Championship Week Analysis

 

Well, I�ll first talk about the NFC game and save the most important game for the second part of this article.

 

NFC Championship

The St. Louis Speedway

Philadelphia at St. Louis

4:15 pm

 

Once again this season, the mighty Rams, full of speed and offensive power, take on the upstart Eagles. During Week 1 of the regular season, the first meeting, the game was billed as a possible NFC Championship showdown; and so it has.

 

The Rams have played consistently well all season. Their one major weakness is their tendency to give up turnovers in bunches. This stems from Mike Martz�s philosophy to attack with reckless abandon all game, even when the game is in hand.

 

But, while the Rams (victors in overtime 20-17) continued to excel all season, the Eagles jumped from pathetic losers to the best team in the worst division. But, now the Eagles are playing top-notch football with Donovan McNabb leading the way. Who knew that it would end up this way?

 

Key Match-ups:

 

St. Louis D vs. Donovan McNabb�s running ability � If McNabb can cause havoc with his legs, the Eagles will hang around all day. McNabb frustrated Chicago last week when he refused to be tackled for losses on many occasions.

 

Kurt Warner vs. Philadelphia Blitz � The Rams were well in control during the first game until, the Eagles blitzed on every down from all angles with their cornerbacks and safeties. The key here is how well Warner picks up the blitzes. He won�t get them all, but it depends on how many he will.

 

Philadelphia Running Attack vs. St. Louis Front 7 � And yes, the old theory will be tested again. It�s a popular thought that if you can control the clock against the Rams naturally then Warner and Marshall Faulk have less of a chance at beating you. Well�I buy that theory.

 

Marshall Faulk vs. Philadelphia Front 7 � The Eagles never let the A-train get going last week. If they have a prayer in this game, the front 7 needs to corral Faulk.

 

Andy Reid vs. Mike Martz � Reid will be trying to out guess Martz all game long. Martz won�t even think twice about trying to go for broke on each and every play. It will be important for Reid to take advantage the fact Martz doesn�t react to plays, he just seems to make you try and stop what he�s calling.

 

Outlook: This game should be decided in the first half. Philly needs to put some points on the board and limit the Rams to under 17 points by the time halftime comes. If the Eagles can do that and McNabb can play the game of his life and they can force 5 turnovers, they have a chance. That�s too many �ands�. The Rams are the pick.

 

AFC Championship

The Ketchup Bottle

New England at Pittsburgh

12:30 pm

 

You can throw history and stats out the door. Personally, I don�t believe stats tell the whole story. And history? Well, if I�m going to write this article and take into account what happened 8 years ago, then I�m not giving this Steeler team any due. Because�it DOESN�T MATTER.

 

The New England Patriots are the darlings of the NFL this season, and Tom Brady wears the glass slipper. Bill Belichick is the fairy godmother and Brady has his loyal mouse friends in Antowain Smith, Troy Brown and Ty Law. The script calls for them to beat the odds and finish their destiny as Super Bowl champions. Well, lets just not play the game�okay?

 

Personally, this is just media bull to get the average fan interested in this weekend�s game. Everyone loves a winner and Tom Brady is a winner, regardless of his age. He has found ways to win. That must be taken into account. He may be 24 but right now he�s playing like a grizzled veteran.

 

Smith on the other hand has come on to play inspired football this season. A cast-off from the Buffalo Bills, Smith resurrected his career with the Pats with a 1,000 yd season. This gives the Smith a legitimate RB, something they�ve lacked since Curtis Martin left.

 

Troy Brown grasped his opportunity much like Hines Ward did here in Pittsburgh and Ty Law remains one of the best corners in all of football.

 

Belichick is a mastermind on defense, but lest we forget, we owned his Cleveland Browns in the mid-90s. He hasn�t had great success against us in the past. But, then again, don�t listen to history.

 

On the other side of the ball�well we know the story. We�ve lived and breathed it since opening day of training camp. The Steelers have their own destiny to fulfill, one that began long before this season. One that began immediately after the clocked hit 0:00 in January of 1980.

 

Keys to Match-ups

 

Tom Brady vs. The Blitz: He�s going to have to make quick decisions. Look for three step drops and heavy doses of screen passes. The Steelers won�t come after him too often and when they do it will be when he least expects it too. I will say one thing about the screen passes. Those calls will be successful more than once in this game, so don�t get too aggravated.

 

Jerome Bettis vs. New England�s Front 7: The Patriots don�t look like they intend on running an 8 man front. It will be important for the Steelers and Bettis to exploit this. I also want to see Zereoue get in there on first down every so often to mix things up. If Amos and Bettis finish with approximately equal carries, we will have field day running. And if that happens�well you know the story.

 

Pittsburgh O Line vs. New England O Line: New England�s is underrated and the Steelers� is the best in football. The line that has the best day should help to determine the outcome.

 

Turnovers: This is a key match-up because it�s not about who makes them. But, its about who capitalizes on them.

 

Trick Plays: Watch out! New England will attempt a few trick plays. Pittsburgh will too. I really don�t care. Again, its not quantity, but quality

 

Outlook: Pittsburgh needs to dance with the girl that got �em here. New England needs a career game from Smith and Brady. The line is 9, but it should be more like 5. The game will be closer than most people think, but I see �em Terrible Towel-wavers dancing in the streets of Pittsburgh all night long.

 

Regardless of the outcome I�ll be back next week with a full Super Bowl preview. I was 2-2 last week, but a questionable call cost me at 3-1 mark.

 

Written By

JB in the big Steel apple