grayman

Actually, teams from the NFC West have been in 3 of the last 6 Super Bowls and did win one of them. As much as I hate the Eagles, you have to give them credit for 3 straight NFC championship games. Also, the year before they started that streak, the Giants were in the Super Bowl. I realize that they got embarassed, but by who? That's right it was by the Ravens with a defense that nearly everyone acknowledges was one of the best of all time. Then they gutted that defense and were back to the playoffs 2 years later with basically only the centerpiece Ray Lewis remaining from that defense. I consider that to be impressive.

Also, they may have allowed more points against the Titans than the Pats did, but the Titans' offense was almost perfectly suited to stopping the Ravens and keeping their own offense on the field. More time of possession = more points. The Patriots won because they have a fantastic coach, were better suited to beating the Titans (they have almost no running game, which the Titans excel against, but are weak against the pass), and have a better overall team spirit and attitude than anyone in the league. It's all about matchups. I agree that right around the Super Bowl is not the time to talk about this, but the Ravens were a surprise this year, and if they can get any kind of passing game going, they will be a major contender next season.