$.01-- Once again there will be no defending Super Bowl champion, as the Packers fell to the Giants 37-20. I am not surprised the Giants won (I did pick them) but how easily they pulled it off is a real stunner. The Green Bay defense was overmatched and ineffective, often helpless against Eli Manning. New York forced some turnovers and some bad throws by Aaron Rodgers, and the Giants lines dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. No one will know for sure how much the terrible circumstances surrounding Packers Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin impacted the game. Philbin’s son died early last week and that cast a heavy pall on game prep. But I’m more apt to believe that getting the bye week and resting some regulars in the season finale was the worst thing that happened to Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers had not thrown a pass in live action since Christmas. It showed. Greg Jennings hadn’t played for well over a month. It showed. Their offensive tackles had both missed lots of time. It showed. The Packers very much looked like an offense that hadn’t played together in a while. I’ve long thought that high-flying, passing oriented offenses desperately need the fine tuning and precision of playing together and that the bye week is bad news for them. Much like the Colts in so many years and the recent Patriots vintages, the bye let too much air out of the tires. Green Bay compounded it, much like the Colts often did under Tony Dungy, by not taking the final game of the season seriously and resting as many starters as possible. Even though Matt Flynn lit up the Lions for ridiculous numbers in that finale, there is a distinct difference between the ball that Matt Flynn throws and the one Aaron Rodgers throws. Even though the Packers, notably Jermichael Finley, have struggled with drops all year, the changing of QBs packaged with the time off exacerbated the issue. For all that Mike McCarthy did right in getting the Packers to 15-1, he should have known better. New York continues to prove they are the most dangerous team in the NFC, not to mention the most unpredictable. In their last three games they have rediscovered the running game and found some testicular fortitude along the O-line. Getting Mario Manningham back gives Manning three legit downfield targets, and the aforementioned line has done a better of giving more time and providing clean throwing lanes. Their defensive front is healthy and peaking, helping the secondary and linebackers focus on the earlier portion of the defensive play. That means they can be more proactive in shading coverages and altering routes, or crashing the edges on well-conceived run blitzes. When they play like that, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is or where the game is played; the Giants have the ability to beat anyone, anywhere. Their problem has been playing to that ability, but on this Sunday they sure rose to the occasion. $.02-- The biggest surprise of the weekend came in the first game, where the 49ers outscored the Saints in a dramatic game that featured three lead changes in the final minutes. I’ll admit it--I never thought the Niners could score that many points, not even against a fairly porous Saints defense. Alex Smith was excellent down the stretch when his team needed him to make plays. Even when the San Francisco offense was moribund, which they were for most of the first three quarters, Smith protected the ball and made smart decisions, content to not lose the game for his strong defense. I am still trying to sort out whether San Francisco won the game or the Saints lost it. Certainly the New Orleans early-and-often turnovers played the prevailing factor in the game. But other than the Dashon Goldson interception, which I thought was a bad and overconfident read by Drew Brees, it was the hyper-aggressiveness in attacking the football by the Niners defense that created the turnovers. San Francisco went after the ball all the way to the whistle--and often beyond--on every single offensive play. It bothered the Saints and not just because they had to focus more on ball security; several times the unpiling process took longer than usual and prevented the New Orleans offense from keeping a rhythm. For that offense, any arrhythmia issues are serious heartburn. The Niners had no such problems dissecting the Saints defense down the stretch. Alex Smith made plays with his feet and his arm, continually making the proper read and exploiting the holes in the defense. I found some of the defensive calls by Gregg Williams overly ambitious, like playing Malcolm Jenkins in trail coverage on the bigger, faster Vernon Davis or dropping middle LB Jonathan Vilma deeper than the safeties on what proved to be the game winning TD. Ah yes, that catch. Vernon Davis snatched the pass from the air just as taking a vicious hit by Roman Harper and triumphantly fell into the end zone. I found it very special and appropriate that Smith to Davis was the combination that produced the win. They’ve been in San Francisco