NFC and AFC Championship Game

Hester has returned kicks for touchdowns against the Packers
and won't be scared to do it again this week.

NFC Championship Game : Packers @ Bears

My Prediction: 24-17 Bears

     Both teams have been dominant this season and in the playoffs too. The Bears won the division and beat the Seahawks 35-24 in the last round of the playoffs, and could have beaten them by more if it weren't by a few late scores by Seattle. The Packers made it as a wild card team and beat the Eagles in the 1st round, and then killed the NFC regular season champs, the Falcons in Atlanta, 48-21.

     In the two regular season games this season, both teams won at home and split the series 1-1. The Bears defeated the Packers in Chi City 20-17 week 3 and the Packers got revenge on the Bears, week 17 to advance to the playoffs. They won that game 10-3.

     If you ask anyone, most people would say that the Packers are the much hotter team right now and are favorites to win this game and the Super Bowl. I do think the Packers could win this game but i believe the Bears have the better chance of going to Dallas to play in the Super Bowl.

Heres Why:

     The Packers last game was played in warm Atlanta in a dome. Rodgers was able to pass very efficiently and threw for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Now they will have to play in 10 degree weather in the snow and wind in Chicago. That will have a major effect on the Packers and the play-call. The Packers will need running backs Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn to step up this week and i just don't think they can handle the Bears D. The Bears D is one of the best in the league and is lead by players like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Julius Peppers.

     Another reason i think the Bears can win this game is because the Packers are not efficient in games after recently playing indoors. This season the Packers went 3-3 after playing indoors. The losses came to New England, Atlanta, and Washington while they defeated the Jets, Niners, and Vikings. Also when they beat the Jets they only scored 9 points which shows they did not really adjust to the weather. Also they beat the Vikings indoors because they had back to back games in Domes. When they played the Niners they did score 34 points but then again San Fransisco is pretty warm during the day, and the Niners do not have a defense nearly as good as the Bears. Don't get me wrong the Packers have a great defense too, but the Bears are used to playing in the cold. They put up 35 on the Seahawks in the blizzard last week.

     The final two reasons i think the Bears can win this game is due to the injuries on the Packers and the Bears Special Teams. Devin Hester is a machine and has returned kicks for touchdowns in the playoffs. The Packers will be punting a lot on Sunday and even if they score they have to kick it bak to Hester. If they avoid Hester, the Bears can probably get great field position and will be able to score on short drives. Also the Packers are a very banged up team. Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant have been out since the beginning of the season and play major parts in this offense. Also one of the Packers defense stars, Clay Matthews is injured and although he will play he will not be 100%. Running Back John Kuhn is also hurt.

AFC Championship Game: Jets @ Steelers
My Prediction: 20-13 Steelers

     Do you know what it is?

      Black and Yellow that's right. The Jets playoff runs end this week and will please most of America. Rex Ryan will stick his foot in his mouth after the Steelers Defense shuts down Sanchez and the rest of the Jets offense. The Steelers defeated the Ravens last week 31-24 and Big Ben again showed that he is clutch when it matters late in the game. The Jets did look very impressive against the Colts and the Patriots but all that ends this week. Although the Jets beat the Steelers in the regular season that doesn't matter because the postseason is what really matters and the Steelers will get revenge.

Here is why:

     The Steelers Defense is much better then the Colts and Patriots and the Jets will figure that out very early in the game. The Jets cannot rely on Mark Sanchez to win this game. The Steelers have an amazing secondary with Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Troy Polamalu, and Ryan Clark. They rank 12th in pass rush and the Jets also do not have great wide receivers. The Jets had more drops than most teams in the NFL this season. So let's say that Sanchez can't pass so he gives the ball off to Shonne Greene and LT in the cold weather? Not a good idea either, the Steelers lead the NFL in rush defense, and running backs are only averaging 62 yards per game. The Steelers have stopped running backs like Ray Rice, Michael Turner, Chris Johnson, Peyton Hillis, and Darren McFadden all this season.

The Black and Yellow Nation will be all over the Jets this Sunday

     Another reason i think the Steelers can win this game is because of their own offense. Yes, Darrelle Revis is a great corner back but he can't guard Ward, Wallace, and Miller all at the same time. Cromartie has been playing pretty weak and I'm sure Big Ben will look to attack his side of the field. Also Rashard Mendenhall is a great back and can break through the Jets line for a score.

    The final deciding factor to why the Steelers will win is because of the home field advantage. The fans waving those towels will play a huge roll in pumping up Steelers Nation and cheering them to the Super Bowl. The Steelers were 5-3 at home this season and all the games they lost were decided by a touchdown or less.

So this week look for Black and Yellow, and for the Windy City to win this week for the respective Championship games.