After playoff action, the NFL is down to its final four teams.
The Pittsburgh Steelers host the New York Jets in the AFC championship, and the Chicago Bears will welcome their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, to Chicago for the NFC championship.
By most accounts, the Packers, Steelers and Jets had a good chance to make it this deep in the playoffs. However, few picked the Bears to make it this far at the outset of the season (remember they had to get through Green Bay and the Minnesota Vikings in their division). The Bears haven't faced a tough opponent since their week 17 matchup against the Packers, which they lost. I think Lovie Smith played his starters not just to keep them fresh for the playoffs, but also because he saw Green Bay as a real threat and wanted to knock them out of the playoffs before they started (had the Bears won, the New York Giants would have made the playoffs instead). They failed to do so, and now must face the Packers again with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Jay Cutler is proving he can be a big game quarterback lately, but there's always the possibility of him turning the ball over. Cutler threw 16 interceptions this season. Against a strong Packer defense (that is ranked fifth against the pass in the NFL), Cutler will need to take care of the ball a little better. The Bears' defense is as strong as ever, led by first-year-Bear Julius Peppers and lifetime-Bear Brian Urlacher. But is it ready to stop the Packer's highflying attack?
The Packers were decimated by injuries early in the season, but have found capable backups to fill the voids left by starters like Ryan Grant (RB), Jermichael Finley (TE), Mark Tauscher (T) and Nick Barnett (LB). The defense has stepped up in recent weeks and Aaron Rodgers is making good decisions with the ball. That will be important this week because the Bears boast the second best run defense in the NFL. Rodgers will have to dissect the secondary and the defense will need another big game. Turnovers are certainly possible against the turnover-prone Jay Cutler if the Packers expect to win the matchup.
These two teams split their regular season match-ups, with Chicago winning 20-17 in week three, and the Packers winning 10-3 in week 17. After weighing all the options, my final pick on the game: Packers win 34-21.
As for the other matchup, I think the Steelers might be the most complete football team when completely healthy in the NFL. The defense is stacked and is the best in the NFL against the run, Big Ben knows how to run the offense and Rashard Mendenhall has proved he is a feature back. The question for the Steelers is whether or not the Jets can screw up their game plan like they did against the Colts and Patriots. Rex Ryan's schemes kept both teams from scoring like they did throughout the season and is one of the main reasons the Jets are in the conference championship.
The other major reason is the Jets' big play offense. They struggle at times to sustain drives, but then they will strike quickly without warning. This can be attributed to Sanchez's inconsistency and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's somewhat erratic play calling.
If the Jets are somehow able to establish any sort of running game, which Rex Ryan will inevitable try to do, it's their game to lose. The most crucial matchup is without a doubt Darrell Revis on Mike Wallace. If Wallace is stranded on Revis Island, it could be a long day for the Pittsburgh offense, which relies on Wallace's ability to get downfield, taking the defense's attention with him. I believe Revis is up to the task, and that is why the Jets will prevail in the end 20-17, giving us the Packers against the Jets in the Super Bowl.
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