Posted on 1/17/2008 5:37:48 PM

Football Betting – XBOX 360 Simulation AFC Championship Game

By Mike Rose

San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots 3:00 ET CBS

Weather: Partly cloudy, High of 36 low of 19 with winds from west at 19 MPH

1st Quarter:

The Patriots won the toss and elected to receive

NE 1st Drive @ own 26: The game started off with a bang when SD DE Luis Castillo dropped QB Tom Brady for a 9-yard loss. He then joined teammate Shawne Merriman in his signature celebration dance that had all of Gillette Stadium up in arms. A ton of pushing and shoving transpired and it took the refs a couple minutes to get everything under control. When play resumed, QB Tom Brady found WR Randy Moss for a 9-yard gain, but his next pass fell incomplete and the Pats were forced to punt the ball away.

SD 1st Drive @ own 42: QB Phillip Rivers and the Chargers offense were set up with excellent field position on their initial drive of the game. Their first play from scrimmage saw Rivers dump the ball to FB Andrew Pinnock for 7-yards, and RB Ladainian Tomlinson churned out a 4-yard gain to set them up at the NE 47 with a fresh set of downs. The Patriots brought a LB stunt on the next play, and LB Teddy Bruschi sacked Rivers for a 4-yard loss. LT only gained a yard on 2nd down and Rivers’ 3rd down pass fell incomplete. Punting time….

NE 2nd Drive @ own 20: Looking to outdo their first possession of the game, the Pats looked to RB Laurence Maroney on 1st down and he churned out a 7-yard gain. Brady’s 2nd down pass fell incomplete, and the Charger “D” stepped up to the plate on 3rd down and stonewalled Maroney at the line of scrimmage forcing the Pats to punt once again.

SD 2nd drive @ own 40: The Chargers were once again set up with superb field position, but once again failed to do anything with it. It was a quick 3 and out and the Chargers only gained 20 yards of field position when Patriots Punt Returner Wes Welker returned SD Punter Mike Scifres’ punt all the way out to their own 40.

NE 3rd Drive @ own 40: The third time was the charm as the Pats offense meant business right from the get go. Brady found WR Donte Stallworth for a sweet 32-yard hook-up, and then RB Maroney picked up 7-yards after Brady’s 1st down pass fell incomplete. If you didn’t think the Pats were a charmed team until now, check out what happened on the next play. LB Stephen Cooper intercepted Brady’s pass, but RB Maroney stripped him from behind and WR Stallworth picked it up and stumbled his way down to the Chargers 19-yard line. SD HC Norv Turner had the red flag in his hand hoping Cooper’s knee hit the ground before he was stripped, but of course, it wasn’t the case. Another break goes the way of the Pats, and they went on to make the most of it when RB Maroney hit pay dirt on a 2-yard run as the 1st Quarter came to an end.

NE 7 SD 0

END OF 1ST QUARTER

2nd QUARTER

SD 3rd Drive @ own 24: The Chargers looked the part in their 3rd drive of the game after LT picked up a nice 6-yard gain, but then LB Junior Seau picked off an errant Rivers pass and returned it to their own 13-yard line before Rivers of all people took him to the ground.

NE 4th Drive @ SD 13: The Pats looked to strike quick here but Brady’s pass to Moss in the endzone was deflected and almost intercepted by CB Drayton Florence. RB Maroney then came up huge and rattled off a 13-yard run for his 2nd TD of the game. However, the Chargers got a mitt on K Gostkowski conversion.

NE 13 SD 0

SD 4th Drive @ own 32: The Chargers drive started off well as LT ripped off another 8-yard run, but then back-to-back false start penalties forced them to convert a 3rd and 12 to move the chains. WR Vincent Jackson hauled in his first catch of the day when Rivers found him over the middle for a 21-yard 1st down reception. The drive stalled form there on out when Rivers followed up an LT 3-yard gain with a pair of incomplete passes.

NE 5th Drive @ own 20: Lightning struck immediately on the Pats fifth drive when Tom Brady’s WR screen pass to Wes Welker saw him rumble 80-yards for the Patriots 3rd consecutive TD scoring drive.

NE 20 SD 0

SD 5th Drive @ own 21: The game had simply gotten away from the Chargers and the offense knew it had to put something on the board this drive or else this game was done. TE Antonio Gates finally got some work in when he hauled in a 9-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage. LT moved the chains with a 5-yard gain, and the Chargers looked pumped. QB Rivers then found WR Jackson deep downfield again, and the Chargers looked ready to dent the scoreboard. Then out of nowhere, big man DT Ty Warren busted through the middle of the Chargers O-Line and dropped Rivers for a 5-yard loss. Rivers got right back up, dusted himself off and found Jackson once again for a 10 yard completion. The Pats brought the heat on the next play, and the Chargers expected it. They executed a perfect screen pass to RB Michael Turner and he turned it upfield for a solid 18-yard gain. This took us to the 2 minute warning.

2 MINUTE WARNING

SD 5th Drive @ NE 22: The break ruined the Chargers momentum and all of Rivers’ next three passes fell incomplete. HC Turner thought about going for it, but knew he needed points on the board and decided to kick the field goal. Kicker Nate Kaeding’s 29-yard attempt was true and the Chargers were on the board.

NE 20 SD 3

NE 6th Drive @ own 41: The last thing the Chargers wanted to do was surrender a solid return with a minute and change left on the clock, but that’s exactly what they did. KR Elliss Hobbs returned the kick-off all the way out to the Pats 41 setting up Brady and company with an excellent opportunity to put another nail in San Diego’s coffin. To make a long story short, they did exactly that when Brady found WR Wes Welker once again. This time of the short 14-yard variety to all but seal the deal heading into the break.

