Green Bay Packers (10-6) vs. Chicago Bears (11-5)

Packers – 9th

Bears – 30th

Packers – 5th

Bears – 9th

The NFL’s most storied rivalry will be on stage for only the second time in the playoffs.  The last was 70 years ago in a similar fashion.  They played each other for the last spot in the championship game.  Now it’s for the Super Bowl, different name, same concept.  The hottest team and really the hottest player in these playoffs is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.  It’s a testament to his work ethic and commitment to his craft.  He has played with a lot of his receivers since he was drafted and they have worked well together for most of the year.  With the recent discovery of a running game in rookie James Starks, the Packers have balance that the opposition must adhere to.  The Packers defense has tremendous speed and a knack for the ball that I haven’t seen for some time.  The last defense I can remember that had this kind of tenacity for the ball was Tampa Bay’s defense from 2002.  Green Bay will have their hands full with a familiar opponent in Chicago, but the Packers defense should be up to the challenge.  

Not surprisingly the Bears feel this is the biggest game next to the Super Bowl for them.  It should be for all teams, but for Chicago this is against their hated rivals.  This is also quarterback Jay Cutler’s biggest game of his career.  If he can repeat what he did against the Seahawks last week, Chicago will forever see him as ‘The’ quarterback for them.  The Bears one problem that I’ve seen is that they aren’t establishing the run enough.  Matt Forte has been involved in the passing game, but he should be better utilized in the ground game.  The Bears defense will be given a daunting task of slowing down Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense.  They have the know how, but the Bears will need their not so secret weapon, Devin Hester to make a difference in field position.  Chicago fans have been expecting a big play from him and they know it’s only a matter of time.

Matchup to watch for: Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. Chicago Bears DE Julius Peppers

New York Jets (11-5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

Jets – 11th

Steelers – 14th

Jets – 3rd

Steelers – 2nd

Rex Ryan has the New York Jets in the Championship game once again.  He hopes this time that their fortunes will turn out differently.  They didn’t have Santonio Holmes on offense last year for one.  That might help and hurt them at the same time.  Holmes has a knack for making big catches at big moments.  His former team Pittsburgh knows this all too well.  He was the Super Bowl XLIII MVP for Pittsburgh.  The Steelers know that they will have to neutralize him and force Mark Sanchez into making mistakes.  The Jets will have to continue with what has worked in the playoffs.  Establish the run first and when needed, Sanchez can find an open man down the field for a big play.  Defensively it will be more difficult as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn’t libel to go down as easily as Peyton Manning or Tom Brady under their pass rush.  The Jets figure to blitz more against the Steelers than against the Colts and Patriots.  Pittsburgh has a better rushing attack than the Jets two previous opponents.  New York will have to force Big Ben to throw to his check down receivers more than down the field for big gains.  Just ask Baltimore how that worked for them.

Pittsburgh’s defense should be on their ‘A’ game against the Jets.  Not just Holmes, but Braylon Edwards and LaDainian Tomlinson can beat them for big plays.  New York has balance on offense and it came at the perfect time.  The Steelers will put constant pressure on Sanchez.  The ground game is the one place where the Steelers might have trouble, but they aren’t named the “Steel Curtain” defense because they can rush the passer.  If Mark Sanchez is forced to throw the ball more than 25 times, the Steelers will be on their way to another Super Bowl title.  Their offense has a steady and methodical pace to it.  If they can establish the run with Rashard Mendenhall, it will go a long way in opening up the passing game for gains of 25 yards or more.  Roethlisberger can run as well, but it would be better if the Steelers avoid having Ben getting flushed out of the pocket for most of the game.  The offensive line has been criticized all year long and this game will go a long way in helping them debunk their reputation of being a called porous line.  New York and Pittsburgh aren’t making this game personal.  They both respect one another.  That is until the game starts.

Matchup to watch for: New York Jets Defense vs. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger

Packers over Bears

Jets over Steelers