Saturday, January 21, 2017

NFL Conference Championship Picks

Divisional Round Record: 2-2 (Correct: Patriots, Packers Incorrect: Seahawks, Chiefs)
Overall Record: 5-3

Green Bay Packers over Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons and Packers are basically mirror images of each other. They both have elite quarterbacks that are seemingly untouchable right now, a barrage of players at the skill positions that are capable of making game-breaking plays at any moment and below-average defenses that are susceptible to getting torched by high-end offenses.  

You can make a strong argument for both sides in this borderline surefire shootout, but I have to give the edge to the Packers. The uncertainty surrounding Julio Jones' health is a big reason for a concern given the inconsistency of the rest of the Falcons receiving corps and even without a fully-healthy Jordy Nelson in the mix, I think Aaron Rodgers can get enough out of this offense to lead the Packers to their first Super Bowl appearance since their championship run in 2010.

New England Patriots over Pittsburgh Steelers: The Patriots are coming off their worst playoff performance since the 2013 AFC Championship Game against the Texans last Saturday and yet they still managed to win by 18 points. There's no way they'll be that sloppy again this week against a high-powered Steelers offense that can actually make you pay when you turn the ball over 4 times in a game. Brady and the coaching staff are going to come out pissed-off from the opening whistle with a bunch of clock-draining drives to prevent the Killer B's (Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown) from having a chance to turn this into the type of high-scoring affair that favors their strengths as a team. Anything other than another hard-fought yet still spirit-crushing loss for Mike Tomlin's squad in Foxboro (his only win at Gillette Stadium came in 2008 when Matt Cassel was under center) would be a pretty huge shock.

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