Two smothering defenses have lead their respective teams to the Super Bowl. New England help the Triplets in check all day in the AFC Championship game.
FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) - Peyton Manning angrily slapped his thighs and helmet, looking down field in disbelief as another pass was intercepted. How could this be? How could such a perfect postseason end so miserably for the league's co-MVP?And in the NFC Championship game the Carolina Panthers laid the smack on Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles from the word "go".Manning had no answers for the New England Patriots' smothering defense in a 24-14 loss in the AFC championship game. The Indianapolis quarterback threw four interceptions, nearly had a fifth, and was sacked four times on a slippery, snowy field, dropping him to 0-5 at New England.
"I needed to do my part well today and I didn't do it," Manning said. "I feel personally accountable for it and responsible for it.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Sore ribs, four sacks, a few big drops and an unwise throw or two doomed Donovan McNabb's third straight attempt to win the NFC championship game. McNabb didn't even get a chance to finish the Philadelphia Eagles' 14-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, watching from sideline as backup Koy Detmer directed the team.New England opens as a 7 point favorite.A driving hit late in the third quarter aggravated a rib injury sustained in the first half, ending a day of frustration that was largely beyond McNabb's control. McNabb finished 10-for-22 for 100 yards with three interceptions - all by Panthers rookie Ricky Manning. One of the picks was jarred from the hands of receiver James Thrash, and Duce Staley and Todd Pinkston had big drops that stymied promising scoring chances in the first half.
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