It all boils down to this. Only four teams remain in the hunt for that coveted Vince Lombardi trophy and championship Sunday will decide once and for all who will be the main protagonists in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona in a couple of weeks time. First off, the Seattle Seahawks look to grab their second successive NFC title when they host the Green Bay Packers. Over at the AFC, the New England Patriots aim to preserve their unbeaten home record and clinch another Super Bowl berth when they face the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium.
All four teams are highly capable of delivering a match-winning performance this coming Sunday so making the right picks in these two conference championship games will surely be a tough task. To help you guys decide, we have compiled the latest expert picks from the greatest football minds across the internet.
Read on below for their respective selections and while you’re at it, you can check out Top Bet’s own Conference Finals predictions here as Super Bowl XLIX draws ever closer.
[sc:Football ]Expert Picks for the Conference Finals of the 2014-2015 NFL Season
Sunday, January 18
Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks (3:05 PM ET)
| Expert | SU Pick | ATS Pick (Line) |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) | Seattle Seahawks | – |
| Eric Adelson (Yahoo! Sports) | Seattle Seahawks | – |
| Steven Ruiz (USA Today) | Seattle Seahawks | – |
| David Steele (Sporting News) | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle Seahawks (-7.5) |
| R. Cory Smith (Bleacher Report) | Green Bay Packers | Green Bay Packers (+7.5) |
| Scott Polacek (Bleacher Report) | Seattle Seahawks | – |
| Matt Bowen (Bleacher Report) | Seattle Seahawks | – |
| Gary Davenport (Bleacher Report) | Seattle Seahawks | – |
| Matt Miller (Bleacher Report) | Seattle Seahawks | – |
| Michael Schottey (Bleacher Report) | Green Bay Packers | – |
| Ty Schalter (Bleacher Report) | Green Bay Packers | – |
| Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) | Green Bay Packers | Green Bay Packers (+7.5) |
| Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle Seahawks (-7.5) |
| Will Brinson (CBS Sports) | Green Bay Packers | Green Bay Packers (+7.5) |
| Dave Richard (CBS Sports) | Seattle Seahawks | Green Bay Packers (+7.5) |
| Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports) | Seattle Seahawks | Green Bay Packers (+7.5) |
Time surely flies so fast. Five months ago, the defending champions Seattle Seahawks opened their title-retention campaign in dominating fashion, trouncing the Green Bay Packers 36-16 at CenturyLink Field on Opening Night. Now here we are, just days away from the biggest NFC game of the season and we have these same two sides fighting toe-to-toe for the right to represent the National Football Conference in the 49th edition of the Super Bowl.
[sc:NFL240banner ]On one end, you have the Seattle Seahawks, a team that is peaking at exactly the right time. The Seahawks have won all of their last seven games, including Saturday’s 31-17 demolition of the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional Round. The Seahawks were once again relentless on the defensive end, as they were led by the energetic Kam Chancellor who had a 90-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter that all but sealed their passage to the next round.
The Seahawks have allowed an average of just eight points during their seven-game winning run. Their brilliance on the defensive end is the main reason why majority of the experts picked the Seahawks to win the NFC Championship Game this coming Sunday. For Sporting News writer David Steele, though, it is not only Seattle’s defense that will be the key against Green Bay but also the play of quarterback Russell Wilson.
Wilson was superb against the Panthers, completing 15 of 22 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Wilson finished with a passer rating of 149.2, the second-highest mark of his career. He was also a perfect 8-of-8 for 199 yards passing on third downs. With that being said, the Packers will still fancy their chances of reaching the Super Bowl because of one man: Aaron Rodgers.
Playing with an injured calf muscle, Rodgers completed 24 of 35 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns to lead Green Bay to a nerve-wracking 26-21 comeback victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Rodgers was particularly impressive in his last 10 pass attempts, going a perfect 10-of-10 for 163 yards resulting in eight first downs and two touchdowns.
Rodgers’ incredible passing acumen is the main reason why the Bleacher Report’s R. Cory Smith is backing the Packers to win the NFC title this coming Sunday. That is also the reason why majority of the experts at CBS Sports picked Green Bay to cover the 7.5-point spread against Seattle.
Want to make a pick but can’t pull the trigger? Let our complete preview of this NFC Championship game help you decide.
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (6:40 PM ET)
| Expert | SU Pick | ATS Pick (Line) |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) | New England Patriots | – |
| Eric Adelson (Yahoo! Sports) | Indianapolis Colts | – |
| Steven Ruiz (USA Today) | New England Patriots | – |
| R. Cory Smith (Bleacher Report) | New England Patriots (-7) | Push |
| Matt Bowen (Bleacher Report) | New England Patriots | – |
| Gary Davenport (Bleacher Report) | New England Patriots | – |
| Matt Miller (Bleacher Report) | New England Patriots | – |
| Michael Schottey (Bleacher Report) | New England Patriots | – |
| Ty Schalter (Bleacher Report) | New England Patriots | – |
| Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) | New England Patriots | Indianapolis Colts (+7.5) |
| Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) | New England Patriots | New England Patriots (-7.5) |
| Will Brinson (CBS Sports) | New England Patriots | New England Patriots (-7.5) |
| Dave Richard (CBS Sports) | New England Patriots | New England Patriots (-7.5) |
| Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports) | New England Patriots | Indianapolis Colts (+7.5) |
Let’s all be honest here. When the divisional matchups were formalized a week ago, we were expecting Peyton Manning and Tom Brady to renew their age-old rivalry in the AFC Championship game this coming Sunday. What we didn’t foresee, though, was Andrew Luck throwing a wrench into Manning’s plans as he led the Indianapolis Colts to a stunning 24-13 upset of the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round.
Luck completed 27 of 43 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns with two picks to lead the Colts to an improbable victory and seal his first ever AFC Championship appearance. It has been quite a year for the former Stanford phenom who led the league in touchdowns this season with 40 to his name. Now he is just a victory away from reaching his first ever Super Bowl.
Pulling off this feat, however, will be easier said than done as standing in his way this coming Sunday are the mighty New England Patriots. The Patriots showed tremendous composure Saturday night, coming back from 14 points down twice to upend the Baltimore Ravens, 35-31, in a hard-fought AFC Divisional Round game.
Leading the way for the Patriots was Tom Brady who passed for 367 yards and three touchdowns. He also made history Saturday night, throwing his 46th career postseason touchdown pass to break Joe Montana’s record tally of 45. Brady will be the first to acknowledge, though, that these records mean nothing if he can’t lead the Patriots to their fourth Super Bowl title this year.
To do that, he must hurdle the Colts first. He will fancy his chances of doing just that as he has yet to lose to Andrew Luck in the three games that they have faced each other so far. That includes their meeting last year in the Divisional Round where the Patriots handed Luck a thorough 43-22 beating. Luck struggled mightily in that game, completing just 20 of 41 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions.
With the Patriots yet to lose at home this season, the odds are very much in New England’s favor to prevail in this game. Almost all of the experts agree as they backed the Patriots to clinch their sixth Super Bowl berth with Brady under center.
Do you agree with the experts? Take the Patriots at -7 and check out our preview of this AFC Championship showdown.
Now that you have all the information that you need in these two conference championship games, create a betting account now and put all your NFL Playoff picks to the test.
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