Both the AFC and NFC Championship games turned out to be blowouts for the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. Atlanta beat the Green Bay Packers by a score of 44-21. The 23 point loss was nothing compared to the hit that Falcons rookie cornerback Brian Poole put on him (video courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCojyGFb8W2xxSsJ5c_XburQ). The Green Bay defense had no answer for the tandem of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones.
The Packers were supposed to be the hottest team in the NFL coming in to the game but they had various injuries on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Most notable of these injuries was their wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who suffered multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung in the Packers' previous playoff game against the New York Giants.
The AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers was not any closer. Tom Brady will play in his record-setting seventh Super Bowl in two weeks in Houston Texas. This is a great accomplishment for a sixth round draft pick out of the University of Michigan. No one could have predicted this when Brady was the backup quarterback for Drew Bledsoe at the beginning of his career. However, some will continue to point out that he was suspended for the first four games of this season because of his supposed role in the deflategate saga. I do not feel that the air pressure of footballs played any role in him making it to seven Super Bowls.
Hopefully the fact that both the Patriots and the Falcons won in such a convincing fashion means that the Super Bowl will be a good game. Both quarterbacks are playing at a high level with entirely different personnel. The Patriots' defense has been ranked at the top of the league for almost the entire season. It would be disappointing if the only reason people are watching the Super Bowl in the second half is for the commercials.
What a game.
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