BALTIMORE, Maryland January 13, 2014 - Barring Surprises, Look for a Seattle-Denver Superbowl in the Meadowlands: There are still plenty of sub-plots that could, in the end, waylay what more and more looks like an inevitable Superbowl Showdown between the two best teams in the NFL circa 2013. For instance, New England's four-man rotation at running back could actually start to believe they really are as good as the Boston Press trumpets them to be. Or, maybe they'll be a blizzard in Denver this weekend. It could happen. Peyton can't pass the ball but Belichek has found a way for Brady to get the job done. Could that happen? And to be perfectly honest, Jim Harbaugh could get his 49ers fired up enough to go into Seattle on Sunday and forget about the maniacs in the stands and somehow find a way to beat Seattle. I'd start with those game films from the Seahawk's quite narrow win over New Orleans. Really, all you need is the second half. The first half would just depress you if you, like me, favors the 49ers, what, with Anquan "Should Still be a Raven" Bouldin and Vernon "UofMd" Davis.
Seattle did show they have vulnerabilities. You have to deal with the noise. You have to deal with the speed. And you have to play your game. Against the Saints, Seattle was up, 16-0, at halftime and it wasn't even that close. But in the third quarter the New Orleans defense put on a clinic on how to stop Seattle's offense. In the fourth quarter Drew Brees finally got the Saints' offense going. Harbaugh should concentrate on the fourth quarter game films. That's when the Saints damn near stole the game from Seattle. New Orleans scored in the first minute of the quarter after a long drive. Then, they scored a two-point conversion and now that 'commanding' lead was cut exactly in half. Remember, that 'commanding' lead consisted of one TD and three Field Goals. After the Saints halved the lead, a lot of the screaming maniacs up in the stands were morphing into fidgeting adults griping again about the Seattle weather.
Alas, New Orleans got the ball back a couple of times in the quarter but couldn't cash in. Then, Seattle rebuilt its lead on a 31-yard run by Marshawn Lynch. That came with but 2:40 left to play and that should have ended it. But it didn't.
Brees marched the Saints quickly down the field and scored with 26 seconds left. The extra point kick cut the Seahawk lead back to a single score, 23-15. Against all of the odds, the Saints then recovered the ensuing on-side kick, giving them the ball at their own 42. Brees quickly completed a pass to Jimmy Graham - it was the Saints' leading receiver's only catch of the game - for eight yards. Now, the Saints were at midfield and still had time for three or four more plays. Brees then tried a pass over the middle but it fell incomplete. Brees reloaded, then fired again to Marques Colston. Colston had just caught the touchdown pass to give the Saints this chance, then he went right out and recovered the bloody onside kick. Now, with the play starting from midfield, Colston caught the pass at the Seattle 38 and he had an unchallenged two or three steps to the sidelines and a chance to again stop the clock, giving New Orleans a realistic chance of scoring on the game's final play. But the pass and catch by Colston was only part of this play that Saints Coach Shawn Peyton had installed ten days ago. Colston was to catch the ball, then throw a lateral across the field to a running back streaking down the right sideline. Sadly, the back had mistimed his run and was well past the 38 when Colston threw to him. The play was instantly flagged as an illegal forward pass, and with the mandatory ten second runoff for such penalties, the Seahawks had officially escaped.
For the expected Superbowl matchup to become reality, the Seahawks must avoid the 49ers expected strong effort and again exert their will on a visitor. And, the Broncos still have to beat invading New England, but unless something unexpected happens, Denver and Seattle will head east after this weekend for the first outdoor cold weather venue Superbowl in NFL history.
Burnley has struggled mightily of late, but still holds on to Promotion Position: In the English Championship League, the top two finishers are awarded a guaranteed promotion to the Premier League and the riches and attention available there. Burnley, one of English Soccer's original teams, last tasted that magic in the 2009-2010 season, but before that one year run, their last promotion to the top league came in the 1950's. At the very start of the 2009-2010 campaign, the Claret stunned Manchester United and always tough Everton in a five-day period they will never forget at ol' Turf Moor. In case you didn't know, Burnley has played their soccer matches there since 1883.
This year's edition of the Burnley squad has been one of the most successful ever. At Christmas, the Claret sat atop the Championship standings. Since, then, however, the Claret have struggled a tad. In fact, the Claret have struggled a bit since their most convincing victory of the season, on October 26, when they whacked the always tough Queens Park Rangers, 2-0. Since then their record is 4 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses. Their overall record in the Championship after an exhausting 25 games stands at 14 wins, 8 draws and but 3 defeats. It is good for second place. The Claret have 50 points while Leicester City has 54. Behind the Claret, in fact, right behind the Claret, with 49 points, are the Queens Park Rangers. That one single point means the difference between night and day if it stands that way at season's end, which isn't until the first week of May. In the Championship, as stated above, Places One and Two are automatically promoted to the Premier for the following season. Places Three through Six enter a single elimination tournament, and only the winner advances to the Premier. The three other teams are dumped back into the Championship. One point means a helluva lot.
Despite the slide in winning percentage, there is reason for optimism. Burnley has now won two in a row and are 4-1-1 in their last six games. What's more, their next match, on Saturday, is against Sheffield Wednesday, a team just one point away from one of the dreaded demotion positions. The two teams that finish in last and next-to-last in the 24 team league are demoted to "League One," the league immediately below the Championship in the fascinating English Soccer World. And wouldn't you know, Burnley will be at Turf Moor for the match. After Sheffield Wednesday, the Claret have two tough matches. On January 28 the Claret host Brighton & Hove Albion and on February 1 Burnley goes to the Loftus Road stadium in London to take on Queens Park. Come that evening, we all might have a good handle on what course Burnley is on for the coming months.
Terps, struggling again, host Notre Dame on Wednesday: In their last two ACC games Maryland has been blown right off the court. Hence, you would think things look grim for Wednesday's showdown with a good Notre Dame team. But if that is what you think, you haven't been looking at the schedule. It's true that Maryland has been annihilated by Florida State and Pittsburgh in their last two outings, both last week. But both have been on the road, a place it is extremely difficult to win in the ACC. Wednesday's game, however, is at Maryland, where the Terps are 1-0 in the ACC and have played well of late.
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