On Sunday, the AFC and NFC championships will be decided and two teams will punch their tickets to Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona. With the big game just around the corner, four clubs remain in the hunt and Sunday’s match ups couldn’t come with stakes any higher. After nineteen weeks of NFL action, the last pieces of the puzzle are coming together. It’s time to take a look at the second most important weekend of the football season.
NFL Conference Championships: Four Teams Remain
Green Bay Packers (#2) at Seattle Seahawks (#1)
The NFC playoff picture hasn’t been without controversy this year, has it? After a controversial finish to the Cowboys-Lions Wildcard game, the Cowboys-Packers game last week had a similarly contentious closing moment. With that said, the NFC Championship will be decided at 3:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and the match up is what many pundits expected it to be; the Packers and the Seahawks. These two teams will meet in the re-match from opening night that saw the ‘Hawks put a 36-16 beating on the Pack while accomplishing the nearly impossible task of actually intercepting an Aaron Rodgers pass. Things are a little different in January than they were in September however, and it seems reasonable to expect a closer contest.
Ever since telling critics of the Green Bay offense to “relax”, Aaron Rodgers has compiled one of the best seasons of his spectacular career. He was at or near the top of every major statistical category, won 13 games (including post-season), and demonstrated what can only be described as an intense hatred of turning the football over. After a sluggish start to the season, the Green Bay offense has fired on all cylinders and has been mostly impossible to stop all year. Even playing through a calf injury, Rodgers has posted stellar numbers and won two huge games in the process.
With all of that said, none of this may matter come Sunday.
The Seattle defense is, quite frankly, terrifying. It is littered with Pro Bowlers, unbelievably aggressive, elite on every level, and to make matters worse, they know it. While it’s true that the Packers’ offense has improved exponentially since Week One, stunningly enough, the same can be said of the ‘Hawks “D”. Going a step further, the same can be said of the entire Seahawks team.
Marshawn Lynch is an absolute beast, and while this isn’t anything new, those who predicted a drop-off for the former Cal runner have been proven quite wrong. Russell Wilson continues to succeed and in 2014, seemed to mature as a passer. He’s always been poised and professional, but this seemed to mark the year where he shouldered more of the load as the team’s signal caller. Looking back at the season Wilson had, it would be very difficult for even his most vocal critics to label him a “game manager”, especially after he chipped in 849 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground, to go along with his solid passing statistics. While a great deal of the attention this game will be given relates to the vaunted Seahawks defense vs. Packers offense match up, make no mistake about it; a large key to the outcome of this game will be how the Packers defense goes about slowing down Wilson and company. One thing id for certain though. It will be loud at CenturyLink Field. Very, very loud.
Indianapolis Colts (#4) at New England Patriots (#1)
It’s the Colts and Pats in the AFC Championship game, but with a new twist on the old formula. This isn’t Brady-Manning (although I sure hope we get to see more Brady-Manning match ups in the future), but rather the next chapter in the Tom Brady-Andrew Luck rivalry. So far, Brady has had the clear upper hand but Sunday could be different. It’s fitting to see Luck make his first appearance in an AFC title game during the season in which he catapulted into the echelon of the game’s elite passers.
With three playoff berths in three years, the former Stanford Cardinal is writing the next chapter in what could be a Hall of Fame career. Backed up by solid defensive play of late, and an under-rated dual threat runner in Daniel Herron, the Colts look like a complete football team coming off an upset of the Denver Broncos. Certainly, they will find themselves as the underdogs once again on Sunday evening, but writing this team off would be an enormous mistake.
Almost as big a mistake as many made by writing off the New England Patriots after a Week Four drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. Ever since that Monday Night Debacle, Brady’s bunch has compiled an 11-2 record (including post season) and has looked like the best team in the AFC. It is a true indicator of success when a team making an appearance in an AFC title game is as unheralded as this one, but the fact is, we’ve come to expect this of the Pats.
This is Bill Belichick and company’s fourth consecutive appearance in the AFC title game. That’s obscene, and while the concept of dynasties may be antiquated in today’s parity-driven NFL, the New England Patriots are the closest thing to it. After a terrific hard-fought victory over a competitive Ravens squad last week, the Patriots are rolling, and while a home-field date with the Colts may not be easy pickings, this club has fired on all cylinders for much of the season. If Brady is afforded some time in the pocket to find Rob Gronkowski, it will be very difficult for any team to stop them.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a fan of any of the four remaining franchises. Conference Championship weekend is one of the most exciting times of the football season. The road to glory culminates at the Super Bowl. This is the last stop before that destination. The big names are about to get even bigger. Settle in, NFL fans. This should be fun.
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images
