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IF The Packers win, we have a Super Bowl rematch either way. As for the Falcons, they looked unstoppable last week, but I know enough about football NOT To use the words unstoppable. Because in the NFL, anyone can beat anyone on any given day.
These games are hard to pick. The Deflatriots have only 2 losses, one was an anomaly, a statement in a loss to Rex Ryans Buffaloes that the third string QB is not yet ready for the NFL. The other loss was to the Seahawks. Not the Seahawks have been the most inconsistent team this year. The week they beat the Patriots, they were probably the best team the Patriots faced all season, at that particular week. So the Patriots can lose to good teams, few of whom they faced this year. Remember the Steelers were off to a very bad start and looked lackluster at best when the two teams last met. Question now is are the Steelers good enough RIGHT NOW to beat the Patriots NOW this week in this game?
I do not think they are. While I would love to see them in the Super Bowl, since I had picked them to be in it at the beginning of the season, I want them to win. Then again, I don't EVER want the Patriots to win UNLESS they are against the Cowboys,
Steelers @ PATRIOTS
The other game is even harder to pick. The Falcons looked like a championship team last week, and they have flown under the radar all e=season, with little fanfare or coverage as to how really good they are. The Media latched onto the Stupid Cowboys when they started winning, and the wind fell out of those sails last night thanks to the great Packers. So all season it was about how great the COwboys are, which sickens me, but at the same time, the brilliant and enlightened (sarcasm) MEDIA overlooked how truly good the Falcons are. They are playing a solid game, they can beat anyone on offense, and in a shootout, they can edge out Aaron ROgers. And they are better now than they were earlier
For this reason, I am taking the home team
Packers @ FALCONS
There is another reason I am making these picks.
I want to see a Super Bowl rematch of the Steelers vs the Packers And whatever Super Bowl I want to see, is NOT what Super Bowl ever comes about. Since 2011 At least. (I sure did not want to see "da Bears" in it)
Which is why the Steelers and Packers WON'T play this year. Because I want to see it. Meeee-YOW!
I really want Packers...I am still up in the air. I think the Falcons offense and defense is a lot stronger than the Packers. However, Aaron Rogers and Packers grit has been strong in the Playoffs.
I think a Packers vs Patriots Superbowl be a interesting match up.
Patriots and Falcons will win. Hopefully, Atlanta will not play "cautious" defense as Dallas did for 3 quarters yesterday. Rodgers is great, but Atlanta will not be stopped by Packers mediocre defense. Falcons 48- Packers 38.
Well, the Packers will be a tough out for sure. Both offenses will be on but I do feel that ATL's defense can & will get a few stops versus Green Bay (any stop in a shootout will be huge, goes w/o saying). I do feel that ATL will keep putting TDs on the board versus GB whereas ATL's defense will get off the field some due to drops from GB's receivers. I do feel that ATL will force a turnover against GB. Falcons by 10.
I want a Packers/Steelers rematch, so that's what I'm riding with. There are four phenomenal quarterbacks remaining, and these next 1-2 games are important to all of their legacies, at different degrees:
1. Nobody has more riding on the remainder of the season than Matt Ryan. He's in his 9th season, 5th playoff appearance, entering his second NFC Championship Game, with a 2-4 playoff record. By any objective measure, since he came into the league in '08, Matt Ryan fits somewhere in a Top 6 QB's of the last 9 seasons (with Brady, Rivers, Brees, Manning, Rodgers). He is THAT good. However, this is a critical period of his career...
Peyton Manning was 3-6 playoff record going into his 9th season, and won it all. Drew Brees was 1-2 and had only been to the playoffs twice in eight seasons before winning it all in his 9th year. The historical data says most All Timers win their first championship within their first 6 years (from Rodgers and Favre, who won it in Year 6, to Ben and Brady, who won it in Year 2, and countless others who won in Years 3-5). Understand, I'm talking about All-Timers, not the "Very Goods". While reason holds that Ryan will likely play for at least 7-10 more years, he's swimming against the current if he can't do it this season. Only one consensus GOAT won their first ring beyond Year 9--John Elway, who won in Year 15. But hell, even in Elway's case, he'd at least been to three Super Bowls in his first 7 years. Matt Ryan hasn't even been to one...
