There are only four teams left in the playoffs as they road to the Super Bowl continues. There will only be two teams left to play in the Super Bowl, so you know the remaining teams will give it their all to get their spot. Every team's goal is to win a Super Bowl and these four teams are close to accomplishing this goal. These remaining teams are the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots or Chiefs will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl while the Cowboys or Falcons will represent the NFC. It has been a great NFL season so far and it is close to ending. Let's get started with the predictions!
AFC Championship Round
The Kansas City Chiefs (Second Seed) at The New England Patriots (First Seed)
This will be a rematch of the Divisional round match up from last year's playoffs. These are two completely different teams from the last time they played each other. The Patriots don't have Rob Gronkowski, but their offense is still one of the best in the league. The Chiefs have one of the best defenses in the league but have added rookie and return specialist Tyreek Hill and improved play from Spencer Ware with Jamaal Charles' absence. These two teams are the top teams in the AFC with the best two records.
Why The Chiefs win:
The Chiefs have one of the best defenses in the league with great players like Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, Eric Berry, and Dontari Poe. The Patriots offense is beatable as long as pressure is applied to Tom Brady. The Chiefs have the defense to do so. The Patriots offense line has been shaky at times and with players like Hali, Houston, and Poe, The Chiefs could give the Patriots O-Line a hard time. Also, Travis Kelce might be a problem for New England since he is another Gronk. Also the speed of rookie Tyreek Hill could be a problem since it has been proven that Hill can changed the game in one play.
Why The Patriots win:
The Patriots have one of the best offenses in the league, plus their defense has been of the best bend don't break defenses in the league even after trading away Jamie Collins to the Browns. The Chiefs have been struggling on offense this season with them relying on their defense a lot these games. Also, Jeremy Maclin has been struggling with injuries this year and hasn't been himself. Even Jamaal Charles has not played a lot this season with setbacks from his return from injury and Spencer Ware has taken his spot as starting running back. The Patriots know what it takes to win the big games when they matter the most. The Patriots offense will be too much for the defense and their defense will keep the Chiefs offense in check.
Who I think will win:
I have the Patriots winning this game due to their offense and defense. They have the better offense in this match up and even though their defense isn't better than the Chiefs, they should hold the Chiefs offense in check. This will be a hard fought battle but the Patriots will win by a very small margin.
Score: New England 30 Kansas City 27
NFC Championship Round
The Atlanta Falcons (Second Seed) at The Dallas Cowboys (First Seed)
This game is one of the best rushing offenses that feature the leading rusher in the NFL in Ezekiel Elliot versus one of the best passing offenses in the league with quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones. These two teams will fight to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, so expect this to be a slugfest. The Cowboys led by two rookies versus the veterans Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.
Why the Falcons will win:
The Atlanta Falcons have one of the best passing offenses in the league. They not only have one of the best wideouts in Julio Jones, but they also have speedster Taylor Gabriel and Mohamed Sanu. Also, they have Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman at running back, so expect a mix of passing and rushing. The Cowboys defense has been great against running backs but have trouble against the pass. The Falcons are one of the best passing teams in the NFL, so expect them to exploit Dallas' pass defense. The Cowboys should also look out for Vic Beasley in this game as he is one of the league's best tackler.
Why the Cowboys will win:
Ezekiel Elliot was the NFL's leading rusher this year as a rookie. He shocked the NFL with his impressive runs. The Atlanta Falcons have an average run defense, so expect the Cowboys to be running more than passing. The Cowboys arguably have one of the best O-Lines in the league, expect a good game from Zeke. Expect Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to produce in this game also. The line will give Dak Prescott enough time to make the right plays and read the defenses to know what to do.
Who I think will win:
This will be another close championship game as I expect the Dallas Cowboys to squeak by the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys O-Line and rushing game will be too much for the Falcons and I believe that the Cowboys will hold the other Falcons weapons in check, but expect another huge game from Julio Jones.
Score: Dallas 24 Atlanta 21
There are my predictions for the conference championship round. The last three years, both number one seeds have made it to the Super Bowl and I expect the same to happen this year. I will be doing the Super Bowl predictions next week and then going back to basketball articles for All Star Weekend!
