The king is dead

The king is dead. And I'm not talking about the fried peanut butter and banana samich-loving, jumpsuit-wearing dude born in Tupelo.

The New England Patriots finally lost a playoff game. I'm still not sure if they got beat or if they finally beat themselves. Five turnovers, special teams blunders, etc., put them on the short side of the scoreboard. Even the brilliant Bill Belichick, he of the monk-like sweatshirts, couldn't put together a game plan that includes a solution to overcoming that many miscues.

Time for a new reign. Will it be Peyton's turn? We'll know soon enough.

In the NFC, you've got to give credit to Matt Hasselbeck for putting the Seahawks on his shoulders, and not so nimble feet, and hauling them into the NFC divisional championship game. With Shaun Alexander knocked out with a concussion early on, the Seahawks, as a unit, looked to be KOed, but Hasselbeck scrambled and threw them past the Redskins.

I've still got some chips and hops and barley beverages left in the cupboard and fridge, so bring on the first kickoff of Sunday's games.