The NFL Roundup: The NFC Championship

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​Championship Sunday is a special day in the NFL, because the four remaining teams understand completely what it is at stake…a shot at the Super Bowl. If they play their game and execute on every single play, there’s a fair chance that they get to represent their respective conference in the greatest game in all of the land and if they fail to do all that, then they get to spend the rest of the off season, wondering ‘what if?’ since they were only one game away from a shot at the title.
 
That understanding is precisely why fans often point out that sometimes a Conference Championship game is better than the Super Bowl, and this particular Championship Sunday features a pair of matchups that could turn out to be downright incredible so without further ado, let’s get right down to it and begin our break down of tomorrow’s games…starting with The NFC Championship.

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National Football Conference Championship
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
Georgia Dome - 3:05 p.m. EST - FOX

THE BUZZ
Defense wins championships, but don’t bother telling that to the Falcons or the Packers since both of these teams have made it this far based upon their offensive prowess. For the Falcons their mastery of offense comes by way of Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan, and his ability to game plan for a particular defense is unmatched in the league and it shows on the field since the Falcons execute his play calls to a tee, exploiting every weakness the defense they are facing has to offer. For the Packers, their OC also happens to be their QB since Aaron Rodgers has an innate ability while on the field to improvise and make a play, moving his team down the field with ease. That means the buzz surrounding this game is related to one thing, points and lots of them because with two great offenses taking the field, and both of them squaring off against good, but not great defenses, the NFC Championship Game has the potential to become an outright shootout.  

KEYS TO THE GAME
With both of these teams essentially able to score at will, it will come down to one of these defenses stepping up in this game and finding a way to slow down one of these offensive powerhouses and oddly enough the key to this game is the same for both defenses, they have to disrupt the passing game. Both Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers have solid offensive lines that they are playing behind, so sacking or hitting the QB isn't the way to do it, instead the secondary and the linebacking corps have to remove the quick passing routes both QB's often enjoy and the cornerbacks have to blanket their man. It's all about minimizing damage and the first defense that can slow down one of these prolific offenses...and possibly force a turnover or two, is the D that helps their team win the George Halas trophy before heading off to Houston for Super Bowl LI.