New York Giants Win Super Bowl XLVI, 21-17 - SBNation.com. This isn't intended to be the best or most detailed Super Bowl recap of the Giants win over the Patriots. I was eating and drinking and talking with friends at a Super Bowl party, and not watching every play. But here are a few things I saw.

The Giants had no turnovers once again. Against the Packers, Eli Manning air mailed a pass in the middle of the field that was intercepted by S Morgan Burnett. That turned out to be the only turnover the Giants allowed in four playoff games. The Giants deserve a lot of credit for being careful with the ball, but they got some fumble luck against the Patriots.

Forcing a fumble is something a defense can do, but recovering a fumble is a 50/50 proposition. It's hard to predict where a football is going to bounce. WR Hakeem Nicks had one fumble that luckily bounced backwards and away from multiple Patriot defenders. RB Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled deep in Giants territory, and I don't know how that one Patriot defender missed it, but OL Chris Snee fell on the ball instead. And the Victor Cruz non-fumble that never happened due to a penalty, but actually bounced in favor of the Patriots.

The Patriots best starting field position was their own 29 yard line. You hear talk about winning the field position battle, and the Giants got it done. One of the hidden keys to the Patriots victory in the AFC Championship game was that the Ravens had lousy field position throughout the game. The Giants didn't have great field position either, but the two drives with their best starting field position (their own 35 and 48 yard lines) led to field goals. The Patriots started three drives inside their own 10 yard line, including one that led to a safety.

There were other key plays such as the Mario Manningham catch that was just barely in bounds or the Wes Welker drop. Both teams made each of them work for everything they got. And the Giants made just a couple more big plays to come away with the victory.

Pro Bowl 2012 Final Score: AFC Sets Record, Evens Series With NFC In 59-41 Win - SBNation.com. Early on, the crowd started to boo because the players on both sides were putting such little effort into the game. It wasn't until the 4th quarter when the AFC really started bringing the pressure on defense that led to a lopsided final score. While the AFC seemed content to let Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees attempt their passes, once Cam Newton got into the game, it was like the AFC veterans didn't want to let that rookie QB beat them.

For the Green Bay Packers, their coaching staff and six players participated in the Pro Bowl, and here's what happened.

The announcers said that Mike McCarthy's job today was to make sure they had 11 players in on every play. One of the few times they showed him on the sidelines, he was having a drink of water and talking to a sun burnt Dom Capers (who usually spends each game up in the box). QB coach Tom Clements called all the plays, which was probably a good sign that he'll be promoted to offensive coordinator soon. But special teams coach Shawn Slocum stole the show with two surprise onside kicks (both recovered by the NFC) and a fake punt that had 49ers P Andy Lee throw for a first down to Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson.

Aaron Rodgers played the entire 1st quarter, and went 13 of 17 for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. His last completion of the first half was a deflected pass that Rodgers himself caught, and then he was tackled for a 15 yard loss. Greg Jennings was in-and-out the entire game, and finished with 5 receptions for 42 yards and 1 touchdown. Scott Wells took over in the late second quarter, early third quarter, and played at least half the game.

All three defensive players (B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews, and Charles Woodson) started the game, but I didn't see Woodson at all after the first quarter and he ended up with only one pass defense. Raji played most of the game, but he wasn't putting in a lot of effort and ended with three tackles. As far as I can tell, Matthews played the entire game, but he didn't once rush the passer. He made some plays in coverage, with one interception and two pass defenses. Unfortunately on his interception, he then lateraled it to Bears CB Charles Tillman, who then lateraled it to Julius Peppers, who gave it back to the AFC on an ill-advised lateral attempt.

The play of the game was the acting job by Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch as he flopped out of bounds on a weak hit. That pretty much summed up the show that was put on.

I have to admit to dealing with some emotions. I turned the game on-and-off a few times before I was able to settle in and watch it. And when I did open my eyes, I saw an ugly NFC championship game.

22 punts (12 by the Giants, 10 by the 49ers). The Giants went 7 for 21 on 3rd down, which was awful, but the 49ers were an unbelievably bad 1 for 13. The 49ers defensive front seven was dominant (Eli Manning was under pressure the entire second half), and the 49ers offense was inept. In the end the Giants did what they've done during the playoff: they made a few big plays and they avoided turnovers.

Not only was WR Kyle Williams a disaster with two botched punt returns that led to 10 Giant points, but he was their starting wide receiver and ended the game with zero catches on four attempts. It wasn't any better for their other starting wide receiver, Michael Crabtree, who had 1 catch for 3 yards on five attempts. How could they only target TE Vernon Davis five times when he was their entire passing offense (3 for 112 yards and 2 TDs)? I know he's double-covered, but that shouldn't stop them since there wasn't a single wide receiver on the team worth throwing to. A lot will be made of the fact that Alex Smith isn't good enough to win, but that was a brutal performance by his wide receivers.

