard line. New England's drive seemed to stall after Brady fumbled on 3rd and 13. Patriots' tackle Matt Light
Matt Light
Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio...
recovered it and Chargers defensive back Drayton Florence
Drayton Florence
Drayton Florence, Jr. is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting Patriots tight end Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. The drive continued and Gostkowski eventually kicked a 34-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 14-13. Then, on San Diego's next drive, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue....
intercepted a pass from Rivers at the New England 36-yard line. The Patriots then drove to the Chargers 41-yard line, but were halted there and had to punt. After the punt, Rivers completed two passes to tight end Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after playing college basketball at Kent State University...
for 31 yards and a 31-yard pass to Vincent Jackson
Vincent Jackson
Vincent Jackson , nicknamed "Action Jackson", is an American football wide receiver who currently plays in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers....
, setting up Tomlinson's second rushing touchdown to give the Chargers an 8-point lead, 21-13.
New England responded by driving to San Diego's 41-yard line. On a fourth-down conversion attempt, Brady's pass was intercepted by Marlon McCree
Marlon McCree
Marlon Tarron McCree is an American football safety who is currently a free agent, as well as a mentor and coach. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the Seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, but Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
stripped the ball, and receiver Reche Caldwell
Reche Caldwell
Donald Reche Caldwell, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for six seasons in the early 2000s...
recovered it. Schottenheimer unsuccessfully challenged the play and lost a timeout. Four plays later, Brady threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Caldwell. On the next play, running back Kevin Faulk
Kevin Faulk
Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...
took a direct snap and scored the two-point conversion, tying the game. Then, after forcing a punt, Brady completed a 19-yard pass to Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Two plays later, Caldwell caught a 49-yard strike down the right sideline to set up Gostkowski's third field goal to give them a 24-21 lead with only 1:10 left in the fourth quarter. With no timeouts left, San Diego drove to the Patriots 36-yard line on their final possession, but Nate Kaeding
Nate Kaeding
Nathaniel James Kaeding is an American football placekicker who plays for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa...
's 54-yard field goal attempt fell short with three seconds remaining in the game.
NFC Championship: Chicago Bears 39, New Orleans Saints 14
Although the SaintsNew Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
outgained the Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in total yards, 375-335, their four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception) contributed to a Bears victory.
On the opening drive of the game, Saints receiver Devery Henderson
Devery Henderson
-New Orleans Saints:On November 5, 2006, Devery had his best day as a professional in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught 3 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Henderson had 158 receiving yards on 5 catches, including a 76 yard touchdown, against the Atlanta Falcons on November...
caught a 40-yard pass at the Bears' 32-yard line. But three plays later, Bears lineman Israel Idonije
Israel Idonije
Israel Idonije is a Nigerian-Canadian defensive end for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Manitoba...
sacked quarterback Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
on the 36-yard line, and the Saints decided to punt rather than attempt a 54-yard field goal.
With 5:28 remaining in the first quarter, Bears defensive back Nathan Vasher
Nathan Vasher
Nathaniel DeWayne Vasher is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
recovered a fumble from Marques Colston
Marques Colston
Marques Colston is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a supplemental compensatory pick. Following the trade of receiver Donté Stallworth, Colston was inserted into the starting lineup for week 1 of...
and returned it 14 yards to the Saints' 36-yard line. Several plays later, Robbie Gould
Robbie Gould
Robert Paul "Robbie" Gould III is an American football placekicker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Penn State...
kicked a 19-yard field goal to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. Then, Chicago's Danieal Manning
Danieal Manning
Danieal Manning is a professional American football safety for the Houston Texans. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 42nd pick in the 2006 NFL Draft from Abilene Christian University, which made him the first player from a non-Division I school to be selected that year...
recovered a fumble from Michael Lewis on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Gould's second field goal to increase the lead to 6-0. New Orleans was forced to punt on their next possession, and Devin Hester
Devin Hester
Devin Hester is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Miami, where he became the first person in the university’s recent history to play in all three phases of American football...
gave his team good field position with a 10-yard return to the Saints' 49-yard line. Two plays later, tight end Desmond Clark
Desmond Clark
Desmond Darice Clark is an American football Tight End who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wake Forest...
