NFL Championship Weekend Picks: Who will play in Super Bowl 50?

Denver won’t go quietly, not with coordinator Wade Phillips, the ex-Bills coach, throwing the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense at him.

I’ve been working on the data for my annual Super Bowl preview which will come out next week, and have been thinking about who to cheer for at Sunday’s AFC and NFC Championship games.

The Patriots can put up points like no other team in the NFL. In the NFC, the last time the Panthers took on the Cardinals was previous year in the first round of the players.

The favorites pretty much line up based on their quarterbacks with Cam Newton and Tom Brady as the two best remaining. Sorry for the spoiler, but those 14 days will be spent nearly exclusively discussing the AFC champion’s quarterback.

The New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers are the NFL’s final four in the 2016 playoffs.

I love that he got the Broncos’ starting job back and that his dream of a John Elwayesque career finish is alive. This will be the best game of the playoffs, but I think Peyton Manning JUST edges off Brady, and goes to Super Bowl 50. Although Manning missed that game, his supporting cast performed well.

Patriots (-3) over BRONCOS, Under 44¹/₂: After grueling film study, hours and hours of data analysis and a cross-country flight to the Mile High City to examine the PSI of NFL footballs in high altitude, one empirical conclusion can be drawn: Don’t bet against Brady and Belichick in the postseason, unless Eli and Coughlin are standing in their way in the Super Bowl.

But weather could make a huge mess of the field, and after complaints about the turf in the first playoff game, the man in charge of the stadium said they plan to cover the field long before the precipitation arrives. They have the best record in the National Football League for a reason, and the same goes for their being where they are this week.

All this is at a time when Brady will have Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski all in his offense, which wasn’t the case when the Patriots lost – in OT – back in November.

Besides, I’m thinking what the best Super Bowl matchup would be and that’s New England, the best team of the past 15 seasons against Carolina, the best team this season at 15-1.

Patri*ts (-3) at Broncos: The Broncos have a better non-quarterback roster and an outstanding defense, but the disparity in quarterbacks here is enormous.

The Cardinals offensive line was worked over by Green Bay, which isn’t a good sign against a Carolina front led by tackle Kawann Short, an interior rusher playing like a young Warren Sapp. It’s just, ‘Hut, ‘ and boom, right now. “He’s doing most of it himself”.

While it appears Brady, 38, will play until he’s 88, Manning is on wobbly knees throwing wobbly passes.

“I think it really puts things into perspective”, Davis said Thursday. I don’t necessarily get nervous more so than anxious.

“Take advantage of this opportunity because you never know when it is going to come around again”, Davis said.

Larry Fitzgerald could have another big game this weekend.

Because as insane as it sounds for a guy who has 71,940 yards throwing and 539 touchdown passes, his career seems unfulfilled. “In my mind, I said, ‘OK, we made it this far this year; next year we’re going to win the Super Bowl.’ I fully believed that”.

Stylistically and schematically, these teams are complete opposites on both sides of the ball. Sure, the Carolina Panthers have a great defense, but they did allow 403 total yards, 23 first downs and 24 second-half points to the Seattle Seahawks last week.