2012 NFL Conference Championships

I've had a tough week this week. From learning about myself, being sick, to try and come up with new ideas and finally to this topic, this weekend's Conference Championships. There isn't a bad matchup here, but both of these games could easily become un-entertaining blowouts that half the audience turns off in 10 minutes. Hopefully it won't come to that since last weekend's games were like that with the exception of the first one. With that in mind, here's my picks.

Baltimore at New England - 3pm EST
When these teams met at Foxboro last year, the Patriots won in overtime because the Ravens gave up the game basically. Instead of playing to win they played not to lose, which is, in reality, a great way to lose. Teams lose a step, and once they realize they're down by 3 with 2 minutes to go, it's already too late for a recovery. That's exactly the kind of football the Ravens played last week against the Texans, but thankfully for them TJ Yates was Houston's Quarterback.

This week is a different story however. The Patriots offense has been on-key for the past 2 months or so, looking almost unstoppable. Combine that with the fact that Ed Reed won't be 100% on Sunday and the Ravens offense is shaky at best, I expect a Patriots win. I wouldn't be surprised if the Ravens won, but I just can't see their offense getting 3 touchdowns.

My Pick: Patriots - 27, Ravens - 13


NY Giants at San Francisco - 6pm EST
With the exception of the final two drives on Saturday, San Francisco's defense looked pretty good against Drew Brees. I don't know whether to chock it up to them being tired for being on the field for so long, or just a complete mental breakdown for being in a close game in the Playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. Whatever the case, the game felt like their Super Bowl. The Giants on the other hand dominated the Packers from start to finish.

The Giants offense looked good the last 2 weeks against sub-par defenses, and while the same can be said for the 49ers last week against the Saints, the Giants offense is just better. I expect a close game here, but to me, it just feels like we're in for a rematch and a big one at that.

My Pick: Giants - 20, 49ers - 17