Sports pundits and Nevada oddsmakers are calling today’s Conference Championships the best match-ups in recent history. These playoff games feature historic quarterbacks Aaron Rogers and Tom Brady (both future Hall-of-Famer's). Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers have been perfect in rematches -- which their game against the Atlanta Falcons is. Matt Ryan has been red-hot and is hoping to prove himself in today’s game.
NFC Conference grudge match
The AFC is a grudge match but so is the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons. In their meeting on October 30th in a shootout, the Falcons won the squeaker 33-32.
The Packers will be looking to even the score from that game. In their record series, the Packers lead 17-14 and the playoff series also goes to Green Bay 2-1 (with the last one in 2011 a big Packer win 48-21).
Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been red hot, as Ryan leads the NFL with a 117 passer rating. Aaron Rogers leads the NFL with 40 touchdown passes, has a 148.8 rating on rollout plays, and both are competing for the league MVP award. The game could come down to the injuries for the Packers (who are decimated in the wide receiver category and in the defensive backfield).
Winner goes to the Super Bowl
Everybody knows what’s on the line; the winners go to the Super Bowl. Atlanta’s Julio Jones had a sprained ankle, but will be playing.
Green Bay's Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, and Geronimo Allison were all out with injuries but are listed as active at game time. This should really make this a game of chess because both teams will have their weapons in play.
It may be a safe bet to call this a high scoring game and the deciding factors may be who turns the ball over.
If the Packers fall behind, Rogers has a knack for pulling off “Hail Mary” passes for the win. In addition, who knows if he will indeed “run the table” as he predicted months ago before the Packers' eight-game win streak? The real question is: which quarterback and team will be hotter? It's a playoff game, so there will be a winner and a loser. The winner goes to the Super Bowl, and the loser goes home.
