Factoid
You often hear about having to run the ball to win championships, but the four teams playing in the conference championships this week -- Green Bay, the Giants, San Diego, New England -- weren't doing much of that when they met in a pair of games back in week 2 (Green Bay at N.Y. Giants, San Diego at New England). Back then the Packers and Patriots were pass first and run as an afterthought, and the Giants and Chargers weren't doing much with the ground game, either.
Things change. Compare the numbers for the four teams' top players at quarterback and running back from back in week 2 with their numbers in their week 18 playoff wins, and with some exceptions, you'll see passing numbers down, rushing numbers up. Even if you can pass at will in week 2, a quality running game is critical to advancing in the playoffs -- which is why running backs are still king when January football rolls around.
Green Bay (week 2, week 18)
Brett Favre - 286 yards, 173 yards; DeShawn Wynn - 50 yards, Ryan Grant - 201 yards
N.Y. Giants (week 2, week 18)
Eli Manning - 211 yards, 163 yards; Derrick Ward - 90 yards, Brandon Jacobs - 54 yards
San Diego (week 2, week 18)
Philip Rivers - 179 yards, 264 yards; LaDainian Tomlinson - 43 yards, Michael Turner - 71 yards
New England (week 2, week 18)
Tom Brady - 279 yards, 262 yards; Laurence Maroney - 77 yards, 122 yards
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