From eight we are now down to four, with last week’s divisional games arguably some of the best you will ever see in your life. Baltimore stunned Peyton Manning and the Broncos, Colin Kapernick had his coming out party, the Falcons won their first playoff game in years…..barely and Tom Brady is still the best. Here is a thorough breakdown of the two championship games
First Down: San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons Jan. 20 3pm (FOX)
Colin Kapernick has made Jim Harbaugh look like a genius. Jim Harbaugh has made Colin Kapernick look like a genius. After an early interception that resulted in a pick-six, Kapernick responded by breaking the rushing record for most yards by a QB in a playoff game. Kapernick had 4 total touchdowns (2 Rush) and looked in complete control after the interception. Aaron Rodgers was left hapless with his defense unable to get Kapernick off the field and the same should happen on Sunday. Atlanta barely came away with a win against the Seattle Seahawks after a 20-0 lead going into half. The Falcons will have the crowd behind them but the 49ers defense will be just too much for Matt Ryan to handle. The Seahawks were unable to get any pressure to Ryan but Aldon and Justin Smith will change that and Navvaro Bowman and Patrick Willis can cover Tony Gonzalez perfectly.
49ers 35- Falcons 17
Second Down: Key Mathcup- Matt Ryan vs. Patrick Willis and 49ers defense
Albeit the 49ers were playing at home where the defense looks 10 times faster, in reality their defense is actually that fast. Ryan was not sacked once in the game against the Seahawks and was still picked off twice. With the 49ers ability to stop the run the Falcons will be forced to be a pass first team. It will be a classic matchup between defense and offense.
Third Down: Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots Jan.20 630pm (CBS)
There is nothing scarier then a team of “destiny” and no I’m not talking about Tom Brady's Patriots. The Baltimore Ravens have played extremely hard since their fearless leader Ray Lewis said he would retire at the end of the season. After an easy win against Andrew Luck and the Colts, the Ravens took part in one of the best games I have ever seen. Joe Flacco looked like a premiere quarterback outdueling Peyton Manning in a double overtime win. The Ravens defense battled and battled and managed to force Manning into three turnovers. Now they find themselves in the exact same position as last year, with a better kicker and better receivers. Lewis and the defense know Tom Brady very well, and had it not been for a dropped touchdown catch and a missed field goal the Ravens would have been in the Superbowl LAST YEAR. This will be another epic battle between two of the greats but with destiny on their side I’ll take Ray Lewis and the Ravens to win. One last shot for Lewis to win another Super Bowl and go out in fashion.
Ravens 31- Patriots 28
Fourth Down: Key Matchup- Ray Lewis vs. Tom Brady
You can make an argument for either guy to have the upper edge. Brady has been cruising even without Rob Gronkowski while Lewis has the entire team playing for him. The Ravens begin and end with Ray Lewis, and his team is giving him every reason to keep going. In last week’s double overtime craziness Lewis had 17 combined tackles, giving him 30+ tackles in 2 payoff games. Brady never seems to skip a beat even with Rob Gronkowski out of the lineup. The Final Act between Brady and Lewis should be one to remember.
Bold Prediction: Ray Rice has 150+ yards rushing and 3 touchdowns.
It should be another great weekend of football as we gear up for the Super Bowl on February 3rd. There are many possible storylines but I think the most intriguing one would be a battle between the Harbaugh Brothers dubbed a "Harbaugh Bowl". Defense vs. Defense. There is nothing better then some hard hitting football, playing for the most prized trophy.
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