Going into the 2011-12 NFL season, the usual suspects in both the AFC and NFC were looking to continue their success. In the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts rose to the top once again on the continued arm strength of Tom Brady and on the heels of an improved defense, helping them achieve the league's best record at 14-2. They were helped out in this endeavor by the struggles of the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals, who were dealing with injuries and a tough schedule, and ended up just missing the playoffs at 10-6. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins, led by Drew Brees, had an excellent year, guided to a 12-4 record as Brees finally fulfilled years of promise after some tough breaks. The Dolphins would cruise to the #2 seed and Brees would win the MVP. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers benefited from the Bengals' struggles, winning their division by a single game. The Oakland Raiders also had a bounce back year, achieving an 11-5 record as well.
In the NFC, the Chicago Bears remained quite good and were looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions, ultimately gaining the #2 seed. Peyton Manning was starting to show his age, but was undeterred in his excellent play, and guided the Saints to another top seed in the conference. The rising Dallas Cowboys continued to thrive thanks to Tim Tebow, who was becoming one of the league's most popular superstars. Though Tebow was a mediocre passer, his excellent running abilities, complimented by his strong offensive line, guided the Cowboys to a division title. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers had a complete meltdown as Sam Bradford was injured in the second game of the season and the rest of the team couldn't keep up. The 49ers bottomed out with a 1-15 record, and Bradford made it clear that he wanted off the team, despite a promising start to his career just a few years before.
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NFL Playoffs 2011-12:
Wildcard Round
(6) New England Patriots over (3) Pittsburgh Steelers, 23 to 10
The New England Patriots hadn't had the best regular season, finishing at 10-6 and barely squeaking into the playoffs on a tiebreaker over the Bengals, but they weren't deterred, and in this, the latest game of their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers, showed why they're still a force to be reckoned with in the AFC. Donovan McNabb made the crucial passes when it counted, but it was the Patriots' tough defense that won the day, stifling Aaron Rodgers and keeping the Steelers focused on the ground game, which struggled as well. In the end, the Patriots prevailed, and would be a tough matchup for the Colts in the divisional round.
(5) Tennessee Titans over (4) Oakland Raiders, 17 to 14
The Titans came into this game with the same record as the Raiders, 11-5, and were looking to show that despite being road warriors, they deserved to be called the better team. The Raiders had been a surprising squad to win the AFC West, which was one of the worst divisions in the NFL, and despite putting up a great fight (and coming back from a 17-0 deficit), they were just outmatched by the Titans and their tough run game.
(3) Dallas Cowboys over (6) Green Bay Packers, 35 to 21
Tebowmania continued as the Dallas Cowboys rolled over the Packers in this Texas duel. The Packers kept up with the Cowboys at first, making it 14-14 at halftime, but the Cowboys' running game, which not only featured Tim Tebow but also Michael Turner, wore down the Packers' defense and helped the Cowboys advance to the divisional round for the second straight year.
(4) St. Louis Rams over (5) Philadelphia Eagles, 20 to 13
The Eagles couldn't get anything going in this tough loss that saw Tim Couch throw a pair of painful interceptions in Rams territory. The Rams offense also committed some errors, but they weren't as costly, and despite not having a better record than the Eagles, they were the better team on this day. After the game, rumors swirled that Tim Couch's time in Philadelphia might be done, having had some great seasons with the team but never quite being able to win the big one.
Divisional Round:
(6) New England Patriots over (1) Indianapolis Colts, 28 to 10
The Colts didn't have any answers for the Patriots' tough defense, and their gameplan really went out the window when Tom Brady went down with a concussion early in the second half, sealing their fate. Donovan McNabb played like his vintage self, with two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in this easy victory that left the hometown Colts fans stunned.
(2) Miami Dolphins over (5) Tennessee Titans, 34 to 14
The rising Titans were no match for Drew Brees and the Dolphins on this day, and were run over in Miami. Brees threw for three touchdowns, and after a quick 14-0 start, the Titans never put up much of a fight, despite a late touchdown in garbage time.
(1) New Orleans Saints over (4) St. Louis Rams, 49 to 0
Pure domination all the way as the Saints crushed the St. Louis Rams. Peyton Manning threw six touchdowns and achieved a perfect passer rating in the playoffs for the third time in his career, while the Rams made error after error all day. The Saints looked as good as anyone heading into the conference championship, but might still need to beat the defending champions to win it all.
