We're a week out from what will be a glorious Super Bowl in New York/New Jersey and I couldn't be more excited for it.  My hometown team, the Denver Broncos will be there and the only way this season can get any better is watching Peyton Manning hoist the Lombardi Trophy.  

But before we all settle in for the greatest sporting event in all of the land, there is one other game waiting for us...the Pro Bowl.  

With that in mind, I suppose it is confession time.  You see, I'm a hardcore football fan. I watch this sport as often as possible.  Hell I can get excited about a pair of 2-14 teams going head to head simply because of how amazing this sport is in general. But there is one game that I rarely find myself excited for, the Pro Bowl.  My whole reason for not enjoying the game is simple, I'm not a fan of all star games in general.

See to me, the real All Star Game is the Super Bowl and its subsequent champion.  Those are the All Stars, those are the guys who deserve all the attention that they can get because hey, they are the best.  It is a thought that I extend to all sports since really, they all feature an all star game.  But the NFL makes it even more difficult to enjoy the game for one good reason, they too acknowledge the utter importance of the Super Bowl. 

Peyton Manning will not be playing in the game.  Nor will Russell Wilson, because while the All Stars assemble in Hawaii tonight to play their game, Peyton and Russell will be arriving in East Rutherford, New Jersey with the Super Bowl on their mind.  It just makes tonight's game silly and I know I'm not alone in this opinion.  Heck, even the NFL itself has had its grumblings about the game not being exciting enough or not being all that it can be.  

So to me, the solution is simple.  Get rid of it.  Make All Star Games go away in general because we all know there is only one real thing that matters at the end of the year.  Not who was an All Star, but who won it all.  

John's Take - San Francisco is a strong team, they've proven me wrong many times in the past few weeks.  But they are facing off against a Seattle Seahawks team that is working on all eight cylinders.  They completely disassembled Drew Brees and the Saints and something tells me they will do the same to Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers.  Winner - Seattle

Scotty's Take - The 49ers have a great ongoing winning streak, but it looks like it could come to an end.  Defeating the Packers along with the Panthers, they move further down the alphabet to a 'S' team that has the highest defensive rank in the league.  The Seahawks still have the greatest advantage, 'The 12th Man' on its side and it will be louder than ever.  Winner - Seattle

Here we are at last, Championship Sunday.  One game away from the Super Bowl.  In fact, sometimes the Conference Championship can be more exciting than the Super Bowl itself and this year's AFC Championship should be one hell of a game as Manning and Brady square off once again, all for a chance to win the Lamar Hunt Trophy and advance to Super Bowl XLVIII.  So will be it the Patriots or the Broncos?  Here are our picks for the American Football Conference Championship.  

John's Take - Last week was a huge test for the Broncos.  Once again they let an opponent get back into the game.  But this time, they didn't fold, they didn't quit. They finished it on both Offense on Defense.  They are a dangerous squad right now, one hungry to get to the biggest game on the planet. Manning is playing the best ball of his career and quite frankly, New England and Tom Brady have not been the same since their last Super Bowl loss. Take that into account, combined with a Broncos team that showed they can handle the big games and are hungry for more and the choice is simple, Denver all the way. Winner - Denver 

Scotty's Take - I still like the Broncos to win this game, even with the laundry list of injuries on the defensive front.  The Patriots are more dependent on the running game than ever with the loss of their Tight Ends and that fairs much better for the Broncos than could have been expected.  I am looking to see a shoot out with one of the highest scoring playoff games in history. Winner - Denver 

NFC Divisional Matchup #1
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks 

John's Take - Don't get me wrong, the Saints are a dangerous team.  Brees is an elite Quarterback that can pick apart a defense, but so can Russell Wilson and in all honesty, his defense is better than New Orleans'.  Winner - Seattle

Scotty's Take - Seattle has one of the greatest things going for them and that is the Twelfth Man.  Sitting in one of these games years ago was an incredible experience and it will never leave my memory, I can still not hear out of my left ear. Being 15-1 in their home games over the past two seasons, the Seahawks are the best home team in the league. Winner - Seattle

