AFC Champions!!

It was not a pretty game by any means. The passing offense was almost completely shut down. But the defense was everything you remember about the 2001-2004 editions: give up the yards but stop them cold in the red zone. No touchdowns in the entire game. Unbelievable. Here are some thoughts on the game:

• I think Philip Rivers gained a lot of respect from fans around the league this week that was missing the last several when he was an obnoxious trash-talker. But he played really well considering what he was up against and playing in pain.
• On the flip side....LT. Wow. If he has surgery next week I'll take this back, but how do you not play in this game?
• Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau came up huge in this game. Even again 3rd down linebacker Tedy Bruschi had a pass defensed against Gates.
• Tom Brady was terrible but in the 4th quarter was solid. Just like every game they've been close in over the past two months, the Patriots turned it on and made adjustments in the 4th quarter to separate themselves from their opponents.
• The reverse to Moss, I thought, really jump started the offense. Before that play, San Diego was stuffing the run and getting consistent pressure on Brady. After that play, the holes opened up more and the offensive line gave Brady more time.

As bad as the pass offense was, I think there is a big difference we can talk about for the Superbowl. Warm weather, hardly any wind, 70 degrees, no rain. You can bank on all of those things happening. What does this do? It opens up the Patriots and it takes all of the variables that hinder a pass-oriented offense out of the equation.

They're going to face the Giants again. They played them just four weeks ago. They already know just about everything they need to know about them, including how they were able to play the Patriots so well. And now there is two weeks to formulate a gameplan to fix those problems, plan for the pass rush, and figure out how to get Moss open in space.

The Patriots open as 13.5 point favorites. That probably won't change much. But unlike the past few weeks, where I thought we'd see close games, I think this Superbowl will be a masterpiece that will look nothing like the Week 17 game.

It's going to be a fun two weeks. It's too bad the Ultimate Warrior, the world record holder for career interceptions, couldn't keep up his end of the bargain for the greatest battle of good vs evil. I think the Patriots bandwagon will be getting some new members because who the hell wants to root for the New York Giants?

Mike Freeman at CBSportsline.com gets the nod for writing the first (this week) "The Patriots Look Vulnerable" column. Get used to these kinds of columns and plenty of "they may go 19-0 bu the Patriots have shown that they are vulnerable and therefore not the best team of all time."

Enjoy, we'll have lots of coverage over the next two weeks.