Eight teams left, four weeks to go, and one trophy to hand out. One city will own the bragging rights as the champions of Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. The two teams which emerge victorious from their respective playoff series will get to face each other down in the NFL’s fiercest contest for the coveted Super Bowl championship title.
Of the eight teams remaining in the playoffs, five of those teams are led by Hall of Fame caliber players, and four of those five already have Super Bowl rings. For the one player lacking the distinction of a title and a ring is LaDainian Tomlinson, “L.T.” of the San Diego Chargers.
In L.T.’s defense the Chargers are the hottest team in the NFL after closing out the regular season with 11 consecutive wins. They will move on to host the New York Jets in the Divisional round of the AFC. The Jets advanced after upsetting Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wildcard round, 24-14.
The other AFC matchup features league MVP Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts against another future Hall of Famer, Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens. Known for their swarming defense Lewis was the Super Bowl MVP in 2000 and led the Ravens with 13 tackles in their 33-14 upset over the New England Patriots in the Wildcard round.
In the NFCcontests, the legendary Brett Favre will lead the Minnesota Vikings with superstar Adrian Peterson against America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. Favre, playing his 18th season at age 40, has had the best year of his career with 4000 yards, 33 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 107.2.
The Cowboys won their first playoff game in 13 years after knocking off Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles in convincing fashion 34-14 in the first round. Dallas will travel to Minnesota to face Favre and the Vikings, the number two seed in the NFC.
And the New Orleans Saints will get the Divisional round started when they host the defending NFC champions, the Arizona Cardinals. Led by another Hall of Fame hopeful, Kurt Warner, the Cardinals outlasted the Green Bay Packers 51-45 in overtime in the Wildcard round. The matchup was the highest scoring playoff game in NFL history.
Manning, Favre, Warner, and Lewis all know the feeling of winning a Super Bowl. Whether or not L.T. will join that elite status of Super Bowl champion remains to be seen, but the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. —lenn durant
photo by Lenn Durant – L.T.
