NFL Conference Championship Preview

It's the final four, NFL style. This Sunday the last four teams left in the NFL playoffs face each other for the right to go to the Superbowl. A championship weekend this big meant that Mr. Miyagi and the Special One had to collaborate to cover every angle (insert Rex Ryan foot-fetish camera man joke here). Check out Mr. Miyagi's NFC Conference Championship preview and the Special One's AFC Conference Championship preview.

NFC Conference Championship

#2 Chicago vs. #6 Green Bay

Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Sunday 23rd January 2011 at 3 PM 

And then there were 2…

The last two teams standing in the NFC are the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. These teams know plenty about one another because they are in the same division (NFC North) and have already played each other twice. In week 3 the Bears were victorious 20-17 at home while the Packers won 10-3 in week 17. The week 17 game was very important to the Packers because they needed to win it in order to qualify for the playoffs.  The Bears had already wrapped up the #2 seed in the NFC and a home bye, but played their starters anyway because they wanted to knock the Pack out of the playoffs. While the Packers had everything to lose and the Bears had nothing to gain, both teams played hard  and I think we could learn a lot from looking at that game. Basically, the Packers are better and they should earn a berth in the Superbowl.

Green Bay is fresh off giving the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons a beat down on the road. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was extremely impressive and moved the ball at will. Ron “Jaws” Jaworski tells me (well, he told Wilbon and Kornheiser on PTI, but they are basically me…) that 15 times the Falcons had a free rusher get to Rodgers and on those 15 plays Rodgers completed 13 of 15 passes for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rodgers is easily the hottest player in the playoffs and the Pack also have who might be the hottest defensive player in the playoffs, undrafted CB Tramon Williams, who has 3 interceptions and 1 TD in two playoff games.

Meanwhile, the Bears beat the 8-9 Seattle Seahawks at home in QB Jay Cutler’s first postseason win, at any level of football (including Madden, I hear Cutler is the WORST at Madden…). The Bears looked every bit the #2 seed they are last weekend and terrorized the Seahawks en route to a 35-24 win. But, this weekend the Bears don’t have the benefit of playing the only football team in the history of football to play 18 games and lose 10 (Random stat of the week).

How will it play out? Well, we here at Onions! are the proud owners of a crystal ball and we like to break it out on occasions like this.

The Packers get to their first Superbowl in the post Brett Favre era by beating the bears 28-13. Write it down! Go tell your bookie! And send Onions! a check for 5% of your take…

AFC Conference Championship

#2 Pittsburgh vs. #6 New York

Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sunday 23rd January 2011 at 6:30 PM

The Sanchize vs. the Rapesleberger; Loud and foot loving Rex Ryan vs. Stoic, presumably non-foot fetishist Mike Tomlin; Cromartie’s Love of Creating Life vs. Harrison’s Love of Taking Life Away

The Jets stomped the Patriots in Gillette Stadium last week to win 28-21. A couple of foot-in-mouth decisions by Rex Ryan and his crew gave the Patriots another chance in the fourth but this game was pretty much over after Santonio Holmes decided to make Sanchez look like Brady instead of Sexy Rexy Grossman. Sanchez does not stand with the elite quarterbacks but he only needs to be Trent Dilfer good (remember him). Throw in the general area of your receivers but not close to defenders or don’t lose games. New York’s D can curbstomp you to the ground (ask Brady) but need help from the offense. When the offense makes mistakes, the defense slips and plays like the Texans secondary (OK maybe not that historically bad). Make no mistakes and the Jets have a firm footing to play their game and win. Plus, who does not want more fetishly-good Rex Ryan press conferences.

In another memorable chapter of their hard-hitting series, Pittsburgh surged from a first half deficit to beat the Ravens 31-24. Ben Roethlisberger slung passes to all his willing receivers. He got little help from his run game (Mendenhall 20 carries for 46 yds). Pittsburgh’s defense swarmed the Ravens’ ball carriers preventing them from penetrating the end zone in the second half. Surely, Polamalu and company will make the Jets turn the ball over but can the offense depend on just Big Ben’s arm. Roethlisberger rarely takes no for an anwer and does all he can to make plays happen even forcing it at times.

Prediction: The offenses will probably struggle to put points up. Jets win in an ugly 12-10 game because as Rex Ryan says, “Football is a game of feet not yards.”

That leaves us with the Packers and the Jets in Dallas squaring off for Superbowl 45. CAN'T WAIT!