First I want to say that I’m a die hard 49ers fan.  Been a fan since 1992.  Right at the beginning of the Steve Young era.  You can imagine that watching them play in the NFC Championship was both a good and a bad thing.  Well, they have finally returned to the Super Bowl after a nearly 20 year absence.  This is basically the same team from last year.  The same 49ers team that was defeated by the New York Giants.  This time around the 49ers knew what had to be done if they wanted to advance to the Super Bowl.  They were down early.  A 17-0 deficit to the Atlanta Falcons.  Yet there was no panic from their sidelines.  That’s what amazed me about this team.  Their focus remained on playing the entire 60 minutes of the football game.  Right after the Falcons scored to make it 17-0, the Niners drove down the field to score 14 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter.  Atlanta did score another touchdown before halftime, but they wouldn’t score another point the rest of the game.  It’s amazing to think that with the amount of points the Falcons were able to put up that they were stopped for an entire half playing at home nonetheless.  San Francisco’s defense prides themselves on stopping the opponents running game.  Atlanta was only able to gain 81 yards the entire game.  An interception and a fumble by Falcons QB Matt Ryan in the second half didn’t help their cause either as the 49ers were able to keep the ball away from the Falcons high flying offense.  San Francisco’s resolve to not give in when others might have is something to cherish.  They have learned from their mistakes of the past year and are hell bent on correcting them for one final game in New Orleans.

San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1) vs. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)

49ers – 11th

Falcons – 8th

49ers – 3rd

Falcons – 24th

What will we get with this years NFC Championship game?  What we got last year was a New York Giants team that couldn’t do anything wrong and a San Francisco 49ers team that hadn’t experienced that kind of a game before.  This year is kind of the same.  The 49ers know what to expect and the Atlanta Falcons haven’t been here for a long time.  Both of these teams have some history.  They used to be division rivals, but now they are looking to start something different.  Everyone will be watching to see if Matt Ryan can defeat one of the best defenses in the NFL.  But others will be watching if 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick can continue his success against another defense.  Whether the Falcons can contain the 49ers rushing attack will be their key to appearing in only their second Super Bowl game in franchise history.  And can the 49ers cover all of the Falcons weapons in their passing attack. Matchups are everything this time of year and this will be a dandy.

Matchup to watch for: 49ers offense vs. Falcons defense

Baltimore Ravens (10-6) vs. New England Patriots (12-4)

Ravens – 16th

Patriots – 1st

Defense 

Ravens – 17th

Patriots – 25th

Can the impossible happen?  Will the Baltimore Ravens get LB Ray Lewis another Super Bowl ring before he hangs up his cleats? There is another challenge in front of them with the New England Patriots.  After an emotional double overtime victory against the Denver Broncos, the Ravens believe anything is possible.  Patriots QB Tom Brady knows that he cannot make any mistakes against this team.  The Ravens aren’t afraid of the Patriots and New England knows the stakes.  Baltimore should try to make some big plays with Joe Flacco going deep a few times.  But if they want to win they will need to run the ball effectively with Ray Rice.  The Patriots will need to keep the Ravens defense on the field often as well and they need to run the ball even more than the Ravens do. New England’s defense is vulnerable to the pass as is the Ravens. Whichever team’s defense has more energy at the end of the game will be the victor.

Matchup to watch for: Ravens defense vs. Patriots offense

Was there any doubt that a matchup between Peyton Manning and the Baltimore Ravens would end any other way?  Now what perhaps seemed to be more surprising to everybody was the fact that Ravens QB Joe Flacco played better than Peyton Manning. The Ravens were taking advantage of one on one coverage with WR Torrey Smith blowing past Broncos CB Champ Bailey for two touchdown catches.  For some reason though the Ravens stopped that aerial attack in the second half.  Denver stayed one step ahead of the Ravens for most of the game.  They had the upper hand with less than a minute to go.  But they forgot that Flacco can throw the deep ball.  He connected with a wide open Jacoby Jones for the game tying touchdown.  It took two overtime periods for the Ravens to capitalize on a Peyton Manning interception. Their rookie kicker Justin Tucker nailed the game winning field goal with plenty of room to spare.  Now Denver will have to go back to the drawing and wonder, what if?  Baltimore gets one step closer to another Super Bowl for their leader LB Ray Lewis.

