It has been quite a turn for the Ravens as going into Week 8 the team was 2-5. Months later they upset Cleveland twice and won 3 straight road games to get to the big dance. The Giants battled through probably the toughest NFC East schedule to date. Like the Ravens, New York has 3 tough road games to get to the big dance including becoming the first team to beat the Eagles twice in a season when they stunned Philly 31-30 in a classic. Like the Giants 2nd postseason game this game turned out to be a defensive affair. Eli Manning and the giants would get the first crack at scoring but Joel Grady missed a 49 yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Bobby Brengel came up huge on the big stage when he hit Demetrius Williams for a 32 yard gain and then on the next play connected with TE Rufus Alaniz for a 16 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The giants responded when Eli Manning connected with 3 different Giants on third down to get the ball to the 1. RB Rich Creaser did the rest when he ran around the right end for the score and a 7-7 tie at the half. The 3rd quarter started with the Ravens having the ball. Brengel went 4-4 on the drive and hit Mark Clayton for a 37 yard touchdown to get the Ravens back on top 14-7. The Giants again had a chance to cut into the lead but Grady again missed a field goal, this time from 40 yards. After that the defensives took over especially the Ravens D. The Giants didnt get back into Ravens territory until their final drive of the game. On 2nd and 10 from the Giants 48, Manning hit Mel McDaniel for an 11 yard gain. After 2 incompletions, OLB Rick Ellard sacked Manning for a 6 yard loss to bring up a 4th and 16. On 4th down Manning however was pressured by Earnest Robertson.He threw the ball anyway and tried to hit TE Mel McDaniel but overthrew him which gave the Ravens ar 14-7 win. Brengel was named EFL IX MVP with 233 yards and 2 TDs.

For the second straight season the St Louis Rams had to get by the Philadelphia Eagles to get to the EFL Bowl and they did just that dispelling them in overtime. The Rams opponent though had to get by the Cleveland Browns to make it to their first big dance. The weather would also play into the factor of the game as the Oklahoma forecast was calling for snow with heavy winds. The Rams got the bal first but quickly had to punt on a 3 and out. The Bills however got things going on their first drive on the hands of Richard "Honest Abe" Lincoln. With his passing and Shaun Myers running, the Bills got down to the Rams 13. But 2 penalties knocked them back to the 33 yard line. The Bills would be forced to settle on a 51 yard field goal. But KC Tolbert's 51 yard field goal attempt would hit the right crossbar and fall back. On the Rams next play Marc Bulger, who saw the ground a playoff record 9 times was sacked by Dale Billups. Bulger fumbled and the Bills got another shot. However, Bills penalties put this drive to bed quickly. Tolbert had another shot to redeem himself, but his 49 yard field goal attempt was wide right. Bulger duplicated this feat on the next Rams play. This time it was Adrian Olsson, who tallied a EFL Bowl record 4 1/2 sacks, that got to Bulger and it was the Bills again who picked up the fumble. This time however the Bills gave the ball right back when Richard Lincoln threw the ball to OLB Jon Alston. After some punts by both teams the Rams got another chance to put some points on the board. But this time Steven Jackson fumbled after a 28 yard gain to give the ball back to Buffalo. The Bills had a 3 and out. On the Rams next drive, points were finally put on the board when Bulger hit a quick slant to Wide Receiver David Hidy. Hidy broke through the defense and rumbled 54 yards for the score and a 7-0 lead for the Rams. That was the only score of the first half. The second half started with an explosion from RB Shaun Myers. Myers broke through the line and went 70 yards for a touchdown to tie the game up at 7-7 on just the 3rd play of the half. Bulger was unphased however as his Rams responded on the next drive when Bulger hit Jorge Lyon for a 13 yard touchdown to make it a 14-7 game for St Louis. Midway through the 4th quarter Jay Feely had a chance to ice the game when he attempted a 43 yard field goal. But the blustery wind pushed the ball to the right. On the next Rams possession, one of the Bills pickups via trade came through when CB Chris Gamble picked off Marc Bulger and took it 27 yards to the house to tie the game up at 14-14. This game would go into overtime. The Rams started with the ball but they could only make it to midfield before they had to punt. The Bills had to start their first overtime possession from their own 3 yard line. They drove it about to midfield as well before their drive stalled and they had to punt. The Rams however again had to punt as they couldnt move the ball into Buffalo territory. The Bills got a drive from their own 26 yard line. In 2 plays, the Bills got down into Rams territory. Honest Abe then hit Richard Henry for a 20 yard gain to get the Bills to the Rams 22. After a stuff and a sack Richard Lincoln would throw his costliest pass of the game. CB Tye Hill got his hands on the ball and picked it off. 2 plays later we were into double overtime in what was the longest EFL game to date. The Rams had enough of playing football though. Bulger hit former Eagle TE LJ Smith for 7 yards. Then on 3rd and 8 from the Buffalo 45, Bulger hit wideout Derek Hagan for 21 yards to the 24. Mitchell Kaplan got 7 yards on 3rd and 5 to the Bills 12. Bulger got the Rams to the Bills 3 before a sack pushed it back to the 8. But Jay Feely's attempt from 19 yards put the Rams into the record book with the win and their first championship ring. Bulger finished with 313 yards, 2 Tds and 2 INTs. Although his team loss Adrian Olsson was named game MVP with 6 tackles, 2 assists and 4.5 of the 9 team sacks on Marc Bulger. David Hidy had a solid day with 9 catches for 135 yards, and a score for the Rams.

