Too many questions remain for the teams in the AFC to have a clear favourite in the conference. Injuries and inconsistencies have plagued all the teams throughout the season.

The New England Patriots have the best record and have the experience of winning multiple Superbowl championships in their ranks. However, they did not defeat a single team with a winning record this season – a record that will obviously have to change in the playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens have been inconsistent all year, losing to four teams that missed the playoffs and they have gotten inconsistent play from their offense, led by quarterback Joe Flacco.

Injuries have plagued the Houston Texans all season and lost both their first and second-string Quarterbacks, along with missing their best player on both defence and offense in Mario Williams and Andre Johnson. As a result, they have lost their last three games and will probably not have enough in the playoffs.

Injuries are also starting to sneak up on the ever-dangerous Pittsburgh Steelers and their Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn’t at 100 per cent.

Despite defying the critics and performing admirably, this season may be too soon for miracle-maker Tim Tebow and rookie Andy Dalton and their respective teams Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals.

The two best teams appear to be in the NFC, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. Both teams have been near flawless this season and despite the odd hiccup, have steam-rolled the opposition. They sport the two best players in the league this season, in Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.

Assuming they will negotiate the teams in between, they will meet in the NFC Championship Game and it may be the biggest game of the year. It will be a must-see game as the points will be piled in what is likely to be a shoot-out. They met in the first game of the season back in September and it did not disappoint as the game came down to the last play when running back Mark Ingram was stopped by the Packers defence on the 1-yard line as the Superbowl Champions held on for a 42-34 victory.

It may not the showpiece event of the season, but the NFC Championship Game may determine the Champion in the NFL.

Offense wins championships

The saying ‘defence wins championships’ may no longer ring true in the NFL. Due to rule changes, it has become increasingly hard to stop a high power offense. As a result quarterback’s numbers are on the rise: Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady and Drew Brees all surpassed 5000 passing yards this season, a plateau reached only twice before this season in the history of the game. If Aaron Rodgers had not been rested in the last game of the season, he would have likely made it four. Added to that, three quarterbacks surpassed 40 touchdown passes on the year, a feat accomplished by only five players before this year.

In the past, a good defence was necessary for a team to compete, to stop the offence at crucial times. The Baltimore Ravens won the Superbowl in 2001 with a defence that carried a limited offense to victory. With the defensive restrictions in place, we may never see a team win with that philosophy again. The number one seeds in both conferences, the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers, have the two worst ranked defences in the league, giving up over 400 yards a game. Both teams are scoring over 30 points a game and have overwhelmed teams with all their attacking weapons.

This is not to dismiss the defence completely, the Packers rely on timely plays from their defensive playmakers, such as Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews, to create turnovers and stop other teams to get the ball back in Rodgers hands. Five of the twelve playoff teams are in the top ten for points allowed per game, so defence can still win games, but the question remains; will they be able to stop the high-powered offences they will face in the playoffs?

Injuries are piling up in the NBA

There was a worry when the lockout ended that a short pre-season and a schedule in which teams have to play every second game that players would pick up injuries. Just two weeks into the season, the fears appear to be materialising as stars are picking up injuries on a regular basis.

Miami Heat’s star duo of Lebron James and Dwyane Wade became the latest casualties as they sat out Thursday night’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Manu Ginobili and Zach Randolph have picked up long-term injuries that will hamper their teams, who both have playoff ambitions. Stephen Curry, Eric Gordon, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Brook Lopez have also picked up injuries in this young season.

Let’s hope the injuries don’t continue to mount up, or else they could hinder a season that promises a lot.

The Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-26 on Sunday to become the 14th team in NFL history to stay perfect through 10 games. Only the 1972 Miami Dolphins and the 2007 New England Patriots went on to finish the regular season without any losses. Can the Packers become the third?

History shows the rarity in which it happens and although the Packers have looked unbeatable this season, it will be difficult to remain unbeaten.

Firstly, the schedule is against them. Of their six games left, five are against teams with a winning record and three are against division rivals, they face the Detroit Lions twice and the Chicago Bears.

Secondly, rest. Recent experience has devalued the importance of being unbeaten in the regular season. The Packers are the defending Superbowl champions, despite sneaking in to the playoffs in the last game of the season with a 10-6 record.

In the 2007 season, the Patriots finished 16-0, but crucially lost the Superbowl. It will not be surprising to see most of the Packers’ starters sit the last couple of games when the number one seed is wrapped up.

If they are to go unbeaten, the two games against the Detroit Lions stand out on the calendar, first of which is one of the Thanksgiving Day showpieces later today.

We are likely to see a fired up Lions as they fight to stay in playoff contention. They also have a high powered offense that could live with their rivals, as proven this weekend when they put up 49 points against the Carolina Panthers.

