Well, we sure had an interesting week of Divisional Playoffs, didn't we? Peyton Manning looked incredibly old, then we found out why, which explains why he didn't look quite like himself over the entire final month of the season. John Fox went from coach of the Broncos to coach of the Bears in a matter of three days, and Jack Del Rio also left Denver to become coach of the Raiders.
Over in the NFC, we saw Dez Bryant make an incredible clutch catch that somehow wasn't a catch and ended up costing Dallas the game. In the Wild Card Game, I was one of the few people who didn't think that was a pass interference. But on this one, I'm with pretty much everyone in America who isn't a Packers fan and is incredibly confused as to how that's not a catch. The rule wasn't interpreted incorrectly. By letter of the law, they got the call right. The problem is that the rule is stupid. Like the tuck rule (which doesn't exist anymore). The Competition Committee said they're going to look at it over the offseason. I wonder why? It didn't decide a playoff game or anything.
Of course, way back when the Packers controversially lost a game because the replacement officials screwed up a touchdown/interception at the end of a Monday night game in Seattle. Well, the Packers returned to Seattle in Week 1. And that didn't go well. But that can be chalked up to the Super Bowl champs opening their defense on national television. I think the NFC Championship Game will be much closer. Meanwhile, Bradicheck is back in the AFC Championship Game once again. For New England to get to its sixth Super Bowl in 14 years, they'll have to beat a familiar foe--Indianapolis. Except this time it's a little different. It's not Manning vs. Brady. It's Brady vs. Luck.
NFC Championship Game: Packers (13-4) at Seahawks (13-4): Green Bay-Back in mid-December, the Packers and Seahawks were sitting in the NFC's two wild card positions. A month later, they're meeting for the NFC championship as the top two seeds. And this is the matchup that has seemed inevitable since pretty much that exact point in mid-December. Because, no offense to the Cowboys, these are the two best teams in the NFC. It's only right that one of them will represent the conference in the Super Bowl.
It's strength vs. strength with Aaron Rodgers and the NFL's most explosive offense going against the Legion of Boom (BTW, how cool was in when Kam Chancellor jumped over the line on that Carolina field goal attempt not once, but twice last week?). The health of Rodgers is a very relevant question, but he's said that he's got two more games left in him. Of course, that's what you'd expect him to say and you'd be incredibly worried had he not said that. But Rodgers, while definitely not 100 percent, certainly looked good enough last week.
There's plenty of reason to be concerned about Rodgers against the Seahawks defense and the Sixth Man, but I think the Packers' defense is a little underrated. Assuming the Seattle defense and Green Bay offense cancel each other out, that's going to be the key matchup. Russell Wilson vs. the Packers defense will determine the NFC's Super Bowl participant. If Seattle's able to do what it did against Carolina, it'll be very difficult for Green Bay to stop them.
Seattle is a team on a mission. They want to be the first defending champion to get back to the Super Bowl since the 2004 Patriots. The Packers are on a mission, too, and Green Bay is a much better team than the one that lost in Seattle to start the season. While I think there's a chance the crowd could become a factor, I said prior to the start of the playoffs that the Dallas-Green Bay winner would go into Seattle and win. I'm sticking with that. Packers 23, Seahawks 20.
AFC Championship Game: Colts (13-5) at Patriots (13-4): New England-The real challenge for New England was going to be getting through last week. For whatever reason, the Ravens always give the Patriots trouble in the postseason, and last week was no exception. But the Patriots survived and moved into their fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game, where they won't face their expected opponent.
I give all the credit in the world to Chuck Pagano and his team for what happened in Denver last week. That defensive game plan was absolutely brilliant. The fact that Peyton was injured doesn't seem particularly relevant. The defense never let the Broncos get into the game. And as a result, we've got the Indianapolis Colts one game away from the Super Bowl just three years after their complete franchise reboot. Andrew Luck, in fact, is the only quarterback starting this weekend that hasn't already won the Super Bowl.
But beating the Patriots in Foxboro against a healthy Tom Brady is a much taller order. Remember Week 11? Both of these teams sure do. The final score of that one was 42-20 Patriots on a Sunday night in Indianapolis. The Colts are a much better team than they were that day, and beating Peyton Manning's Broncos sure gave them a jolt, but the problem is they're playing the Patriots.
All season long, everyone has been talking about how this might be the best Patriots team since their last Super Bowl squad. Well, here's their chance to go out and prove it. New England's going to be a heavy favorite in this game, and there's good reason for that. The Patriots are a much better team than the Colts on both sides of the ball. Andrew Luck's time will come. Probably soon. But New England desperately wants to stop hearing about the fact they haven't won a championship in a decade. And this time, they won't have the Giants waiting for them in the Super Bowl. That's not until next year. Patriots 38, Colts 13.
So, there you have it. The popular pick from a lot of NFL experts at the beginning of the season, at midseason, and at the start of the playoffs was New England-Green Bay. They're called "experts" for a reason. Because the Packers and Patriots are the two best teams left. I don't see any reason why that prediction won't end up being right, which is why it's mine also.
Last Week: 2-2
Playoffs: 4-4
Season: 165-98-1
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