I guess switching to Colin Kaepernick was a good idea then.  He single handedly defeated the Green Bay Packers.  Even after throwing an opening drive interception that resulted in a touchdown for the Packers.  He was the third quarterback to throw for two touchdowns and run for two touchdowns in a playoff game.  Green Bay knew what the 49ers were going to do and yet they couldn’t stop it.  San Francisco was a dominant offensive team.  They kept Packers QB Aaron Rodgers off the field for a majority of the game. That left a small window for a Packers comeback win.  But in the end the Packers had no answer for Kaepernick.  His arm and his legs are a dangerous combination and not many teams have been able to contain him this year.

It was deja vu all over again for the Seattle Seahawks.  However, this one was a lot worse than their game in Washington.  They were down by 20 points at halftime.  They had opportunities to score some points in the first half.  But they couldn’t capitalize. Once the second half started the Seahawks were a completely different team.  Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was phenomenal in the second half and was nearly successful in completing one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history.  But Seattle’s defense was a huge let down as they allowed the Falcons to get in position to kick the game winning field goal. Also for some reason Seahawks coach Pete Carroll called a timeout to ‘ice’ the kicker, but as Falcons K Matt Bryant missed it.  He was able to nail the next one right down the middle.  Seattle has a long offseason to think about this game and Atlanta knows they narrowly escaped.

The score should have been closer than it was, but the Houston Texans couldn’t keep Patriots QB Tom Brady contained.  Houston was making headway in the first half with their offense, but turnovers at key moments in the second half put the Texans defense in a tough spot with trying to keep Tom Brady out of the endzone.  The Patriots were helped out with an unsung hero in backup RB Shane Vereen playing like a wide receiver for most of the game.  His two receiving touchdowns were a big part of the Patriots aerial attack on the Texans.  It wasn’t any secret that’s how the Patriots were going to beat the Texans, but Houston couldn’t get a consistent rush on Brady and it resulted in a loss. New England will get another shot at the Ravens who defeated them earlier this season in Baltimore.

Baltimore Ravens (10-6) vs. Denver Broncos (13-3)

Ravens – 16th

Broncos – 4th

Ravens – 17th

Broncos – 2nd

Baltimore is very fortunate to be in this spot.  The score shows that they won handedly last week against the Colts, but they could have lost momentum in that game at any point.  Now they have to face a Denver team that is determined not to miss on this opportunity to win a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning.  The Ravens have some bad history with Peyton in the playoffs.  They aren’t thinking about that, but they know it’s there.  Just like they needed Joe Flacco to outplay Tom Brady last year in the AFC Championship game.  They will need Flacco to be even better in this one.  Peyton Manning though has perhaps the best defense he’s ever had this year.  It won’t be easy, but the Ravens have no other choice if they want another shot at the AFC title.

Matchup to watch for: Ravens QB Joe Flacco vs. Broncos defense

Green Bay Packers (11-5) vs. San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)

Packers – 13th

49ers – 11th

Packers – 11th

49ers – 3rd

The Packers were a ferocious team last week against the Vikings. They will have to be again with the 49ers.  This time around the Niners don’t have Alex Smith as their quarterback.  Instead they will show the Packers what Colin Kaepernick can do.  But aside from that, the Niners need to do what they did in Green Bay.  And that’s run the ball with Frank Gore.  If that works again, you will see Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on the sideline for most of the game. That won’t be a good thing for Green Bay who needs to score a lot of points if they want to advance.  The Packers have a lot of weapons to cover, but that didn’t stop the 49ers last year from beating the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round.  This could be a similar type of game and the results could be the same.

Matchup to watch for: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. 49ers defense

Seattle Seahawks (11-5) vs. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)

Seahawks – 17th

Falcons – 8th

Seahawks – 4th

Falcons – 24th

Can the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the dome? Sure.  Atlanta better believe they can.  Look what happened to Washington last week after they were up by 14 points.  The Falcons have been prone to giving up a lead this year, but they have shown that they can keep it.  Atlanta’s defense will have to be able to stop the Seahawks running game for the entire game if they want to host the NFC Championship game.  It won’t be easy, but teams have been able to keep the Seahawks at bay this season.  And the same can be said for the Falcons high powered offense.  Seattle will need to make sure that Atlanta can’t run the ball consistently.  If the Seahawks do that they will be let loose to pressure Matt Ryan who has been kept clean for most of this season.

