NFL: Conference Title Preview
The New England Patriots are looking to reach their eighth Super Bowl in the last 17 years and are just one game away from doing so. The team standing in their way? The upstart Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that won just three games last season, and are all of a sudden in the AFC title game for the first time since 1999. In the NFC championship game, the Minnesota Vikings are somehow still alive after pulling off an absolute miracle against the New Orleans Saints, and will be traveling to face the Philadelphia Eagles. The winner will head to Minneapolis for Super Bowl 52. Our NFL Staff of Blake Stoll, Caleb Henderson, Charles Post, Max Heningburg, and Tyler Taylor will preview each game and give their picks for the conference title games.
READ: Wild Card Predictions.
T-1. Blake Stoll (4-4)
T-1. Caleb Henderson (4-4)
T-1. Charles Post (4-4)
T-1. Max Heningburg (4-4)
5. Tyler Taylor (3-5)
Why are the No. 1 New England Patriots (13-3, 1-0) favorites? The Jacksonville Jaguars will be playing the New England Patriots for an appearance in Super Bowl 52. QB Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time, did not practice on Thursday with an injury on his throwing hand. Even though nobody has spoken on the seasoned veteran’s status, he will most likely play. That's their main advantage. This season, Brady has passed for 4,577 yards and 32 scores. The Patriots have two 1,000-yard receivers in TE Rob Gronkowski and WR Brandin Cooks. These two will play a big role in this game with Jags’ CB Jalen Ramsey guaranteeing a win for Jacksonville. The Jaguars front will put the most pressure the Pats' offensive line has seen this season and Brady will have to account for that, along with the over-zealous secondary. Jaguars' RB Leonard Fournette is listed as questionable with an ankle injury so that gives New England a little more room for comfort. The Patriots should take this game, but the Jaguars could stick around and put up a strong fight throughout the first half.
How did No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (11-6, 2-0) improve so quickly? The Jaguars are definitely one of the most surprising teams in the NFL this season. After going 3-13 in 2016 and landing yet another top five pick, the Jags finally showed HC Gus Bradley the door and promoted HC Doug Marrone. They also made some big splashes in free agency, signing over DL Calais Campbell and CB A.J. Bouye on defense, and in the draft with the fourth overall pick they selected Fournette out of LSU. With all these additions, most certainly thought the Jaguars would improve on their three wins from last year, but considering they failed to address the QB position I’m not sure if many saw them getting to the AFC championship game. What helped the Jaguars get a game away from the Super Bowl in 2018? Lets start with some things out of their control. It helped that two of the big name QB’s in their division, Andrew Luck and now Deshaun Watson, missed most or all of the season in Luck’s case. It also helped that by virtue of going 3-13 last season, Jacksonville got to play a last place team’s schedule this season. Besides that, while he was still below average this season, QB Blake Bortles took a step in the right direction in becoming an NFL QB. He turned the ball over less, and part of why he turned it over less was the emergence of Fournette as a feature bellcow back, as well as the Jaguars’ elite defense coming together. The real question is though, with the Jaguars a game away from potentially their first Super Bowl in franchise history, what do they have to do to beat the Patriots?
How can the Jaguars pull off the upset? First off, the defense must pressure Brady. If they can get Brady rattled and uncomfortable, he will make some mistakes. Secondly, Bortles has to play the game of his NFL career. The Patriots know that the Jaguars want to run it down their throats, so expect them to stack the box and force Bortles to beat them with his arm. Can Bortles step up to the plate and do that is the question? If he can, expect to see the Jaguars in the Super Bowl. If not, it’ll be the Patriots winning the AFC for the eighth time in 17 years, which is quite frankly ridiculous. In the end, considering I don’t trust Bortles whatsoever, I have the Patriots winning in dominant fashion 31-10. However, if Bortles plays well, the Jaguars have the more talented team overall so they have a really good shot. Since I do have the Patriots winning, I’ll have Brady as my player of the game as he’d get to an eighth Super Bowl, which is completely unheard of.
Blake Stoll: Patriots (38-24)
Caleb Henderson: Patriots (31-10)
Charles Post: Patriots (28-26)
Max Heningburg: Patriots (30-21)
Tyler Taylor: Patriots (30-24)
What do the No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, 1-0) have to do to win this game? For the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the Minnesota Vikings, they are going to need another solid performance from their quarterback. Although the offense has been playing solid, the Eagles defense is playing even better. They came into the playoffs with a top five ranked defense in the league, headlined by SS Malcolm Jenkins and DE Brandon Graham. The defense must play well again, as they did against the Atlanta Falcons. They held the Falcons to 10 points in the five-point win, and gave up just 210 passing yards from QB Matt Ryan. And the Eagles were even more dominant slowing down the running game. RB Devonta Freeman gained an abysmal seven (!) yards on 10 carries for a long of three yards. But while the defense must play well for Philadelphia to win this, the offense will be forced to step up as well. QB Nick Foles is coming off 246 yards on 76.7 percent passing for the Eagles. However, it's going to be difficult to navigate around the Vikings' defense who forced two interceptions from QB Drew Brees.
How did the No. 2 Minnesota Vikings (13-3, 1-0) get here? Both of these teams were not expected to be here at the beginning of the year, and now, they're both just one win away from reaching the Super Bowl. The Vikings completed one of the most miraculous plays in NFL history in their win last Sunday against the Saints. QB Case Keenum connected with WR Stefon Diggs on what looked to be a simple pass play, but a missed tackled turned into a game-winning miracle. Keenum had 318 yards on 62.5 percent passing, including the 61-yard touchdown to win the game to Diggs. Minnesota is looking to advance to their first Super Bowl since 1976 on Sunday, but the Eagles are not going to be a cakewalk. Minnesota started the season with a home win over the Saints and subsequently gained momentum after that. They didn't really look like contenders until they defeated the Detroit Lions on the road on Thanksgiving Day. After that, they clinched the NFC North and finished the season with a 13-3 record. Which meant they got a bye in the first round. Now with that they slipped past the Saints in a game that will go down in the history books, they're just one game away from going to the Super Bowl, which is scheduled to be played in their home stadium.
Who wins the NFC title game and reaches the Super Bowl? Last week, Foles played very efficient against the Falcons, completing 76.7 percent of his passes. Minnesota’s secondary composed of star FS Harrison Smith and lockdown CB Xavier Rhodes will have to step up and make Foles make rushed and poor decisions. The Vikings are playing on the road, where they are 1-4 in their last five road playoff games. Look for HC Mike Zimmer to establish a heavy passing threat exploiting zone and man-to-man coverages. If Keenum can play consistent and the defense can create trouble for Foles and the offense, the Vikings will be heading to Super Bowl 52. The Eagles secondary have had some problems covering receivers during the season, and the Vikings have an outstanding receiving core that can give the Eagles some trouble. Look out for Diggs to have another big game this postseason against the Eagles. Minnesota should have this game, despite being on the road. They have the better offense and the better defense. That usually equates to a victory.
Blake Stoll: Vikings (27-24)
Caleb Henderson: Vikings (24-14)
Charles Post: Vikings (23-21)
Max Heningburg: Vikings (27-24)
Tyler Taylor: Eagles (27-24)
Photo Credit: Gridiron Gab.
