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Backup QB dethrones champs

There will be a member of the Manning family in the final four of professional football,but not that who the consensus thought it would be.
Perennial backup quarterback Billy Volek,who had undertaken that role when playing behind Steve Mcnair for the Tennessee Titans,lead the San Diego Chargers to a 28-24 victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts Sunday Afternoon in Indianapolis,assuring that a sure to be much hyped matchup between the Colts and the perennial Super Bowl Favorite New England Patriots in the AFC championship game would not reach fruition.

In what the majority would perceive as an upset,the Chargers were left without star running back Ladanian Tomlinson and starting quarterback Phillip Rivers,instigating doubt among the Chargers' faithful as Volek began the defining drive with Volek down 24-21.However,Volek demonstrated the poiserequired in a game of this magnitude led the Chargers down the field,scoring himself on a quarterback sneak with 4:50 remaining in the game.
Manning and the Colts would get the ball back twice more with an opportunity for victory,but Indy's quarterback,who amassed 402 yards and that who engineered the Colts' comeback in the AFC championship game last year against New England,threw forth down incompletion's on both drives,ensuring that the Chargers would play the Patriots in the AFC championship game next week in New England.
In the other game Sunday,Eli Manning finally emerged from his brother's shadow as he and the New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 to advance to the NFC championship against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers,as the explosive Cowboys' offense never got on track,as star receiver Terrel owens,whose status was questionable leading up to the game due to a high ankle sprain suffered in week 16 against Carolina,had only 4 catches for 49 yards,while quarterback Tony Romo completed only 50%of his passes(18-36) for 201 yards.DEespite this,the Cowboys had an opportunity to give themselves and their fans an opprotunity to bask in the euphoria of an additional home game,but Romo's forth down pass into the end zone,intended for wide receiver Terry Glenn,was intercepted by cornerback R.W. McQuarters with :09 remaining on the clock.
The Giants avenged two defeats at the hands of the Cowboys in the regular season,45-35 in week 1 at Dallas and 31-20 in week 10 in East Rutherford,NJ,further putting into perspective the relevance,or lack thereof,of the regular season in relation to the post season.
As aforementioned,this sets up a matchup against the Packers next week in what could be quarterback Brett Favre's last game at Lambeau Field,regardless of win or loss,not to mention his last game ever should the Packers lose,with the winner to be crowned NFC champions,while the Chargers will travel to New England and attempt to end the Patriots' perfect season,with the winners of those two games earning the right to face each other in Super Bowl XLII on Feb.3 in Glendale,AZ.

Learn more about this author, Ed Ehren.
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