If the Packers manage to win on Thanksgiving, it may come down to the last game of the season at home to Detroit. It will probably be a must win game for the Lions against the Packers’ reserves.

A 15-1 or 14-2 record remains the most likely outcome.

Value of second string Quarterbacks

The Sunday and Monday night showpiece games once again showed the importance of having a good back-up quarterback with Vince Young and Tyler Palko finishing with different results.

Palko started for the first time in the league on Monday night and despite playing ok, he couldn’t cause any damage where it mattered in the 34-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

Philadelphia had prepared for an injury to their star quarterback Michael Vick by signing Vince Young in the offseason. The six-year veteran showed the experience necessary to lead his side to a 17-10 victory over division rivals and leaders New York Giants.

His performance was not perfect, he threw three interceptions, but he made plays when his side needed it and he was the benefactor of his teams great defensive performance to seal victory.

It is possibly the most important position in any sport and most teams’ success hinge on the health of their signal caller.

The Indianapolis Colts have faltered to a 0-10 record this season with back-up Curtis Painter in. First choice Peyton Manning is out for the season with a neck injury and is missing his first games since coming into the league in 1998.

Having no backup hasn’t been a problem for the Colts before because of the future hall-of-famer’s impeccable injury record but their lack of an alternative has resulted in them being the worst team in the league.

Next week we are going to see two teams in playoff contention turn to their backup quarter-backs to keep them in the race. Quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Jay Cutler have been ruled out for the season and left 7-3 sides Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears in precarious positions.

The Texans turn to Matt Leinart, who has been a bust so far in the League after being drafted 10th overall in 2006. Caleb Hanie will start for the Bears after Cutler broke his thumb on Sunday. The fourth year player has thrown 14 passes in his career.

Both sides’ seasons hinge on whether they had a good backup plan.

Is Rob Gronkowski the best tight end in the league?

As the passing game continues to develop in the NFL, teams are coveting a top calibre tight end more than ever. It has become this seasons ‘sexy’ position.

Line-backers are too slow to cover them and defensive backs are too small to tackle them. Teams have fallen in love with the combination of size and athleticism that players like Jermichael Finley, Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis and company have to offer.

No team uses their tight ends as well as the New England Patriots as their combination of Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have been destroying defences.

Gronkowski is playing as well as any tight end in the league after his two touchdowns Monday night along with eight catches for 101 yards. He has scored 20 touchdowns in his first 26 games as a pro, more than any other tight end in the same timeframe in history.

For whatever reason, his name isn’t mentioned as much as others when talking about the best tight end in the league. Its time it started.

The London Blitz American Football team (Photo courtesy of London Blitz)

American Football has seen a resurgence in the United Kingdom over the last few years.

The NFL has sold out Wembley Stadium on the three occasions it has staged the annual International Series and is on course to do so again as it comes back to London in October for the fourth year running.

The sport has also seen its popularity increase at universities up and down the country with many founding their own teams.

But, as some may not know, the UK also has its own version of the NFL: the BAFL or British American Football League. Team from across the country in three divisions compete for the British version of the Super Bowl known as the Brit Bowl.

Over the last four years the top two teams in the BAFL have been the Coventry Cassidy Jets and the London Blitz. The latter are the current champions and this season, for the first time, they will be competing in European competition.

The Sport Review caught up with London Blitz Chairman, Robin Pierce, to find out more about the British version of the sport and get the low-down on the up-and-coming season.

What was it that first got you interested in American Football and then to become chairman of a team?
I first saw a game in 1978 when I was in Fort Lauderdale with my ship, as I was in the Royal Navy at the time. Myself and a few friends were taken to see a college game. At that time I thought that if the game ever came to the UK I’d want to play.

Well, in 1983 Channel 4 started showing games on TV, and that was the catalyst needed to get people to form teams. I joined the Windsor Monarchs, so I was involved right at the beginning. I subsequently helped to form the Slough Silverbacks, becoming the Vice Chairman as well as being a D line starter.

I became disillusioned with the politics of the sport in 1990. There was so much wrangling and in-fighting, with various people trying to get rich off a sport that was still in it’s infancy; and as a result, I quit altogether the following year. It was in 1999 that a friend on mine asked if I would be interested in joining the Olympians as a coaching assistant. I considered it, but I felt that joining the club that, at that time, were the National Champions, wouldn’t be a challenge to me, whereas London Blitz, at the same time, was a team that was struggling, and therefore a big challenge. I became the club Vice Chairman in 2002, and the Chairman the following year.

With a lot of very able assistants, and the best coaching staff in the country, we’ve taken London Blitz right to the top of the sport. We are now the first choice for athletes who want to play the top level of the sport in this country. The challenges to get to this position were huge, not the least of which was in sorting out the parlous state of the club’s finances.