Matchup to watch for: Seahawks defense vs. Falcons offense

Houston Texans (12-4) vs. New England Patriots (12-4)

Texans – 7th

Patriots – 1st

Texans – 7th

Patriots – 25th

Houston will actually get another shot at the New England Patriots. Although they would have preferred it to be at home and not in New England again.  All the pressure rests on Texans QB Matt Schaub. Yes, last week was his first playoff game and he played well.  But he can’t have any turnovers if they want to beat the Patriots.  No more interceptions returned for touchdowns especially.  RB Arian Foster is Schaub’s safety net.  If TE Owen Daniels and Foster are open underneath, throw it to them.  Houston likes the big play, but they don’t have to go for it all the time.  Patience will be their weapon.  The Patriots gameplan is simple.  Let Tom Brady do his thing.  He doesn’t lose many playoff games at home.  Two in total. And he’s going for the record for most playoff wins as a starting quarterback.  Passing the great Joe Montana.  If there was a time for redemption, it would be now for Houston.  And they are up to the task.  They just need to prove it.

Matcup to watch for: Texans offense vs. Patriots defense

For the second year in a row there was doubt as to whether the Houston Texans would prove themselves in the playoffs. Thankfully for them, they have thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals. Houston is a different team when they play at home.  Their defense is among the best in the league when they can provide constant pressure.  However, their offense can be predictable at times. They run to setup the pass.  Mainly to their star wideout Andre Johnson.  This time they played it differently with a lot of short passes to expose the Bengals weakness on defense which is their linebackers can’t cover the flat.  The Texans would be wise to use that same kind of strategy against the Patriots.  They can’t keep up with the Patriots if the game turns into a shootout, but Houston can win by keeping him off the field.  They proved that by keeping the Bengals deep threat, A.J. Green in check and off the field for most of the game.

It wasn’t much of a test, but the Packers proved that they are in a good position to get back to the Super Bowl.  They once again showed that they have one of the best quarterbacks in the league when they can keep Aaron Rodgers up right.  Their defense did a great job in containing Vikings RB Adrian Peterson the third time around.  With their quarterback Christian Ponder out to an elbow injury, it was slim pickings for backup Joe Webb.  Most thought that the last minute change would hurt the Packers defense, but it actually hurt the Vikings offense more.  Green Bay had no trouble containing Minnesota’s passing game and it quickly got out of hand.  Whether this helps the Packers going forward remains unknown.  But it sure feels good for them to know they got back at their division rival.

It was announced that this will be Ravens LB Ray Lewis’ last run at another Super Bowl title.  To think that we will no longer see one of the game’s fiercest competitors patrolling the middle of the field is astonishing.  I mean, we all figured he could continue to play until he was 45.  Being realistic though, this could be what the Ravens needed.  They have been inconsistent for most of the season. Can they rally around their leader?  They didn’t run away with the game against the Indianapolis Colts.  In fact the Colts were in the game up until the second half started.  Two things the Ravens need to keep in mind for the rest of the playoffs.  Ray Rice can’t fumble anymore and they must get the ball to Anquan Boldin early and often.  They do those two things and the rest will take care of itself.

Never have I seen a team start out so fast and fall so hard.  The Washington Redskins scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game.  After that they couldn’t gain over 100 yards on offense.  Credit to the Seattle Seahawks for not giving in when a lot of other teams would have.  Seattle went on to score 24 unanswered points to win by 10.  Also it became apparent fairly early that Redskins QB Robert Griffin wasn’t his usual self.  Turns out that on the last play of the game for him, he tore his ACL and LCL.  If he was 100 percent, the outcome might have been different, but the Seahawks bruising rushing attack wouldn’t have played any different.  The Redskins had no answer for that running game and the Seahawks exposed them.  Can that kind of performance be repeated?  Doubtful, but the rest of the league knows that Seattle won’t go down without a fight.