NE 27 SD 3

HALFTIME SCORE: NEW ENGLAND 27 SAN DIEGO 3

QB Tom Brady: 9/15 170 yards 2 TD 1 INT QB Rating 111.1

QB Philip Rivers: 7/15 93 yards 0 TD 1 INT QB Rating 39.7

RB Laurence Maroney: 9 carries for 50 yards 2 TD 5.5 YPC

LaDainian Tomlinson: 10 carries for 23 yards 0 TD 2.3 YPC

WR Wes Welker: 3 receptions for 125 yards 1 TD

WR Vincent Jackson: 3 receptions for 68 yards 0 TD

3rd Quarter

SD 6th Drive @ own 27: The Chargers pound the ball with LT to start the 2nd half and he picks up a nice 7-yard gain off the left tackle. QB Rivers hooks up with TE Gates for an 8-yard strike to move the chains. After an LT rush picks up a yard and an incomplete pass on 2nd down, Rivers hooks up with WR Chris Chambers for a 57-yard TD strike much like he did to open up the second half of play last week against the Colts. SD had to have 7 on this drive and they got it!!!

NE 27 SD 10

NE 7th Drive @ own 20: The Patriots offense didn’t come out with the same fire it had in the first half and paid for it. On 3rd and 4, Brady’s heave over the middle of the field is picked off by SD SS Clinton Hart and returned to the Patriots 42-yard line.

SD 7th Drive @ NE 42: You would have thought the Chargers would come out guns ablazed after having just forced a turnover after scoring their first TD, but it just didn’t happen. They went three and out mostly because of the heroics of LB Bruschi who picked up his second sack of the game to put them behind the chains.

NE 8th Drive @ own 20: Shockingly, the Patriots turned the ball over again on their first play from scrimmage when RB Maroney fumbled the ball on a botched handoff, and SS Clinton Hart pounced on it at the Pats 15-yard line.

SD 8th Drive @ NE 15: The Chargers had to have seven here, but LT got clobbered for no gain and Rivers 2nd and 3rd down passes fell incomplete. K Kaeding’s 32-yard FG split the uprights and the Chargers cut the Pats lead to 14.

NE 27 SD 13

NE 9th Drive @ own 13: This drive started out poorly as well when the Pats special teams was called for clipping, and they had to start out at their own 13-yard line. Brady immediately got to work finding WR Stallworth for 7 and TE Watson for 8. He stretched the field when he found WR Moss wide open for a 22-yard gain, and the Pats found themselves with a fresh set of downs at the Chargers 19-yard line when he found TE Watson for another 9-yard gain. Laurence Maroney squashed the chargers comeback hopes when he took the pitch around the right side of the line and found the endzone 19-yards later. It was his third TD scamper of the game, and the Pats took a stranglehold of the contest in the process.

NE 34 SD 13

END OF 3rd QUARTER

4TH QUARTER

SD 10th Drive @ own 27: The Pats last drive simply deflated the Chargers offense who managed one first down, but then got stopped on 3rd and long when NT Vince Wilfork pretty much fell on top of Rivers for a 7 yard loss.

NE 10th Drive @ own 39: The Pats looked to eat some of the clock up by running the ball with Maroney, but their drive fell short when the Charger defense blew up a 3rd down screen pass intended for RB Kevin Faulk.

SD 11th Drive @ own 10: Down 21, the Chargers didn’t look too desperate on their first two plays. A casual run up the middle for 3 by LT followed by an incomplete pass that should have been intercepted over the middle. Then lightning struck, WR Vincent Jackson outleaped Pats CB Brandon Meriweather and scampered 90-yards for the tuddy. The Chargers sidelines went bonkers, but they still had an enormous mountain to climb.

NE 34 SD 20

2 MINUTE WARNING

SD’s onside kick was recovered by New England at the chargers 33

NE 11th Drive @ SD 33: If you’re a Charger backer and you’ve got 14-points in your back pocket praying to push this game, don’t read on. New England was simply trying to run the clock out on 3rd and 5 with 42 ticks left on the clock, but RB Maroney got through the first wave of defenders off right tackle and hit the corner en route to a 23-yard TD run. All those die hard Patriot fans packed into Gillette screamed their bloody heads off with glee knowing full well they got the best of the New England area bookies that raised the price on the Pats a couple of points.

NE 41 SD 20

SD 12th Drive @ own 28: The Chargers got their backers hopes up by getting to midfield, but it was for not as QB rivers final pass of the game fell incomplete and the Patriots locked up their bid to compete in Super Bowl XLII.

This game simulation calls for a NE Patriots cover at (-14) and for the game to go Over the posted ‘Total’ of 46’. You can get NE (-14) at –110 juice and the Under 46’ at –110 juice at BetUS right now!!!

FINAL SCORE: SAN DIEGO 20 NEW ENGLAND 41

QB Tom Brady: 18/27 258 yards 2 TD 2 INT QB Rating 101.2

QB Philip Rivers: 14/33 277 yards 2 TD 1 INT QB Rating 71.3

RB Laurence Maroney: 21 carries for 124 yards 4 TD 5.9 YPC

LaDainian Tomlinson: 17 carries for 34 yards 0 TD 2.0 YPC

WR Wes Welker: 5 receptions for 140 yards 2 TD

WR Randy Moss: 5 receptions for 63 yards

WR Vincent Jackson: 5 receptions for 148 yards 1 TD

WR Chris Chambers: 3 receptions for 71 yards 1 TD

> > Check AFC Championship Odds Here

The 2007 NFL betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!