Neil Bowles, the previous Chairman began this process with wise fiscal management. He saved the organisation from financial collapse, and for me, it was a matter of picking up the baton when Neil had to leave the club because of work commitments. These days, the club runs at a small profit, which is always invested in improvements in one way or another. I have to say, being the Chairman is like holding down a second full time job, and without the support I receive from all my assistants, it just couldn’t be done.

You play your home games at the athletics stadium in Finsbury Park. What are the attendances like both home and away during the season?
Attendance is hard to gauge as we haven’t been charging admission fees. Going on the amount of burgers we sell, I’d say the figure must be between 200 – 300. Away games don’t seem to be well supported, so maybe we are more fortunate than most of our opposition because of our location, our stadium, and our efforts at attracting support.

I became disillusioned with the politics of the sport in 1990. There was so much wrangling and in-fighting

Has the NFL International Series games at Wembley stadium over the past three years had an impact on the British version of the game?
It has made the UK public more aware of the game, but I’m not convinced that this has resulted in more people watching the UK games. We have seen a small increase in recruitment, but this, at least in our case, could be down to our success over the past several years. If you are looking for a team to join as a new recruit, do you pick a team that is successful, or a team that is in the lower divisions? I guess that depends on how ambitious you are.

There has been talk over the last couple of years that there could be an NFL team based in the United Kingdom. Do you think this could happen and would it be a good or bad thing for the BAFL?
I’d never say never, but most of all the NFL is a business, and a hugely profitable one. There would only be a franchise in the UK if it made sound financial sense.

Over the last four years the London Blitz have made it to the Brit Bowl playing the Coventry Cassidy Jets on three occasions and the London Olympians once, with you winning twice and losing twice. Do you think it will be the same two teams in the Brit Bowl for a fourth season or are there some other teams we should be looking out for this season?

We lost to the Olympians in 2006, beat the Jets in 2007, lost to the Jets in 2008, and regained the title in 2009. This year I fully expect our biggest rival will be the London Cobras, but there will be no easy opposition.

This is going to be your first season playing in European Competition. What are your expectations in Europe for the team?
We hope to do well, and our coaching staff believe we can make the final if we play our best football.

What is the English league like compared to other leagues in Europe like Germany and Spain?
We may find out this year! Both Spanish and German teams have money to spend on imports, whereas the game in the UK is meant to be strictly amateur, so we will always have problems playing against semi pro clubs when we remain amateur. This situation is likely to continue for a long time, as there’s no money in UK Football. We certainly don’t lack talent in the UK, but money can pay for ex NCAA players, better quality coaches, good facilities, and so on. Most UK teams don’t even have a decent football field of their own, so we can’t compete on anything like equal terms.

Sport in the UK is grossly underfunded in comparison to other countries in Europe I became disillusioned with the politics of the sport. Any athlete, in pretty much any sport, succeeds in spite of the system, rather than because of it!

With a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the underdog New Orleans Saints claimed their first Super Bowl in team history, with the ‘Who Dat Nation’ partying up and down Bourbon Street in New Orleans into the early hours.

Everyone in the Saints organisation, from ownership on down to the players, went to great lengths to dedicate the victory to their city in post-game interviews. The Saints have become a true symbol of hope and of community for a city that went through so much heartache in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

For the first quarter, such a victory seemed unlikely. After an early field goal, Peyton Manning and running back Joseph Addai then led the Colts from their own 4-yard line, all the way down the field. Manning capped the drive with a 19-yard pass to Pierre Garcon, to put Indianapolis into a 10-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.

However, after the first quarter was all Colts, the second was certainly all Saints. The New Orleans defence kept Manning off the field, allowing the Colts offense just six plays in the quarter, in contrast to the 26 ran by Drew Brees and the Saints. For all the possession though, they didn’t capitalise as much as they really should have. Garrett Hartley kicked a field goal to get the Saints on the board at 10-3.

Brees then led them down the field again, for a first-and-goal at the Indianapolis 3-yard line. The Colts defence stood strong for three plays, before New Orleans decided to go for it on 4th down. A questionable play call from Saints head coach Sean Payton saw them try to run it around the end, but the Colts saw it coming, with Pierre Thomas hit by four Colt defenders short of the goal-line.

The Saints managed to get the ball back and kick another field goal before half-time to send them in trailing by four, but the goal-line stop looked to be a huge momentum shifter for the Colts.

Whilst everyone was watching The Who provide the half-time entertainment in Miami, Sean Payton was sat in the locker room coming up with a plan to get the momentum back. He did that in a big way with the opening kick-off. The Saints went for an onside kick, and after the ball bounced off a Colts player, the Saints managed to drop on it. Six plays later, Brees dumped a short pass off to Pierre Thomas, who barrelled his way into the end zone to give the Saints their first lead.

