This is it folks. As quickly as we remembered the beginning of a brand spanking new NFL football season, it is now rapidly dwindling down with very little we can do about it.
This weekend features the AFC and NFC Championship Games, or what most dub as NFL Championship Sunday.
It is, without a doubt the last real football weekend of the season. While the Super Bowl is a football game, everything about the game deals with everything that doesn't have to do with football itself. They take a two week break and the hoopla is overwhelming.
As far as the task at hand is concerned, there are four teams bidding for those two slots in the big game. The NFL has to be licking its chops right now because there isn't a bad Super Bowl matchup anyway you slice it. There are four stud quarterbacks remaining, with cities crazy about their football to boot.
Regardless of the outcomes on Sunday, the Super Bowl will feature a primetime matchup.
[New Page = AFC Championship]
Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots
Shortly after Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck went into Denver last week and took out future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, the football world was put into a frenzied state. Luck was being dubbed the "QB Legend Slayer."
The question tomorrow is whether Luck builds upon that new-found nickname or his team actually comes to find out that they're way in over their heads.
This Colts team played the role of very inconsistent during the season. At times, his offensive line looked to be the worst in the league. They surrendered 101 QB hits on the season which ranked them fourth worst in the league.
On top of that, they only ranked 22nd in the league in rushing, compiling a very average 1,612 rushing yards on the season.
Aside from TY Hilton, Luck has very few weapons on this offense. This is not even mentioning Hilton and the others not being able to catch the ball. They ranked last in the league in dropped passes.
Luck though, marches on blindly and leads his offense to points and his team past the point to where their talent base deserves to be.
Key to the Game:
Luck will get his points on offense. The question will be can the Colts defense hold up against the Tom Brady and the Pats smart offense.
It's a bad matchup for the Colts, and always is each and every time they play this team. This includes a beatdown by the Pats in Week 11 where the Colts lost 42-20.
The reason is because what the Pats do so well on offense is what the Colts weakness is on defense.
New England's strength is to throw to their tight-ends and running-backs. Even wide-receiver Julian Edelman does most of his damage on the inside.
The Pats are a power-running team and an inside the hash's pass team. The Colts are strong at the corners and over the top, but lack the toughness and skill on the inside. Their best defensive player is corner-back Vontae Davis, and Brady will be wise to stay away.
The game will come down to the Colts gameplan on defense. Can they play a single-high safety and force Brady to throw over the top? They need to dare "Tom Terrific" to beat them deep and attempt to take away all of the underneath stuff which includes those pesky screens.
Prediction:
Colts 24
Patriots 37
The ride for Luck and the Colts ends here. After this one they'll realize how far Luck pushes them despite their many talent holes. Brady will have a field day with Rob Gronkowski and Shane Vereen in the passing game.
[New Page = NFC Championship]
Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots
The NFC version will surprisingly be the first matchup on Sunday, and will feature the defending champion Seattle Seahawks playing in a very friendly environment.
CenturyLink Field is where the Seahawks call home, and has become the greatest home field advantage in all of sports. They finished 7-1 at home this season.
Coming into Seattle is Mr. Discount Double Check himself: the probable NFL MVP for this season Aaron Rodgers.
They knocked off Dallas in a close one last week, but they did it at home. The confusing Green Bay Packers remain confusing as they've looked like world beaters at home yet so average on the road.
An 9-0 record at home (including last week) and a 4-4 record on the road, coupled with Seattle's dominance at home makes a very dangerous recipe. Not to mention Rodgers is dealing with a bum calf that's troubled him down the season.
Key to the Game:
The key to the game will absolutely come down to Eddie Lacy and the Packers running game. While Rodgers has to play like his all-world self, they'll need their running game to sustain drives and keep the famed "12th Man" silent in the stands.
Lacy is also a bruiser, and the kind of player that can go head to head with the bullies of that Seahawks defense. Will Lacy get right back up and start yammering back at Kam Chancellor when he gets popped that first time?
Prediction:
Packers 17
Seahawks 27
There will be very little Rodgers can do in this one. He takes care of the ball better than anybody. The fact that the Seahawks defense doesn't do much in the way of extravagant looks, Rodgers will have to beat them straight up with very little strategy involved. This is what that Seattle defense does so well.