NFL final four: Championship Sunday offers two enticing bouts Published: Jan 16, 2017 at 01:17 AM Senior National Columnist Until Sunday, the playoffs were remarkably devoid of drama, with the first six games won by the home teams, all by at least 13 points. That, though, seems fitting for this season, when what counted for intrigue was how the would formalize the obvious ascension of over and at which point would ignite. Nowhere has the routine been as a sured as in New England, where the ' advancement to the conference championship game seemed a foregone conclusion since Week 3, when they managed to win a game -- , no le s -- with their third-string quarterback. That -- seriously -- in the Divisional Round likely only guarantees that the Pats will emerge from Bill Belichick's doghouse this Sunday as the razor-sharp outfit we are used to seeing. Whatever the outcome Sunday, it is worth pausing to marvel at how automatic New England's jaw-dropping excellence has become. In the 15 seasons Roberto Osuna Jersey that has played (excluding 2008, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener), the have advanced to the final four 11 times. Finally, in Dallas, , with the holding on by their fingertips while launched one improbable rocket after another. It felt very much like a conference championship game filled with momentum shifts, big plays, stars exerting their will and, finally, . It was an instant cla sic, further burnishing the Rodgers legend, and it set up a rematch of . With the conference championship games set, let's take a look at the matchups that will give us LI. If you are a fan of defense, a defensive coordinator or a former linebacker from back in your pee wee days, it might be best to avoid this game. Everybody else in America should be delighted, though. No two quarterbacks in the NFL -- and that includes Brady -- are performing at the level of Rodgers and this season. They were one and two during the regular season, with 40 and 38, respectively. When these teams met , Ryan and Rodgers combined for seven touchdown pa ses, 534 yards and no interceptions. Do you remember when the question was if something was wrong with Rodgers? This was the first game of the season when he looked fully like himself. The prevailed in that game, 33-32, when Ryan Yuli Gurriel Jersey threw with 31 seconds left. It was the start of the ' four-game losing streak that plunged them into the hole from which they had to . For the , though, it was the game that established them as a legitimate contender, finally burying the idea that Atlanta was too soft to hold on against the league's toughest teams. The worked in the offseason with a group of Navy Seals about how to get one percent better -- as the NFC's second seed, they are much more than that. The are, obviously, a much-improved team from then. They have won eight games in a row, Rodgers has thrown just one interception since Nov. 20 and their came without the services of . There is the chance Nelson, who has multiple cracked ribs, , although it is clear that Marwin Gonzalez Jersey Rodgers does not fear rifling his pa ses to others. But the are better, too. They have and they were able to , displaying a physical brand of football that belies their image as a fine se team. Their tandem of and combined for 25 rushes for 102 yards. Perhaps even more surprising was the defense, which had two takeaways and three sacks against the . racked up during the regular season, and the unit as a whole is peaking: In the last five games, the have allowed just 19 points per. The task of containing Rodgers, though, was made more difficult with suffered by defensive end on Saturday. The challenge, as the can attest, is that Rodgers is even more dangerous out of the pocket. Both of these defenses . But really, who wants to see defense in this game anyway? With the dominating the AFC, the NFC felt like the more wide-open conference all season. It seems appropriate that it likely will be decided by a shootout. The past is prologue in this rematch. When in Week 7, was out, was in and one of the key takeaways was that, if the had been whole, the outcome might have been different. Even with playing, the were able to move the ball -- and that was before they had fully shape-shifted into the run-first show they are now. Much will be made about a showdown between Roethlisberger and , two future Hall of Famers. But do not take your eyes off the running backs, Bell and (who , but who powered the ' win over them at the midpoint of the year with 127 yards and two touchdowns) Carlos Correa Jersey . Bell had 170 rushing yards , eclipsing the record for most rushing yards by a player in a postseason game. In his last eight games, including the playoffs, Bell has averaged 146.5 yards rushing -- the have won all eight games. Both teams got here with le s-than-stellar offensive efforts: Brady said, , and the never got into the end zone against the . If either team struggles like that again on Sunday, it is doomed. The do not have a great history against the in the Belichick-Brady era -- they have lost nine of their last 12 vs. New England. But Pittsburgh had 30 sacks in the second half of the season, and if anything can unravel Brady, it is a strong pa s rush Charlie Morton Jersey (Houston's was impre sive). Still, the biggest question might be how the Pats' D stacks up against the ' attack. The have , and have yielded just 14.8 points per game since the midpoint of the season. But its opponents down the stretch were le s than stellar -- the , , (twice!) among them. And the were one of the most offensively-challenged teams to make the Divisional Round in memory. So, is that scoring defense an illusion, or for real? And can an offense that struggled to score against the poke holes -- on the road -- in the ? This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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