Conference Championships ATS Recap: Justice

Leave it to me to spit in the face of the odds and correctly predict the Super Bowl XLV matchup, yet manage to lose both picks, one by a measley point. Dre can cheer himself on this Sunday, as playing for the season tie is his loftly dream. Somewhere, Herm Edwards has a speech in waiting for Dre.

NFC Championship

Green Bay Packers (-3½) @ Chicago Bears

Packers Win 21-14

Both picks: losers

How fitting that the Chicago Bears, who lucked their way through horrible officiating (silly rules) and third string quarterbacks, would finish their season with their own third stringer under center. Fans in Chicago, the City of Quarterback Controversies, have been clamoring for their glimpses of Caleb Hanie taking meaningful snaps for the beloved. Well, they got their wish! Hanie managed to look serviceable on a couple drives, not-so-good on the others. Fans who want to run Jay Cutler out of town are somehow overlooking that Hanie managed to NOT SEE B.J. Raji drop back into coverage. Have you seen Raji? He's enormous. Hanie DIDN'T SEE HIM!

The Packers came out looking every bit as unstoppable as they did in Atlanta, scoring early and often, until Donald Driver kicked a ball to Lance Briggs on a fluky play the likes of what the Bears thrive on. Brian Urlacher stepped in front of a harrassed Aaron Rodgers pass and looked like he was taking a pick 100 yards to the house, until he somehow managed to get FINGER tackled by Rodgers. Did this play remind anyone of the game saving tackle Ben Roethlisberger made after the Bettis goal-line fumble against the Colts several years back? It was the first thought I had, and was the moment that I knew that the Packers charmed life was trumping the Bears charmed life.

As for the Cutler hate: shut up douchebags! Cutler, the most sacked quarterback in the league, the guy who would STILL throw at DeAngelo Hall, DID NOT fake his way out of the biggest game of his careeer. Cutler is a victim here of his own indifference. He's not a media savvy guy, and probably not the best friend/teammate in the world either, but a guy who gets sacked NINE times in one half is not a pussy. End of story.

My NFC Championship MVP: Sam Shields

AFC Championship

N.Y. Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-4)

Steelers Win 21-16

Dre wins pick, Jason loses

Ah, I managed to out-cute myself again here. Packers/Steelers for the Super Bowl I say? Yeah, but I'll take the Bears and Jets to cover. The pressure is on me now to come up with a winning Super Bowl pick, I guess.

The Steelers/Jets affair looked like the prior weeks Ravens/Steelers tilt. Big lead early? Check. Second half collapse? Check. Team you expect to crumble under the pressure does so right on cue? Check. Both conference champs seemes to put it on cruise control in both games, allowing second (or third) rate quarterbacks to mount comeback efforts, only to watch them fall short.

I don't have as much to go over on this game, other than to thank Rex Ryan for eschewing an attempt at a 2-point conversion that could have made this game a push, and given me the season victory. Thanks for booting that one, Rexy!

My AFC Championship MVP: Rashard Mendenhall

Playoff Recap:

Dre is 5 points behind Jason for the season and playoffs.

The Super Bowl is worth 5 points.

Do the math.