Championship Weekend: Can anyone stop the Patriots Juggernaut?

Refreshingly for most NFL fans this weekend, there are three teams who have not been to this stage for a while. Unfortunately for them the team that remains is perhaps the most successful in NFL history. The Patriots will certainly fancy their chances but nothing in the NFL is designed to last forever...maybe the Jags can prove that tonight or we may have to wait a fortnight to see what happens. Given the swirl of news around the NFL this week, I am going to focus on the games this week and will catch up with NFL news in the 'bye week' that is the pro bowl. Without further ado here are the Conference Championship Game predictions:


Championship Weekend Predictions:


Last week's record: 1-3


Overall winning percentage since week 1: 65%


JAC@NE


Key to victory for Jags - Taking advantage of field position will be the key for the Jags. Having proven how game changing their defense can be against the Steelers, the offense will need to be even more clinical today when their defense does make a play. Tom Brady is well aware of their strength on that side of the ball, so Blake Bortles and company will likely have less opportunities than they normally do. If the Jags can score points from advantageous positions, that should force Brady to play into their strength and give them a great opportunity to win the game.


Key to victory for Patriots - Controlling possession and limiting turnovers is vital for the Pats. With a Jags team that thrives of creating turnovers and scoring on ensuing drives, the Pats if nothing else will be looking to make life more difficult for them than they are used too. If the Patriots can win the turnover battle, that will likely mean they have limited the Jags defense to some degree and should give Brady enough opportunities to lead his team to another Superbowl.


Score prediction: 21-28; Who would have thought this would be the AFC Championship game even a few weeks ago. The Jags have proven with their dominant defense that they can be a force against any team but the Patriots are likely to be the toughest test that they have faced so far. Tom Brady and co are unlikely to be asleep for the first quarter like the Steelers were last weekend and no one is better than the Patriots at forcing teams to change their initial game-plan. The Jags certainly have a chance in this one given the pressure they can generate with their front seven, but in order to win Blake Bortles is likely to have to perform at a high level too. This is why I am still backing the defending champs as Bortles has not yet proven he can lead his team to victory without the help of his defense.


MIN@PHI


Key to victory for the Vikings - Generating pressure in their front seven is the key to victory. The Vikings defense has been one of the standout units in the NFL this year, so it is perhaps unsurprising it is vital to securing victory. With Nick Foles having looked relatively solid against the Falcons last week, the Vikings must to put him under more pressure if they want to force some errors from the Eagles backup QB. The Falcons had some success when they pressured him last week, so this will be a priority for the Vikings front if they hope to win.


Key to victory for the Eagles - Slowing down the Vikings rushing attack. The Eagles showed last week that their defense is still very much up to the task come playoff crunch time and their dominance against the Falcons was led by their ability to slowdown Freeman and Coleman. If they can slow down the Vikings rushing attack in the same way, it will enable them to pressure Case Keenum and potentially force errors. This will be vital to the Eagles chances as so far the veteran QB has looked unfazed by the pressure defense have put him under.


Score prediction: 24-27; This is an extremely tough game to call, especially given both teams strengths are most obviously their defenses. Minnesota have certainly looked almost unstoppable over the past few weeks, but the Eagles proved last week they are no slouch even with Carson Wentz on the side-lines. This game is likely to come down to the slightest edges that either team can bring out, that is why I have selected the Eagles. Doug Pederson's game-plan last week was exceptional and he will have no doubt found some wrinkles to exploit in the Vikings defense. Furthermore never has a team played a Superbowl in their own stadium so history is against the Vikings here too.