I didn't watch much of the AFC championship game. But that last minute drive by the Ravens in the fourth quarter showed why the Patriots might have a problem in the Super Bowl.

The Patriots put WR Julian Edelman on defense to cover WR Anquan Boldin, and Boldin had four receptions on the Ravens final drive. If they have to put Edelman on Boldin, he's probably going to be asked to cover Victor Cruz or Hakeem Nicks. That can't go well. Also, the Patriots weren't able to put much pressure on Joe Flacco, and the Ravens don't have a great offensive line. Tom Brady is going to have to win a shootout.

I felt really bad for former Badger (current Ravens) WR Lee Evans, who could've/should've caught a 14 yard touchdown pass to win it. Of course, no one should feel as bad Ravens K Billy Cundiff, who missed a 32 yard field goal attempt that would have tied it with 11 seconds left.

The Patriots were my preseason pick to win the AFC championship, so their win doesn't come as much of a surprise. But several weeks ago, I didn't expect the Giants to even make the playoffs. Key stat for the Giants; one turnover in three playoff games.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Divisional Round Quick Reads. There isn't much new information here on the Green Bay Packers offense. While the offense had their worst game of the season, it still wasn't nearly as bad as the performances by T.J. Yates and TIm Tebow. But there were a couple of interesting side notes.

While the Giants were taking away the deep pass, they were letting Aaron Rodgers run free. He ran the ball seven times for six first downs, and it made him the best runner in any playoff game last weekend.

While the Giants offense had their way through the air in the first half, they weren't able to get TE Jake Ballard involved. Football Outsiders had him ranked as their 6th best TE of 2011, so it was surprising. Also, the Packers defense isn't known for their shutdown play on tight ends. Ballard ended the game with only 1 reception on the 8 attempts.

On Sunday, during and after the Green Bay Packers lost to the Giants, it felt like a bad dream come to life. I kept having to remind myself that the loss indeed happened. The fans weren't the only ones that couldn't believe it. I didn't recognize that offense that stepped on the field (missed completions, dropped passes, turnovers) but unfortunately that defense looked far too familiar.

It's been over 24 hours and I'm starting to feel normal again. I'm still not quite ready to go into full-time offseason mode (free agency, the draft, etc.) but I can see it on the horizon.

I can't imagine rooting for the Giants next weekend, but it's hard to fault a team for making fewer mistakes. The Giants deserved to win the game and they made all the plays without all the mistakes. But the Packers took themselves out of it by screwing something up on every possession.

The Giants have now won the last two playoff games played at Lambeau Field, and there's nothing that can take the sting out of it. But if you're looking at the all-time scoreboard: we got Vince Lombardi from them. That still puts the Packers ahead in my book.

This is a team built for long-term success though I expect some changes. If they brought everyone back, they'd still be a lock for a playoff berth and a favorite for a trip to the Super Bowl in 2013 (road trip to New Orleans!!!). Based on what they've accomplished over the past few offseasons, I expect they'll be even better in 2012. Give them a high score in the fan confidence poll.

A team that went 15-1 during the regular season shouldn't lose to another team that went 9-7 during the regular season. Especially at home. That it was my Green Bay Packers on the wrong end of that horrible loss makes it even worse. It was like a bad dream, and it still seems unreal to me. Unfortunately I won't be waking up from this bad dream anytime soon.

It reminded me of a couple other losses that happened back during the 2004 season.

The 2004 Steelers went 15-1. In the playoffs, they barely beat the Jets in the divisional round before losing at home in the championship game by 14 points to the Patriots. The good news here is that the 2005 Steelers bounced back to win the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately it also reminded me a lot of the 2004 Packers, who lost to the Vikings at Lambeau by 14 points in the wild card game. Before that loss, the Packers had beaten the Vikings in Minnesota by 3 points (just as the 2011 Packers beat the Giants by 3 points back in December). In 2005, it got even worse as they fell to 4-12 and missed the playoffs.

There were many changes after that 2004 playoff loss. Head coach Mike Sherman was fired as GM and replaced by Ted Thompson. The defensive coordinator was replaced. A few key veterans were allowed to leave in free agency. And the Packers showed what the future had in store when they drafted Aaron Rodgers in the first round.

It's unlikely that such significant changes will take place this offseason, but maybe we shouldn't be surprised if there are some coaching changes and several roster moves in the coming weeks.