Unfazed, Manning drove the Colts down the field once again on the next drive, running plays from a no huddle offence, to try and disrupt the Saints defence. Addai capped the 10 play drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to put the Colts back on top at 17-13. Hartley then kicked his third field goal of the day, to bring the Saints back to within a point, going into the 4th quarter.

The Colts began the next drive from their own 11-yard line, and took the ball to the Saints 30, before the drive was stalled by the rejuvenated Saints defence. Manning couldn’t hide his frustration on the sideline as Matt Stover’s 51-yard field goal attempt hooked wide left, unable to increase the Colts shaky one-point lead at 17-16.

Drew Brees sealed his selection as Super Bowl MVP on the next drive, completing seven straight passes, the final one to tight-end Jeremy Shockey for a touchdown. The Saints immediately went for the two point conversion to go up by seven, but Brees’ pass to Lance Moore was called incomplete on the field. After briefly talking to Moore, Sean Payton threw his challenge flag.

The video replay showed that Moore, despite juggling the ball, managed to gain control of it whilst over the goal-line. The decision was overturned, the points good, giving the Saints a 24-17 lead with 5.42 left on the clock.

The spotlight was then back on Manning, and, out of the shotgun, he drove the Colts deep into the New Orleans half. The comeback was quashed when a Manning pass intended for Reggie Wayne was picked off by cornerback Tracy Porter, who took it all the way back for a 74 yard return for a touchdown, and a 31-17 lead for the Colts.

Indianapolis fans were given hope as the Colts marched back up the field looking for the first of the two scores needed to tie it up. However that hope was ended when Reggie Wayne had a 4th down pass go straight through his hands in the end zone, which would have brought the Colts to within in 7 points, and given them the chance to go for the onside kick.

All that was left to do for the Saints was run down the clock, amidst wild celebrations on their sideline. Manning sat alone on the opposite side of the field, rueing what might have been. He finished up 31 of 45 for 333 yards, with a touchdown, but also the crucial interception. Brees finished up 32 of 39, for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns.

It was a game neither quarterback really deserved to lose, but when it came down to it, the Saints defence made the bigger plays when they were needed. Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, in his rookie season, was fairly conservative in his play calling, understandably happy to defer to Peyton Manning on the field much of the time.

Sean Payton and his gutsy calling went a long way to energise his Saints team when they really needed it, and that was perhaps enough to give them that edge that they really needed.

This Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV pits the New Orleans Saints (13-3) against the Indianapolis Colts (14-2), in what promises to be a high-scoring affair.

For the Saints, this will be their first Super Bowl appearance in their 43-year history. On the other side, this will be the eighth straight play-off appearance for the Colts. They will be hoping MVP Peyton Manning can lead them to a repeat of their Super Bowl victory from three years ago – which, like this Sunday’s game, came at Miami’s Dolphin Stadium.

Both teams began the regular season 13-0 before the Saints went on to lose their remaining three games. The Colts won another, before suffering defeats in their final two games. Neither had a tough game in their first round of the playoffs, but the Saints had to scrap to sneak by the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in the NFC Championship Game. The Colts defeated the New York Jets 30-17 to lock up the AFC title.

Taking a look at the regular season stats for each club really spells out why this contest is so interesting. Through the regular season, Indianapolis had the worst rushing offense of all NFL teams, their success almost solely built around Peyton Manning’s arm. This could prove to be a real problem for the Saints, whose pass defence ranked near the bottom (26th) in the NFL.

For their part, New Orleans are no mugs through the air. Along with the Colts, their passing offense finished in the top 5 in the NFL. QB Drew Brees, although not matching Manning’s yards per game, threw more touchdowns, and fewer interceptions — finishing the season with a league-leading 109.6 QB Rating, to Manning’s 99.9. However the Colts have proved far more adept than the Saints at stopping the passing game throughout the season, and this is the main reason that the Vegas bookies have the Colts as 5 point favourites.

Even if Brees continues to perform like he has all season, it may still not be enough for the win — they’ll be relying on some special performances from their other guys. Their pass defence is going to have to really step up, and most of all, they’ll be hoping for fireworks from running-back Reggie Bush.

Bush has lost some of his lustre this year, largely due to a season punctuated by injury. However he showed exactly why he is such a special player in the Saints’ 45-14 win over Arizona in the Divisional Round. He ran for 84 yards on 5 carries, with a touchdown, and then capped off the game with an 83 yard punt return back to the house.

Perhaps most of all, New Orleans may just have to hope Peyton Manning and his receivers have a rare off day. If they don’t, it could end up being a long night for them.

Super Bowl XLIV, from Dolphin Stadium in Miami, will be broadcast live from 11pm (GMT) this Sunday, on BBC One and Sky Sports 1. ‘The Who’ will be providing the entertainment for the half-time show.