AFC
New York Jets 17, Indianapolis 30
COTake: The Jets made a game of it in the second quarter by putting up 17 fast points but in the end, it was experience and superior fire power that won the day and returned Peyton Manning to the promised land. Indianapolis secured it's second SuperBowl appearance under the Manning administration by doing what it does best, passing the ball. Peyton ended the night with 377 yards and three touchdowns, wasily the difference maker in this contest.
NFC
Minnesota 28, New Orleans 31
COTake: The wrong team is representing the NFC after Minnesota did everything to give the Saints their first SuperBowl appearance in franchise history. The superior squad was clearly the Vikings but apparently they didn't get the memo while committing 5 turnovers in an error prone performance. The final one was easily the most devastating as they were mere yards from winning the game when veteran quarterback Brett Favre bypassed the opportunity to run for at least 7 yards and instead through across his body to the center of the field where it was promptly picked off. This is a loss that will haunt Minnesota for years to come.
Elsewhere in Sports...
The Dallas Mavericks set a record by beating the lowly Knicks by 50 points Sunday in a lopsided 128-78 affair. The margin of victory is a franchise record.
Speaking of firsts, kudos to bowler Kelly Kulick for becoming the first woman to win a PBA event. Kulick topped PBA favorite Chris Barnes 265-195 to take home the $40,000 first prize and a two-year PBA Tour exemption. The 32-year-old right-hander earned a berth in the Tournament of Champions by winning the PBA Women's World Championship last September.
The Los Angeles Lakers are probably starting to feel a bit homesick right about now as they've dropped two of their first three on their 8-game Eastern Conference road trip. Their latest came Sunday as the Toronto Raptors edged LA 106-105 on two free-throws by former Orlando Magic start Hedo Turkoglu with 1.2 seconds on the clock. The decisive foul was caused by Pau Gasol who is having a rough road trip, this coming only days after being called out by teammates and coaches for his soft play against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
