How did they get here
This has been one of the wildest playoffs in recent years. Right now 3 of the 4 home teams in the divisional playoffs won except the Rams who went into the Chicago and beat the Bears in overtime. The Seattle Seahawks took the San Francisco 49ers to the woodshed and beat them by 35 points at home. The Denver Broncos beat the Bills at home in overtime by 3 points. The Patriots beat the Texans at home by 12 points while turning the ball over several times. This will be one of the best conference championship game weekends that I care to remember. If you like defense, the Broncos and the Seahawks will fill that need for you. One the offensive end keep your eyes on the Patriots and the Rams. In both games the defense will be the strength for the opposing team. The Broncos defense will take on the Patriots offense while the Seahawks defense will face the Rams dynamic offense. They say, “Defense wins championships!” They also say “Whoever gets the most points wins!” They say a lot and we’ll find out if defense wins games or if it’s offense.
AFC Conference Championship
New England Patriots (14-3, 8-0 Away) vs Denver Broncos (14-3, 8-1 Home)
Sunday – January 25 – 2:00 p.m.
TV: CBS
Empower Field at Mile High Stadium – Denver, CO
This will be huge game for the both teams. Both teams have a chance to get back to glory by winning this game. Here’s the thing, the Broncos will try to win this game at home without their starting quarterback Bo Nix who’s out for the remainder of the season with an injury sustained in their overtime win last week. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will take control of the offense in. Nix’s absence. The New England Patriots are sitting in a great place right now with Bo Nix being out. The Patriots offense is good, but their defense will need to be physical and rattle the Broncos offense. The key for both teams will be how well the coordinators make adjustments. Players to watch: Patriots: QB Drake Maye, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, WR Kayshon Boutte, S Craig Woodson and DB Carlton Davis III. Broncos: QB Jarrett Stidham, RJ Harvey, WR Marvin Mims Jr, WR Courtlan Sutton, LB Alex Singleton and S P.J. Locke. ESPN has the Patriots with a 58.7% chance of winning on the road and making it back to the Super Bowl. I know for a fact that Broncos head coach Sean Payton won’t roll over and allow the Patriots to walk into Denver and have their way. I’m taking the Patriots by 7! I just don’t see how the Broncos pull this one off with their back up QB.
Final Score
Patriots – 24
Broncos – 17
NFC Conference Championship
Los Angeles Rams (12-5, 5-4 Away) vs Seattle Seahawks (14-3, 6-2 Home)
Sunday – January 25 – 5:30 p.m.
TV: FOX
Lumen Field – Seattle, WA
The Seahawks defense has been dominating all year. They have walked through teams since the start of the season. The defensive line has been one of the best units in football. The defense will be the x-factor for Seahawks at home this week. Last week the Seahawks defense shut down 49ers Christian McCaffrey down and the rest of the team! The offense mustered up 41 points to send the 49ers on their way. The Rams offense will be on full display. The running game will be what quarterback Matthew Stafford needs to losen up the passing game. Wide out Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will be featured in the passing game. They will be the x-factor for the Rams high-octane offense. The key for the Rams offense will be motion and misdirection to get the guys open. Players to watch: Rams: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Kyren Williams, S Kam Curl, CB Cobie Durant, PK Harrison Mevis and LB Nate Landman. Seahawks: QB Sam Darnold, RB Kenneth Walker III, WR Cooper Kupp, CB Devon Witherspoon and LB Ernest Jones IV. ESPN has the Seahawks with a 54.6% chance of winning at home and moving on to the Super Bowl. I like both teams, but I really want to the Rams to win. I’m taking the Seahwks by 6! Yes two field goals will do it!
Final Score
Seahawks – 30
Rams – 24
