Only two games remain before Superbowl XLVII and there are a lot of familiar faces in the Conference Championships. The Ravens and Patriots will renew their constant playoff clashes in a rematch of last year's AFC title game and the 49ers will try to avoid a repeat performance of last year's muffed punt fiasco against the Falcons in the NFC title game. All in all, these are a pair of really good games. The NFC we have some high flying offenses, while the AFC will be another Pats Ravens match up we will remember for a long time. So let's see who's going to the Superbowl!
The Baltimore Ravens vs The New England Patriots
The Ravens have fought for two great wins in the playoffs. The problem is if last week was a 'miracle', as proclaimed by the Raven's radio broadcasters, a win the week could just be a direct act from some higher power. The Raven's are going to need to get Ray Rice going in this game. As we saw last week, if he can find some space, it opens up the passing game. The Patriots have the 9th best rushing defense in the league, so the Ravens might have some issues moving the ball. As for the rest of the offense, the other man to watch is WR Anquan Boldin. Everyone in the media is talking about WR Torrey Smith and his ability to go deep. That's great and all, but Boldin is the guy that opens the defense up for Smith. He attracts defenders because of his play making ability shown through out his long NFL career. The other thing that could happen would be that the new emphasis on Smith could open up Bolden. Either way, Boldin will play a huge role today. The Raven's defense, known for it's tenacity, could be the weakness for the Ravens. Though Ray Lewis is playing like he's from another planet right now, Tom Brady knows how to work a defense into a tail spin.
Speaking of Tom Brady, he's having another banner year. He has thrown for nearly 5,000 and has led this offense to 5 games with 40 or more points. The Pats are also blessed with options on offense with Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Stevan Riddley. We all know what the Patriot offense can do and will do today, the major question is what the defense will do. The Pats have a stout run defense, but the pass defense is terrible. Ranking 29th in the league, the Patriots allow an average of 271.4 yards per game though the air. That should give Joe Flacco and his receiving corps plenty of opportunities.
So who wins? It's going to be close. Both defenses have major flaws and I think the teams will go back and forth for a while. I just can't pick against the Patriots. I have New England in the Superbowl again after they win 34-31.
The San Francisco 49ers vs The Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan finally won a playoff game. As a reward, he gets to play against one of the most elusive quarterbacks in the game. Fun for us, not for him. The Falcon's passing game is insane Matt Ryan has one heck of an arm and has receivers like Julio Jones and Roddy White to throw to. There is no doubt that the Falcon offense that averages 281.8 passing yards per game will show up. The problems will be the defense and the running game. Micheal Turner has had a pretty good year. The problem is that the offense is averaging less than 90 rushing yards per game. Some of this can be attributed to all the passing they do, but it still isn't a great sign if they want to have a chance. The defense has let in huge amounts of yardage to a lot of teams and have been burned a couple times by mobile QBs. That isn't a good sign for a defense taking on Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick is the 49ers reason for success. His abilities to run, pass, and extend plays are a deadly combination. Kaeprnick has also gotten some help from veteran running back Frank Gore. With over 1,000 yards, Gore has been a great security blanket for his young quarterback and a driving force in the middle of the field. Just like the Falcons, the 49ers have an array of talent in the receiving game. Vernon Davis and Micheal Crabtree are just a few of the names that will be called a lot when Kaepernick is throwing the ball. The 49er defense is also really good. They don't give up a ton of yards through the air or ground.
I think the 49ers are going to win this game because they have more experience and more play makers on both sides of the ball. The 49er win 38-29.
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