MY THOUGHTS ON THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES….

My first prediction….these will be exciting games to watch on Sunday!  I think both will be close scoring games with a few key factors making the difference.

Carolina should take the championship….but only IF Cam Newton stays healthy.  The Cardinals defense will come with combination blitz’s on nearly every passing down to force him out of the pocket.  The more Newton runs, the more he subjects himself to injury.  The Cardinals are, obviously, a strong team with a lot of talent but Carolina has a few advantages this weekend – they’re home and they have a Shula on board.

If Denver has a chance at winning this game and going to the Super Bowl, their receivers cannot repeat what happened last week.  Seven dropped balls will rule them out against New England.  They have to start on the mark with little to no errors in order to execute a win over New England.  They can’t give Brady as much time to throw as they allowed Roethlisberger.  I’m a Manning family fan and would love to see Peyton in the Super Bowl this year but, after last weeks game, I’m not completely confident the Denver team can win against New England.

I’m picking the Carolina Panthers over the Arizona Cardinals and the New England Patriots over the Denver Broncos.

What do YOU think?