2018 Conference Weekend Predix

Written by Sam DeCoste

For four teams, the Super Bowl awaits.
It's Championship Weekend in the NFL, which means two teams will be walking away with hardware, conference championship trophies, as well as Super Bowl berths. In the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams visit the New Orleans Saints for one spot, and the New England Patriots will take on the Kansas City Chiefs for the second ticket to Super Bowl LIII. Both matchups are rematches from earlier this season, in which the teams combined to score 163 points in the previous matchups. 
For the first time in NFL history, the four highest scoring offenses reached the Conference Championship. Without a doubt, the four best teams remain, and two will be returning to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is almost upon us, and we have two great games of football coming our way this Sunday! So without any further delay, let's see who's going to the Super Bowl! Carry on, and enjoy the Predix!

Here are my records from the 2018 regular season:

Last week's record: 2-2
Lock of the Week record: 11-6
Regular season record: 167-87-2
Postseason record: 3-5

The Road to Super Bowl LIII Bracket presented by Franchise Quarterback

 LAR @ NO

The winner of this game will advance hinges on who can run the ball the most effectively. The Rams ran for 273 yards in their win over Dallas last week, which set a franchise record for rushing yards in a playoff game. That neutralized the Cowboys vaunted defense and sidelined Dak Prescott's red hot offense for most of the game. The addition of CJ Anderson has been a revelation for LA, adding a complementary piece to Todd Gurley and finding outstanding success. New Orleans ran for 137 yards themselves in their win over Philly, which was able to keep Nick Foles on the bench for most of the second half, and seal the win, and they did it with the elusive and slippery runner, Kamara, as well as a more hard-nosed runner in Mark Ingram. It is crucial for each offense to keep the other off the field, and that comes with running the football, especially for the home team. Drew Brees may be a future Hall of Fame quarterback, but he doesn't have a lot of support through the air. Sure, Michael Thomas caught twelve passes for 171 yards last week, but no other Saints pass catcher had more than four receptions. When the game comes down to the wire, the Saints won't be able to rely on clutch catches from Keith Kirkwood, or Tre'Quan Smith, or even Taysom Hill (that's right, I went there). All that being said, this is bound to be another high scoring matchup, but I doubt it will light the board up as much as the 45-35 Saints win from Week 9. But I do think the result will be the same. Pack your bags, New Orleans, you're going back to the promiseland.

Prediction: LAR 30, NO 33

 

NE @ KC

For the first time ever, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the AFC Championship game, and there is no tougher foe standing in the way of their first Super Bowl in 49 years than Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. For many neutrals, both the Pats and Chiefs were on upset alert in the Divisional Round, but each team responded with resounding and convincing victories, in their own fashion. The Pats steamrolled the Chargers by punching them in the mouth, pounding the rock on the ground and forcing Rivers to run for his life all day long. Kansas City's defense realized the season finally started and they turned up the heat on Andrew Luck's Colts offense while tearing it up through the air with Mahomes. But as impressive as the Chiefs were a week ago, the Patriots will be their toughest test of the season, and they failed the first go around when they faced off back in Week 6. The only way KC moves on is if Mahomes plays the game of his life, without any turnovers or coming away with field goals in the red zone, because the Chiefs don't know how to win in more than one way. In Brady's prime, the Patriots were able to stretch a defense vertically, and beat them through the air along with great defense. But this year, they've won by running the football, and playing bend-but-don't-break defense. They know how to win in different ways. But KC only knows how to throw the ball, throw the ball, and throw the ball a little more. It will be tough to air it out in such frigid temperatures, which Mahomes has never played in, but he is still far too talented to stumble on this stage. It's not often that I bet against New England, but in Arrowhead, against Patrick Mahomes, it's time for Tom Brady to pass the torch to the new face of the NFL. 

Prediction: NE 27, KC 31