Welcome back, sportz freaks. This is championship Sunday in the NFL, and so today we find out which two teams will compete for the Lombardi Trophy on February 3rd in New Orleans. In the AFC, we have ourselves a rematch of last year's semifinal round between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots. On the other side, the San Francisco 49ers have returned to championship Sunday after losing to the Giants last season. They will head to Atlanta, who is coming off its first playoff win in the Mike Smith/Matt Ryan era. Like last year, several of the potential Super Bowl showdowns could have very compelling story-lines.
Once again, New England-San Francisco is the most intriguing, and is the very match-up I predicted a year ago: a prediction which was only half-right. Should this come to fruition this year, we will see Tom Brady and our era's dynasty try to fend off the aura of the 49ers, the once-great team of the 80's. Should the Ravens pull the upset and take on the Niners, we would of course be given the Har-bowl we were sorely deprived of a year ago. Brothers John and Jim each had their teams a spot away from the big game, but both failed to make it to Miami. I won't exclude the Falcons in this list, either, since the potential of their existence in Super Bowl XLVII would promote a great story of a potentially retiring tight end who has waited his whole career for a championship. That of course, is Tony Gonzalez. Could we see him face off against another retiring legend in Ray Lewis? The possibilities are many in this championship weekend, and so let's get started with the predictions!
3ET, FOX
#2 San Francisco 49ers (12-4-1) @ #1 Atlanta Falcons (14-3)
In our first game of the day, we will see two teams who at their worst...look pretty bad, but at their best they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The second-seeded 49ers are heading to Atlanta where they hope to get over the hump after losing at this stage ago. San Fran is still haunted by the memory of return man Kyle Williams' multi-fumble day at Candlestick Park which allowed the Giants to earn a trip to last year's big game. A year later, Jim Harbaugh's team sits here again, one win away from a trip to the Super Dome.
Atlanta has lost only three games all season, all in their own division. Last weekend, we saw the team we thought the Falcons were all along: an offensive juggernaut who could score points at will and have your defense's head spinning. Well, we saw it for three quarters, at least. Then, up 27-7 in the 3rd, the Falcons showed us their darker, less trust-worthy side. They allowed the Seahawks to climb all the way back and even take a momentary lead, and then had to drive the field and kick a game-winning field goal to hold off the incredible comeback victory. On one hand, it's great to see the Falcons finally get the monkey off their backs and get a playoff win. On the other, it is extremely difficult to feel confident in their ability to win a big game after seeing the way they almost let it slip last Sunday.
San Francisco brings perhaps the league's best defensive unit into the Georgia Dome on Sunday, and a unit which did a pretty damn good job of shutting down Aaron Rodgers and Company a week ago. What is a bit more surprising, though, is how easily the 'Niners racked up the points on Green Bay. While not a defensive powerhouse, the Packers went into last week's game at Candlestick Park ranked 11th in overall defense...and then Colin Kaepernick ran wild on them. The Pack could not handle the read option what-so-ever, and it made for a rather convincing victory for the NFC West champions. If Kaepernick has even half of the success we saw last Week, the Falcon faithful could be in for a long afternoon.
The Falcons looked absolutely abysmal in the final quarter and a half of the Seattle game, but up until then had actually done a nice job of containing rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, as well as Marshawn Lynch. Atlanta is not known for its defense either, but from what we saw in the first half, they proved they can get stops when needed. Where they have to be questioned is in the second half of games. Did they just try to cruise last week? Was Russell Wilson's speed starting to tire them out? Whatever it was, the Falcons need to fix it this week or they're going home disappointed once again.
Everything that factors into this game is pointing directly at a 49ers victory. They have a much stronger defense, their offense looked almost unstoppable, and they are on a mission after losing at this point a year ago. The Falcons are shaky and hard to trust, and don't have a defense that really has me convinced they can stop the likes of Colin Kaepernick, as he seems to be even better than Russel Wilson-ing than Russel Wilson. My gut feeling is that they will pull this off and head to New Orleans. However, we know how incredibly wrong my gut can be, and so I'm going to swing for the fences and call for an upset. Falcons take a close one behind a hostile home crowd.
