NFL Conference Championships Preview

The divisional weekend had a similar feel as the wildcard round. Most of the games weren't very close and they were more of statement games for the championship participants. After the Ravens ran over the Patriots, they got hit by a speed bump in the form of a stout Indianapolis defense. QB Peyton Manning worked his usual magic and did more than enough to secure another trip to the AFC title game. The Ravens' offense struggled most of the day getting going and beat themselves with turnovers and penalties. The Cardinals looked like they were going to dominate early against the Saints, but their big run for a touchdown was the first and last big play. It was all downhill for the Cardinals after that as QB Drew Brees and the lethal Saints offense took over. To make matters worse, the Saints' defense gave QB Kurt Warner several big blows and thus affected the Cardinals equally capable offense to the point where they had no answer to the Saints' scoring machine. The Vikings looked about as dominant against the Cowboys as QB Brett Favre had a field day along with WR Sidney Rice. The Cowboys and their defense looked unstoppable coming into the game and laid a big egg.

Similar to last week, the last game of the weekend delivered all the twists and turns that many were hoping from all the games. The Jets came in as the underdogs against a red hot Chargers team. This team seemed poised to finally get to the Super Bowl. The Jets' defense once again came up big with a few key plays that kept the game tight and allowed them to take the lead late and secure a trip to Indy for a shot at the Super Bowl. This team is riding a wave of confidence and a confident team is a dangerous team at this time of year.

My picks were 3-1 and overall I am 5-3. Now we turn to the conference championship games where the final 4 teams battle for those 2 exclusive spots and book their tickets for Miami.

AFC Championship Game
NY Jets at Colts: The seasoned QB vs the rookie QB. The Colts got to 14-0 before pulling their starters against the Jets in Week 16 and thus gave up on their pursuit of perfection. The Jets now have a chance to prove that they can beat the Colts best shot. QB Peyton Manning would love another chance to win a Super Bowl ring and add to his growing legacy. On the other hand, Rex Ryan has backed up much of his talk this year as the Jets have taken their coach's identity and CB Darrelle Revis has become one of the best shutdown corners. The battle will most likely revolt around Manning's success getting the ball to men not covered by Revis. The Colts have looked like a team on the AFC side that has had the championship in site since Week 1 while the Jets have had moments that they showed they were still a middle of the road team. Expect the Jets' defense to challenge Manning in the first half, but then he will figure out the defense and the Colts will be on their way back to Miami 3 years after their last trip. PICK: COLTS

NFC Championship Game
Vikings at Saints: For the first three months of the season, these two were the best in the NFC. Then they both fell into December swoons and look to be back on track after manhandling their divisional game opponents. With that all in mind, this one has the makings of shootout between QBs Brett Favre and Drew Brees. Thus it might come down to one big play by either defense that decides the game. It could be a pick 6 or a costly turnover late. The Saints' defense got to QB Kurt Warner last week and will look to target Favre this week. The Saints got to 13-0 before dropping the last 3 and Favre came back for this game and the potential next game. This one goes into the 30s on both sides and Favre leads the Vikings to South Beach. PICK: VIKINGS

This weekend will feature teams for the most part looked poised to be here a couple months ago. Could the Colts and Saints play themselves into a Super Bowl matchup despite the fact that neither is unbeaten anymore? Can Favre get back to the Super Bowl? Will the Jets ride their confidence all the way to Miami? We will certainly see. Let the playoffs continue and onto the Super Bowl for the winners.