2012 NFL SEASON: CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

It is finally here.

Conference Championship Sunday

For two teams, it is the final home game of the season.

At this point, two teams will move on and play each other in Super Bowl XLVII. The other two teams... they'll have to wait until next season for their chance at a championship.

Speaking of championships, my picks last week were nail biters. I went 2-2... could've gone 4-0 if it wasn't for two games. First, Denver's secondary late in regulation and Peyton Manning tossing a interception in overtime to allow the Ravens to set up a game-winning field goal in double overtime. Then on Sunday, the Seahawks came back from 20-0 at halftime to lead 28-27 with 30 seconds to play. If they just held on...

Meanwhile, Monica is probably kicking herself for taking the Packers over the 49ers and thinking the Texans could upset the Patriots thus ending the divisional round with a 1-3 record. It was a better game this time around, but the Texans couldn't stop New England's offense. Houston does have a bright outlook for 2013. I don't think they will lose anyone important in the free agency period during the off-season and they should get linebacker Brian Cushing back after he tore his ACL back in October. Houston has the 27th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Their non-divisional opponents for 2013 are: AFC West, NFC West, New England, and Baltimore. Houston will play at Kansas City, San Diego, Baltimore, Arizona, and San Francisco while they will host Denver, Oakland, New England, St. Louis, and Seattle. Three of their four 2013 opponents are playing this weekend. The Texans will face six 2012 playoff teams in 2013. Houston will have a difficult task ahead of them if they are to win their third consecutive AFC South crown.

So... who is going to Super Bowl?

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
AT ATLANTA FALCONS
2PM (CT) Fox

The 49ers came out firing on all cylinders against the Packers with a 45-31 victory to advance to the franchise's 14th NFC Title Game. San Francisco is 5-8 lifetime in NFC Title Games (most common matchup: 6 times against Dallas, where they have a 2-4 record against them).

This is the second time that San Francisco and Atlanta played each other in the playoffs. Their first meeting was in Atlanta in the 1998 Divisional Round. Atlanta was in the NFC West (try to explain that...) and was the #2 seed that season. San Francisco had defeated Green Bay a week earlier. Atlanta won 20-18 and then upset the favored Vikings in the NFC Title Game en route to their only Super Bowl appearance where they lost to the Denver Broncos in quarterback John Elway's final NFL game. The other time that Atlanta played in the NFC Title Game was in the 2004 season when Michael Vick (now an Eagle) was the quarterback and they lost to the Eagles.

For the Falcons, last week they played pretty well for the first half. The second half... they let the Seahawks back into that game. Remember, Seattle was down 14-0 at the end of the first quarter in Washington. They were down 20-0 at the half, only to take their first lead with less than 30 seconds left in the game.

Quarterback Matt Ryan showed poised in getting a 22-yard pass to receiver Harry Douglas and then a 19-yard pass to tight end Tony Gonzales to set up Matt Bryant for the game winning score.

Seattle was unable to complete a Hail Mary pass and the Falcons advanced.

Now Atlanta faces a rather familiar foe in the NFC Title Game. Like I said earlier, they were in the NFC West many moons ago.

The interesting thing about this game is that one person could hold the key for the Falcons success. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan built a lot of the roster that 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is now in charge of.

This is the last season that quarterback Matt Ryan is playing under his rookie contract. I think he has earned a long-term stay in Atlanta. Since 2008, Ryan has put together a 56-22 record and earned his first playoff win. However, that was overshadowed by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's first playoff win as he threw for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This is Jim Harbaugh's third attempt to advance to the Super Bowl. This is his second as a head coach. His first came in the 1995 AFC Title Game as quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts as his team fell short to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium.

Here is the beauty of the internet... you can watch the Colts final possession of that game to see the dramatic ending.

Last season the 49ers came up short in their quest to make their first Super Bowl appearance since I was in elementary school. Kaepernick won't do some of the stuff he did to the Packers, but the Falcons will have their hands full in trying to contain him and their other play makers.

The Falcons have a habit of playing and winning close games, but this is the 49ers they are playing against. Harbaugh will have them ready to play.

49ERS 31, FALCONS 27

BALTIMORE RAVENS

AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

5:30 PM (CT) CBS

Let's review...

Last season's AFC Title Game

Then there was the Week 3 Sunday Night Game....

"That's the loudest manure chant I've ever heard." - Al Michaels

So... we know the storylines going into this game. The Patriots destroyed the Texans last week. The Ravens displayed resiliency in Denver last weekend to keep Ray Lewis's season going. Quarterback Joe Flacco has now out gunned two future Hall of Famers in the last two post-seasons: Brady in last year's AFC Title Game and Peyton Manning in Denver. Yet... Flacco doesn't get the nod as being a top quarterback. Flacco has a 7-4 playoff record. Take away the Ravens two home wins the last two seasons and he's 5-4 in road playoff games.

The Patriots are attempting to do something that hasn't been done in about 20 years: return to the Super Bowl after losing it the season before. The last time that happened, it was the Bills of the 1990s when they made four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl only to end up empty handed each time.

Including this season, the Super Bowl Loser has made the playoffs the next season the last four times. However, the Super Bowl Loser did not win their opening playoff game in the last two instances. The Patriots have bucked that trend. It used to be that the Super Bowl Loser did not make the playoffs the next season as shown in the stretch from Super Bowls 35 to 39. The 2006 Seahawks were the first Super Bowl Loser to return to the playoffs since the 2000 Titans after coming up one yard short of tying Super Bowl 34.

SUPER BOWL	LOSER	NEXT SEASON
XLVI	Patriots	13-3, AFC Title Game TBD
XLV	Steelers	12-4, L AFC Wild Card
XLIV	Colts	10-6, L AFC Wild Card
XLIII	Cardinals	10-6, L NFC Divisional
XLII	Patriots	11-5, missed playoffs
XLI	Bears	7-9, missed the playoffs
XL	Seahawks	9-7, L NFC Divisional
XXXIX	Eagles	6-10, missed the playoffs
XXXVIII	Panthers	7-9, missed the playoffs
XXXVII	Raiders	4-12, missed the playoffs
XXXVI	Rams	7-9, missed the playoffs
XXXV	Giants	7-9, missed the playoffs
XXXIV	Titans	13-3, L AFC Divisional

New England looks poised to return to their second consecutive Super Bowl since they did it in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. While the Ravens story of continuing Ray Lewis's final season going all the way to New Orleans is a tempting one to follow, I have to go with what my brain and gut are telling me. I'm not so sure that the Ravens can stop New England's up-tempo offense. I can't see Flacco getting into a quarterback duel with Tom Brady.

Much like their game against the Texans last week, it will be entertaining in the first half and probably through most of the third quarter. In the fourth, the Patriots should put an end to the Ravens remarkable playoff run.

PATRIOTS 35, RAVENS 20