together for a whole lot of lean years, and both have struggled to live up to the weight of being high first round picks. Davis in particular has spent the bulk of his career as a fairly convenient whipping boy, taking crap from all sources but a great deal from yours truly. Of all the egregious mistakes Mike Singletary made as coach of the Niners, the one thing he got right was how he handled Vernon Davis, dismissing him from the field and calling out his manhood and dedication. That apparently resonated with Davis, as he has been a different player since. His attention to detail has improved, but what really changed was that he finally figured out it wasn’t all about him, but rather what he could do for the team. Now we all see why he was the No. 6 overall pick in the draft. It took several long years, but I’m genuinely happy for Davis despite my frequent criticisms. The emotion Davis showed walking to the sideline, tears welled in his eyes, is why I love sports. It’s why so many of us care so deeply and passionately about football. The story of redemption, of dedication, of hard work and good character being rewarded, we saw all that in Vernon Davis on Saturday. That is a moment that Niners fans can carry with them forever, like The Catch in 1981 or Montana-to-Taylor in 89. To think that Vernon Davis and Alex Smith could ever be responsible for anything in the same breath as those great championship moments is amazing. $.03-- New England announced their playoff presence with authority, vanquishing the Tebows, err Broncos in a rout the likes of which haven’t been seen since Dan Marino’s final game. This score wasn’t as lopsided as that 62-7 Jaguars beat down, but it was every bit as one-sided from the time the teams took the field. I went outside to throw the football with my son after the Saints/Niners game and that wound up taking a little longer than I thought. By the time we got inside to watch this game it was already 14-7 and the first live action I saw consisted of Tom Brady hitting Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown that made the Broncos defenders leave the field in unison with their heads down. By the time Vince Wilfork crushed Tebow for a sack and Tebow followed that up with a frantic scramble that netted another large loss, the game was over for all intents and purposes. But Brady was not done, striking Deion Branch for a long TD that served the effect of throwing holy water on a vampire that already had a stake through its heart. In the spirit of overkill, they added a garlic necklace and then used a chainsaw to behead the beast, quashing any prayer of Tebow Time. This is what great teams do. They eliminate hope. Bill Belichick conjured up a pitch-perfect defense to stop Denver’s unconventional attack, devastating the line and bringing heavy pressure from a barrage of angles. Much like other opponents that saw Tebow twice, the Patriots completely shut down the gimmicky offense with the benefit of game tape and experience. This is the quandary that befalls John Elway and John Fox going forward; can Tebow progress enough at doing things like throwing an accurate ball from a fixed position to a receiver with precise timing? Can he get comfortable with quick-hit pass plays that demand a cleaner release? Will he learn to throw a consistent spiral and to not throw every ball at maximum velocity? While the Broncos camp tries to discern all those issues, the Patriots move forward. Team Hoodie appears to be on a mission. I don’t want to read too much into one victory over a mightily flawed team, but I’m not sure Tom Brady has ever looked better. This might also be the best receiving corps from top to bottom he has had to work with. Brady completed the same amount of passes that Tebow attempted (26) and he averaged over 10 yards every time he stepped back to throw. Try doing that in frigid conditions against a decent defense that has two very good pass rushers and a Hall of Fame cornerback. Yet it was the defensive renaissance that really stood out. I know, I know, it’s freaking Tebow they stopped, not exactly the Greatest Show on Turf. But every time I paid attention--which to be fair was infrequent--I saw Vince Wilfork barreling over his man, I saw Rob Ninkovich intimately close to Tebow, I saw Brandon Spikes waiting in the hole for nearly every run, I saw zero instances of lost backside containment. New England was razor sharp on both sides of the ball, a stark departure from recent playoff debacles. It’s been a long time since they won a Super Bowl and I think the hunger pangs of a younger roster tired of being known as the playoff disappointment is very real and very powerful. They certainly dominated the Broncos. $.04-- The greatest season in Houston Texans history came to an end Sunday. I am really hoping that the local fanatics can embrace that reality quickly, because Houston squeezed every last drop they had out of this run. They should be especially proud at how the Texans stood tall and fought back after falling behind early. After the awful Jacoby Jones punt mishandling