NFL Conference Championship Predictions

What an odd and thrilling postseason its been so far...

We've seen the rise of Tebowmania in Denver with an upset win over the defending AFC champion Steelers on a single play in overtime, and its subsequent fall at the hands of the Patriots.  We've seen the Packers, a team with only one loss all season, get manhandled by the Giants, a team whose championship hopes seemed rather dim for most of the regular season.  We've seen another heavy favorite to win it all, the Saints, fall to the resurgent 49ers in a game with one of the most exciting and action-packed endings we've seen all year.  We've seen the Texans make themselves known in their first postseason appearance and put up quite a fight against the Ravens and their much-lauded defense.  And like every postseason, we've seen our share of heroes, be they familiar faces like Tom Brady and Ray Lewis, or new ones, like Demariyus Thomas, Vernon Davis, and Hakeem Nicks. 

Now we're down to the final four, but only two can go to Indianapolis to play for the ultimate prize.  Everyone wants to win for different reasons.  San Francisco's Alex Smith and Baltimore's Joe Flacco want to prove that they, too, belong among the elite quarterbacks of the NFL.  New York's Eli Manning would love to have one more Superbowl ring than his older brother.  The Patriots' Bill Belichick has yet another chance to join Pittsburgh's Chuck Noll as the winningest coach in Superbowl history.  The Niners are looking to become just the second team in the league with six Lombardi Trophies in its stadium, and coach Jim Harbaugh could make history as the first rookie head coach to win it all.  And many veteran players would love to pad their resumes - or, for a few nearing retirement, go out with a bang - with one more Superbowl ring.  Whatever the reason, you can bet that all 212 players on the four remaining teams will come hungry - it will all be a matter of who's the hungriest when Sunday comes around.

I've gone 3-for-4 in both rounds this postseason, and now there's just one thing left to do: pick the two teams who will represent their conferences in Super Bowl XLVI.

AFC Championship: Ravens at Patriots
It will be a clash of the titans on Sunday afternoon as Tom Brady and the powerful Patriots offense battle the historically dominant Ravens defense.  Brady has been his usual All-Star self this season, and threw for six touchdowns last week to tie a postseason record.  He has a dynamic array of receivers to throw to, including TE's Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and WR Wes Welker.  All three of these guys could give Baltimore's secondary fits trying to cover them.  The Ravens will need to keep Brady under consistent pressure, a task that they've been one of the best at all season, leading the AFC with 48 sacks.  Ray Lewis, Terell Suggs, Ed Reed, and Haloti Ngata must once again make their presence felt.  On offense, look for Baltimore to rely mostly on Pro Bowl RB Ray Rice to pick up yardage on the ground, which will both slow down the game and keep the pressure off QB Joe Flacco.  The Ravens held their ground against one of the league's better defenses in the Houston Texans last week, so the Patriots' defense, which ranked second-to-last in the league overall and against the pass, should seem like a much easier opponent.  However, New England's secondary is not to be taken lightly - CB Kyle Arrington tied for the league lead in interceptions with 7 this season - and Flacco could find himself in trouble if he's not careful.  In my final analysis, the Ravens are certainly capable of handling whatever the Patriots throw at them (literally or otherwise), have won on the road and in New England in the recent past, and are much more well-rounded than the Patriots are.  It's hard to pick against New England and its offensive juggernaut, but as we've seen time and time again, it's defense that wins championships, and that's where Baltimore has the edge.
Ravens 21, Patriots 17.

NFC Championship: Giants at 49ers 
This is a really tough game to call.  I've been picking the 49ers to win the NFC for most of the season, but the Giants are starting to look more and more like the 2007 team that shocked the world and won the Superbowl.  Eli Manning has been spectacular at quarterback all season for New York, and WR Hakeem Nicks has really stepped up his game in the playoffs, having scored four touchdowns in the first two rounds.  Since the Giants' rushing attack, which was dead last in the league this season, doesn't figure to gain much ground on the Niners' top-ranked run defense, look for them to try to pick up most of their yardage through the air.  The matchup of San Francisco's DB's Carlos Rogers and Dashon Goldson versus New York's outstanding WR's Victor Cruz and Nicks will be an interesting one to watch.  Even more important will be how well the Giants' offensive line can protect Manning against the 49ers' fearsome front seven, which includes DE Justin Smith and LB's Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman, and Patrick Willis, and helped the Niners to tie for the league lead in takeaways with 38 this season.  The Giants have a formidable defensive front of their own, now that Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck are once again healthy enough to add to what Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul brings to the table.  On offense, San Francisco must to get as much yardage as they can out of RB's Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter to keep the pressure off QB Alex Smith.  The Niners' passing game has been much-maligned in recent years, but Smith is having one of his best seasons yet and is showing a lot more poise under fire, and TE Vernon Davis, who caught the game-winning touchdown against the Saints last week, has become his go-to guy.  I like what the Giants have done so far this year, but I'm not going to second-guess myself here.  The Niners have a better defense - no knock on New York's, though - and their offense is more well-rounded and better suited to the hard-hitting defensive game that this figures to be. 
49ers 16, Giants 14.  

Enjoy the show, and stay frosty, y'all!

B-)