NFL Championship Week Picks

 

Anything can happen in sports, especially football. There are injuries, turnovers, missed opportunities, weather and whatever else you can imagine. Well this past week wasn’t all that interesting… unless you’re a Brett Favre or New York Jets fan. Here’s a short recap… On Saturday, I had picked the Cardinals to upset the Saints and I was wrong. Kurt Warner didn’t play all that bad with over 65 percent accuracy and over 200 passing yards but the Cardinal defense has allowed 90 total points in just two playoff games. When a football team allows 45 points per game in the post season, that team’s time is running short and this week was the end for the Cards. Sadly, I got my second pick right (I’m a Ravens fan). The Colts knocked off the Ravens pretty easily Saturday night 20-3 in what was actually one of the closer games all week. The Ravens defense looked good only giving up two touchdowns and only in the second quarter. If the Ravens could have held on to two fumbles the game could have probably ended closer to a 17-20 score. My favorite QB, Joe Flacco, didn’t look all that impressive but he’s young and has a great arm to work on this off-season. Peyton Manning didn’t have his most memorable game either, but even at his worse Manning is good; he had almost 250 yards and both team touchdowns, he completed 30 of 44 passes and threw an interception. Game two between the Cowboys and Vikings was a blowout; I picked the Vikings but there were many certain Cowboy fans out there. Favre added to the record books throwing four touchdown passes leading the Vikings to a 34-3 win over the Cowboys. The 40-year old Favre has frequently been called the “old man” but he has shown (especially this year) that he is definitely one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Game four was by far the closest game of the weekend. By nearly all, the Jets were considered the underdogs and the Chargers were thought to be one of the top Super Bowl hopefuls but there were very few things that went right for the Chargers. The nearly perfect Chargers kicker, Nate Kaeding, missed a total of three field goals (one of which would have tied the game with less than five minutes to play) and the normally tough defense allowed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter resulting in 17-14 victory for the Jets. This week I look to better my 2 for 4 pick record in the games that will decide who goes to Super Bowl XLIV (that’s 44 for those of you who are like me and don’t know Roman numerals). Game one will be Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on CBS. The Indianapolis Colts will face off against the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game. Many are looking forward to a blowout game with the Colts on top; but I’m not buying it. The Jets are going to Indianapolis with the number one rushing offense and a playoff momentum that could be unstoppable. If quarterback Mark Sanchez can hold his ground and the running game can be established the Jets will definitely keep Peyton Manning and the Colts busy all night but will that be enough? Manning, who knows how to win, is always good and has a dangerous arm. If the Colts defense comes out playing even average and Manning has a great game it will be all Indianapolis. For the Jets to win this game they will have to play at least as good, if not better, than last week and force some Colts errors. Game two, on Fox at 6:30 p.m., is the NFC Championship game between the ever popular Brett Favre and his Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints. Statistically this should be a better matchup than the Jets, Colts game. This is a game between the highest two scoring teams in the league. The Vikings average 29.4 points per game and the Saints average 31.9 so we can expect a lot of opportunities to get excited. With two great Quarterbacks who both know how to score, the game will likely be decided by the defense that can bring the most pressure. The Vikings defense hammered Tony Romo the whole game last week; if they can do that to Drew Brees this week they should come out on top (the Saints also had some big hits on Kurt Warner last week). In a high scoring game the winner is generally the team who has the fewest mistakes. One forced fumble or even an interception could make all the difference Sunday night. So who do I think will go to the 44th Super Bowl? Just for fun I got the picks of a few people since I’ve been writing this column tonight and here is what they say. Mike Williams said it’ll be a Saints and Colts game. My dad (who seems partial to the “old man”) picked a Vikings, Colts game and my little brother (who is 10… I think), also went with a Saints, Colts matchup. I think most agree that the Colts are favored to win the AFC Championship game and so do I. I’m guessing we’ll see an Old Dog vs. Young Gun game. My pick for Super Bowl XLIV: Peyton Manning and the Colts vs. Brett Favre and the Vikings. I’m not a Brett Favre or a Peyton Manning fan but I am looking forward to the excitement of a Favre, Manning Super Bowl.