's 30-yard reception moved the ball to the 19. Once again, New Orleans kept Chicago's offense out of the end zone, but Gould kicked his third field goal to give the Bears a 9-0 lead. Then, after forcing another punt, Chicago stormed down the field on a drive in which running back Thomas Jones carried the ball on eight consecutive plays, gaining 69 yards and finishing it off with a 2-yard touchdown run. This time, New Orleans managed to respond, with Brees completing 5 passes for 73 yards on their ensuing possession, the last one a 13-yard touchdown pass to Colston, to cut their deficit to 16-7 by halftime.
Two plays after forcing a punt from Chicago on the opening drive of the second half, running back Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
caught a pass from Brees and took it 88 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to two points. Then after forcing another punt, New Orleans drove to the Bears' 29-yard line. But this time, they failed to score, as Brees threw three incompletions and Billy Cundiff
Billy Cundiff
William A. "Billy" Cundiff is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.
After the ensuing kickoff, Brad Maynard
Brad Maynard
Bradley "Brad" Alan Maynard is an American football punter for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft...
's 51-yard punt gave the Saints the ball at their own 5-yard line. Two plays later, Brees committed an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Two possessions later, Chicago stormed 85 yards in five plays, with quarterback Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
completing four consecutive passes for 73 yards, the last one a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian is a free agent American football wide receiver who last played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, increasing their lead to 25-14.
The next time the Bears had the ball, they scored another touchdown with a 12-yard run by Cedric Benson
Cedric Benson
Cedric Myron Benson is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft...
on a drive that was set up after Brees lost a fumble while being sacked by Adewale Ogunleye
Adewale Ogunleye
Adewale Ogunleye is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Indiana.-Early years:...
. Then, on New Orleans' next drive, Brees was intercepted by defensive back Nathan Vasher
Nathan Vasher
Nathaniel DeWayne Vasher is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
. After the ensuing possession, Maynard's 46-yard punt pinned the Saints at their own 8-yard line, and the Saints could only reach their own 30 before turning the ball over on downs. Five plays later, Jones closed out the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run, making the final score 39-14.
In addition, Reggie Bush became the fifth Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner to play in a conference championship game the year after winning the trophy. Mike Garrett
Mike Garrett
Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...
, who also went to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, did so with the Chiefs in 1966 (technically it was the AFL title game since the league didn't merge until 1970), Tony Dorsett
Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
did with the Cowboys in 1977, Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
did with the Houston Oilers in 1978 and Ron Dayne
Ron Dayne
Ron Dayne is a former American football running back who is currently a free agent. He holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy.-Early life:...
did with the Giants in 2000. Campbell and Bush are the only two of those to not advance to the Super Bowl in that season. (Reggie Bush has since vacated the Heisman Trophy due to ineligibility during the 2005 NCAA football season.)
AFC Championship: Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 34
The ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
gained 455 offensive yards, 32 first downs, and managed to overcome a 21-3 deficit to the Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 1970 season. Their 18-point comeback was the largest ever in an NFL conference championship game, and tied the record for the fourth largest NFL postseason comeback. The Colts' win came after the Patriots had eliminated the Colts from the playoffs twice in the previous three seasons.