The Browns are no stranger to the spotlight these days with their team making their third appearance in the game. They split with the Eagles and the Vikings and are looking to be only the second team besides the Eagles to have multiple titles. Standing in their way was a team making their first appearance in the big game, the St Louis Rams. The Browns wasted no time in the big game buy taking the opening drive and taking it all the way into the endzone. The Browns used the 2 head monster in Kenneth Darby and Tyrus Evans on the drive and Evans scored from 2 yards out from a pass from Jemarcus Russell. The Rams took their first drive down the field as well but on a 3rd and 11 Bulger threw a pick to safety Trevor Arnold. The Browns responded with a turnover of their own when Evans fumbled and CB Derrick Strait recovered. Bulger then hit Mitchell Kaplan for a 7 yard score to tie the game at 7-7. After a punt by Celveland the Rams got the ball back and Bulger hit cornerback Oscar Hamilton for his 2nd pick. Dusty Bush connected off the turnover from 47 yards to make it a 10-7 game. That lead lasted for 2 plays. Bulger connected with Jorge Lyon for a 68 yard catch and run touchdown to make it a 14-10 Rams game which was the halftime score. The second half started with a 3 and out from the Rams. On the Browns first possession of second half, Jemarcus Russell hit WR Ralph Barretto for a 9 yard touchdown to put the Browns back ahead at 17-14. The Rams however answered right back when Bulger Jorge Lyon for a 11 yard touchdown to give the lead back to the Rams at 21-17. Early in the 4th quarter, the Rams had a chance to put the Browns away when Jemarcus Russell fumbled on their own 36 yard line and DWight Andrews recovered. However, Marc Bulger hit safety Brodney Pool for his 3rd interception of the game. Thats all the momentum the Browns needed as it swung to them. 4 plays after the turnover, Tyrus Evans took a 28 yard pass from Russell into the endzone for a 24-21 lead. The Rams however had one last chance to win when they got the ball back at thier own 20 with under 2 to go. Bulger got the Rams down to the Browns 35 but Kamerion Wimbley saved the game for the Browns with a sack to preserve the victory for them. Jemarcus Russell was named MVP with 194 yards and 3 TDs. Jorge Lyon finished the game with 7 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs in the loss.

The only other team in the NFC to be in the superbowl besides Philly is the Minnesota Vikings who fell to the Cleveland Browns. This time they came back and their opponent was again an unlikely team. This time it was the San Diego Chargers. The first drive belong to the Chargers and it didnt take long for the comeback player of the year to lead his team down the field. Tyler Palko hit 3 different receivers on the drive and finished it with a 17 yard touchdown to Matt Jones and a 7-0 lead. After a 3 and out by Minnesota, the Chargers were looking primed to score again. But when a pass went through Matt Jones fingers, Safety Roman Harper picked it off deep in Minnesota territory. The Vikings took advantage when Tom Brady hit Dwayne Jarrett for a 2 yard score and a 7-7 tie. After some good defense by both teams, the Chargers mounted a drive late in the 2nd quarter. With just 36 seconds to go, Maurice Morris ran off right tackle for a 6 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Charger lead at the half. The second half started off just like the first half but this time it was Minnesota who got things going when Tom Brady hit Dwayne Jarrett for a 7 yard touchdown and 2nd tie of the game at 14-14. The Chargers then went ahead again. This time it wasnt a touchdown but a field goal. Nate Kaeding hit a chipshot 18 yard field goal to make it a 17-14. Minnesota then responded for their first lead of the game when Tom Brady connected with his favorite target in Dwayne Jarret for a 16 yard touchdown and a 21-17 Vikings lead. In the 4th quarter the Vikings added a field goal from Longwell to make it a 24-17 Vikings game. With just over 2 minutes to go and 2 timeouts, the Chargers took their shot to send the game into overtime. They got the ball down to the Minnesota 33. After 3 incompletions, Tyler Palko completed a pass to Matt Jones and an extra stretch barely got the Chargers a first down. Then with just 5 seconds left, Palko hit Maurice Morris for a 6 yard touchdown and 24-23 game. The Chargers decided on the extra point to send the game into overtime. The Vikings won the toss and quickly punted. On the Chargers first OT possesion, Palko threw a pass too high for Jason Hill and Michael Huff picked it off. The Vikings got the ball back. But on the 2nd play of the Vikings drive Tom Brady got sacked by Defensive Player of the Year Gaines Adams and fumbled. Luis Castillo recovered and the Chargers had a chance at the crown. 2 plays later, Tyler Palko connected with Maurice Stovall (his only catch of the game) for a 24 yard touchdown and an unreal ending to a wild game. In the loss Tom Brady who finished with 264 yards and a touchdown won the game MVP while SD DE Preston McDonald chipped in with 7 tackles, 2 assists, and 1 1/2 sacks.