AFC Divisional Matchup #1
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots

John's Take - If there is any game this weekend that looks like the final fight in a Rocky movie, this one is it.  Brady and Luck will be going at it all day, dinking and dunking and dropping fifty yard bombs. I expect a high scoring game regardless of the weather, but it will come down to who will make the least amount of mistakes and that's where Brady's experience will come through.  Winner - New England 

Scotty's Take - Injuries will tell the story of this game.  The Colts are healthy and ready to play as the Patriots are facing at least six of their starters out for this game.  The Colts have shown they have a strong offense along with a decent defense that will be able to stop the Patriots depleted offense. Winner - Indianapolis

NFC Divisional Matchup #2
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers 

John's Take - This is the best that Cam Newton has ever played.  No more pouting on the sidelines.  No more stupid mistakes, just fundamental football for him.  That makes him a very dangerous player.  By keeping cool and collect now he is a leader on that field, something that I haven't fully seen from Kaepernick yet.  Not to mention the Panthers are jelling on both sides of the ball while San Fran has been up and down all year, I think this is the end of the road for the 49ers.  Winner - Carolina

Scotty's Take - The Panthers have had a week to get healthy and will be able to show it against the 49ers.  The 49ers, coming off of a good win against Green Bay will have to run the ball early and often against one of the best run defenses in the game.  Coming down to possession, the Panthers should be able to run the clock at their own leisure. Winner - Carolina

AFC Divisional Matchup #2
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos 

John's Take - The Broncos are angry right now.  I have heard it in every radio interview, you can feel it in the words they speak.  This team has something to prove.  They were embarrassed at home last year by the Ravens, they were embarrassed at home this year by the Chargers. The Defense will come to play, it will be an ugly day for Philip Rivers and his stupid bolo tie and I can't wait to watch the D smother #17 and for Manning to carve up that defense like a Thanksgiving Turkey.  Winner - Denver 

Scotty's Take - Two of the league’s worst defenses during the regular season square off.  This is going to be a shootout between quarterbacks that will come down to the last possession of the game.  With a veteran leader like Peyton Manning, it should be no problem.  But whoever’s defense shows up to the game will prevail. Winner - Denver 

AFC Wildcard Matchup #1
Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts 

John's Take - This one to me will likely be the top game of Wildcard Weekend. These are two solid teams going to head to head but in the end, I think the weaknesses exposed by the Colts' opponents this year will be completely exploited by Andy Reid and his Chiefs.  I expect some solid scoring from both squads but in the end, Indy is in and out of the first round pretty quick.  WINNER - Kansas City

Scotty's Take -  One thing can be said out the Chiefs season this year, Magical.  With the addition of Andy Reid at the helm, the Chiefs have been able to turn around a struggling franchise to one to be feared.  If you ask me they should have won their last game, backups and all.  This is a team to be reckoned with.  WINNER - Kansas City 

NFC Wildcard Matchup #1
New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles 

John's Take - To me, this one is a no brainer. We can go on and on about how the Saints stink in cold weather or when they play outside of the dome, that to me is irrelevant.  It's about who the better team is on gameday and right now that honor rests with Philadelphia.  Nick Foles is a lights out quarterback right now and that Defense is mean and nasty.  Drew Brees will make some plays, but there will be no win for New Orleans.  WINNER - Philadelphia

Scotty's Take - With quality backup Nick Foles turned NFL starter running the run and gun offense of the Eagles, there is next to no defense that can stop them.  Even with New Orleans being able to rack up some huge points, the defense of Philadelphia is too consistent to give up the game. WINNER - Philadelphia

AFC Wildcard Matchup #2
San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals 

John's Take - Two key things here.  #1. The Chargers beat the Kansas City Second Stringers to get here.  Yes I understand they beat Denver as well, but even the sun shines in Seattle once a month.  #2. San Diego is just not that good of a team, Cincinnati however, is a good team.  WINNER - Cincinnati 

