There were big plays, record setting games, spectacular comebacks, heavy hits and survivors. The NFL is no place for the timid, and there are now just four survivors left to see who goes to the Super Bowl.

GIANTS GRIND UP GREEN BAY

The Blue Curtain suffocated the guys wearing Green & Gold. So much for being (15-1) with all that glitzy offense. The big bad defense from the Big Apple crushed them. The New York Giants took care of the Green Bay Packers, pounding them into submission with a punishing defense, big plays on offense and a ruthless pass rush enroute to a (37-20) thrashing at Lambeau Field.

The Packers looked nothing like the team that reeled off 14-wins in a row to start the season. Aaron Rogers had virtually no help, not from his offensive line, receivers or running backs. The leaky Packers defense played as badly in postseason as they did in regular season, giving up tons of yards on big pass plays. The Giants have now won 6-of-7 in this late season run that will carry them to the NFC title game next week against the 49ers.

A relentless pass rush led to 4-quarterback sacks. It pressured Rogers 15 times and made him run with the ball seven times. His receivers dropped eight passes. The Giants recovered three fumbles and picked off a pass. Green Bay's pocket collapsed as did their season. It wasn’t as if Green Bay was rusty. The Giants beat up the Packers offense like no one has all year long.

Eli Manning threw for 330 yards and three more touchdowns, and the Giants big play receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz caught every critical pass thrown their way.

Think about this: the Giants had to fight their way into the playoffs, winning at Dallas, then choked off hi-powered Atlanta, then mugged Green Bay in front of their own fans. Tom Coughlin has driven his team from nowhere to the third round of the playoffs.

SAN FRANCISCO SHOOTOUT WIN OVER SAINTS

Drew Brees brought his gun, but San Francisco brought the anvil and hammer. The 49ers and Saints combined for four touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game. In historical perspective, in the stadium where Joe Montana and Steve Young worked so many miracles, it was failed first round draft pick Alex Smith, who found magic in San Francisco.

It looked as if Brees and running back Darren Sproles would 'refuse to lose', but it was Niners coach Jim Harbaugh, and his resurrected quarterback who would find a way to win. Smith scored on a wild 28 yard TD run, then drove his team back down the field to hit tight end Vernon Davis with the game winning TD pass with (:09) left to secure the (36-32) verdict.

Brees was a typical gunslinger at his best, throwing for 462 yards and four touchdowns. Sproles had a record 15 catches for 119 yards. But it was the other side of the ball that made the difference. San Francisco's defense was everywhere, especially all around Brees. The Niners defense had three sacks, 11 hits on the quarterback, 14 pressures and five takeaways. Harbaugh had them hitting everything that wore black & gold.

That complimented Smith, the quarterback - who was viewed as a first round failure up till this this year. He finished with 299 yards passing, three touchdowns and that amazing end of game touchdown run.

New Orleans goes home with all these offensive records, but the glaring stat that will not go away remains. The Saints have never won a road playoff game in franchise history, (0-5) in postseason. Next weekend’s game will likely be a street fight amongst tough defenses. Iron pipes vs, brass knuckles for that Giants-Niners title game.

NEW ENGLAND NAILS DENVER

Jesus may have been at quarterback for Denver, but New England had God coaching defense, and their own Devil at quarterback. Those were the storylines coming into the Patriots-Broncos game.

Tim Tebow's religious cult-like run came to an end when the more talented Patriots, with Bill Belichick's defense and Tom Brady's passing ended the Broncos season. Brady threw for 363 yards and an NFL tying postseason record six touchdowns. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was running open all day from Foxboro to Plymouth Rock, catching 10 passes for 145 yards.

Belichick, the mad scientist coach, saw his defense force five sacks and make 14 tackles for lost yards. The Patriots outgained the Broncos (509-252). Take nothing away from the accomplishments of Tebow and coach John Fox. They took a team that started (1-4) and drove it to a (9-9) record and a playoff win, with the raw talents, gifted leadership, and strong beliefs of Tebow.

The Patriots get to play at home next weekend against Baltimore. New England is (71-13) at Gillette Stadium, where home games are also somewhat of a religious experience.

BALTIMORE WINS UGLY OVER HOUSTON

Those Purple and Black uniforms are indeed ugly, and that is the way the Baltimore Ravens play football, ugly. Their defense was everywhere in their not-so-pretty (20-13) win over the Houston Texans.

The Ravens intercepted young quarterback TJ Yates three times, and found the resolve to retake the momentum just when it looked as if the Texans were going to climb out of a (17-3) deficit and make a game of it. It looked as if Arian Foster's running, and the receptions of receiver Andre Johnson would give Houston a chance, Baltimore's old warriors, linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed made big play after big play.

Huge hits, two interceptions by Ledarius Webb, and a big pick by Reed snuffed out all Houston’s hope.

Foster ran for 132 yards and Johnson hauled in 8-for-111, but all that was offset by the rookie quarterback. Yates threw balls into the teeth of the Ravens’ coverage, and was picked off three times. Punt returner Jacoby Jones fumbled two punts and lost big yardage on another. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was sacked five times, but his receivers Anquan Boldin and Lee Evans made a couple of amazing catches on the sidelines to keep drives going.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, and that is the way the Ravens play.

They will need everything they have to stay in the game next weekend.

SUMMARY

It was like a homecoming, a San Diego Alumni Association week. The ex-Chargers, Brees and Sproles put up great numbers. Harbaugh, who coached at USD, put on a display of passion and toughness for the entire country to see. His quarterback, Alex Smith, was a product of Helix High shedding years of failure as the top pick in the draft.

Foster, the undrafted running back out of Mission Bay and the University of Tennessee was superb, even in the loss. John Fox, the ex-Aztec star and Chargers assistant coach was saluted for making something out of the Broncos season. Rogers, the Packers superstar, lives in Delmar in the offseason, and will have plenty of time to think about what went wrong.

Even the disliked Kevin Gilbride, the ex-Chargers head coach dialed up great plays in the passing game for the Giants to get their win.

A week ago I felt the Chargers might have won, had they made the playoffs and gone to Denver. I thought the Bolts would have put up a better fight than Cincinnati did in Houston. But this weekend drove home the reality of who the Chargers are, and who they aren’t.

I don't see much defense here equal to what we saw this past weekend. I don't see a Tom Coughlin or a Jim Harbaugh here roaming our sidelines. And I don't see a 53 man roster constructed by AJ Smith anywhere near the quality of some of these playoff teams.

The Bolts have a long way to go to be what these teams have become - the teams that will get ready to play for the AFC and NFC title games.

Lee 'Hacksaw' Hamilton talks sports weekday mornings at 10am on "XX-1090" Sportsradio