Before we get to the picks for this week’s conference championship games, let’s take a quick look back at last week’s games….
Bears/Seahawks – No surprise there, Bears held serve and the clock hit midnight for the Cinderella Seahawks.
Packers/Falcons – While I thought the Packers were the better team, I didn’t think the Falcons would pee the bed as bad as they did. Their defense was exposed big time.
Steelers/Ravens – It was a joy to watch the Ravens vaunted defense give up that 3rd & 19 which basically won the game for Pittsburgh. As I said in my pick piece before the game, when has Baltimore beat Pittsburgh when it counted?
Jets/Patriots – The Patriots gagged once again and the team that was previously so clutch is now a shell of their former selves. The Jets beat them the way NE used to win, by good defense and waiting for the other team to make mistakes. NE running the ball so much played right into what the Jets wanted, which was to eat clock and keep the long-haired not-so-clutch–anymore QB on the sideline.
Last Week
3-1 (75%)
Season
76-48-4 (61%)
Sunday 1/23
Green Bay Minus 3 – I know these teams know each other well and split their 2 games this year. I also know the 2 games they played were pretty low-scoring and close games. However, the Packers are playing out of their minds right now and have taken it to another level….a level that Chicago hasn’t seen. The Bears have the home field advantage and that could make the game closer than it should be, but at the end of the day, who would you rather go with Rodgers or Cutler? Put that Championship Belt on Aaron Rodgers, you are going to Dallas.
New York Plus 3.5 – NY goes into this game having won the superbowl already last week in Foxboro. And tools like Bart Scott have popped off big-time (who is better known for his mouth than his play) If there is a God, A-holes like this will NEVER get to raise the Lombardi… but I digress! This week, these same A-holes go into the game without trash talking the Steelers which is out of character and could bite them in the ass. You gotta dance with the one who brung ya, Rex! What, you suddenly afraid to put your foot (or someone else’s) in your mouth now? The Steelers on the other hand come in with the psychological advantage of losing to NY earlier this year. In a big game rematch, its always more motivating to want to avenge a loss than to prove you can win again. I see this game as a toss-up and could swing on who makes the big mistake. Since it could go either way, I’ll take the points.