We have made it to Conference Championship Weekend with the AFC and NFC Championship games being played this Sunday.
This could not have been written any better. We will get to witness another great battle of two of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game when Tom Brady goes into Denver to play Peyton Manning for a 15th time. This game is always a big deal simply because your either a Manning guy or Brady guy.
If you thought the AFC Championship game was going to be great just wait for the NFC Championship game following it.
In the NFC Championship game we will witness what has become the greatest rivalry in not only the NFL but possibly the in all of American sports when the San Francisco 49ers travel to the "Clink" and take on their NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks.
It's going to be a great weekend of football with both games being at least the second match-up this year between them.
NE @ DEN
This will be the second time the Broncos and Patriots will face off this year, New England came out on top in the first meeting in Foxborough 34-31 in overtime. The Patriots had to overcome a 24-0 halftime deficit to win that game. The Patriots have really hit their stride with the running game after last weeks demolishing of the Colts where they put up 234 rushing yards and 6 rush TD's. The main storyline heading into the AFC Championship will still be focused on the quarterbacks, but it shouldn't be, not with they way both teams have turned to more of a ground attack during their first game last week. LeGarrette Blount finally looks to have humbled himself in his first year with the Patriots and will look to keep it going against a Denver defense that is giving only giving up an average of just over 100 yards per game. The Denver Broncos have their own weapons in their backfield, with Knoshown Moreno who has rushed for 1,038 yards this season, which seems ridicoulous considering how much yards this team gets thru the air. At the end of the day it will still come down to the quarterback play/decision making and should make for a nail biter late in the game. I'm going to predict New England wins this game because of the way New England looked last week where they picked off last years #1 overall pick Andrew Luck four times and ran the ball quite literally down their throats. The reason I am not going with Denver is because of the way the Broncos let San Diego come back within a TD after they had kept them scoreless for all but the 4th quarter.
NE over DEN 38-35
SF @ SEA
This is the one I can't wait for, probably has something to do with me living in the great Pacific Northwest, but either way this one is going to be a Slobber Knocker! It will be the third game between the NFC West rivals when they meet in the NFC Championship with both home teams coming out victorious in the first two meetings. Not only has this become the biggest rivalry in the NFL but is also featuring two great quarterbacks of the new era with Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. The Seahawks will be looking to make their first Super Bowl appearance since they were robbed out of the 2005 Super Bowl, while San Francisco will be looking to return to the Super Bowl a year after they lost to the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. These two teams are very similar as far as focused on their defense to get things done and an offense focused on a ground and pound attack. Both teams rank in the top ten in both passing defense and rushing defense and have top 5 rushing attacks with Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch. I expect this game to be a little closer than the last 2 games in Seattle between these two where Seattle has outscored the 49ers 71-16, but if that 12th man really gets rocking early then it could very well be another one of those games for Kaerpernick and the 49ers. Russell Wilson will have his own troubles with San Francisco's LB core who are all very talented and probably the best LB crew in the league. Seattle has their own defensive rock, better known as the "Legion of Boom" who are hands down the best secondary in the league and have held opponents to a league best 172 yards per game thru the air. I expect the difference maker to be the 12th Man who seem to mess with every opposing quarterbacks play calling, especially Kaepernick who has thrown 4 INT's to only 1 TD at the Clink. The real question I believe will be stopping Frank Gore but as long as he is contained (Gore has only rushed for 44 yards on 17 attempts in his last two games in Seattle), Seattle should be making their way to the Super Bowl in a couple more weeks, and what better way to do it than to beat your most hated rival in the NFC Championship
SEA over SF 34-20
Sorry about the basic look, stuck finishing this post at LAX.
I'll be visiting family in Mexico until pro bowl weekend so that's when you can expect a new post. Hopefully you guys can enjoy the great games we got going this weekend for me.
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