NFL Divisional Round Recap

49ers' QB Colin Kaepernick celebrates his touchdown by
mocking Panthers' QB Cam Newton's touchdown celebration.

The four remaining teams standing are the four teams many predicted would be the final four teams competing to advance to the Super Bowl. Let's recap the Divisional Round!

New Orleans Saints 15 Seattle Seahawks 23

I wonder what was going through Marques Colston's mind when he decided to attempt that lateral across the field. It most likely didn't have that much of an impact on the game, but had he stepped out of bounds, the Saints would've had a shot at a Hail Mary. If they somehow would've scored a touchdown on the Hail Mary, they still would've had to score on a two-point conversion to tie. The likelihood of that happening probably were slim, but at least they would've had that chance.

The first half of this game looked a lot like the first half of their regular season matchup. The Saints couldn't get anything going offensively, and even tried to go for it on fourth down to no avail. Jimmy Graham was shut down the entire game, only catching one pass. There was a mixup between himself and Bruce Irvin, and another between himself and Richard Sherman before the game even started. The Seahawks got the last laugh, culminating in Michael Bennett calling Graham overrated. The Saints aren't scheduled to play the Seahawks next year, so they'll have to wait awhile for revenge.

Indianapolis Colts 22 New England Patriots 43

It appeared as if the Patriots were going to run away with the game early. Alfonzo Dennard caught an interception on the first possession of the game, returning it inside the five-yard line. The Patriots eventually went up 14-0 before the Colts scored a touchdown. It was back and forth from there until Andrew Luck started throwing more interceptions. The game got out of hand in the fourth quarter, securing a third consecutive AFC Championship Game appearance for the Patriots.

It was the last game for analyst Dan Dierdorf, who spent almost 30 years as an analyst after retiring from football in 1983. CBS hasn't announced who will join Greg Gumbel next season, but it's much too early for that. They'll probably do that at some point this upcoming summer. Meanwhile, the Colts probably thought they had a comeback in them after doing so against the Chiefs last week. You simply can't keep playing from behind. Had the Chiefs been in this game, they probably could've won.

San Francisco 49ers 23 Carolina Panthers 10

You would've thought these two teams were division rivals the way they were jawing at each other after every play. The first half had a lot of questionable calls against the Panthers, but it was not a factor in deciding the outcome of the game. After the two teams played each other well in the first half, the 49ers simply dominated in the second half, holding the Panthers scoreless. The Panthers' defense did all it could, but it was the inability of Cam Newton to move the offense that cost the Panthers this game.

If this game was this chippy, we are all awaiting next week's matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks. Both teams do not like each other at all, which means there will be a lot of jawing, shoving, and probably a couple of personal foul penalties. Anquan Boldin was certainly pushing the limits with his trash-talking to the Panthers defense after every play. He even head-butted Mike Mitchell on one play, drawing the ire of the Panthers' defense. Captain Munnerlyn was flagged for head-butting earlier in the first half, so the Panthers believed Boldin should've been flagged as well. We'll see how Kaepernick performs in Seattle. It has been the location of his worst games of his career.

San Diego Chargers 17 Denver Broncos 24

The way the Chargers played in the first three quarters, it was a surprise the Broncos weren't up by more. In the fourth quarter, things got a little too close for comfort for the Broncos, especially after an onside kick from the Chargers was recovered by the Chargers. The Chargers, who were once down 24-7 in the fourth quarter, were able to cut the Broncos' lead to 24-17.

It appeared to look even worse when the Broncos were faced with a 3rd and 17 deep in their own territory, probably not wanting to punt the ball back to the Chargers so soon. The only way the Broncos could've avoided that was to somehow get a first down. The odds were stacked against them getting a first down, but a coverage bust from the Chargers' defense left Julius Thomas wide open. Another first down later in that possession sealed the win for the Broncos. Peyton Manning will face Tom Brady for the fourth time in postseason play. The home team has won each game, so Manning and the Broncos will be the favorite. However, anything is possible between those two teams.