Lots of big stories in sports this week. Texas basketball loses twice. Carlton Fisk slams Mark McGwire. NASCAR decides to relax their rules. Australian Open. Some of them I’ll get to writing about later on in the upcoming week, but unfortunately I was unable to get to them when they were hot topics. For all of you that are still in school, you can relate to this: writing papers sucks. Throw writing a paper on top of all my other schoolwork and I’ve got almost no time for anything else. And due to the fact that at this point the only people who are reading my blogs are people from my school who make fun of the fact that I sign off here with K. Becks, writing new posts is getting progressively lower on my list of things to do.
However, predicting the NFL conference championship games is a must. Here are my picks for the games this weekend.
AFC Championship Game
New York vs. Indianapolis
How many people expected New York to be here? Whether you think Rex Ryan is a savior or just full of hot air, you have to give him credit for taking a team led by a rookie quarterback this far. However, I think that this is the weekend that Cinderella’s ride ends. The Colts, unlike the Bengals and the Chargers, have not really been questioned on whether or not they’re the real deal. I believe that the answer is obvious. This game could affect Peyton Manning’s status as one of the game’s best quarterbacks ever. Great quarterbacks deliver, especially when their team is the favorite. If he fails to pull through, with only one Super Bowl to his name, is he really one of the best ever? Fortunately for Peyton, I don’t think we’ll have to ask that question.
Final Score: 34-14 Indianapolis
NFC Championship Game
New Orleans vs. Minnesota
On paper, this game should be the better of the two this weekend. It’s the Old Guy who wants one last shot at the Big One vs. the Talented Guy in his prime who wants his first ring. New Orleans looked very good at home last weekend. Let’s remember though that they weren’t facing Jared Allen and the Viking defense. If Drew Brees has enough time to find his receivers, then they could be headed to their first ever Super Bowl. However, I think New Orleans will have trouble with Minnesota’s defensive front, allowing Minnesota to stay in the game. I predict Brett Favre will drive down the field late in the fourth and complete another thriller to add to his legacy.
Final Score: 38-35 Minnesota
I will try to post a few more entries this week if I can. I can only hope the games this weekend distract me from finishing my paper.
– K. Becks
