Conference Championship Preview

New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears

From Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, the Saints and Bears battle to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. FOX will broadcast this game at 3 P.M. with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver making the call.

Last week, the Saints held off the visiting Eagles by the same 27-24 score that they won with earlier in the season. However, the game was not as close as the score indicated. The Saints dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, especially on offense. McAllister and Bush both had great games, and Brees was protected well. The only times he was sacked was when he was trying to extend the play outside the pocket. The Saints offense rolled over an exhausted Eagles defense on the ground and through the air, and had their way almost every single drive. Defensively, they got a lot of penetration to disrupt the Eagles offense. Will Smith had a great game chasing plays down from behind and pressuring Jeff Garcia, and Hollis Thomas collapsed the interior of the line on just about every play. The defense relies on pressuring the Quarterback using the Linebackers and frequent blitzing. They attempt to sack the Quarterback to avoid showing holes in the secondary. The Saints may have to make due without Joe Horn again, but with how banged up the Bears’ secondary is, that might not be an issue. The Saints probably won’t have a problem putting points up on the board. The Bears pass rush has been terrible, and the entire passing offense can thrive when Brees gets lots of time. The Saints O-Line will have to do a good job of getting to the second level for the running game to have success. They need to block two of the best Linebackers in the league if Deuce McAllister is going to find any daylight at all. But if Jeff Faine is willing to give up blocking to take a full-time job of pulling Deuce for extra yards, that can help out their cause.

The Bears survived a test against the Seahawks, and won on a Robbie Gould Field Goal in overtime. Grossman played a very good game, and for the time being, proved his critics wrong. He was careful with the football, knowing when to make big plays and when to sit on it and try again another day. Their defense made plays when they had to, but for the most part, continued to struggle. The Defensive Line has been awful and hasn’t added anything to the defense against the run or pass. This is mostly due to the loss of Tommie Harris, who is one of the best D-Linemen in the game today. The running game left something to be desired. Neither Jones nor Benson could get into much of a rhythm, even against a struggling Seattle Their receivers did a good job of taking advantage of a depleted Seahawk secondary, and they’ll have the chance to make plays again, except this time it’s against a healthy, but equally poor secondary. Their defense will face one of its toughest tests of the season against an offense that can attack you in so many different ways. The Bears should use a heavy dose of Jones and Benson to wear down the Saints defense. Olin Kreutz needs to make Hollis Thomas a non-factor if the Bears want to have any success on the ground. In the passing game, Grossman needs to take chances down the field and exploit a bad secondary. The Saints defense doesn’t get turnovers, and that will help out Rex a lot. Defensively, the tackles need to play better than ever. Pressure up the middle wrecks the Saints offense, and Faine, Evans and company have done a great job of preventing it. defense.

With the inclement weather that’s expected for game time, this game is going to come down to who can run the ball and play defense the best. I think the Bears have the better combination of those abilities. The Bears should be able to stick with the running game, even though it might not work at times and I even think that Grossman can make plays when he has to and win a game for the Bears. Even though they’re known for defense, they can put points up on the board with anyone, and the Saints will be no exception. The Saints defense does not create turnovers, and they don’t do anything particularly well. The Saints won’t have a problem scoring like every other game, but I don’t think a dome team can get it done in the cold and snow. Bears, 27, Saints 24

New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts

From the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, the Colts will host the Patriots for the chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will have the call at 6:30 on CBS.

The Patriots come into this game after a tight, emotional win against the 14-2 Chargers, in which Tom Brady did his thing to get their kicker in yet another position to make a game winner. They played solid defense, and did just enough to come away with the win. They struggled against LT at times, in both the running and passing games, but for whatever reason, the Chargers got away from him. Rivers played a pretty bad game, and his receivers simply didn’t make plays for him. Gates was a non-factor when he should’ve had a big game being covered by guys who can’t match up with him. Offensively, the Patriots protected Brady well. Neither Merriman nor Phillips got to him with any consistency, and Brady had time to look downfield. They made big plays when it counted, and came out with a great win. Belichick has to dial up his Manning scheme one more time to get to another Super Bowl now. Manning has won the last two regular season meetings, but something tells me he has another thing coming to him when it really counts. The Patriots can’t get away from Dillon and Maroney again like they did earlier this year. They got away from the run, forced Brady to do too much and they lost the game. Play physical, run right at them and the Patriots are going to put up points. The Colts defense has played great so far in the postseason, but no one is sure how long that will last.

The Colts scrapped for another win in Baltimore. The defense stepped up and played another great game to support an offense that was again unusually un-explosive. The defense got pressure on McNair, forced mistakes, and most importantly, they tackled and stopped the run. Once again, the Colts defense took the call, stepped up and owned a RB that was supposed to punch them in the mouth and run all over them. Manning struggled again however, and that has to be alarming going into a game against the rivals. At some point, he’s going to have to play better because I don’t see the defensive effort lasting. He’s throwing the ball into coverage, but that’s mostly due to a great pass rush from the opponent. He’s at his worst when he has to move out of the pocket and move his feet. He’s not in his comfort zone. He’ll need to continue to utilize a strong running game to support him and wear down the Patriots defense. Control the clock and keep Brady and company off the field. They need to do a better job getting to Brady than San Diego and New York did. Freeney and Mathis are billed as elite rushers, and it’s time for them to play like it. Brady needs to be hit and forced to make throws he doesn’t want to. Continue to stop the run and play tough. Don’t make mistakes on special teams, don’t turn the ball over and play more physical than the Patriots.

Despite all of that, I think the Patriots have what it takes to get #4. They seem to have the Colts’ number in the postseason, and I think they’ve been playing better. A loud dome isn’t going to affect this playoff tested bunch. Brady isn’t going to turn the ball over as much as he did the last meeting because the Patriots will stick with the run to beat the Colts. Manning won’t play poorly, but it’ll come down to their defense not being able to get off the field and not giving the offense the chance to make plays. Patriots 24, Colts 20