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The NFL season is winding down, with the Conference Championship Games being held on Sunday to determine who will play in Super Bowl 50 on February 7 in Santa Clara, California.Each conference gets to see the number two seeds go on the road to take on the number one seeds, a field of four that has features four of the top defenses in the league and quarterbacks who have proven in their careers to be able to take the reins of a team and lead them to great heightsUp first is the AFC Championship game, a rematch of two years ago when the Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots to advance to Super Bowl 48. The game is once again in Denver, where the two teams played earlier, but with New England coming from the cold confines of Massachusetts, they should have little trouble adjusting to the elements.In the NFC, we get Arizona Cardinals traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Carolina Panthers in a game featuring the two best teams over the course of the season. Both teams excel on offense and defense and this should be the marquee match up of the season. Let’s dive in and see what each team does well and what they struggle with.
#1 New England Patriots
The Good
Tom Brady and the Patriots pass offense looks to be clicking just at the right time. The Patriots rely on Brady’s ability to diagnose coverage quickly and his receivers to work fast in their routes to find little openings in the pass defense to slowly march down field. With tight end Rob Gronkowski and recevier Julian Edelman looking to be back at full strength in last week’s win vs the Kansas City Chiefs, Brady has his top two pass catchers back after seeing them on the sidelines at various times late in the season. The Patriots defens has also rising to the occasion of late, being opportunistice and setting up their potent offense.
The Bad
Plain and simple, the Patriots can’t run the football. Last week vs the Chiefs they ran the ball a total of 14 times for 38 yards (2.7 per carry), and six of those runs were by quarterback Tom Brady. At this stage of the season, it seems like the Patriots have all but given up on idea of running the ball which could prove detrimental when facing a defense as good as Denver’s. The Patriots need to hope the short pass game is clicking so they can use it as their run game.
#2 Denver Broncos
The Good
The Denver Broncos defense has been a thing of beauty to watch, with top flight performers at every level. They have consistently dominated in both run and pass defense all year, and have a terrorizing pass rush to go along with a scary secondary when they put teams in obvious passing situations. They rank as the top pass defense this year, as Chris Harris, Jr. Aqib Talib, and Bradley Roby have worked expertly on receivers while Demarcus Ware and Von Miller have put consistent pressure on the quarterbacks. The Broncos will need to lean on their defense to shut down a very good pass offense.
The Bad
Quarterback play has not been pretty this year for the Denver Broncos, whether Peyton Manning or Brock Osweiler has been under center. After having Osweiler start the game against New England in November, the Broncos will turn to Manning and hope he can muster enough of a passing game to win the game. Last week, he was about as average as can be and the Broncos were barely able to squeak out a victory. Manning is going to need to hit some downfield passes this weekend so the Patriots can’t just key on the run game.
#3 Arizona Cardinals
The Good
Unlike the first two teams, the Cardinals play both sides of the ball extremely well, ranking in the top five on offense and defense. Offensively, Carson Palmer and his receivers push the ball downfield any chance they get, laying to waste the idea that you have to get just past the sticks on a third and long. The Cardinals have three above average receivers who are constantly making plays both before and after the catch. On defense, the Cardinals are equally adept at stopping the run and the pass. To stop the run, they play fast and downhill, looking to meet the ball carrier before the offensive linemen can get to them, while against the pass they use a mix of blitzes and a top flight secondary to squeeze away passing windows.
The Bad
With how well the Cardinals have played this season, there isn’t much bad on the roster, but the running game is something that has been average, and sticks out when you compare it to the rest of the facets of the game wherer the Cardinals rank in the top five. Also, the loss of all everything defender Tyrann Mathieu has neutered some of the Cardinals versatility and it will be interesting to see how they attack the Panthers running game and third down sets without Mathieu.
#4 Carolina Panthers
The Good
They have the probable MVP in quarterback Cam Newton and possible Defensive Player of the Year in Luke Kuechley. They have nine Pro Bowlers on their team, and their defense has been especially dominant, putting a player in the Pro Bowl from the defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs. Their defensive unit plays with speed and belief in their system that is almost unmatched in the NFL, and when cracks start to show, Kuechley and fellow linebacker Thomas Davis are their to patch things up. Offensively, they use a diverse running game to find weaknesses in the defensive scheme they are going against, and then unleash the best running quarterback in the league in Cam.
The Bad
If you watched the Cardinals game against the Green Bay Packers last week, you saw the Cardinals shut down a group of below average receivers. Well guess who also has below average receivers? Ding, ding, ding, the Carolina Panthers do. They will be matched up with a secondary that has the ability to man up on them and let the rest of the defense devote itself to the running game. If Tedd Ginn, Jr., who will almost assuredly will be shadowed by All Pro conerback Patrick Peterson, can’t get open for a long pass, the Panthers are going to have to excel on the ground Sunday.
#5 And the Winners Are...
New England - Denver
In the early game, the Patriots are favored despite heading on the road, thanks to a balanced team. For Denver to win this game, their defense is going to need to shut down the Patriots short passing game and make them throw the ball deep or have to run the ball to move it consistently. They also have to hope that Peyton Manning shakes the turnover bugged that greatly plagued him during the nine games he started during the regular season. Because of all the ifs involved for the Broncos, I see the Patriots heading back to the Super Bowl in a 21-10 victory.
Arizona - Carolina
I really wanted an Arizona-Seattle rubber match, but I can’t argue one bit about getting the top two seeds in the NFC. We are going to get two of the best five defenses on the same field at once, both who are very adept at finding a weakness in the oppostion and attacking it untl the other team submits. I think this game will hinge on the play of the receivers for both teams, as they will have to work against pass defenses that have shut down opposing passing attacks all year. In the end, I have to side with the visiting Cardinals, as their receivers are vastly superior to those of the Panthers and should prove to be the deciding factor in a close, 24-21 Cardinals win.
