Road to the Super Bowl: Week 3

Hello again, sports fans. If you’ve been following along with my post season pigskin prognostications, then you know my picks have been positively pitiful, to continue the alliteration. I come into this weekend’s Conference Championships with a 2-6 record and basically need to get all the remaining games right to get to 5-6, and may need to throw in the meaningless Pro Bowl to eek out a .500 record.

Needless to say, my picks are for entertainment purposes only. Please, no wagering.

This weekend’s games will not make things any easier. Sunday’s matchups look, on paper at least, to be two of the best games we’re likely to see all season and anyone’s guess as to who will win. The outcomes could also place at least one Black head coach in line to become the first to win a Super Bowl. With wins today, Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears and Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts, could also make it the first time two Black head football coaches face each other for the championship on February 4.

But in order to do that, they both have to get past two tough competitors. The Bears may be at home for the NFC Championship, where the weather forecast calls for snow showers, 11 mph winds and temps in the 20’s, but that may simply force the New Orleans Saints, who play indoors at the SuperDome, to rely on their running game. Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush might be able to wear down the undersized Bears defense and if the Saints do go to the air, Drew Brees has had much success finding rookie Marques Colston while Bears defensive backs have been giving up points easily of late.

The Bears have the best record of all the remaining playoff teams because they’ve been able to get just enough from offense, defense and special teams. They rarely win pretty, but win they do. They will need all hands on deck again today and maybe a little assistance from Mother Nature to stop the Saints.

In the AFC game, haven’t we seen this before? The matchup between the Colts and Patriots is starting to take on Red Sox vs Yankees proportions, with the Colts in the Red Sox role, typically falling short against their perennial rival. I think we’re all sick of hearing about Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady but until Manning wins the big one and leads his team to a championship, this set of goat horns will continue to hang on his head.

The Colts have proven they can beat New England, they just haven’t demonstrated they can then go on to win it all. With that as motivation and a defense that has surprised the so-called experts by stepping up and shutting down the running games of both Kansas City and San Diego the past two weeks, they are capable of beating them again.

But you can never count out New England. They are the class of the NFL, the dominant team that just finds a way to win at this time of year. Personnel-wise, they are different from the teams that won Super Bowls in three out of four years, but still seem to have players making big plays when they need them. The game is in Indianapolis and the man who kicked so many game-winning field goals for the Patriots, Adam Vinatieri, now plays for the home team.

NFL Conference Championships
(My picks in bold; all times are eastern)

NFC Championship
New Orleans at Chicago
3:00 pm
FOX

AFC Championship
New England at Indianapolis
6:30 pm
CBS

Super Bowl XLI — Dolphin Stadium (South Florida)

Sunday, Feb. 4
AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion
6:25 pm
CBS

AFC-NFC Pro Bowl — Aloha Stadium (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Saturday, Feb. 10
NFC vs. AFC
6:00 pm
CBS