Championship Predictions

The Grandstander brings a 7-1 record for Playoffs Predictions into NFL Championship Weekend.  Astounding!

In the NFC, I was amazed last week at both the performance of the Atlanta Falcons and the individual performance of the Packers' Aaron Rodgers.  It looks to be a set up for a terrific game with a lot of scoring.  It is hard to go against Rodgers, but I am going to play a hunch and choose the FALCONS to defeat Green Bay and make their second trip to the Super Bowl.

In the AFC, well, we all know that the New England Patriots are the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, for God's sake.  Belichick, Brady, and all that.  Yes, they are formidable. Yes, they are favored, and yes, it will be huge task to defeat them.  However, back in September, I predicted that the Steelers would win the Super Bowl, and Tomlin, Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown, and a young and an improving-by-the-week defense are pretty good, too, so I see no reason to back away from that this late in the game. So it will the the STEELERS over the Patriots on Sunday, and a record ninth trip to the Super Bowl for the franchise.

If I am right, and we end up with a Steelers-Falcons pairing in the big game, I will offer a third prediction:  Endless wailing and gnashing of teeth from all the sporting pundits bemoaning the fact that there will be no match-up between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Hey, I concede that those two guys are capital G Great, but have you ever witnessed such a slurp-a-thon as we have seen in the last week over two players? I mean...

This endless moaning will also lead to the inevitable speculation of "Who will even bother to watch a Pittsburgh-Atlanta game, when it could have been Brady vs. Rodgers?"

There you have it.  As always, watch, but don't bet.