Scotty's Take - The Bengals are one of the feel good stories of the season once again.  With Andy Dalton leading the charge with one of the best receivers in the game A.J. Green there is next to nothing that a defense can do to stop them.  Although San Diego has been on a hot streak as of late, their defense is not strong enough to smother the aerial attack of anyone. WINNER - Cincinnati

NFC Wildcard Matchup #2
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers 

John's Take - I've yet to do much discussion on how little I enjoy watching read option quarterbacks play, that is a blog for another time, but in short...Kaepernick and many other read option QB's have been exposed this year and if any team can shut him down for the year...it's Green Bay.  Aaron Rodgers is back and that's bad news for any team coming into Lambeau Field. WINNER - Green Bay 

Scotty's Take - Having a powerful defense the 49ers should be in the drivers seat the entire game.  With Aaron Rodgers just coming back last week and beating the Bears on a freak play, more time has to be spent with the offense that has fallen off of the face of the planet in his absence.  WINNER - San Francisco

Man I love football, always have, always will.  It's an incredible sport and I've always loved the fact that this game is rarely about second chances, it's about perfection. Play your game and the glory is yours.  Make a mistake and you're sent home wondering what went wrong.  It's sports at its finest, and the playoffs are no exception.  

You live week to week, and only get one chance to see your season survive.  No five game series, or best of seven.  It all comes down to sixty minutes of glory.  Win or go home.  So with that in mind, everyone is wondering who is the strongest team to win it all this year, and if you ask me, I have to go with my hometown favorite, the team that can just about score at will...The Denver Broncos.

Some of you may roll their eyes at this because we all know at this point how big of a fan I am of the Broncos and you go right ahead, because of the fact they are one damn good team and it's only going to get better in the playoffs.  For those concerned Manning cannot play in the cold, he has proven that he can.  For those concerned about the Defense's health, minus Von Miller the Broncos are just about back at full strength and should be come game time.  

Plus, they're hungry.  We all remember the Nightmare at Mile High last January, when Rahim Moore went for the interception rather than the tackle and his mistake led to a touchdown and overtime and the eventual loss of the game. Blame Manning all you want for his INT in OT...if Moore made the tackle, there was a better chance the clock would have instead run out and Denver would have celebrated a victory.  

They will be fighting harder this time, they have something to prove.  Plus we cannot forget, Peyton Manning can almost will a team to win and after the season he has had, you know, shattering ALL the records and such...this will be the team to beat in the playoffs and I wish their opponents luck, they're going to need it, because the Denver Broncos are bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to the Mile High City.  

Who will win the Super Bowl this year is the question and one saying always comes to mind, ‘Defense wins Championships’.  Although the offense always gets all of the hype, if for one game or one drive the defense can provide a stop, it could be the difference in winning and losing the game.  The NFC by far has the best defenses in the league and that is what leads me to my choice of the Carolina Panthers.  Although they are not a flashy team, they have a fantastic defense that forced over forty turnovers this year.  Consistently is the name of the game with the Panthers who only lost two games by over ten points.  With only three of the NFC playoff teams being pass heavy, a sixth ranked pass defense should be more than adequate to stop them.  Along with having the number two ranked run defense in the league, they seem to have all bases covered.

Now their offense is not one of the best in the league, but with a very low ranked passing game with Cam Newton at the helm, and it does not have to be.  Running the ball and controlling the clock will be the difference in most of the playoff games this year and there should be no shame in that.  With Cam Newton’s versatility, DeAngelo Williams speed and Mike Tolbert’s short yardage expertise, the backfield of the Panthers could be very dangerous for any defense to face off against.  With a mediocre passing attack, it should not be overlooked as veterans Greg Olsen, Steve Smith and Ted Ginn will be the main targets on the corners, but not to forget about Domenik Hixon who has shown up late in the season. Nursing a hamstring all season, he may be ready to break out in the playoffs with another spectacular catch like the one he had on the Giants game winning drive a few years ago.

With the defense in place and an offense that could just end up exploding this post season, the Panthers are a very dangerous team and that is why I picked them for my Super Bowl team of 2014.  All of the main components of a championship team are there, although they have shown a little bit of a sign of it in the regular season, the playoffs is where the true champions come to play.