Midway through the first quarter, the Patriots drove 71 yards to the Colts' 4-yard line, featuring a 35-yard run by Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
. On third down, running back Laurence Maroney
Laurence Maroney
Laurence Maroney is an American football running back who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 21st overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.-Early years:Maroney attended Normandy Senior High School in St...
fumbled a handoff, but the ball rolled into the end zone where offensive lineman Logan Mankins
Logan Mankins
-2005–06 seasons:Mankins was drafted with the final pick of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard by the Patriots, where he immediately stepped into the starting...
recovered it for a touchdown. The Colts responded by driving 56 yards and scoring with Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
's 42-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 7-3. On their ensuing drive, the Patriots drove to a fourth down on the Colts' 34-yard line. Rather than attempt a 52-yard field goal, New England decided to go for it and Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
completed a 27-yard pass to Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
. On the next play, Dillon scored on a 7-yard touchdown run. Then, two plays after the ensuing kickoff, cornerback Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
intercepted a pass from Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, giving New England a 21-3 lead. Later in the quarter, Indianapolis drove 80 yards in 15 plays, with Vinatieri finishing the drive with a 26-yard field goal, cutting the score to 21-6 with 11 seconds left in the half.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Colts marched down the field and scored with a 1-yard run by Manning. Then, after forcing a punt, a 25-yard reception by Dallas Clark
Dallas Clark
Dallas Dean Clark is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts 24th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa...
and a 19-yard run by Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Dondrell Rhodes is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He attended Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
moved the ball to the Patriots' 32-yard line. Following a pass interference penalty on defensive back Ellis Hobbs
Ellis Hobbs
Ellis Hobbs III is a former American football cornerback who played for six seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for Iowa State. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for them from 2005–2008...
in the end zone, Manning threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to defensive lineman Dan Klecko
Dan Klecko
Dan Klecko is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Temple....
, who had lined up at the fullback position on the play. Then, receiver Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison
Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
caught a 2-point conversion pass to tie the game at 21.
Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to the Colts' 21-yard line. Four plays later, Brady threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone. Although he landed out of bounds, officials ruled that he was pushed out while in the air, and the Patriots took a 28-21 lead. Rhodes started out the Colts' next drive with two receptions for 23 yards and a 9-yard run. Then, Clark caught a 23-yard pass at the 9-yard line. Three plays later, Rhodes fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line, but center Jeff Saturday
Jeff Saturday
Jeffrey Bryant Saturday is an American football center for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He played college football at North Carolina. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the National Football League Players' Association.-Early years:Saturday attended...
recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown to tie the game.
After an exchange of punts, New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
made a 28-yard field goal to give them a three-point lead. The Colts responded with a 36-yard field goal by Vinatieri, set up by Clark's 52-yard reception, to tie the game at 31. Hobbs returned Vinatieri's kickoff 41 yards to the Patriots' 46-yard line. Then, Brady completed a 25-yard pass to tight end Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham
Daniel Lawrence Grahamhttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrahDa00.htm is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Indianapolis managed to halt the drive at their 25-yard line, but Gostkowski kicked a 43-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 34-31 lead with 3:49 left in the game. New England's defense subsequently forced a punt, but the Patriots ended up punting back to the Colts after running only a minute off the clock.
Manning started off the drive with three nonconsecutive completions for 58 yards, with a roughing-the-passer penalty on the third play adding another 12, moving the ball 70 yards in a span of 19 seconds and bringing up a first down at the Patriots' 11-yard line. Three plays later, Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai, Jr. is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.-Early years:Addai's family hails from Ghana in West Africa...
's 3-yard touchdown run gave the Colts their first lead of the game with only one minute remaining. Brady responded by leading his team to the Colts' 45-yard line. But cornerback Marlin Jackson
Marlin Jackson
-Indianapolis Colts:Jackson was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 29th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. As an NFL rookie he had 52 tackles and one interception. Marlin played mostly in passing situations with one start in 15 games. In his second season, he had 82 tackles and 1...
intercepted Brady's next pass with 17 seconds left, ending the game, and sending the 2006 Indianapolis Colts to their third Super Bowl in team history (first as the Indianapolis Colts).
The Colts were the first #3 seed since the NFL expanded the playoffs in 1990 to host a conference championship game and the first overall since the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
did so in 1987. It was also the first time since said season where a team hosted a championship game after playing a road game in the divisional round, and was also the first conference championship game in which neither team had the first round bye and had to play three rounds to get to the Super Bowl.