Championship Sunday has four superstar QBs and two great games.
The NFL’s Final Four is Sunday with the NFC title between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots dueling for the AFC crown. Could we have two better match-ups? Absolutely not.
These are undoubtedly the four best teams in the NFL, all division champions and riding combined winning streaks of 29 straight. The four best quarterbacks are also still standing, with Atlanta’s Matt Ryan the current leader for MVP this season, Aaron Rodgers playing the best football of his career the last month and Big Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady owning six Super Bowl rings.
Ryan’s Falcons are slightly favored to gain their first Super Bowl appearance over Rodgers’ Packers by virtue of their home field advantage. But take Green Bay off the frozen tundra and put Rodgers in the controlled climate of the Georgia Dome and he may be even more dangerous than Ryan. His sensational play has allowed the Packers to fulfill Rodgers’ prophecy of running the table after a 4-6 start to the regular season with eight consecutive victories.
The Steelers are likely the last team the Patriots want to see in their quest to win their and Brady’s fifth Super Bowl. Big Ben is a durable quarterback who plays as well in cold weather as in warm. He does not play as well on the road, however, with only 9 TD passes and 8 interceptions on his playoff resume away from Heinz Field.
Brady, so far, is the master of the post-season, having been in 32 playoff games and entering his sixth consecutive AFC title match. But he will need help from his cast of unsung receivers and a defense allowing the fewest points in the NFL but vs. the easiest schedule. Ironically, Brady is the only true superstar on his team with Gronk out for the season. The Steelers feature WR Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell in that genre, and the Falcons have one in Julio Jones, if the spectacular wide out can play with an aggravated big toe.
At the end of the day, I like the Packers and Patriots, Rodgers and Brady, to reach Houston for a classic Super Bowl 51.
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