The stage is set.  These are the most anticipated games for any football fan.  The games we have been waiting for since last February.  The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the year, but for many football fans, the conference championships are the most exciting, and often most entertaining football games.  Not only does the team win their conference and thus, are champions of either the AFC or the NFC, but they get to move on to play in the Super Bowl.  However, the AFC and NFC games are not mired in spectacle like the Super Bowl, so for those of us who don’t give a rats @$$ about J-Lo and Shakira, or Maroon 5, or whatever lame-O pop star is performing at an overly produced, way too much money spent while people can’t afford to buy food concert in the middle of the game, these Conference Championship games are the cat’s meow.

I have not fared well in my playoff predictions thus far, but Rookie and I both scored 50% on our divisional round picks so I guess we’ll both have to shotgun a beer on the podcast.  Either that or its a wash, but shotgunning the beer before lunch sound like more fun.

NFC

The San Francisco 49’ers host the Green Bay Packers.  Both teams are coming off of impressive, one-sided victories in the divisional round.  The 49’ers have home-field advantage, but have a young QB Jimmy G, playing in just the 2nd playoff game of his career.  The Packers have Aaron Rodgers.  Still, Jimmy G has been great this year and the 49’ers defense is better than the Packers unit.  Frisco also has Kyle Shanahan running their ship.  As a football fan I think the 49’ers have the edge.  But as a conspiracy theorist if the fix is in Green Bay will win.  Green Bay beat Kansas City in the first ever Super Bowl.  It’s the 100th year of the NFL.  The NFL loves symmetry.  Think of the marketing.

AFC

There’s no way in hell the Chiefs defense are going to stop rogue freight-train in spandex Derrick Henry.  The Titans are coming off wins against the Patriots and the Ravens.  They dominated the Ravens, shutting down the best offense in the league this year.  Although they were ranked the best offense, they didn’t have Mahomes and Kelce.  Mahomes threw 3 TD’s in 3:26 in the comeback win against the Houston Texans, a game which saw them down 24-0 in the first quarter, and which ended with a final score of 51-31.  Think about that.  Mike Vrabel has demonstrated excellent coaching prowess in the 2nd half of the season and as a fan I think the Titans actually beat the Chiefs because they are rolling at the right time, with nothing to lose having upset the Pats and the Ravens.  Also, if history tells us anything it’s that Andy Reid will find a way to screw his team out of the win.  Again, if the fix is in, the Chiefs win so that the NFL and media can have their inaugural Super Bowl rematch in it’s 100th year.