Then There Were Four: Conference Championship Prediction

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Published on January 18, 2012

And then there were four. The Patriots are the favorites to take home the Lombardi trophy, but at this point, it's anyone's game. The Pats dominate on offense, the Ravens and Niners dominate on defense, and Eli Manning is continuing his career year through the playoffs, getting hot at the right time. The highlight of the weekend doesn't come from the Niners vs. Saints game (which was one of the most exciting playoff games in recent memory), but rather from the Patriots vs. Broncos game. Tom Brady unleashes a 48-yard punt on third down.

Overall: 22-13-1

Last Week's Predictions:

Houston +7.5 at Baltimore: WIN

This game went as expected. Both teams have solid defenses and mediocre offenses that rely heavily on the running back. Jacoby Jones made a few costly mistakes for special teams, and the Texans suffered as a result. Baltimore will have their hands full in Foxborough this week.

Conference Finals Prediction:

San Francisco -2.5 vs New York

Don't get it twisted, New York should not have beaten Green Bay. Were it not for the turnovers and dropped passes, we would be talking about the Niners going into Lambeau. But, c'est la vie. San Francisco showed that their No. 8 opponent-adjusted passing offense can actually put up points, but they face an even better Giants passing offense that ranks sixth in efficiency. The tipping point, however, is the 49ers defense. Justin Smith had a downright dominant game against the Saints and his Niners' defense ranks fourth in the league, and the next best remaining defense in the playoffs behind Baltimore. Remember these two teams played earlier this year in a close, back-and-forth game. But, Justin Smith came up big, knocking down Eli Manning's pass attempt on fourth down and sealing a 27-20 victory. Interestingly enough, one of San Francisco's top comparable teams is the 2005 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Give me San Francisco by a field goal.

The most accurate weekly projections from numberFire.com based on wall-street style analytics. numberFire outpredicted two of the most trafficked fantasy sites 70|PERCENT| of the time and are 54-55|PERCENT| against the spread over the last 3 seasons.