NFL Conference Championship games are upon us.   It always seems like it take so long for football season to get here.  Then all of a sudden the NFL Conference Championship games are here.  The NFL season is the one season where every game counts.   Every game is interesting.  Even the bad games are interesting and have something to add to the season.  Some people may disagree on that but for me it is true.  Things change very quickly in the NFL.  In the past eight seasons the one thing that has not changed is the New England Patriots being in the AFC Championship game.  For all the predictions this year that the Patriots run was over.  They have made it once again to the NFL final four.  It is an amazing run that we may never see again.

Both of these games are rematches of games played in the regular season.   Those games the Saints and the Patriots were the winners.   The Saints Rams games is being played in the same stadium as the regular season game.  The Chiefs Patriots game has changed venues and will be played at Arrow Head.  So what it going to happen on January 20th 2019?   Will the new guard take over or will the old guard hold strong.

Rams Vs Saints Sunday January 20th 3:05 PM

These two teams have seemed all year that they were going to make it to the NFC Conference Championship game.  The location that this game would be played was decided November 4th when the Saints beat the Rams 45 – 35.  In that game the Saints jumped out to a huge lead then the Rams came back to tie the game up at 35 – 35.  The Saints then scored ten un answered points to win the game.

In the regular season game the Rams were missing several of their key players on Defense.  In this game they will have all those players back and the Saints will be missing several players on defense.  While the defense may ultimately decide this game with a few key plays.  The Defenses will probably be a bit more on display in this game.  But what that really means is that instead of being 45 – 35 it will be something like 35 – 28.  I am pretty sure that the offenses will still be on full display.

I expect Goff to struggle a bit in this game.  The passing game is not what is going to drive the Rams in this game.  It will be what can Gurley and Anderson do from the backfield.  Last week they were both able to put up over 100 yards.  If they can both do that in this game then the Rams will have a great chance to win.

The Saints did not put th the biggest numbers last week against the Eagles.  The Eagles rushing defense is much better than the Rams.  Their passing defense was worse.  Over all they were not much different on defense.   The Saints will put up much better rushing stats against the Rams in this game.    In the end it will more than likely come down to a play made by Drew Brees.   If Brees can get the Saints to another Super Bowl.  It will change how the talking heads look at him.  If the Saints can win it then that will solidify his standing.  I think that he already has but others don’t see it that way.

I see this still being a pretty high scoring close games.  In the end the Saints will win and Brees will be in his second Super Bowl with the Saints

Saints 35 Rams 31

Patriots Vs Chiefs Sunday January 20th 6:40 PM

In the night cap the Patriots will be traveling to Arrow Head to take on the Chiefs.   This game really could represent the changing of the guard in the AFC.  Patrick Mahomes really does look like he is primed to take the crown from Tom Brady as the best quarterback in the AFC.  In one season it is really difficult to say that.  Mahomes has put together an amazing season.  He should be able to keep this up in the post season.   It does not seem that he gets shaken very easily.  Then you have Tom Brady.   Arguably the best quarterback to ever play the game.  This game could shape up to a hand off from the best to the next one.

These teams played week six in the regular season.  The game was played in Foxborough.  The Patriots won a thriller 43 – 40.  The Patriots won the game with a field goal as time expired.   These two teams are pretty evenly matched.  This time though the game will be in Kansas City.   It was looking like the game was going to be played in some extremely cold weather.  That forecast has changed and it looks like it will now be in the mid 20’s.  Even if it was played in the extreme cold.  I am not sure that it would have affected one team more than the other.  They are both cold weather outdoor teams.  So at best the weather is a push.

Andy Reid could be put in the conversation as the best coach to have never won a Super Bowl.  He is a coach that has had some fantastic success in the regular season.  Then something always happens in the playoffs.  In 2004 with the Eagles they got to the Super Bowl and lost to the Patriots.  To say that Reid wants to beat the Patriots is an understatement.

It will be no easy task.  Once again the key here is that it is a home game for the Chiefs.  The Patriots are virtually unbeatable at home.  On the road they have mixed success.  With the home field advantage this may be the slight advantage that the Chiefs need to win this game.

The key for the Chiefs is not that Mahomes has the best game of his young career.  The key is that he plays mistake free football.   The Patriots are great at goading the other team in to making mistakes.  With a young quarterback and his first time on this large a stage.   It seems like it would be easy to trick him into making those mistakes.   I think that Mahomes is a different kind of player and it will be much more difficult to get him to make those mistakes.

This may be the last run for the curant incarnation of the Patriots.  I know that Brady has said that he want to play till he is 45.   That is easy to say when your body is still holding up.  We know that in the end father time always wins.  At some poing your body will just not be able to take it anymore.  There is no way to tell when that is going to happen.  It happens to the best and there is usually no warning.  The best example I can think of is with Peyton Manning.  One season he had one of the best seasons of his career.  The next season he could hardly throw a ball.   It is entirely possible this will happen to Brady very soon.

The question is how much pressure can the Chiefs get on Brady.   If he has no time to get the passes off then that will decide the game.  This should be a very interesting and fun game to watch.  I believe that the Chiefs will put an end to the Patriots Season.

Chiefs 28 Patriots 24

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