THAT'S WHY YOU PLAY TWO HALVES...

Yesterday was "Championship Sunday" in the NFL and we were presented with two intriguing and highly anticipated matchups.  In the first game, Chicago vs Green Bay was a battle between two of the original members of the NFL, facing off in a championship game for the first time since 1941.  The game, taking place in Chicago, was played in brutally frigid temps, a perfect day for smashmouth football.

In the first half, the Bears seemingly couldn't find their way as Green Bay consistently imposed their will on them, snuffing out any attempts by the Bears to mount any type of offensive attack. The quarterback for the Bears, Jay Cutler, proved to be ineffective for the team; So ineffective, in fact, that he ended up getting "hurt" and being pulled from the game.  Green Bay went into halftime with a 14-0 lead, much to the dismay of Bears fans hanging out at the bar.

The second half was a bit better for the Bears, though not without some controversy.  When the Bears QB (Cutler) was pulled from the game for being injured, there was some speculation amongst the peanut gallery and TV pundits that Cutler may have "given up" or didn't "tough it out" in the big game. It took their third-string quarterback to bring them back into contention but it wasn't enough as Green Bay held on to win, 21-14 and earn a spot in Super Bowl XLV.

In the highly-anticipated second game, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the NY Jets in a rematch of an earlier game, a game that the Jets won.  No doubt the Steelers would be looking for revenge and a berth to the Super Bowl on the line.

There was plenty of smack talk before the game, with fans of both teams proclaiming their team as the best.  However, once the game began, it was all Pittsburgh in the first half.  The dominated the game in numerous ways; they kept the ball for long periods of time; they shut down any momentum the Jets tried to muster up. It was as if the Jets came to Pittsburgh but left their offense in the locker room.  To say the first half was ugly would be an understatement.  Pittsburgh led 24-3 at the half, leaving the Jet fans in shock and dismay, and Steeler fans in a frenzy.

The second half was much different than the first as the NY Jets finally woke up and mounted a determined comeback, to the delight of fearful Jet fans left in the bar.  The team clawed their way from a 24-3 deficit, ally the way to 24-19, thanks in part to a safety by the defense, after they were stopped on 4th and goal in the previous drive.  That 4th and goal stop by the Steelers, in my opinion, was the final nail in the Jets' coffin, in spite of the safety because it killed their momentum and gave the Steelers a new burst of confidence after they found themselves reeling after a great first half.  The Steelers ended up holding on to a hard-fought 24-19 win and their 8th trip to the Super Bowl.  Once again, the NY Jets come up short.

Aside from the games being played on the TV, we had fun throughout the afternoon.  We even had a camera crew from HBO in to film a segment for HBO Sports (see tomorrow night, 10pm EST). It was a great day for football, even though it was literally cold as ice outside.  And I went 1 for 2 on my predictions, bringing my totals for the playoffs to 2/10 (.200).  Brutal. 

There plenty of more pics to check out from the day on our FACEBOOK page!  If you haven't done so yet, while your there, become a FAN of Third and Long!

TONIGHT: "Mug Night Mondays" kicks off a new week with $1 Bud/Bud Light or $2 mugs, all other domestic drafts, ALL NIGHT LONG!  Catch some NCAA Hoops or NHL hockey on our TV's or play games such as Jenga with your friends!  Not a bad way to "debrief" over the weekend's events.

Cheers!