He's the Manning!

Archie's boys shocked the football world Sunday.

The oft-heralded elder son Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts fell to the visiting San Diego Chargers, thus canceling the much anticipated rematch between the Colts and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game next week. In Texas about three hours later, the oft-maligned younger son Eli and his New York Giants upended the Dallas Cowboys 21-17.

Yes, that means that the Giants are going to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2000, when they shut out the Minnesota Vikings 41-0. As NFL Network's Rich Eisen noted, to almost everyone's surprise, Eli is "the last Manning standing."

Next Sunday the G-Men take on men with the G's; they head off to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to face Brett Favre for a long, long overdue chance and avenging the NFL Title game losses to the Green Bay Packers in 1944, 1961, and 1962!

(Those last two were the most painful, as Big Blue first got shut out 37-0 in cheese country, then almost got shut out again the following year at Yankee Stadium. Their only score in the 16-7 loss came from a Packer punt which they blocked and recovered in the end zone.)

It has now been 69 years since the Giants beat the Packers in the playoffs. But before the Spirit of '38 fever grips the Big Blue faithful, there a few things left to savor from yesterday. For example, T. "Terrell Owens" O. cried in the post-game interviews! (One Cowboys fan I know showed me the gift he got today from his anti-Cowboys co-workers -- a tissue box decorated with T.O. pictures.)

And did you see that look on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' face when R.W. McQuarters picked off Tony Romo's pass in the end zone with nine seconds remaining to squash the Cowboys' final hopes? He looked like he was in the middle of a lemon and Tabasco enema. Eagles fans have actually been nice to me today! (The enemy of my enemy ...)

We'll see what next week brings. Farve is having a storybook season. Until then, I'm just livin' the dream!