Injuries and Defense
Before we look ahead to this weekend’s NFL conference championship games, let’s take a look back. What has been talked about in the NFL in the last month? Should the Colts sit their starters out for playoff rest or not? There were many people who were divided on the answer, but I think we would all agree on which is the correct answer: Play with them! Or at the very least, rest injured players, but don’t bench most of the starters the final two weeks of the regular season, even if everything is settled.
That was the position the Colts found themselves in after that 13-0 start. They had secured it all: the division title, the bye week, playing at home for the postseason, the No. 1 spot. Yet anyone who watched Sunday’s loss to the Steelers saw an Indy team that was rusty for most of the game. Very rusty.
The Colts were out of sync most of the way in their 21-18 loss to the Steelers. In general, having a week off gives the team enough time, two weeks, to rest and prepare. It takes time and practice to get a team in sync because there are so many players who need to work together in unison: blocking patterns, running backs hitting the right holes, linemen throwing, receiving execution patterns, quarterbacks getting them there. the ball at the right time. roads etc.
Think back to the final game of the Denver Broncos regular season. Denver was a 12-point dog at San Diego in a pointless game for the Broncos. They had everything sewn up and just needed to stay healthy. Instead, Mike Shanahan had several starters play significant minutes in the first half. They also played inspired football, dominating the Chargers in an impressive performance. I think back to the regular season finale a year ago when the Patriots hosted the terrible 49ers at home in a meaningless game, but Bill Belichick started three quarters. The reason was a little different, as the Patriots played a slow first half, tied 3-3, as heavy favorites. Belichick didn’t like the performance and he sent the starters back into the second half, injuries to hell! The next few weeks followed with dominating performances en route to winning another Super Bowl title.
Of the remaining four teams, does anything stand out? Yes, defense! Carolina and Pittsburgh rank 3rd and 4th in the NFL in total defense, with the Broncos and Seahawks ranking 15th and 16th. More important is run defense, and note that every other team is in the Top 5 in the league. NFL. to stop the race! It goes Denver (2nd), Pittsburgh (3rd), Carolina (4th) and Seattle (5th). One of them will win the Super Bowl, so again, containing the run is a big key to building a championship defense.
That hasn’t translated into a significant number of unders for those teams, but keep in mind that 6 of the 8 playoff games so far have gone under. Yeah, it should come as no surprise that defense is winning championships in every sport – once again!