Football: Conference Championships

Well Andy didn't do too bad. Missed as many as I did. However these events have made me rethink who is left.

Pittsburgh versus Denver

Now I feel that both games this weekend are going to be good games and therefore close matches. So these are both tough decisions. My personal feelings align more with Pittsburgh because I like the way they play defense and the style of offense they use. And on top of it, I am not a Bronco fan, it makes it hard to see anything other than a Steeler victory. I do have to hand it to the Bronco's in running some superb games and controlling the ball. They have a superb ground game as well as a strong defense that is quick. I am going to give this to Pittsburgh because of their emotional elements to this game as I feel we have two evenly matched teams with similar strengths and weaknesses.

Carolina versus Seattle

I am going to stick with my original prediction. John Fox is going to coach his team to victory. I know Carolina is beat up, but they are playing with a vengeance on this one. Seattle wants to win but there is a missing aspect of a player that is really pulling for it other than the MVP Alexander. The man can run. Holmgren is a good coach and puts together teams with lots of talent. Hasslebeck is a good quarterback with plenty of seasoning. The defense is a solid unit, but with some gaps due to free agency losses at the beginning of the season. Carolina has injuries plaguing the running back position, but has decent backups. Their quarterback is a workhorse. Their defense is flashy and inconsistent. Based on what I saw with the Bears and how they have performed this whole season, I put my money on the Panthers because of their inconsistency. Offensively they are going to run the same game they normally do, but defensively, I think this will be the week they put their stuff together and pull out a win.

As for the superbowl, I am leaning towards a Pittsburgh win. Which I might again chalk up to defensive inconsistency from Carolina. I won't be sure until the dust settles for the battles of the weekend.