So how did you like the games from the NFL Divisional Round? Your answer probably depends on who you were rooting for. Last weekend was not good for the birds of the NFL, as the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks were all shot down. And the biggest "shot" of the weekend, didn't come from the antique barrels of the New England Patriots; instead they were the biggest victims from "missles" fired out of the New York Jets. The elimination of four teams, including the two number 1 seeds, leaves us with the NFL's version of the Final Four. In the NFC Championship, the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears; in the AFC Championship, the Jets travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. The winners from these two games will meet in Dallas to play for all of the marbles...and oh yea, the Lomardi trophy. Let's take a peek at the NFC and AFC Championship games.
First game up on Sunday is the NFC Championship game. The Packers (-3.5) and the Bears have been rivals for decades and amazingly, have only met in the playoffs once. In 2010, these teams split their matchups, each team winning on their home field. The Packers win came just a couple of weeks ago. It was the regular season finale and the Packers needed to win to make it to the post season. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has come back from his second concussion of the season on fire. He has led the Pack to four straight victories including a "Hall of Fame" performance last weekend against the Falcons. I'm a big fan of Aaron Rodgers (aside from the fact he has helped me win fantasy football championships) and I think he has the potential of being a really great Super Bowl winning quarterback. But not just yet; his season will end this Sunday. The Packers offense schooled the Falcons defense last week with great quarterback and wide receiver play. The friendly confines of the Georgia Dome helped facilitate that incredible offensive display. But come Sunday, the Packers offense will be slowed by colder weather and what is widely regarded as the "worst turf in the NFL" at Soldier Field. The Bears stout defense will also contribute to the Packers troubles. Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and company will be looking to get a hold of Rodgers and his receivers. I don't expect to see Rodgers elusiveness against the Monsters of the Midway like we saw last week against the Falcons defense. The Bears are great tacklers which is needed when playing against the Packers. On offense, the Bears must execute and stay away from turnovers (obvious, right?). Everyone knows that Bears QB Jay Cutler has it in him to throw bad picks. He will have to avoid that tendency on Sunday against the Packers opportunistic defense. The Bears need to emphasize their run game and ball control; the least amount of touches for Rodgers, the better for Chicago. That means Bears running backs Matt Forte and Chester Taylor should see plenty of action. But the Bears cannot completely abandon the passing game. It would be a good idea for them to try and stretch Green Bay's defense with their speed (i.e. Johnny Knox) and also get TE Greg Olsen involved. That will help with the run game. I would not be surprised if the Packers won this game (especially if Cutler has a turnover meltdown) but I'm picking the hometown underdog, underappreciated Bears. Take Chicago and the 3.5 points.
The "headliner" game is the Jets against the Steelers (-3.5) for the AFC Championship. The Jets are coming off a big win in New England that Jet fans have to hope was not the pinnacle of their season. There was a lot of emotion poured into that game by New York, but they need two more wins to reach their ultimate goal. A lot has been made of the Jets handling and knocking out Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks. Next up for them is Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger has something in his weaponry that Manning and Brady did not have against the Jets: a legit speedy deep threat (I guess the Patriots actually could have used Randy Moss after all; did Brandon Tate even have a catch?). Steelers wide receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown will be able to stretch the Jets defense. But the Steelers offensive line is banged up and I think that will hurt Pittsburgh big time. I think Roethlisberger will see a lot of pressure and the Jets know that when they get to him, they must bring him down. The Steelers would benefit by establishing the run but I think they will have trouble doing that. The Jets offense should try to establish the run as well but they will be up against the toughest team to run against in the league. The Steelers defense is nasty! They have players on that defense that will knock opposing players into next week. Steelers LB James Harrison may be the best linebacker on a defense that has the best group of linebackers in the NFL. And what can you say about his teammate S Troy Polamalu? He's a beast on the field! Polamalu is nursing some injuries but is expected to play. His effectiveness, or lack thereof, will be key to the success of the Jets offensive attack. Gang Green will have a tougher time running the ball but they can ease that burden if they get their passing game going. Jets QB Mark Sanchez will have to be more accurate than he has been the last two playoff games (though he did connect on some big passes in both games). Jets TE Dustin Keller has been somewhat quiet this post season. I see him having a huge impact on this game. The Jets defeated the Steelers at Heinz Field in Week 15, can they possibly do it again? I say that they can and they will!! Take the Jets and the 3.5 points.
My predictions have the Jets and the Bears meeting in Super Bowl XLV on February 6. These two teams battled each other in Week 16 at Soldier Field, with the Bears winning the close, high scoring game. I'm sure a lot of folks don't envision this matchup. What teams are you picking?
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