NFL Championship Sunday Preview
The road to the Super Bowl. Two teams can pack their bags after a long season. The other two, will move on to their ultimate goal. Here we are at conference championship Sunday. Who’s going to the Super Bowl?
Packers vs. Falcons
The hottest teams in the NFC ended up being the last teams standing in the end. The Green Bay Packers have rode the hot hand of Aaron Rodgers who seems to be all but unstoppable. The Atlanta Falcons have a hot quarterback of their own surrounded by the most talented offense in the NFC. Ultimately it will likely come down to the defense of both teams. And if that’s the case, the Falcons have the clear advantage. Remember what Dez Bryant, Zeke Elliot and Dak Prescott did to the Packers defense? They lit them up for 429 total yards and 31 points. Furthermore, two of the previously mentioned Cowboys are rookies. So what chance do they have against an MVP candidate, a top two receiver in the league and a dynamic duo of running backs? In this scenario, Green Bay’s defense might as well be a pool of gasoline and Matt Ryan might as well be throwing lit matches at them. So it will once again fall to Rodgers to make the difference against a defense who will pressure him relentlessly. And while Atlanta’s defense is nothing to write home about, they’re still better than their Green Bay counterparts. So expect a high-scoring game between these two teams. If the Falcons know what’s good for them, they won’t allow Rodgers to have the ball in his hands with a chance to win it.
Keys to the Game: As previously mentioned, this will ultimately come down to who’s defense breaks the most. One thing the Falcons offense has in it’s favor is two running backs who can run the ball. They need to run the ball early and often and avoid the mistake the Cowboys made last week. They cannot allow the Packers to mirror their time of possession. Their receivers should have little trouble getting open, but they must avoid the urge to solely rely on that as their source of attack. Green Bay will have to hope and pray that their defense isn’t shredded in the first half alone. On offense they don’t have a reliable running game to rely on. While Rodgers should be able to find some success in the air, it’s ultimately pointless if they cannot match the pace of the Falcons. So their defense will have to play the game of their lives and either Ty Montgomery or Christine Michael have to do something on the ground. The goal is to remain in the game long enough for Aaron Rodgers to make the difference in the closing moments of the game.
Prediction: The Falcons have too many weapons at their disposal and are playing a weak defense. The points will come. All that leaves is for their defense to get after Aaron Rodgers and keep the Packers off pace. It should be easy for the Falcons honestly. Look for the Falcons to close the Georgia Dome in style and head to Houston for the Super Bowl.
Steelers vs. Patriots
One of these teams will make a record ninth appearance in the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots are making their sixth straight appearance in the AFC Championship game and 11th in the Belichick/Brady era. With their Killer B’s in tact in the playoffs for the first time, the Pittsburgh Steelers make their first AFC Championship game appearance since 2010. The storyline coming into the game is the head scratching decision by Antonio Brown to stream Mike Tomlin’s postgame speech. The Patriots are notorious for using things like this for extra motivation. New England has the best defense standing in the playoffs at the moment, but they’ll be thoroughly tested by the Steelers. They haven’t faced a quarterback as good as Ben Roethlisberger, a running back as good as Le’Veon Bell or a receiver as good as Antonio Brown. So their bend but don’t break philosophy will be put to it’s test. Pittsburgh managed to win a playoff game without scoring a touchdown, but cannot expect to repeat that this week. And their defense will be tested against the great Tom Brady.
Keys to the Game: So everyone is expecting Brady to rain down such terrible vengeance on the Steelers for unknowingly speaking out of term on a live social media broadcast. It’ll be really hard for him to do so from the sideline. I know I sound like a broken record, but Le’Veon Bell is the key for the Steelers victory. I want to see him get over 30 carries in this game. Doing do will wear out the Patriots defense, control the clock and keep Brady sidelined. The next key is Big Ben. He cannot under any circumstances turn the football over. New England is a team that feeds on the mistakes of their opponents. And finally, they need to hit Brady as often as possible and within the rules. When Brady struggles, the common denominator is usually him getting hit to the point where he’s punch drunk. For the Patriots, they need to set the tone with their own running game. LeGarrette Blount’s style of running can demoralize any defense. From their, Brady is free to pick apart the Steelers secondary with quick passes. Defensively, they need to remove Le’Veon Bell and force Big Ben to rely on big throws down the field. Ben can be turnover prone when he’s forced to do too much.
Prediction: Since all three have been in the league, this is the first time the Patriots have faced the Killer B’s all at once. This first encounter will result in defeat. I believe the Patriots defense is a little overrated as they haven’t played anyone on Pittsburgh’s level. Look for Bell to set the tone and become the difference. The other two Killer B’s will balance things out in the air and the defense will break far less than the Patriots. I’m picking Pittsburgh to go to Houston.
