NFL Conference Championship Round

New York Giants (9-7) at San Francisco 49ers (13-3): After a 37-20 win over the best team in the NFL the Giants now have to face the 49ers in the NFC Championship. In week 10 the 49ers defeated the Giants 27-20. San Francisco also had a tough match up last week against the New Orleans Saints. In one of the most exciting games in a long time it was a fight till the end. The Saints made what seemed like the final comeback to cap off another win until the 49ers led down the field and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to seal a 36-32 win. The amazing touchdown pass was made on the 30 year anniversary of “The Catch” Joe Montana threw to Dwight Clark. With one of the best running defenses in history it’s unlikely the Giants, who rank dead last in rushing yards, will be able to produce at all in the running game. With such a stellar running defense the Giants will need to take advantage of the 49ers 16^th ranked passing offense. The Giants are ranked 5^th for passing yards a game. With a top 10 rushing game the 49ers will be looking to run the ball unlike the Giants.  It seems like the major factor will be if the Giants weak pass defense can stop the 49ers weak passing game. The winner of that factor could be the one representing the NFC in the Super Bowl; I’ll give the 49ers an advantage in this game.

Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at New England Patriots (13-3): With two of the more dominant teams over the last few years facing off in the AFC Championship it’s sure to be a good one. One of the best offenses in the league, the Patriots, will be going against one of the best defenses, the Ravens. The Patriots are ranked 2^nd in the NFL for passing yards a game but only managed a 20^th ranked running game. The defense is one of the weakest in the NFL though ranking 31^st in passing yards allowed and 17^th for rushing yards allowed. The Ravens have dominated on defense to get a 4^th ranked passing defense and 2^nd ranked rushing defense. While the defense is the strong suit for the Ravens they have also put together a respectable offense that ranks 19^th in passing offense and 10^th for rushing yards. While both teams deserve a Super Bowl appearance we will have to see how this one ends to see who deserves it more. With a more balanced team I’m giving the advantage to the Ravens.