Opinion
Aaron Rodgers versus Tom Brady, Josh Allen versus Patrick Mahomes: it doesn’t get much better than this.
The two veteran quarterbacks will battle it out in the NFC, while the two young guns will battle it out in the AFC. Green Bay and Kansas City both enjoyed the week off in the Wild Card playoffs and were both victorious last week in the Divisional playoffs. Tampa Bay and Buffalo have won two straight playoff games to be able to play in the Conference Championship this Sunday. No matter what, we are guaranteed two fantastic matches to determine which two teams will play in this year’s Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers
There is no real surprise that Tampa Bay are playing in the NFC Championship this year. When you add Tom Brady to a team that has plenty of weapons on offence and a formidable defence, you expect wins. Tampa Bay will go into Green bay with plenty of confidence, having a terrific road record this season. Tampa Bay won last week on the back of Brady and their defence – if Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones can provide more than what they offered last week, Tampa will be hard to stop.
On the other side, Green Bay have been brilliant all year. There is no doubt Aaron Rodgers will win MVP this season, as he threw for 48 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Green Bay scored the most points this season – it’s easy when you have Rodgers and Davante Adams in your offence.
One thing is certain – if the best defensive team couldn’t stop Green Bay, how are Tampa Bay going to? Green Bay are now running the ball better and can match Tampa Bay defensively in all areas.
Tampa Bay have the ability to play from behind and have done it a number of times this season, while Green Bay showed they tend to struggle to catch a lead and play from behind. The two teams have already faced each other earlier this season, with Tampa Bay winning in convincing fashion, 38-10.
Still, it will come down to the veteran quarterbacks to decide this match. Rodgers will emerge victorious this Sunday and attempt to win his second ring.
Prediction
Green Bay Packers defeat Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 6 points
Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
The biggest question going into this match: will Patrick Mahomes play? Mahomes suffered a nasty concussion against the Browns last week and left the game in the third quarter. Kansas City were still good enough to win without him, showcasing their depth. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill were massive in their win last week and will provide again as the X-factors going into this match. They will do everything possible to make sure Mahomes is ready to play against Buffalo, but if he doesn’t play, that is huge and a major loss.
Buffalo’s win against the Ravens last week was not pretty. They triumphed because of their defence and were able to shut down the run game of Lamar Jackson and Baltimore. Buffalo will take a massive amount of confidence heading into Kansas City, knowing their defence can match it with any elite team. They will need to fix their offence if they want to match it with Kansas City, but with Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs leading the charge, it shouldn’t take long.
It will come down to whether Mahomes plays or not. Kansas City are an incredible team, but won a lot of games that were too close for comfort this season. Their red zone defence was below-average this year and if Mahomes doesn’t play, it will change their entire offensive structure. Right now we know Allen will play and even if Mahomes plays, he won’t be 100 per cent.
Buffalo will win a close game in Kansas City and head to their fifth Super Bowl.
Prediction
Buffalo Bills defeat Kansas City Chiefs by 3 points
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