Prediction: Surprising defensive effort propels Falcons to Super Bowl. Atlanta tops San Fran, 27-24.
6:30 ET, CBS
#4 Baltimore Ravens (12-6) @ #1 New England Patriots (13-4)
Well, here we go again. This is like a song that just keeps playing on repeat. Ever since Brady returned from injury in 2009, the Ravens have sought to put him and the Pats in their place and finally breathe some fresh air into the AFC title picture. We all remember the tacky penalty called on Terrell Suggs that year: a roughing the passer foul called after Suggs made contact with Brady's legs. If you don't recall, here's a reminder:
Ever since that moment, you can sense the animosity between these two clubs. The Ravens would even go on to crush New England in the playoffs that same year, but the Patriots got the last laugh a year ago as their victory over Baltimore sent them back to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the last decade. The Ravens did get a victory over Brady and Co. earlier this season, but that will mean nothing if they are unable to do it again on Sunday, and fall short of the big game once again.
The Ravens entered the 2012 playoff scene with a lot of unanswered questions. Were they legitimate contenders? Could they win big games? Is Joe Flacco the quarterback who can get the job done for them? Coming in as the four seed, and losing to the Bengals on the last week of the season, the Ravens were a bit tough to trust. Even a convincing victory at home over Andrew Luck and the Colts wasn't enough to cement their status as a contender. Then, a bit of magic happened last week in Denver. The Ravens, toughing it out and staying with the #1 Broncos the entire way, found a way to pull off a miraculous game-tying touchdown and go on to win it in overtime. This, of course, was aided by some shaky play in the Bronco secondary, but Flacco threw a great pass, and the rest is history. Will luck be on their side again in New England?
The Patriots looked quite convincing in their win over the Texans last weekend. Houston stuck around for a bit, but New England stepped on their necks and finished off what had been a disappointing last month or so for the AFC South champions. New England has won ten of its last eleven games, and has scored an average of 33.5 points per game over that span. Their offense is clearly playing at a high level right now. But with tight end Rob Gronkowski's season-ending arm injury, can they still produce that type of consistency against a stingy Ravens defense?
Baltimore has been quite the opposite in terms of playing well in recent months. They are 3-4 over their last seven, although three of those losses came against teams who made the post-season, and one loss to the Steelers. The Ravens are an okay 5-4 on the road this season, which looks worse compared to a New England team who is 7-2 at home this season. That being said, two home losses is actually more than the Pats are used to in the Brady-Belichick era. Can they get one more victory in front of their home crowd to get back to the Super Bowl?
In the last game's prediction, I went 100% against my gut feeling. While my heart says San Fran, my head won't let me pick them after going 1-3 last weekend in what I thought were picks from the heart. So now, my gut feeling is telling me that the Ravens will finally get the job done and oust New England in their own building. I just can't go against my instincts twice in the same day. While this and the Atlanta prediction might come up and bite me in the rear, I am picking a pair of dirty birds to face off in a monster showdown in two weeks. Gimme the Ravens.
Prediction: Flacco near-perfect as Ravens finally get by Pats, 26-23.
Baltimore has been quite the opposite in terms of playing well in recent months. They are 3-4 over their last seven, although three of those losses came against teams who made the post-season, and one loss to the Steelers. The Ravens are an okay 5-4 on the road this season, which looks worse compared to a New England team who is 7-2 at home this season. That being said, two home losses is actually more than the Pats are used to in the Brady-Belichick era. Can they get one more victory in front of their home crowd to get back to the Super Bowl?
In the last game's prediction, I went 100% against my gut feeling. While my heart says San Fran, my head won't let me pick them after going 1-3 last weekend in what I thought were picks from the heart. So now, my gut feeling is telling me that the Ravens will finally get the job done and oust New England in their own building. I just can't go against my instincts twice in the same day. While this and the Atlanta prediction might come up and bite me in the rear, I am picking a pair of dirty birds to face off in a monster showdown in two weeks. Gimme the Ravens.
Prediction: Flacco near-perfect as Ravens finally get by Pats, 26-23.
SUPER BOWL XLVII Prediction:
#4 Baltimore Ravens vs. #1 Atlanta Falcons
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