Sim City: Pt. II

After yesterday's blowouts (see below), today's games were much closer, and with somewhat unexpected outcomes. I say unexpected because A) Everyone in the world expects Rex Grossman to suck (and he didn't!) B) Everyone in the world thinks the Ravens are overrated (and the won!!!) and C) Everyone in the world thinks Peyton Manning can't win in the playoffs (Oh wait, never mind C.) In two grueling simulations, the Ravens used their defense and opportunistic passing from Steve McNair to defeat the Colts, 17-14 in a thriller in Balt City. Almost equally as shocking, Rex Grossman proved he can handle the playoff pressure and deliver, leading the Bears to a 27-24 victory over Seatlle. Here is how both games went down.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears
Is there anyone in the football universe not named Tom Coughlin or Nick Saban more maligned than Rex Grossman? The guy has gotten slammed this year, despite the fact that his Bears are 13-3, and now that they are in the playoffs, he is still getting slammed. He'd be the next mayor of New York City if he led the Giants to a 13-3 record. But like everbody else in this world, his failures are so much more interesting than his successes, which is why so many people have so much fun verbally impaling him.


No impaling here, not after a shit-hot performance against the sleepless in Seattle Seahawks. Grossman, who was an insane 9 of 13 passing for 198 yards and two touchdown at the half, led the Bears with his best performance of the season. He finished with 378 yards on 21 of 34 passing, including three touchdowns and one interception. He got little help from his running backs, Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, who combined for only 51 yards on the ground. To be fair, Jones was injured and had to leave the game in the third quarter with a broken collarbone.

Matt Hasselbeck, for his part, hung right with Grossman throughout the game, finishing 24 of 34 with 328 yards and three touchdowns of his own. Hasselbeck spread the ball out to six different receivers, three of whom caught his TD passes (Deion Branch, Bobby Engram and Jerramy Stevens). He used Shaun Alexander out of the backfield frequently, hooking up with the running back seven times for 49 yards, and was typically acurate. He just ran into a Rex Grossman we have never seen before.

Grossman needed a big game to shut his critics up, and he started off with a bang. He hit his first two passes for 15 and 17 yards and after a Seattle field goal, drilled Bernard Berrian with a 79-yard touchdown strike. Berrian, on his part, made two great moves to force two missed tackles, to make it 7-3 Chicago. He would finish with 7 catches and a career high 150 yards receiving.

After a Bears interception, Grossman hooked up with Muhsin Muhammad for another TD to go up 14-3. Muhammad finished with 57 yards and two touchdowns. But Hasselbeck responded, finding a wide open Stevens for a 22-yard touchdown. A Chicago field goal just before halftime made it 17-10 Bears.

Grossman again came out of the gates firing after halftime, throwing his third and final touchdown to a wide open Muhammad in the end zone. A Chicago field goal made it 27-10 with less than three minutes to go in the third quarter. The score stayed that way until the fourth quarter, when Hasselbeck found Branch racing down the sidelines for a 23-yard TD run. That narrowed it to 27-17 with just under eight minutes left in the game. And that's when it got interesting.

After converting a third-and-eleven with a 41-yard pass to Berrian, Grossman tried to seal the deal, opting to throw the ball into the end zone rather than run the clock down by running the ball. Bad decision. Linebacker Lofa Tatupu picked him off, giving the ball, and another chance, to Seattle.

Hasselbeck struck immediately, throwing a 64-yard pass to Engram. But an offensive holding penalty brought it back. On the very next play, however, Charles Tillman was called for defensive pass interference, giving the Seahawks first-and-ten from the Bears 48. After several Alexander runs, Hasselbeck found Engram over the middle right as Brian Urlacher was about to sack him. Engram raced in untouched into the end zone, closing the gap to 27-24 with just under two minutes to play.

But that was as close as the Seahawks could get. An unsuccessful onsides kick allowed Chicago to run out the clock, sending Soldier's Field into a frenzy and the Bears into the NFC Championship against the Saints.

Final Score: CHICAGO 27, SEATTLE 24

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens
Peyton Manning won't ever be considered a great quarterback until he wins a Super Bowl, and considering his career, that is pretty unfair. But when you are so good in the regular season, yet cannot do a damn thing in the playoffs, you are left with a lot to prove. Going into the playoffs this year, everyone wanted to know: Will this be season Manning ditches the albatross?

After downing an inept Kansas City team last week, the Colts were on their way. But Baltimore is a different beast, and once again, Manning was sent to his off-season with a second round exit in a heartbreaking 17-14 loss. On a balmy 54-degree afternoon in Baltimore, the Colts of old and the Colts of new squared off in the best game yet, a defensive struggle that featured, believe it or not, two missed field goals by Adam Vinatieri and a crucial Baltimore interception in the end zone at the end of the game that sealed the victory for the Ravens.

Not surprisingly, it was a defensive battle from the start. Both teams - Baltimore with its high octane line backers and Indianapolis with its suddenly impervious defensive line - held the ground games in relative check. Sensational rookie running back Joeseph Adai had a solid game (16 rushes, 98 yards) but 46 of those yards came on one run. Jamal Lewis and Mike Anderson were limited to a combined 85 yards rushing.

In the air, the deep threat of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne for Indianapolis were neutralized by a pesky Baltimore secondary. Choosing his targets more wisely, McNair fared better than an out-of-sync Manning. Both teams relied on their tight ends for short yardage gains. Manning dished most of his 165 yards to Dallas Clark (six catches, 104 yards, TD) as Harrison and Wayne were frequently doubled teamed. McNair spread the ball to several receivers. Todd Heap caught seven passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and Anderson had two receptions for 23 yards and a TD. McNair's favorite receiver, Mark Clayton, was not a factor.

Things started out well for the Colts, who after a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by the Ravens' Matt Stover, got on the scoreboard first with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Wayne. The 7-0 score lasted until early in the second quarter when McNair connected with Heap in the end zone. After Vinatieri missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, and the Ravens subsequent drive was stuffed in a quick three-and-out, Manning drilled a pass to Clark, who ran over cornerback Samari Rolle en route to the end zone.

However, on the ensuing kickoff, B.J. Sams hurdled over tacklers and raced to the Colts' 10 yard line for a 90-yard return. After three failed attempts at the end zone, Stover kicked a 27-yard field goal to come within four points, going into halftime down 14-10.

The second half featured a long run by Adai and both teams turning the ball over on successive interceptions, but little scoring. Trying to hook up with Harrison, Manning was picked to start the half. But McNair returned the favor, setting up another field goal attempt for Vinatieri. This one was from 47 yards out, and again, it sailed right. It would cost the Colts, as McNair led the Colts downfield and finished the drive with a four-yard pass to Anderson. Suddenly, the Ravens were winning. The extra point made it 17-14.

And it would stay that way, despite both teams taking huge chances and having big opportunities. Baltimore successfully converted a fourth and one in their own territory but later missed a 47-yard field goal. Manning led the Colts down to the red zone, thanks in part to a huge pass interference call on the Ravens, but threw his second interception of the game right into the arms of Chris McAllister, who downed it in the end zone. Baltimore ran out the clock on the next possession to seal the victory.

Final score: BALTIMORE 17, INDIANAPOLIS 14