Playoffs - Conference Championships

Baltimore at New England

Baltimore is returning to hostile New England territory where Patriot fans want nothing more than revenge against a team that destroyed them just a few short years ago in the playoffs. The Ravens take flight in New England with a great running back in Ray Rice, and one of the scariest defenses in the NFL. Rice is going to have to run wild through the Patriots line and secondary in order to open up some chance of Joe Flacco making some good passes. If Torrey Smith can get deep behind the Pats secondary on a play-action it could spell disaster for the Patriots. If the likes of Suggs, Reed, and Lewis can get the constant pressure on Brady that they’ve done before it could seal a victory for the purple and black. The Patriots need to stop all of those things from happening, but the biggest thing they need to worry about is shutting down the attack on Tom Brady. If Brady stays up with time and composure than he should be okay, he still has Gronk, he still has Hernandez and Welker, and a good array of running backs to throw in whenever one is needed. The Pats defense might not be perfect, but they’re proving that they can beat ordinary quarterbacks almost every week. Flacco is nothing too great in the NFL and I think the Pats defense can handle him and Ray Rice.

So the battle comes down to Tom Brady and his line versus Ray Lewis and his Murder of Ravens. Can the Purple bust through the line and knock Brady down repeatedly? I don’t think so. Not after their last playoff match-up.

Patriots head to the Super Bowl 30-24

New York Giants at San Francisco

The Giants have all of their pieces falling together perfectly at the right time. With an incredible defense finally being all healthy at the same time it could spell disaster for any offense that comes rumbling along their way. The defensive front that the Giants rush with is better than a lot of seven man rushes that other teams need to use to get the same kind of pressure. The Giants secondary shut down an explosive Aaron Rodgers last week, and although Alex Smith proved his no slouch anymore – he certainly isn’t Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers defense is arguably better than the Giants defense throughout the season, they’ve shut down nearly every running game, and hold their opponents accountable through the air. Willis is good enough to run with a lot of slot receivers, running backs, and tight ends, so I’d expect to see him in various match-ups throughout the game. If the defensive line can play as well as they did against the Saints All-Pro guards then Eli Manning is in for a serious day of hurt.

This game is going to be a defensive struggle. It’s going to back and forth with each defense making big stops and big hits consistently. I think the winner here today is who gets on the better of the turnover battle. Sure both offenses have been good enough to get them to the NFC Championship, but it’s been their defenses that have truly carried them. The turnover battle will reflect the final score.

Giants win on the road 20-17