CHICAGO, January 17, 2012 – The Green Bay Packers scorched their way through the 2012 regular season with only one loss on the back of Aaron Rodgers and their tremendous offense. The New Orleans Saints smashed several offensive records en route to a thirteen-win season with the help of the most productive season a quarterback has ever had.
Both of those teams will watch the NFC championship game from the same view as the rest of us; possibly on larger screens.
Both the Packers and the Saints ran into defensive brick walls in the divisional playoff round, and both made exits when they were considered Super Bowl favorites. The Packers looked out of sync due to their stars’ extended break (resting at the end of the regular season and the opening round playoff bye), while the Saints ordered their stud quarterback to fire upwards of sixty passes while turning the ball over five times.
Even the Houston Texans, another team that contained a fearsome offense for most of the regular season, ran into a cement truck when they visited the defensive powerhouse Baltimore Ravens team.
When the New York Giants beat those Packers, San Francisco 49ers beat those Saints and the Ravens stomped those Texans, they had one glaring similarity; a stifling defense. The league is no longer packed with teams that can amass 400 yards with their eyes closed; in fact, only one of the four teams left is considered an offensive power. Aside from those New England Patriots, the league is returning to its roots. Run the ball, run the ball, pass if you must, and play some rib-cracking defense.
The defining play of the 49ers victory over the Saints was when San Francisco safety Donte Whitner knocked Pierre Thomas unconscious on the 49ers two-yard line; Thomas wouldn’t return. It looked as if Thomas’ momentum would carry him to the goal line, but alas, he crumpled to the ground just short of his goal, ending what looked to be a promising drive.
If you need a visual aid to the Saints’ season, that covers it perfectly.
When the New York Giants travelled to Lambeau Field to play the heavily favored Packers, they knew that their offense was going to need some help keeping up with the likes of Aaron Rodgers and the Mean Green Scoring Machine. Naturally, the G-men forced four turnovers and held Rodgers to a pedestrian 78.5 rating in a dominant win.
All the Ravens did was make the Texans’ rookie third-string quarterback look like a rookie third-string quarterback.
The fourth remaining team, the New England Patriots, bulldozed a helpless Denver Broncos team. Looks like Tom Brady finally got tired of taking the backseat to an unproven youngster, taking advantage of a severely underprepared Denver defense.
But the other three defensive powers put themselves in the final four by beating all of the ridiculously hot offensive teams that might have outperformed them in the regular season. But in a regular season that will be remembered for its offensive wizardry, teams are starting to realize that record books and highlight reels aren’t as nice as Lombardi trophies.
The logic is inescapable; an offense can be affected by weather, by opposing defense, or just by having a simply bad day. A good defense is fundamentally solid and one of the more consistent parts of the game, regardless of what the Pittsburgh Steelers decide to do against Tim Tebow.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were hailed as the game’s most consistent offense in the regular season, but one cold day and a bit of rust led to a heartbreaking thud. Drew Brees led history’s most explosive group, but got outgunned by a team led by Alex Smith.
Noticing a pattern here?
Drew Brees would trade in his records for another championship in a heartbeat. Aaron Rodgers would prefer to go 8-8 in the regular season and win a Super Bowl than go 15-1 with an early playoff exit. Their offenses got them their regular season records, but rarely can an offense be consistent enough to win three or four tough postseason games without defensive help.
Defense is returning to the game of football. While regular season records may be smashed, a fearsome defense is what teams now need to have a good chance to succeed in the postseason, regardless of how well their offense may be.
To contact Nick Goralka, see above to send him an e-mail containing a question, comment, or scathing insult. His work appears in Alley-oops for Touchdowns! in the Communities at the Washington Times Online.
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