It was billed as the best weekend of football by every talking head that found themselves on TV. It was supposed to be a weekend of wild upsets and breakout performances.
What it turned into was more of the same.
If, at the beginning of the season, you were told the NFL Championship weekend would give us matchups of San Francisco-Seattle and Denver-New England, no one would have batted an eye.
Chances are, they would have been quite pleased, too.
So that’s where we are headed. On Saturday, the Seahawks took care of the New Orleans Saints in blustery, rainy CenturyLink Field in front of a raucous 12th man crowd. The Seahawks, pre-season favorites to win the Super Bowl by many, find themselves in the NFC title game for the first time in nearly a decade, ready to face their bitter rivals.
San Francisco, on the other hand, has made it to week three of the playoffs for the third straight season after a thorough—if not dominating—win at Carolina on Sunday. Led by a ferocious defense, the Niners head north where they have struggled mightily—but this time, they come in the with the experience and focus necessary to pull the upset.
In the AFC, we get to see one of the greatest one-on-one battles once again, as Tom Brady and the Patriots head west to face the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning.
The Broncos, NFL darlings for most of the season, pushed a small monkey off their backs yesterday with a win at home against the San Diego Chargers, a team responsible for two of their three regular season losses.
It’s not about the Broncos though, if you’ve been paying attention.
This matchup is about Peyton’s legacy. Viewed as perhaps the best regular season Quarterback of all-time, Manning can cement his place in history once and for all by making it to the Super Bowl and winning—and there’s no better matchup to do it against than his biggest adversary, the New England Patriots.
For the Patriots, who, shockingly, have not won a title in 10 years, this provides yet another opportunity to net Mr. Brady that elusive fourth ring, which is something he has failed twice to do.
So, while divisional weekend may have lacked the sparks necessary to draw the casual fan in, all of that goes out the window this Sunday. Four rivals will square off with a trip to the biggest game in America on the line. Legacies will be forged, dynasties will either continue on or be officially laid to rest, and new stars will catapult into superstardom.
PREDICTIONS:
San Francisco 24, Seattle 21. For as much fanfare as the Seahawks’ defense gets—and rightfully so—San Francisco’s has been just as good. Now that he has his main weapon in Michael Crabtree back, look for Colin Kaepernick to put his stamp on the best young QB in the NFL title. Too much defense, too many weapons for the Niners.
New England 33, Denver 30. Raise your hand if, at the beginning of the Playoffs, you had LeGarrette Blount as the NFL’s post-season MVP.
Anyone? Anyone?
That’s the case, however, after his four touchdown performance against the Colts Saturday night, and that’s the reason New England will overpower the Broncos. As good as Denver’s offense has been, the loss of Von Miller and other key defensive players will prove to be too much for the Patriots, who suddenly won’t rely solely on the arm of Tom Brady. This one could be a classic, in a long-line of memorable showdowns between these two quarterbacks.
