"The Stack" 1-20-17
Matt Ryan and Julio Jones have been a lethal combination all season long. Can Julio stay healthy and can Ryan outduel Aaron Rodgers in what should be a shootout in the final game at the Georgia Dome?
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Can Tom Brady, LaGarrette Blount and the Patriots play better against the potent Steelers and make it back to yet another Super Bowl?
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
It’s Championship week in the NFL(not Super Bowl championship week, but the championship week to get you to the Super Bowl) and The Stack is here on this Football Friday with a preview of both championship games so let’s get right to it and check out “the stack” for today, Friday, January 20th:
NFC Championship game
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons 3:05 PM ET FOX
Last week we said it was possibly the last ever game at the Georgia Dome. Well this week we can say definitively that it is the last game ever at the Georgia Dome before the Falcons move into the brand new (and expensive) Mercedes Benz Stadium. It is going to be a shootout between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Matt Ryan is the favorite to win MVP, but no one is playing better football in the NFL right now, maybe ever, than Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is right now. He is playing unbelievable right now. The Falcons defense is better than the Cowboys, but not by that much. The Packers though may be without wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Devante Adams. Nelson has practiced the past couple of days, but not in pads or anything. Even if he does play, there is no way he is going to be at full strength. Adams isn’t going to be at full strength. He and Geronimo Allison haven’t practiced yet this week. The Falcons offense is better than the Packers offense. They have a more balanced attack. They are explosive. Yet no one is playing better than Rodgers (have I said that at all?). I just feel like he is going to make a play or two late and the Falcons are going to end their final home game at the Georgia Dome with a loss. Remember they did lose to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game a few years ago in heartbreaking fashion. I fear it may happen again. Prove me wrong Atlanta!
Prediction: Packers 38 Falcons 34
AFC Championship game
Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots 6:40 PM ET CBS
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stirred the pot late Sunday night by calling the Patriots assholes in an attempt to fire up his team. It’s completely understandable. He feels like they are at a competitive disadvantage since they had a day-and-a-half more to prepare for the Steelers. It’s more of an issue that Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown put the whole things on Facebook Live. What an idiot. The Patriots won’t be able to stop him and Le’Veon Bell, but they will take out one of them. The Patriots didn’t play well last week. They will be extra focused for this week’s game against the explosive Steelers. They’ll execute their game plan to a “t”. I picked the Steelers at the beginning of the season to make it to the Super Bowl and I don’t know why I don’t feel nearly as confident in them, but something tells me that Tom Brady and the Patriots put together their best effort and hold off the Steelers. Prove me wrong Pittsburgh.
Prediction: Patriots 24 Steelers 20
Picks have been 8-0 so far in the playoffs. I’m feeling a possible 0-2 weekend. We’ll see. Enjoy the championship games everyone.
Coming up Monday: AFC & NFC Championship game reaction and maybe some Russell Westbrook and Adrian Peterson thoughts, but probably not.
