Sunday, January 21, the final four teams remaining in the NFL will face off in the AFC and NFC Championships. At 3:05 PM ET, the red-hot Green Bay Packers, led by their veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, face-off against the strong Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. This game is going to be a nail-biter in my opinion as the Packers have seemed unstoppable in recent weeks, most notably their win last Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Aaron Rodgers led his team to victory in this game with the assistance of Mason Crosby, who kicked the game-winning field goal. Additionally, the Packers faced many more playoff-teams towards the end of the regular season, not only helping them prepare for the playoffs but also building the team's confidence. However, the Packers have been plagued with injuries to their star players, including Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. The Packers can play without Nelson, as evident in their win last week, but playing without Adams and Nelson could be the reason the Packers miss the Super Bowl this year.
On the other hand, the Falcons have been a solid team throughout the season, beating Oakland, Tampa Bay, and GREEN BAY. The Falcons are led by their star quarterback Matt Ryan who has had a great deal of success with the team. Ryan has proved to be a large part of each win the team earns. With the help of Wide Receiver Julio Jones, Ryan and the Falcons are going to be extremely tough to stop for the Packers. The Falcons must find a way to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packers surging offense in order to have a chance to win this game. Because of the Packers recent success , I see them as an unstoppable foe for the Falcons, even though they beat them earlier in the season.
Moving on to the AFC. The New England Patriots play against the Pittsburgh Steelers following the NFC Championship game. The Steelers are also led by a veteran quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, who, with the help of Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, has led the Steelers to a number of victories this season. This trio is going to difficult to stop for the Patriots defense, especially if Roethlisberger begins to get on a roll. Stats don't always show how a team actually plays during playoff games, and this is certainly true for the Steelers. They are always a team that you can never underestimate, especially during this stage of the playoffs.
The Steelers are facing off against the New England Patriots, arguably the best team in the league. Not only do the Patriots have star quarterback Tom Brady, they also have Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount, Danny Amendola, Devin McCourty, and Dont'a Hightower. Although the Patriots seemed a little bit off last week, they managed to emerge with the win. They plan to bounce-back and knock out the Steelers and move onto another Super Bowl, hopefully their seventh appearance since 2002. Under Bill Belichick, this seems like a reality to the Patriots fans around the country. The Patriots seem to overmatch the Steelers, which is why I believe they are going to move onto the Super Bowl.
So regardless if you are a football fan or not, you probably want to watch these games this weekend because you're in for a treat. The matchups showcase some of the best teams in the NFL. For those fans that have not been keeping up this year, turn the TV on on Sunday and brush up before the Super Bowl rolls around on February 5. Don't forget to tune in at 3:05!
