There will be no Cinderella in the AFC this year, as the two best teams in the conference will play for the right to go to the Super Bowl for the first time in a long time.
The Patriots hung on to beat the Ravens in overtime last season in Foxboro. It was a game they had to fight back in, and got huge boosts from the defense and Zoltan Mesko’s punting in the extra session.
Redemption is the story line that is coming to light for the 2011 Patriots. Let’s look back at who’s ended the Patriots seasons since they last won Super Bowl 39:
- 2005: Denver – just pounded
- 2006: Indy – Pats beat them and it looks like Peyton Manning may never play for them again.
- 2007: Giants – TBD
- 2009: Ravens – playing next Sunday.
- 2010: Jets – beat them twice and now watching them implode.
So it’s still in play to effectively right every major loss this franchise has had since it’s last Super Bowl title. There’s definitely something poetic in that.
It should be a great game, and a true test of the direction of the NFL game. Will the team with the best defense win? Or the team with the best quarterback?