Conference Championship Predictions
No matter the outcome of Sunday's game, the real winners this Championship weekend are the fans and the NFL.
What more could we ask for than Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning in the AFC and 49ers vs. Seahawks in the NFC. Going into the season, on paper, the Patriots, Broncos, 49ers and Seahawks were four of the five best teams in the NFL. New England and Denver had Brady and Manning, respectively, Seattle was going off a lot of success with a rookie quarterback and San Francisco was going off a loss in the Super Bowl.
Back in August, I picked the Broncos and Seahawks to play for Super Bowl XLVIII. I'm sticking with my picks and I'll explain why below.
Conference Championship Picks (Home team in CAPS)
DENVER over New England: We all know about how good Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are. However, the key players in this game will not be Brady or Manning. Okay, they both will play a huge role in the outcome of the game, but I think the players to watch are the offensive linemen and the running backs.
The NFL might be a passing league, but in the playoffs, running the ball is more important. So far in these playoffs, here are the rushing totals for the winning teams:
100-yards (Colts)
185-yards (Saints)
167-yards (49ers)
196-yards (Chargers)
174-yards (Seahawks)
234-yards (Patriots)
126-yards (49ers)
133-yards (Broncos)
That means that in the eight playoff games thus far, the winning team has rushed for an average of 164.3-yards/game. Manning and Brady will have a say in this game, but this game will be won or lost in the trenches. Whoever can run the ball effectively and keep the other offense on the sideline will win this game.
New England has been able to run the ball at will the last couple of weeks and RB LeGarrette Blount has been on a roll, rushing for 355-yards and six touchdowns in his last two games. The Patriots will be able to run on the Broncos, but I don't think they will be able to stop Denver's ground game.
Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes are key members up the middlfe on the New England defense and all four are on injured-reserve. The Patriots defense has done alright without them, but Denver will be the best offense they have faced all year. I expect Denver to run early and often to keep Brady off the field. Manning will make some throws, but the Broncos offensive line and Knowshon Moreno will be the reason Denver advances to the Super Bowl. Broncos 31, Patriots 27.
SEATTLE over San Francisco: If you thought the 49ers game against the Panthers last week was chippy, then you haven't seen anything yet. It's no secret that San Francisco and Seattle do not like each other and I expect it to be very physical Sunday night. These two teams know each other very well being NFC West division rivals and having played twice already this season. Seattle beat San Francisco rather easily back in Week 2 at CenturyLink Field, but San Francisco got revenge in Week 14 at Candlestick. So, who will win the third matchup? I'm going with the Seahawks and here's why.
The Seahawks and the 49ers are very similar teams when you look at them. They both have good running games the rely on tough, physical running backs in Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch. Both have good offensive lines. Both have young quarterbacks that can throw from the pocket and can create plays with their legs. San Francisco and Seattle also have two the best defenses in the league. The similarities between these two teams outnumber the difference almost two-fold. The reason the Seahawks will win this game is because they are at home.
Since Russell Wilson became the quarterback of the Seahawks, they have lost exactly one game at CenturyLink Field. The 49ers may have won six games on the road during the regular season and another two here in the playoffs, but zero of the wins came in Seattle. It will be close, physical and chippy and the Seahawks will advance to the Super Bowl. Seahawks 20, 49ers 16.
Last Week: 4-0
Playoffs: 6-2
Overall: 168-96
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| Who will be heading to New Jersey for Super Bowl XLVIII? (Graphic Courtesy of NFL.com) |
What more could we ask for than Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning in the AFC and 49ers vs. Seahawks in the NFC. Going into the season, on paper, the Patriots, Broncos, 49ers and Seahawks were four of the five best teams in the NFL. New England and Denver had Brady and Manning, respectively, Seattle was going off a lot of success with a rookie quarterback and San Francisco was going off a loss in the Super Bowl.
Back in August, I picked the Broncos and Seahawks to play for Super Bowl XLVIII. I'm sticking with my picks and I'll explain why below.
Conference Championship Picks (Home team in CAPS)
DENVER over New England: We all know about how good Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are. However, the key players in this game will not be Brady or Manning. Okay, they both will play a huge role in the outcome of the game, but I think the players to watch are the offensive linemen and the running backs.
The NFL might be a passing league, but in the playoffs, running the ball is more important. So far in these playoffs, here are the rushing totals for the winning teams:
100-yards (Colts)
185-yards (Saints)
167-yards (49ers)
196-yards (Chargers)
174-yards (Seahawks)
234-yards (Patriots)
126-yards (49ers)
133-yards (Broncos)
That means that in the eight playoff games thus far, the winning team has rushed for an average of 164.3-yards/game. Manning and Brady will have a say in this game, but this game will be won or lost in the trenches. Whoever can run the ball effectively and keep the other offense on the sideline will win this game.
| LeGarrette Blount will play a key role in Sunday's AFC Championship. (David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports) |
Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes are key members up the middlfe on the New England defense and all four are on injured-reserve. The Patriots defense has done alright without them, but Denver will be the best offense they have faced all year. I expect Denver to run early and often to keep Brady off the field. Manning will make some throws, but the Broncos offensive line and Knowshon Moreno will be the reason Denver advances to the Super Bowl. Broncos 31, Patriots 27.
SEATTLE over San Francisco: If you thought the 49ers game against the Panthers last week was chippy, then you haven't seen anything yet. It's no secret that San Francisco and Seattle do not like each other and I expect it to be very physical Sunday night. These two teams know each other very well being NFC West division rivals and having played twice already this season. Seattle beat San Francisco rather easily back in Week 2 at CenturyLink Field, but San Francisco got revenge in Week 14 at Candlestick. So, who will win the third matchup? I'm going with the Seahawks and here's why.
The Seahawks and the 49ers are very similar teams when you look at them. They both have good running games the rely on tough, physical running backs in Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch. Both have good offensive lines. Both have young quarterbacks that can throw from the pocket and can create plays with their legs. San Francisco and Seattle also have two the best defenses in the league. The similarities between these two teams outnumber the difference almost two-fold. The reason the Seahawks will win this game is because they are at home.
Since Russell Wilson became the quarterback of the Seahawks, they have lost exactly one game at CenturyLink Field. The 49ers may have won six games on the road during the regular season and another two here in the playoffs, but zero of the wins came in Seattle. It will be close, physical and chippy and the Seahawks will advance to the Super Bowl. Seahawks 20, 49ers 16.
Last Week: 4-0
Playoffs: 6-2
Overall: 168-96
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