Conference Championship Picks and Discussion Thread!

[Everlong]

It’s CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND, one of my favorite days of sports of the entire year.

FYI, I’ll have the results for the last couple weeks tallied up along with the championship game points after this weekend.

This weekend, scoring is slightly different than the last couple weeks. Now, it’s FIVE points for a correct pick, and TEN points for a correct upset.

So here we go!

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 3:00 ET – New England Patriots (13-4) at Denver Broncos (13-4), NE by 3 – I just really don’t see the Broncos having enough offense to win this game. Peyton Manning is completely done, and the smarter move would likely be to start Brock Osweiler, but that probably will not happen. The Broncos’ defense will prevent this game from turning into a blowout, but what could potentially be an all-time great unit has been ruined by the Broncos’ quarterback situation. So for those who want to see Peyton ride off into the sunset with a Super Bowl win, sorry. You’re getting a 7th Tom Brady Super Bowl appearance. Patriots 24, Broncos 17

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 6:40 ET – Arizona Cardinals (14-3) at Carolina Panthers (16-1), CAR by 3 – Man, this is going to be the game to watch, and it’s much tougher to predict than the Patriots/Broncos matchup. I’ve been saying for much of the past two months that I expected the Super Bowl to be Cardinals/Patriots, so I don’t really want to get away from that here. However, the Cardinals very nearly lost at home to the Packers, while the Panthers steamrolled the Seahawks out of the gate last week. The way the Panthers sat on their lead gives me some pause, but this team is 16-1 for a reason.

In the end though, I’m sticking with my predictions from over the last couple months. I just hope that whoever wins this game wins the Super Bowl. UPSET! – Cardinals 23, Panthers 20

[The Legend]

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 3:00 ET – New England Patriots (13-4) at Denver Broncos (13-4), NE by 3 – Watching the AFC Divisional Game last week between the Steelers and Broncos left me with one distinct feeling. How could these two teams be the second and third best teams in the AFC. And yet, they undoubtedly were the second and third best teams in the AFC this year. Missing the Karate Kid last week surely hurt Pittsburgh a little, but still that was ugly. People that want to put it on Peyton entirely are missing the point as well. The Bronco receivers are extremely unreliable and up and down. They miss Julius Thomas as a threat in the middle of the field dearly and their offensive line is really not good. The Patriots have this game, but I do think a little bit of magic may make this game seem closer than it really ever is. NE Patriots 23, Denver Broncos 20

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 6:40 ET – Arizona Cardinals (14-3) at Carolina Panthers (16-1), CAR by 3 – Both of these teams are better than either of the teams playing in the AFC Championship game. I fully believe the winner of this game is going to win the Super Bowl. Carolina looked really good in the first half against Seattle, but let's not forget this isn't Seattle of the past two seasons. The Seahawks are a fading team that should have lost to Minnesota in the Wild Card round. There are still definite questions of constant stability for the Panthers when it comes to performance and effort that I just don't see with Arizona. The Cardinals played a close game against the Packers last week, but Green Bay is really good - just uneven. I've been on their bandwagon basically all year and am not leaving now. Hell, if they lose this week I might still pick Arizona to win the Super Bowl in two weeks, that's just how much I believe they are the best team in the NFL this year. UPSET!!! Arizona Cardinals 31, Carolina Panthers 27

[Messiah]

Wow, I always knew neither of you two believed.

Fuck Messiah and his happiness.

[The Legend]

Wow, I always knew neither of you two believed.

Fuck Messiah and his happiness.

Hey man, I'll be happy for you if it happens, I just can't change what I see and believe with my own eyes.

[Everlong]

Wow, I always knew neither of you two believed.

Fuck Messiah and his happiness.

Hey, I'll be totally fine with the Panthers winning.

[DBSoT]

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 3:00 ET – New England Patriots (13-4) at Denver Broncos (13-4), NE by 3 – I feel like a lot of people are going to write the Broncos off because of Peyton's limits right now. Those fears are not without warrent, but I think people forget that the Broncos beat the Pats earlier in the season. The Broncos defense carried this team to the AFC championship and I don't see why they can't keep this game close. If Manning doesn't turn the ball over, I could see the Broncos pulling this game out. I unfortunately do not see that happening. New England 26 Denver 20

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 6:40 ET – Arizona Cardinals (14-3) at Carolina Panthers (16-1), CAR by 3 – This game is very hard to predict. Both teams are playing extremely well right now. The two things that separate these teams are the QBs and WR depth. Cam is the better QB, but doesn't have the WR depth, while Carson is a good QB with better WR depth. The big wild card here is Larry Fitzgerald. When it comes to playing well in big games, Fitz has been the guy. He will be going up against a tough task in Josh Norman. The more I type the harder this one is to call. Arizona 28 Carolina 24.

@Messiah, I want you to be happy. I also want to win the NFL picks, soooo.......

[HFX]

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 3:00 ET – New England Patriots (13-4) at Denver Broncos (13-4), NE by 3 – Patriots 26, Broncos 17

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 6:40 ET – Arizona Cardinals (14-3) at Carolina Panthers (16-1), CAR by 3 – UPSET!!! Cardinals 22, Panthers 20

[CMPUNKFAN]

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 3:00 ET – New England Patriots (13-4) at Denver Broncos (13-4), NE by 3 – UPSET!!! Broncos 20 Patriots 17

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 6:40 ET – Arizona Cardinals (14-3) at Carolina Panthers (16-1), CAR by 3 – UPSET!!! Cardinals 24 Panthers 20

[JDD]

UPSET! Broncos
Panthers

[Str8Shooter]

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 3:00 ET – New England Patriots (13-4) at Denver Broncos (13-4), NE by 3 – NEW ENGLAND

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 6:40 ET – Arizona Cardinals (14-3) at Carolina Panthers (16-1), CAR by 3 – CAROLINA

[EmperorWu]

Pats
Cards

[BSM]

Patriots
Cardinals. UPSET!

[RatedRBowler]

Patriots > Broncos
Cardinals > Panthers UPSET!!

[xgamr]

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 3:00 ET – New England Patriots (13-4) at Denver Broncos (13-4), NE by 3 – Pats

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY at 6:40 ET – Arizona Cardinals (14-3) at Carolina Panthers (16-1), CAR by 3 – UPSET Cardinals

[Everlong]

Crazy. Eight people picked Pats/Cards. Only JDD picked Panthers/Broncos!

Also, @Messiah, where the fuck were you during the playoffs? You didn't pick a single game in any of the weeks. I'm not sure if that should count for elimination or just a loss of one week since it'd equal the amount of games in a regular season.