Matt Ryan has to at least get to the Super Bowl, and he has to win more than any QB remaining because he doesn't have one. If he goes on to beat Rodgers this week and win it all, the narrative will change on his abilities. He'll forever be tied to Rodgers because they started playing in the same year (2008). And from a talent perspective the argument can be made that Rodgers is better than anyone who ever played the position, but Ryan can shrink the gap if he wins. Because if he doesn't, he's going to face this characterization as a choke artist/guy who underperformer in the playoffs...fair or not...
2. These next 1-2 games are critical to Rodgers' legacy. As I've said before, he may just be the best naturally talented QB ever. But it's been 6 years since he won or even played in a Super Bowl. The harsh reality is, the great ones are expected to compete for multiple titles, not just one. May not be fair, but if the book ends with Rodgers' only one SB appearances, that will be used against him. Obviously, he could never be labeled a choke artist. But you guys heard it before this season--there were already whispers about him in regards to being 3-5 in the playoffs since his SB (coming into this year). He's possibly on a tear right now that maybe can't be stopped, but I think it's more than fair to note that Rodgers has to have more championship success...
He can be one of the Goats, but his name as THE GOAT will be hard to argue if he's only wearing one ring...
3. Big Ben's legacy is pretty much concrete; he can only enhance it, not harm it. I do feel, though, that if he never wins another one, an argument can be made that he was carried to his rings. The fact of the matter is that his best statistical seasons came after he won his two championships. I'd consider 2010 as one of his best three seasons, the year he lost the Super Bowl. Obviously he has grown exponentially as a player since then, but the lack of another championship run doesn't bode well. Coming into this postseason Ben was 1-3 playoffs since his last Super Bowl appearance. There's credence to the notion that when he was a complimentary player on his championship teams, and has been unable to win it all as an elite player. Hopefully that changes for him, and if it does, it will definitely boost his legacy...
4. Brady has the least to lose, but I'll say this. If he loses another Super Bowl before he wins another, it will impact his legacy negatively. Yes, he's tied for most Super Bowl wins, and there's a great likelihood that he finishes his career holding that record by himself. But a 4-3 or 4-4 record will bolster the argument that he was carried to his first 3 in his first 5 seasons, and that the Seahawks bailed him out of his 3rd loss. Brady for my money is the GOAT, but he's neither the most physically gifted or most natural talent to play the position. If he loses more Super Bowls it bolsters the argument of "coach/system over player"...
Of course, if he never loses another Super Bowl but keeps winning, there is no debate...
..........
Roethlisberger 13-6 playoff record, 3-1 AFCCG record, 5-2 road record vs. Brady 23-9 record, 6-4 AFCCG, 16-3 home record: the Patriots have wholly unimpressed me all year. I can't remember a worse looking 14-2 team. I think they'll play better this week, and I think Brown's video gaffe will further motivate them. Still, I see Leveon Bell playing at an MVP/HOF level right now. The Steelers still haven't played a complete offensive game in months, and that defense has steadily improved. They are the only team left that can win a game if it comes down to a defensive slugfest--Steelers 28, Patriots 21
Rodgers 10-6 record, 1-1 NFCCG, 5-4 on the road vs. Ryan 2-4 record, 0-1 NFCCG, 2-2 at home: both of these teams have equal odds to me. This game will be high scoring. I think the Falcons have taken a step forward, but this isn't the year. They lose that game last week to a more disciplined team with a better offensive line. Hell, they lose that game last week with a healthy Seahawks D (Sherman played last half year with torn MCL, Thomas out, Shead gone in 1st). The Packers can match them point for point and quite honestly, Aaron Rodgers is in the middle of doing something extraordinary. In a game that will test the limits of both teams, it will come down to who has the ball last--better hope it isn't Rodgers...Packers 33, Falcons 32
Packers @ Falcons-Packers are on a roll right now and refuse to lose. This should be a close shootout, and I expect the Packers to win it on either a game-winning field goal or Hail Mary. Packers win 38-35.
Steelers @ Patriots-I'm going with the Steelers since I picked them to win the AFC at the beginning of the season. I'm a big believer in sticking with your picks. I think the Killer B's can go into Foxboro and pull off the upset. Steelers win 21-17.
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