The division championship round of the 2011 NFL Playoff schedule wraps up this afternoon with the New England Patriots hosting the New York Jets at 1:30pm pacific. The game is on CBS featuring the play-by-play stylings of Jim Nantz and the color commentary of Phil Simms. It remains to be seen what cheesy cliche Nantz will close the game with, although I doubt it will involve any mention of the word feet.
This final divisional round contest features a limited amount of former Bay Area college football players. The Jets Bay Area contingent consists of CB Dwight Lowery and DT Jarron Gilbert, both of whom played at San Jose State. The Patriots Bay Area contingent consists of Tully Banta-Cain who played at Cal. He also spent time with the 49ers so he's got an extra Bay Area tie in there.
Although today's matchup features intense rivals, the Patriots are a heavy nine point favorite. The two teams split their season series with both teams holding court at home. Of course, the Patriots win was a bit more impressive as they destroyed the Jets 45-3. Of course, neither of those games matter much as this game has become all about the trash talk. It's gotten fairly heated and one has to wonder how quickly it will take for things to get ugly. I'd imagine the NFL has made sure the refs keep a handle on things early on. I'd expect some fairly quick flags to keep the players in line.