The NFC Championship game may have featured no teams with double-digit wins this season, but it was an instant classic nevertheless. It's safe to say the Cardinals picked the right time to play their best football of the year, and it cannot be underestimated just how much Arizona's staff outcoached Philadelphia's on Sunday. Although I was once again shocked by the outcome, there's no doubt the better team won on that day…Yes, Kurt Warner is now an easy call for the Hall of Fame. What an incredible performance. And what a revelation regarding his wife's makeover. She's unrecognizable…I'm beginning to think Larry Fitzgerald is a pretty good wide receiver…The final numbers were solid, but Donovan McNabb was wildly inaccurate Sunday, once again stumbling in the spotlight (now 1-4 in Championship games). And his offensive line absolutely dominated in pass protection. McNabb left a ton of yards on the field…While he's certainly no longer a deep sleeper, Brent Celek makes for an excellent late round target in fantasy leagues next year…To call Brian Westbrook less than 100 percent would be a massive understatement. He looked about 50 percent to me…A fitting way for Philadelphia's season to come to an end. I swear, I got this team wrong on a weekly basis. They were overrated. They were dangerous. They were legit. They disappoint as favorites once finally everyone believes. Andy Reid has plenty of faults (for some inexplicable reason, he called a timeout with 1:48 left in the first half at his own 36 yard-line on 3rd and 14, presumably to make sure Arizona had a better chance of scoring, which they did), but it's hard to argue with five NFC Championship appearances in eight years…During Fitzgerald's one-yard TD, I can't for the life of me figure out why the DB never even bothered to look Warner's way. It's not like he can get burnt deep…During the controversial kickoff that was eventually ruled out of bounds, Troy Aikman kept praising Ken Whisenhunt's aggressive decision. Huh? Did he think that was an onside kick? Those announcers are god-awful…It wouldn't be a stretch to say David Akers choked Sunday. As Chris Liss noted, "Surprised Akers didn't point down to hell and the devil when he missed."…Congratulations to the Cardinals, who became just the second 9-7 team ever to reach the Super Bowl and first since 1979.

Has the Ravens/Steelers game ended yet? In all seriousness, it was another entertaining watch, as that rivalry is fast developing into the NFL's best. Ultimately, it looks like Baltimore made good on both of their bounty promises on Rashard Mendenhall and Hines Ward…If Aaron Smith gets called "underrated" one more time, he'll officially become overrated…What a play by Ben Roethlisberger on Santonio Holmes' 65-yard touchdown. The big play was the Ravens' one Achilles' heel…Joe Flacco didn't just look like a rookie, it looked like his first game of playing football. Still, Pittsburgh's defense deserves a ton of credit, and Flacco's future remains bright, and I do appreciate that backdoor cover on the pick-six…Limas Sweed has some of the worst hands I've ever seen. And he made matters worse by acting hurt (suffering from a bruised ego, as Jim Nantz pointed out) and costing his team a timeout that later cost them a field goal. He somewhat made up for it with a bone-crushing block later on, but his horrible hands have been a consistent theme throughout the year…What a performance by Terrell Suggs, recording two sacks while playing with one arm. He was in such pain, he couldn't even celebrate afterward…The NFL really needs to examine what it takes to be considered a catch. How was Holmes' play overturned? He took three steps before the ball came out on the ground! What exactly, is a "football move?" Slow motion can often be misleading…What a hard-hitting game. Willis McGahee may eventually need to consider a different profession.

I certainly didn't foresee this Super Bowl matchup, but at least I had both participants winning their divisions during my season preview. Still, it's pretty crazy Arizona is in after losing 47-7 in Week 16. What must the Patriots be thinking?...I'm surprised there's a relatively even split on the action so far for Super Bowl XLIII. Am I crazy, or does this have blowout written all over it? I hope I'm wrong, but there's no way I'm not laying the points there…If any of you are into movies, TV or music and want a look-see at my year end lists, click here.