that opened the door for the Ravens to take a lead they never relinquished, I saw eminent doom. Judging by the reaction on Twitter and the audible silence that fell upon my neighborhood, I wasn’t the only one that saw it. But to their credit, the Texans never stopped kicking and clawing. The Houston defense largely dominated the game after the first few minutes. Alas, the Ravens still wound up with more points. And that’s why they must be taken seriously as a threat to win the Super Bowl. The Baltimore defense was strong, not the impenetrable force some make it to be but strong nonetheless. Even though they dropped at least three interceptions and let TJ Yates wiggle out of a couple of sacks, Ray Lewis & Co. looked in fine form. What really stands out is their quick reactions, and one Arian Foster run highlighted this. Foster started the run to left tackle, where Duane Brown had nicely walled off Terrell Suggs, but he saw a backside opening and went for it. With everyone flowing the other direction and with Eric Winston sealing off the backside line containment, it had big play written all over it. But in the blink of an eye, pretty much the entire Ravens D about-faced and got in hot pursuit that would have made Buford T. Justice proud. Foster wound up lurching forward for a 3 or 4 yard gain on a run that would have gone the distance against most every other defense. Foster still wound up with an impressive day, but it fell short. Baltimore refused to provide any openings for Houston to take advantage. When was the last time you can remember a team not committing a penalty or a turnover in a game? The Ravens did that on Sunday. Even though the Houston defense was definitely the equal of their vaunted counterparts, Joe Flacco made just enough plays to win the game. He will have to do more next week if the Ravens are to win in New England, but Flacco has the opportunity to get the giant monkey of inferiority off his back. Flacco whines and gripes about not being considered an elite QB even though he racks up playoff wins. His defense has given him the chance to prove his worth once again. If he can beat Tom Brady in the AFC Championship Game next week, he just might exorcise that gorilla. $.05--Five NFL Quickies: 1. I didn’t hear anyone mention it, but I felt that the sun really bothered Drew Brees in the first quarter of their game. It didn’t help that both teams were wearing the same color pants or very similar helmets. Maybe instead of the decorative eye black, Brees should have busted out the tinted visor so he could see better. 2. The Jaguars hired Mike Mularkey at perhaps the worst possible time, right after his Falcons offense was comically inept in their playoff loss to the Giants. That’s too bad because I think Mularkey is a good coach, and he helped mold Matt Ryan into a decent quarterback. After how badly they’ve mishandled Blaine Gabbert so far, getting a strong offensive presence is imperative. Of course Mularkey was once charged with developing another surprising first-round QB in his Buffalo tenure. JP Losman, anyone? 3. In a move worthy of some bad Ryan Reynolds/Jason Bateman movie, the Falcons answered Jacksonville hiring away Mularkey by replacing him with Dirk Koetter, the Jaguars own Offensive Coordinator. If Jags fans were nonplussed by the Mularkey hiring, imagine how Falcons fans feel at replacing him with the man responsible for one of the most inefficient, weakest offenses in NFL history. Whoever represents Koetter must be capable of selling snow skiing in Dubai. Oh, wait… 4. About the only person really surprised by new GM Reggie McKenzie firing Hue Jackson as coach of the Raiders is Hue Jackson himself. Jackson had to go even if he hadn’t provided rope with some dubious coaching decisions and myopically bold postseason press conference. These are not the Al Davis Raiders any longer, and Jackson had deep strings tied to Davis. McKenzie comes from the vastly different Packers system, where leading the league in pre-snap penalties on a yearly basis will not be tolerated and certainly not encouraged. Jackson is a good man and a solid coach and will land on his feet somewhere. 5. Word came out that the NFL is considering full-time officials for the first time. I can’t recommend this action enough. The demands placed on the officials are intense, and it’s clearly overwhelming for many of them (glares at Jeff Triplette). Give these guys a pay upgrade to make it worth leaving their other jobs and have them practice real-game scenarios frequently. In general the officiating has noticeably declined the past couple of seasons, and in particular with a couple of crews that struggle understanding the rules they are entrusted to enforce. While they’re at it, can they please keep Mike Pereira from blindly defending his former colleagues when they are so obviously in the wrong?! I am now on Twitter after years of resistance. You can follow me @JeffRisdon. My tweets will be almost exclusively draft related for the next few months, including extensive live coverage from the Senior Bowl next week.