The Final Four. After two rounds of playoff football, we are left with four teams, each representing seeds 1, 2, 3, or 4 in their respective conferences. As the number 1 seed in the AFC, the Patriots (1) are still the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The Falcons (2) represent the top remaining seed in the NFC. The Steelers (3) were able to upset the Chiefs in the divisional round to clinch a trip to Foxborough. And finally, the Packers (4) represent the lowest remaining seed in the playoffs, as they were able to upset the top seeded Cowboys last weekend. We’ve got two great games ahead of us this weekend. With only three NFL games left in the season, Saturday football is over until next year. Only two Sundays of NFL action remain.
Green Bay Packers (10-6) @ Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
Sunday, 3:05 PM ET (Current Line, Falcons -5.5)
The final game in the Georgia Dome will be the NFC Conference Championship Game. It will be a great send-off for the stadium, as two of the top offenses in the NFL will go to battle this Sunday. While the Falcons had the top scoring offense over the entire season, the Packer offense has looked just as dangerous as any other team in the NFL over the course of their current eight game win streak. Green Bay is in top form, as they just came out of Dallas with a hard-fought win. Now, they face Atlanta, in what should be a high scoring affair. Neither team plays much defense, so it should be very entertaining for the neutral fan. The only thing that could likely hinder a complete offensive explosion of a game is if Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson were not able to suit up due to injury. Adams hurt himself at the end of the game against Dallas, and Nelson broke his ribs against New York. Both are listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game. Similarly, Julio Jones was listed as questionable earlier in the week, but all signs point to him playing this weekend.
It is very hard to say who has the edge in this game. Atlanta has been consistently great all year, while Green Bay has only come into top form over the second half of the season, playing like the best team in the league. Of course, Atlanta just put an impressive beatdown on Seattle, showing how well they can play when they are at their best. Both teams have a ton of weapons at their disposal, with two of the deepest rosters of WRs/RBs in the league. The Falcons and Packers can beat you in many different ways with many different players. With two evenly matched teams, this game may come down to one big play...
Prediction: The Falcons strike first, as they get out to an early 17-7 lead. However, the Packers keep it close in the first half, as Montgomery finds the endzone twice. At halftime, the Falcons hold a slight lead, 20-17. The game is back and forth, and with 5 minutes left, the Packers grab their first lead of the game, 30-27 on a Rodgers to Rodgers touchdown pass. On the ensuing drive, Ryan leads the Falcons down the field, setting up Bryant with a 33 yard field goal to tie the game with 1 minute remaining. He makes it. However, the Packers jump offside on the play, which results in a Falcons first down. Two plays later, Ryan capitalizes on the mistake, finding Julio Jones for the touchdown. Down by 4, Rodgers gets the Packers to the 50 yard line for one final play. Rodgers launches the hail mary, but it falls incomplete. Falcons win, 34-30.
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) @ New England Patriots (14-2)
Sunday, 6:40 PM ET (Current Line, Patriots -6.0)
The New England defense will finally get a test this Sunday. The Patriots have had a surprisingly great defense all season, finishing first in points allowed. However, the detractors will argue that they have faced none of the top offenses in the league, which, for the most part, is true. Even the time the Patriots faced the Steelers in the regular season, Roethlisberger was injured, so Landry Jones was forced to make the start. So, will this finally be the game where a team is able to crack the New England defense? Pittsburgh certainly has plenty of great offensive weapons to choose from. The Patriots will have their hands full, as they will have to deal with the strength and speed of Bell and Brown.
On the other side of the ball, the Steeler defense been a solid unit for most of the regular season. Brady will have to play well, and his receivers and running backs will have to step up, if they hope to put up enough points to win. The three headed monster in the backfield for New England has been great all season. Blount has been a touchdown machine, excelling in the Patriot offense. Lewis and White have been very dangerous as well, acting as great change of pace backs and pass catchers out of the backfield. Wide receiver, as usual, has been a weakness for New England all season. Edelman quietly had a great year, racking up nearly 100 catches for over 1000 yards. Of course, the passing attack has not been nearly as good without Gronkowski. Still, Brady has found ways to succeed, revitalizing Michael Floyd’s season and Chris Hogan’s career. While both teams have offensive weapons, I expect a tight defensive struggle. Ultimately, this game will probably come down to which team can score touchdowns when they find themselves deep in opponent’s territory. Something tells me that six Boswell field goals won’t cut it for the Steelers this time around...
Prediction: It’s all defense in the first half, as both teams struggle to move the ball. Le’Veon Bell finds the endzone and Blount rushes for a score in the first half, as the Patriots take a slim 10-7 lead into halftime. The game remains tight until the end. In the fourth quarter, with only three minutes remaining, the Steelers take their first lead of the game on a 33 yard Boswell field goal. On the following drive, Brady leads the Patriot offense down the field, and with 45 seconds remaining, the Patriots are forced to settle for a 48 yard field goal attempt. Gostkowski lines up for the game-winner… and misses. The Pittsburgh offense gets the ball back and is able to run out the clock. Steelers win, 23-20.
Only two teams will have the honor of representing their respective conference in Super Bowl LI. By the end of the weekend, we will know who those two teams will be (of course, you already know after reading the above predictions). A Super Bowl champion will be crowned in just over two weeks. Three of the four remaining quarterbacks already have a Super Bowl to their name, and the one that does not (Ryan) has quarterbacked the top offense in the NFL this season Great quarterbacks generally lead to great football. If that’s the case, we’re in for a thrilling final two weeks of football.
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