NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTIONS!

Brady. Rodgers. Wilson. Luck?

Yes, Andrew Luck. Talking about making the leap. Luck and his Colts knocked off the Broncos in upset fashion last week, to the chagrin of many, including myself, as a Denver win would've had my playoff record at an impressive 7-1. The loss caused major ripples in the Denver sea, including the team mutually agreeing to part ways with head coach John Fox (or in other words, they fired his ass). Really wanted to see Peyton try to get that elusive second ring which seems to be the only thing keeping him from being considered the greatest quarterback of all-time. Greatest regular season QB ever? Sure. But with so many epic signal callers in the past (and present), it's tough to put Peyton on the top of that list with such a mediocre postseason history.

While the Colts were a mild surprise, the other teams are usual suspects. Brady and his Pats are more than familiar with this stage, winning three rings and playing in the big game five times since 2002. (refresher, those two losses were to my NEW YORK GIANTS! Weeeheeee!) Rodgers and the Pack took home the hardware in 2010 and have had multiple playoff appearances since. Russ Wilson and the Seahawks are looking to be the first team to go back-to-back since the Pats ten years ago. Can Luck make the Super leap? Lots of intriguing storylines going into today.

And the picks...

PATRIOTS over Colts
So I guess this answers my last question. Andrew Luck is now comfortably in the upper echelon of current QB's after two impressive playoff wins. While a win against the Bengals isn't an incredible feat, to beat a rested, heavily-favorited Denver team and do it on the road was a head-turner. Sure, Indy's defense (and Peyton's horrible arm) had a lot to do with the victory, but with Luck at the healm, any game is winnable. Beating the Pats in New England in January would be a tough task for anyone, let alone a young QB still getting his postseason feet wet. As much as I don't want to see it, I expect the golden boy and hoody to confuse Luck enough to win by a touchdown.

SEAHAWKS over Packers
I know I'm going chalk here but doesn't a Pats/Hawks Super Bowl seem inevitable? Trust me, I'd much rather see Colts/Packers but I can't see it, especially not in this game. A hobbled Rodgers was enough to conquer the Cowgirls last week (Thank God) but this isn't a home came against a notoriously underwhelming team. This is a road test against Seattle's vaunted defense, on the verge of a repeat appearance to the big show. Don't think Rodgers has enough legs... and I don't think Green Bay's defense has enough cojones to stop Young Russ. I'll be cheering for stud WR's Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, celebrated members of my fantasy teams the past two years, but I see the Hawks winning easily.

So there you have it... two of the final three games of the NFL season. I'll be back in two weeks with my SUPER BOWL PREDICTION! Enjoy the games, amigos.

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION!

Folks, it's about that time. Super Bowl Sunday, one of the most glorious days of the year. Whether you're tuned in for the commercials, the halftime show (#TeamBruno) or the actual game, all eyes will be on MetLife Stadium tonight as the Denver Broncos square off against the Seattle Seahawks.

When I first began this blog, I predicted the outcome of every NFL playoff game. And quite successfully, I may add. While it's too late to do that (and judging by who I would've picked, it was probably for the best), it's time to take it back to the roots and drop a Super Bowl prediction for dat azz.

There have been many stats about the #1 overall defense playing in the Super Bowl. Damn near unbeatable. The argument there could be that they never faced the #1 overall offense. But that has happened... four times, actually... with the dominant defensive team winning three of those.

None of those defenses, however, have played against THIS offense. I know almost any metric you look at points to Seattle winning this game. It makes sense. Running the ball and playing (extraordinary) defense will win you many games, and the Seahawks do both well. But this is a whole different offensive monster were talking about here with Denver. While Seattle has a great defense, they are not considered a legendary, all-time defense. Denver's offense is in the discussion for the best ever.

In order for Seattle to win, they're gonna have to put up points. Holding Denver to under 30 would be a huge accomplishment. The Broncos' O is that good. I'm not confident Seattle can keep up. I know Russell Wilson has been as cool and calm as you can get. But unless Seattle jumps ahead early, he's going to have pressure he hasn't previously had to move the ball. Denver's secondary is leaky, but Seattle's receiving unit isn't elite, either. Seattle will put up points, just not enough to take the Lombardi Trophy home.

My prediction: Denver 34 - Seattle 21

(And yes, I made a whole blog about the outcome of the Super Bowl without mentioning Peyton Manning and Richard Sherman. You're welcome.)