(2) Chicago Bears over (3) Dallas Cowboys, 18 to 14
The Dallas Cowboys fought valiantly in this game, but the Bears were just a bit too good, with the running game burning crucial time off the clock in the fourth quarter. Tebow found himself stopped on the ground, so he had to try and make big plays in the air and was inconsistent with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while the Bears got the stops they needed to survive.
Conference Championships:
(2) Miami Dolphins over (6) New England Patriots, 27 to 24
This was one of the better conference championships in recent memory, with both AFC East rivals going back and forth to get the win. The Dolphins started off strong with a quick score, only for the Patriots to hold them scoreless for the rest of the first half en route to a 17-7 lead. The Dolphins roared back to make it 21-17, and after the Patriots scored a touchdown midway through the fourth, the Dolphins tied it up with a field goal with four minutes to go. The Patriots drove down the field again, and nearly made it to field goal range, but the Dolphins managed to get a stop, forcing the Patriots to punt. The Dolphins got the ball back with just over a minute to go, but Brees was able to find his receivers time and time again, marching his team into field goal range, and a successful 48 yard field goal gave them the dramatic win, sending the Dolphins back to the Super Bowl for the first time in many years. They'd have a tough match whoever they faced, but Brees was confident that he could give his team the win.
(1) New Orleans Saints over (2) Chicago Bears, 23 to 16
This game was mostly about Peyton Manning trying to find a way to beat the tough Chicago Bears defense, which forced three turnovers over the course of this hard fought game. The Saints opened up a 13-0 lead before the Bears started to get onto the board, but it wasn't easy for them either, thanks to the Saints' surprisingly stiff defense. The Bears managed to score a touchdown just before the end of the half, but missed the extra point, making it 13 to 6. After that, the two teams traded field goals, before Manning finally managed to score another touchdown with five minutes to go, making it 23-9. The Bears rallied furiously, but were unable to recover an onside kick that would've given them the chance to tie or win, and the Saints were headed to the Super Bowl to face the Dolphins in a showdown between two of the league's best quarterbacks.
Super Bowl XLVI:
New Orleans Saints over Miami Dolphins, 38 to 24
Super Bowl XLVI, held in Indianapolis, would see Peyton Manning and Drew Brees battle it out for the Lombardi Trophy. Manning had triumphed before, while Brees was hoping to get his first Super Bowl win and accomplish something Dan Marino had failed to do. In the end, this game was never really all that close, with the Dolphins mostly unable to stop the Saints' tough offense. The Saints quickly made it 14-0 in the first quarter and never looked back, making it 21-0 before the Dolphins finally got onto the board. The Saints' defense wasn't quite as stiff as it had been before, but were good enough to prevent the Dolphins from ever making a serious comeback, and in the end, the halftime show, featuring Elton John, proved to be the most entertaining part of the night, along with some pretty well received commercials. Peyton Manning triumphed again, winning another Super Bowl MVP trophy, while Drew Brees would head back to Miami without a trophy, hoping he wouldn't become the next Marino in Miami.
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2012 NFL Draft-
The 2012 NFL Draft was one of the most anticipated in years, thanks to the three big prizes up for grabs: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Ryan Tannehill, all of whom were expected to be all-stars at the highest level. The San Francisco 49ers had the first pick, and took Andrew Luck, making sure to surround him with offensive line talent with their remaining picks, much in the same way the Giants had done with Cam Newton the previous year (and had improved to an 8-8 record). The Philadelphia Eagles traded up, offering a king's ransom to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the second pick. The Jaguars decided to take the Eagles' offer, which included many, many draft picks and a couple of players as well. The Eagles selected RG3 as their quarterback of the future, though they kept Tim Couch on board to help mentor the young QB. Tannehill was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the third pick, while Matt Kalil went to the Seattle Seahawks with the fourth. Luke Kuechly surprisingly fell to the Bengals at the 20th pick, and they were more than happy to snap him up. The Cleveland Browns, still in the middle of their punishment from the Michael Vick scandal, didn't have a first round pick, but they used their third round pick on Russell Wilson, hoping he could be the franchise QB that would help lead them back to respectability. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints selected Brandon Weeden at the tail end of the first round, hoping he'd be able to eventually replace Peyton Manning.