The NFL Final Four!
I broke down the AFC Championship (Patriots at Broncos) and NFC Championship (49ers at Seahawks) with Neon Tommy’s Andrew McKagan. I have the home teams, but both of the road teams have beaten these teams. I’m expecting a great pair of games.
AFC Championship: The Patriots have defeated the Broncos four times in a row. Patriots QB Tom Brady has won his head-to-head matchup with Broncos QB Peyton Manning three times in a row. With a nice day in Denver, there’s no way the Patriots hold up defensively like they did after halftime against the Broncos in November. The Patriots are going to struggle to keep up offensively, as the Patriots passing game hasn’t been sharp since losing their biggest mismatch in the middle of the field, TE Rob Gronkowski.
NFC Championship: The pole to the legacy matchup in the American, as both teams are run-heavy, defensive stalwarts. The 49ers are going from taking on an undertalented secondary in Carolina to taking on the best secondary in football over the last four years in Seattle. Meanwhile, the Seahawks won’t have the privilege of running RB Marshawn Lynch up against the soft Saints run defense, as the 49ers have been one of the best run defenses in the NFL over the last few years. In a game where points will be at a premium, the little things matter, like special teams and those pre-snap penalties that Seattle’s 12th Man can elicit.
I called a Broncos/Seahawks Super Bowl before the season started … we’ll see today if it happens!
-1SKILLZ