Picking the NFC and AFC Champions

Jan 22, 2021, 2:20 PM | Updated: May 22, 2024, 9:36 pm

We are in store for some great football this weekend.

The final four gives us great storylines across the board. The quarterback names by themselves is such a huge draw to the weekend. Rodgers, Brady, Mahomes and Allen are four of the best the NFL has to offer and we all get to watch them hopefully at their best on Sunday.

Let’s take a closer look at the title games:

Tampa Bay at Green Bay

Green Bay finally gets to host an NFC Championship game and they earned that with an impressive (13-3) regular season record and by virtue of their win over the Rams last weekend.

One of their losses however was to Tampa Bay back in October when they really got worked by the Buccaneers. Rodgers two big mistakes flipped the game around and Tampa got a great home victory 38-10. This position isn’t foreign to Green Bay as they were in the NFC Championship last year and have been in this game for the 4th time in the last 7 years.

For Tampa Bay they are trying to become the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. To do so they need to keep their road win streak going which stands at 7 straight wins. A lot of this feels about Brady vs. Rodgers and will likely come down to the two quarterbacks. Who makes the big mistake at the key time? Which defensive can get to the quarterback and force those miscues? What role will the running games have? This season Aaron Jones has chewed up yards to make him a 1,000 yard rusher.

It feels like so much more is on the line in this game for Aaron Rodgers. The team experience of going through this last year, the desire to break through and Aaron Rodgers playing at the top of his game has me leaning towards Green Bay on Sunday. Tampa will be without Antonio Brown giving them one less weapon. In a close one, give me: Green Bay 27, Tampa Bay 21.

Buffalo at Kansas City

#1 seed vs. #2 seed.

This is what was supposed to happen and the AFC layout played to form. This also features another matchup from earlier in the season. The Chiefs took out Buffalo in week 6. One of the storylines from that game was how Buffalo played Kansas City in that game. The Bills were understandably fearful of Patrick Mahomes and didn’t want him to beat him. He didn’t but the Chiefs ran for a season best 245 yards. Mahomes didn’t have a deep pass all game. Will the Bills change their strategy? Will they go with the same thing and see if they can improve their run defense?

On offense the Bills can help themselves out if they can find any kind of running game. They only rushed for 32 yards last week which was the 4th lowest ever for a playoff team in a win. They may utilize Josh Allen as a designed runner just to loosen some things up a bit.

Patrick Mahomes is cleared and out of protocol. The Chiefs have been flirting with danger in quite a few games this season. They do find ways to win and now 15 wins on the season shows you how good they are. In their last 9 games, 8 of those have been decided by 1 score or less. They win the close games, the other game was actually a loss. They are good, they play with fire and this week I think they finally get burned. Kansas City has more ways to beat you but Buffalo has been really good for 2 months. They have won 8 in a row and only 1 of those was decided by 1 score or less and that was 2 weeks ago against the Colts in round 1.

My pick: Buffalo 34, Kansas City 24.

Newsletter

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)...

Matt George

Harrison Barnes Declines Player Option, Will Test Free Agency

The 27-year-old forward will become an unrestricted free agent.

6 years ago

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)...

Matt George

Sacramento Kings Among Major Players for Free Agent Tobias Harris

The 26-year-old forward would be the best free agent the Sacramento Kings have every signed.

6 years ago

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)...

Matt George

Kings Head Coach Luke Walton Sued for Sexual Assault

Just over a week since being hired as the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings, former Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting female sports reporter Kelli Tennant. The incident, according to Tennant, took place in Walton’s hotel room back when he was an assistant coach with the […]

6 years ago

Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140...

Sactown Video

Video: Kings Post-Deadline Introductory Press Conference: Jonas Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia

The newest Sacramento Kings, Jonas Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia spoke with reporters Friday afternoon in their introductory press conference. They discussed what they bring to their new team, the adjustment of being traded mid-season, and more. #nba #sacramentokings #kingsnba #kings #jonasvalanciunas #jakelaravia #memphisgrizzlies #washingtonwizards Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140

16 hours ago

Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140...

Sactown Video

Video: De’Aaron Fox clears the air on rumors of his departure from Sacramento

Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox sent messages to Dave yesterday to clarify some of the misconceptions about his departure from Sacramento. These included the issue of him texting Stephon Castle before the trade was made and the real reason behind Fox’s frustrations. Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe! […]

22 hours ago

Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140...

Sactown Video

Video: The Drive Guys – 2/7/2025

Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe! #nba #sacramentokings #nfl #sanfrancisco49ers #mlb #oaklandathletics #sanfranciscogiants #sacramentorepublicfc Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140

1 day ago

Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140...

Sactown Video

Video: Allen Stiles Show – 2/7/2025

Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe! #nba #sacramentokings #nfl #sanfrancisco49ers #mlb #oaklandathletics #sanfranciscogiants #sacramentorepublicfc Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140

1 day ago

Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140...

Sactown Video

Video: The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross – 2/7/2025

Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe! #nba #sacramentokings #nfl #sanfrancisco49ers #mlb #oaklandathletics #sanfranciscogiants #sacramentorepublicfc Follow @https://twitter.com/sactown1140

1 day ago

PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 06: Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball as Do...

Brenden Nunes

Simons spoils Valanciunas debut, Blazers defeat Kings 108-102

Simons (30 pts) spoiled Valanciunas' Sacramento debut, as the red-hot Trail Blazers defeated the Kings 108-102 Thursday night in Portland.

1 day ago

Picking the NFC and AFC Champions