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I'll dig deep into the match-up between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints next week but suffice to say those offence-minded teams have the potential to serve up yet another dramatic shootout in Miami on 7 February.

This upcoming game has all the makings of a classic quarterback battle along the lines of and

Peyton Manning is gunning for his second Super Bowl ring in four seasons, while

But, while there is much to look forward to, I want to pause for a moment and consider the future of Minnesota Vikings quarterback href="www.officialbrettfavre.com">Brett Favre, who provided a snapshot of his entire career during the course of one game over the weekend - there were moments of brilliance, long periods of breathtaking courage and determination and, sadly, a turnover as he tried to do too much with the game on the line.

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NFL fans of a certain age will be used to . And it's no different today, except the Rice in question is not San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry, but Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney.

This weekend's Super Bowl semi-finals - the AFC and NFC Championship Games - will feature a promising rookie passer in the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez and three quarterbacks destined for the Hall of Fame in Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts), Brett Favre (Vikings) and Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints).

But I want to draw your attention to Rice, who will undoubtedly have to play a big role if the Vikings are to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since the .

, catching six passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns. He was just too much for the Cowboys defenders to handle.

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I'm about to tuck into a large slice of humble pie. Back in September, I had genuine concerns about Brett Favre's second comeback in as many seasons and wrote about them here.

I did not believe Favre would be the final piece in the Minnesota Vikings' jigsaw. I had no doubt the future Hall of Famer could still throw a pretty pass and lead a team with some devastating strikes downfield. I just could not see a 40-year-old quarterback - who had admitted he got tired throwing to college kids over the summer - being in peak physical condition at the business end of the season.

I did not particularly like the way the former Green Bay star engineered his release from the New York Jets before conveniently signing with the Vikings once most of the preseason training was out of the way, but that was not my primary concern. I just felt a guy who had physically broken down at the back end of the previous season was not going to be in the right kind of form to lead a Super Bowl run in January.

To say I was a little bit off the mark would be an understatement.

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This Saturday and Sunday, we're down to the final eight as the top four teams join the

The picture should be a little clearer with regard to who will be playing in (sorry, traditionalists but I hate the Roman numerals) in South Florida on 7 February but I think this season's race remains wide open.

The number one seeds from each conference - the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC and the New Orleans Saints in the NFC - enter the fray this weekend but there is no guarantee they are going to wipe the floor with their respective opponents.

Recent history suggests those top seeds need to be wary. Three of the last four top seeds in the AFC (Indianapolis 2005, San Diego 2006 and Tennessee 2008) and the last two in the NFC (Dallas 2007 and New York Giants 2008) have fallen at the first hurdle, despite the luxury of having an extra week off late in the season.

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There are times in your life when, as a sports fan, you know you are witnessing something truly special.

I recall watching curl a shot into the top corner against in 1982.

I may have only been 10 years old but I could tell that Liverpool's number seven was the best player on the pitch during a 2-0 win. And I knew I had seen a great player - not a mere good one - in action.

I also knew I had witnessed something very historic and remarkable when I saw after coming from behind against .

That was the kind of game that defied belief and summed up the drama that only top-flight sport seems able to provide.

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As I write, while looking out of my window at a garden piled high with snow and ice, it's hard to imagine I'll be in the desert at the end of this week. Talk about a shock to the system.

Myself and Greg Brady will be providing live commentary of the Green Bay Packers' visit to the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Wild Card game on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 5 live sports extra on Sunday evening and it should be a game with enough action to warm British NFL fans shivering through this harsh cold spell.

Both clubs can score points for fun and are loaded with offensive weaponry that should make this game fantastic for the neutrals. Quarterbacks Kurt Warner (Arizona) and Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) are among the very best in the business and have immense receiving talent at their disposal.

This game will also appeal to NFL history buffs. The Cardinals-Packers rivalry began with a 3-3 tie way back in 1921, one year after the Cardinals, who began playing in Chicago in 1898, became a founder member of the NFL.

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While the month of December can be an exciting one for many people around the world, it has been rather ominous for Dallas Cowboys fans in recent years.

The reason? The indifferent form of quarterback Tony Romo in what is traditionally the final month of the regular season.

Heading into this past December, Romo boasted a record of five wins and eight losses and he had thrown 19 interceptions and just 14 touchdowns en route to compiling a distinctly average quarterback rating of 71.9.

And after kicking off the month with losses to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers, the Cowboys must have been wondering if their poor form in the closing weeks of the season was going to continue and they were going to stumble out of the post-season reckoning.

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