These are typically very good games...a lot of times better than the Super Bowl itself. We'll see what happens this weekend. We could have an all birds Super Bowl or an all Pennsylvania Super Bowl...the possibilities are endless.
AFC Championship- Ravens @ Steelers
Defense! Defense! Defense! Add that to the fact that these two are in the same division, and it's in Pittsburgh you have the makings of one ugly game! This game pits the top two defenses in the league. The Steelers won both of the regular season matchups- 23-20 in OT @ Pittsburgh and 13-9 in Baltimore. Two young head coaches, two top notch defenses, one Super Bowl winning QB vs. a rookie QB. I give the Steelers the edge in this one for the following reasons: The Steelers have a Super Bowl winning QB while the Ravens have a rookie QB, the Ravens are banged up and were out played last week by the Titans...turnovers kept the Ravens in the game and gave them the chance to win. It's tough for a team to beat another team three times in a season, but there are just too many red flags for Baltimore right now.
NFC Championship- Eagles @ Cardinals
Who would've thought the NFC championship would've been played in Arizona this year! This is Philly's 3rd straight game on the road! Arizona was supposed to lose last week at Carolina...it's amazing this matchup is even happening! They did play each other this season, in Philly. The Eagles blew out the Cards 48-20 in week 13. These circumstances make this game tough to pick! Let's look at matchups- Head Coach- Philly has the eccentric Andy Reid who has had much success in Philly, but just can't seem to get the Eagles over the hump. Zona has Ken Whisenhunt, not as experienced, but he did win the Super Bowl as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator a few years ago. QB- both teams have veteran QB's with Super Bowl experience, though Warner won one, McNabb has not. Offense- Zona has one of the most explosive offenses in the league right now with probably the best receiving group out there. Philly relies heavily on one Mr. Westbrook and not much else, thought DeSean Jackson has big play capability. Neither team likes to run much, they are both enamored with the pass, though Zona has run more in the playoffs than expected. Defense- Philly has one of the best defenses in the league that specializes in pass defense. It is a defense predicated on pressure from the front seven and quality play from the secondary...and the defense has played very well this postseason. Zona's defense was mediocre during the regular season, but has stepped up tremendously in the postseason, especially with turnovers. The Cards have the following advantages: It's in Arizona, Philly is a little banged up and it's tough winning three in a row on the road! And, Arizona is just really hot right now! However, I give the Eagles the edge for the following reasons: Defense, pass rush, secondary and they are hot too! Plus, they don't make many mistakes. It is hard to win three road playoff games in a row, but Pittsburgh did it a few years ago. It is possible. Plus the Eagles demolished the Cards during the regular season.
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