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| Julian Edelman has filled in well for the departed Wes Welker, and will need to continue to do so to beat Welker's new team. (Getty) |
Will Tom Brady continue his dominance over Peyton Manning, and possibly solidify himself as the best quarterback in league history? Will it be the young Seahawks or the every aging 49ers who get a shot at one of these Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the Super Bowl? All this and more will be revealed today. Here is how us SOBs think the games will pan out and we will let you know what to look for in today's games.
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
2. New England over 1. @Denver
Stally: There's a quarter in every Patriots game when I think they might never win another game , and there's a quarter in every game when I think they're indestructible and are sure to win the Super Bowl. Somehow, I feel like this game won't be any different.
The Patriots dug themselves into a 24-0 hole against the Broncos when they met in the regular season, and still came back to win 34-31 in overtime. I wouldn't recommend digging that kind of a hole, but they certainly proved for half a game of football that they are capable of dominating a team that's been considered the AFC's best.
I'll go with the history in this one. Throughout their careers, Bill Belichick has had success stopping Peyton Manning. New England's defense is certainly not at 100% health wise, but they've been missing their best players for so long, that the D seems to have taken shape with the replacements.
For all the talk about Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, I think this game might come down to the running game. Denver rushed for 280 yards to just 132 passing in the first meeting against New England, and the Pats have gotten quite run heavy in recent weeks. I think that favors the Patriots, as Denver's biggest strength is their high scoring offense and a game shortened by running play will keep them from being as explosive.
Score Prediction: New England 31, Denver 24
Austen: Well, Stally's blind faith in his team has gotten him this far, so why stop now? The Patriots are by far the least talented team left in the playoffs, but that did not stop them from winning three Super Bowls back in the day, and it might not stop them now. Any team led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick has a shot against anyone.
That being said, I think the talent discrepancy will be too much for the best coaching-quarterback duo in the history of the NFL to overcome. Peyton Manning is playing the best football of his career, and while he has not been bad by any means, Brady is having his worst season in about a decade. Throw in the fact that the Patriots defense has been one of the most injury decimated in the league (and they were not that talented to begin with) and you simply have too much for this team to overcome against the only actual good team in the AFC.
Austen's Things To Watch:
- The Patriots will look to lean on their strong running game to control the clock and keep Peyton off the field. Will they be able to backup last week's unbelievable performance or will the Broncos' defense, which has made massive strides over the last few weeks, be able to stop the run the way they did against the Chargers' multitude of running backs?
- Speaking of the Broncos' defense, how will they fair without their best cornerback, Chris Harris? Tom Brady is an expert at exploiting a defense's one weakness over and over again, so Champ Bailey and the rest of the defensive backs really need to step up their game. This defense is already missing possibly the best pure pass rusher in the league in Von Miller, so this is going to need to be a real team effort to slow down Brady.
- Sticking with defenses, how can the Patriots defense hope to slow this Denver attack? Peyton Manning has four receivers with 10+ touchdowns on the season, a running back with over 1,500 all-purpose yards, and a rookie running back who is coming on strong towards the end of the year who adds a power running element to this already dangerous offense. If Belichick can find a way to hinder this offense with the scraps of a defense he has left on this team, he will unquestionably be the greatest coach of all time, possibly in any sport.
Austen's Eight Point Pick
1. @Seattle over 5. San Francisco
Austen: Much like the Patriots-Broncos game, this is the championship game that we have been hoping for all year long. These teams are so similar, it is scary. Could this game be any more different than the AFC Championship game? These are two smash mouth, ultra physical teams with young "running" quarterbacks. A decade from now, we will be talking about how lucky we were to be able to watch these two dynasties face off two to three times a year.
I've been saying all year long that the Seahawks are far and away the best team in the NFL, and they have done nothing to prove me wrong so far this year. Russell Wilson is 16-1 at CenturyLink Field and I really believe that will be 17-1 at the end of the day. Wilson's play has dipped a bit as of late, but he has the benefit of having one of the best running backs in the NFL to lean on and the most complete defense I have ever seen in the NFL.
The 49ers' weakness all season has been their passing game, but ever since Michael Crabtree has returned, this offense has taken their game to the next level. Anquan Boldin is a great player, but he is not a true number one receiver anymore and the 49ers really do not have anyone worth noting behind him. The combination of Crabtree, Boldin, and Vernon Davis gives the 49ers one of the better starting trios of pass catchers in the NFL. The 49ers will need all three of them to bring their A games because the Seahawks boast the best pass defense in the NFL.
Stally: The 49ers are built to win this game. It's a tough road matchup against a team with few weaknesses, and only balance and grit can pull off the upset. The Niners have already had to win two road games against two solid quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton, so they're very much in playoff mode.
This marks the third consecutive season the 49ers have reached the NFC Championship Game and Colin Kaepernick is now 4-1 in playoff games. He might not be the most dominant QB in the league, but he's the perfect piece to the run that offense, as he creates a great running option alongside Frank Gore and he has several different kinds of weapons, as Crabtree, Boldin and Davis are very different in style.
I think that this one comes down to a late field goal, perhaps even overtime, and I think that 49ers experience in the playoffs will provide them with enough mental toughness to overcome the road crowd.
Score Prediction: San Francisco 23, Seattle 20
Austen's Things To Watch:
- The 49ers have the best offensive line in the NFL and they seemingly get better each week. They are going to have their hands full facing Seattle's multiple fronts and blitz packages. The Seahawks have the best rotation of pass rushers in the league. If the 49ers cannot effectively run the ball, the have no chance of winning this game. That begins and ends with their offensive line.
- How will the Seahawks passing game fair without Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice? They have done it all year, but the stakes have never been so high for this team. Golden Tate and the rest of this receiving corps really needs to step up because the 49ers are going to try to take away the running game. They might not succeed at it, but the focus is going to be on Marshawn Lynch so Russell Wilson and and his receivers are going to have to win this game for the Seahawks.
- This game is going to go down to the wire and halftime coaching adjustments are going to be key. Watch closely at how these teams alter their game plans in the second half because these are two of the best coaches in the NFL.
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