We are down to the final four in the NFL, and they will be playing later this afternoon to see who plays in Super Bowl 40...or Super Bowl XL...or Super Bowl eXtra Large. At 3:00 EST, the AFC Championship will be played as Pittsburgh goes to the mile-high city to take on Denver. Immediately afterwards, at 6:30 EST, it's the NFC's turn, as Carolina is in Seattle to do battle. Here's what I'm expecting to happen:
(#6) Pittsburgh Steelers at (#2) Denver Broncos (-3) - Both of these teams are very familiar with the playoffs and the Super Bowl. The Broncos have put together a solid season and have been quietly beating team after team, including taking out the 2-time defending Champion New England Patriots last week. The Steelers had some early struggles this year, but have been on fire over the last half of the season and the playoffs, including an impressive win over the #1 seed, Indianapolis Colts, last weekend. So, what happens now? Both teams can't win, so which one comes out on top? My money is on Pittsburgh. Sure, Bill Cowher is known to fall apart in the playoffs, but the Steelers have just looked too darn good to be stopped. I expected them to fall apart in Indy last week, and they almost did, but they held on and won. I don't think Denver is as good as Indy. Sure they beat the Pats last weekend, but like I said in my previous post, the Pats pretty much beat themselves. The Steelers have a great team all around. They can beat you on the ground...they can beat you through the air...and they can beat you on defense, and although Denver has a pretty solid well-balanced team as well, I just think Pittsburgh is a little bit better in every area. They don't seem to have a problem winning on the road, either, which they will have to do today to move on to the Super Bowl...and they will. PIT 24 DEN 17
(#5) Carolina Panthers at (#1) Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) - The question in this game is whether or not league MVP, Shaun Alexander, will play for Seattle. Alexander suffered a concussion last weekend against the Redskins, but appears to be healthy enough to get out in the field. He is fully expected to play in today's game. On the other side of the field, the Panthers have lost their top two RB's Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster and are forced to start 3rd-stringer, Nick Goings. Goings is a suitable replacement, but he has never played in a game this important, so nerves could play a factor. Carolina could be forced to the air early and often if Seattle can build a lead, but the Panthers are fully capable of scoring through the air with the NFL's leader in receptions, Steve Smith, on the team and healthy. He has 103 receptions for 1563 yards and 12 TD's in 2005 not to mention 22 receptions for 302 yards and 3 TD's in the Panthers 2 playoff games. Both teams have above average defenses, but this game could easily turn out to be a high-scoring shootout with all the offensive weapons on both sides of the field, but I think it will be Seattle who pulls out the victory by controlling the clock with a healthy dose of Shaun Alexander. SEA 31 CAR 27
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