Sports: Championship Sunday

A lot of people like the first round of the playoffs in the NFL. You will hear them say it is their favorite week of pro football. My favorite week of pro football is Championship Sunday. Maybe because of the 8 or 9 years I watched pro football and the last game of the year was called the NFL or AFL Championship game. It could be because about 90% of the time these two games are better than the Super Bowl. When the Super Bowl gets closer I will probably reblog my feelings on the Super Bowl. I feel that it is the most disgusting event in the history of sports. Getting back to the task at hand discussing the two championship games today. It is a bit of a unique Championship Sunday because for the first time in 7 years the Kansas City Chiefs will not be playing. The Denver Broncos will not have their starting quarterback. Denver and Seattle will be making their first appearance in the Championship game in about 10 and 11 years, respectively. It’s hard to believe but New England has not been to a Championship Game since 2019. The Los Angeles Rams have the most recent success, winning the Super Bowl of the 2021 football season. We have two veteran quarterbacks for the Rams and Seahawks. New England has a young quarterback, and as mentioned, the Broncos have no quarterback. Not really, but Jarret Stidham is 29 years old, has not started a game since 2023, and did not have a meaningful play in 2025. This situation harkens back memories to 1965 when another team, the Baltimore Colts, had their quarterbacks decimated by injury going into a playoff game against the Green Bay Packers to settle who won the Western Conference.

Back in those days, since there were only 14 teams, if there were any ties, they were played off on the field. The Packers had beaten the Colts twice during the regular season, and they did get home field advantage. Not only did the Packers get home field, but the Colts were without Johnny Unitas and their 2nd-string QB Gary Cuozzo due to injuries. They wound up starting Tom Matte, a former Ohio State quarterback under Woody Hayes. He had played running back for the last 5 years for the Colts. You can imagine how little he threw the ball in a Woody Hayes offense in the early 60s. The Packers went into the game as solid favorites. On the first series of the game, odds changed dramatically. Bart Starr threw a pass in flat about 7 yards down the field to tight end Bill Anderson. He turned and was hit immediately by the Baltimore defender. The ball popped out and was picked up by a Baltimore player who returned it for a touchdown. What I find interesting about the play is that under today’s rules, the pass may have been ruled incomplete. Not only did the Colts jump out to a 7-0 lead, but Bart Starr was injured on the play while trying to make the tackle. The Packers were down to their 2nd-string QB Zeke Bratkowski. The Packers were able to move the ball most of the day but kept making mistakes, and the Colts had a big goal-line stand in the 1st half. The Colts managed to kick a field goal and had a 10-0 lead at the half. The Packers continued to move the ball and finally scored late in the 3rd quarter. The Colts were holding on and looked like they might pull off the big upset. With about 2 minutes to go, Don Chandler had a short 22-yard field goal to tie the game. It carried right over the left upright, and many thought it was no good, but the officials called it good to tie the game. Like everything else, the NFL waited about 3 to 4 years so it would not be obvious, but this was the impetus to make the goalposts longer so it would be easier to tell if the kick was good or not. The game went into overtime, and after two exchanges on offense, the Packers, on their 3rd possession in overtime, drove down the field, and Chandler won the game on a similar length field goal. This one was right down the middle, and the Packers escaped with a 13-10 overtime win.

Will we see an unknown backup send the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl? I have a feeling we will. Denver does have the home-field advantage. The high altitude may affect the Patriots more than the Broncos. The Broncos had a thrilling overtime win against the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots were practically handed their victory on a silver platter by C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Even as inexperienced as the Bronco QB is, I do not see him playing as badly as Stroud. Drake Maye, the young QB for the Patriots, has a tendency to fumble a lot. This game will boil down to who runs the ball better. Yes, turnovers can be a factor, as they are in any game. Even with their QB, I think Denver has what it takes to pull this one out. In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks have been dominant. Eleven of their fifteen wins were by 8 points or more. Their 3 losses were by a total of 9 points. They have won 8 in a row. The two games with the Rams have been close, hard-fought games. In the 2nd meeting, Seattle made an unbelievable comeback, scoring 16 points in the 4th quarter to wipe out a 30-14 deficit. The game went into overtime, with the Rams scoring a touchdown. Seattle scored a touchdown and then made their 3rd straight 2-point conversion to pull it out 38-37. The Rams have had 2 hard-fought playoff wins. Will that take it out of them or make them tournament tough? Again, I think home field will be a factor, and Seattle will pull out the win. Either way, I know I will be watching because, in my view, this is the last week of the professional football season.