Chris Giraldo & Jesus Martinez|| Multi-Sports writers
Tomorrow we will know the two teams competing in Super Bowl 52, just two weeks from now. On the AFC side, the feel-good story Jaguars coming off an impressive win in Pittsburgh, visit the New England Patriots, who are looking to secure a spot in their 8th Super Bowl in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. In the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings are looking to become the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, as they visit the #1 seeded Eagles, with Nick Foles at the helm.
Here are our predictions for the two big games this weekend.
AFC Championship
Chris Giraldo: The Jacksonville Jaguars turnaround is one for the ages. Heading into 2016, they made major free agent signings, including DL Malik Jackson and had a “good” draft according to the experts. But, they disappointed and finished the year 3-13.
In the 2017 offseason, they continued their free agency signing spree by signing DE Calais Campbell and CB AJ Bouye. In the draft they took star LSU RB Leonard Fournette.
Fast forward to January and they’re now one win away from their first Super Bowl in franchise history. The pride of Duval County has had a remarkable season led by their feared defense, star running back and occasional flashes of brilliance out of Blake Bortles.
A lot of credit must be given to 1st year head coach Doug Marrone and to the executive vice president of football operations, former Jaguars and Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin.
Their win in Pittsburgh was eye opening, as the Jaguars showed that they too can get involved in a shootout, while throwing out there the best defense in the NFL.
Unfortunately, I see their Cinderella story coming to an end in Foxborough. The New England Patriots are a whole different animal, unlike any other team the Jaguars have seen this season.
Even with Tom Brady dealing with a hand injury that has driven the media crazy all week, I still see the Pats coming out on top.
My reasoning is this- if there is one thing that the Patriots have been excellent at in the Brady-Belichick era, besides winning and getting involved in controversy; it’s their ability to shut down the opponents number one weapon. Even with the league’s 29th ranked defense, I believe Belichick and Patricia will take Leonard Fournette out of the ballgame. In that case, the game would be in Blake Bortles’ hands.
This Jaguars team has also drawn comparisons to the 2007 New York Giants who upset the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. The difference between those two teams is the fact that the Giants had a future hall of fame quarterback and a really good receiving core.
It’s year four and I still don’t know how I feel about Bortles. I can admit that he’s done enough in the playoffs to help his team win, whether it be on the ground or in the air. The Jaguars receiving core concerns me, however. Keenan Cole and Dede Westbrook are both rookies. Allen Hurns is a talented receiver ,yet he’s contributed very little in the playoffs. Marqise Lee is currently playing through injury. Their tight end Ben Koyack had just one reception last week against the Steelers. Running back TJ Yeldon was the team's leading receiver with only 57 yards.
Walking into Gillette Stadium with the greatest QB and Head Coach right in front of them, will be too much for this Jaguars squad. The stage has never been bigger for them and while their confidence is high, deservingly so, the Patriots are the reigning champs for a reason.
One cannot deny, that their is a power struggle going on in New England. You have a Hall of Fame owner, Hall of Fame head coach and a Hall of Fame Quarterback; it was only a matter of time until they clashed. In most cases, a dispute like this would lead to the crumbling of an organization. This Patriots dynasty is indestructible in my opinion. Their foundation of greatness, the greatness in the 3 men responsible for their success will not be easily topped.
I can see this being a relatively low scoring game and Brady turning over the ball once. In the end, the Patriots will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl once again.
Final score: Patriots 20, Jaguars 14
Jesus Martinez:
When Jaguars Defensive Tackle Malik Jackson told the media that the Jaguars would make the Super Bowl back in July, I burst out laughing with tears in my eyes. It was the funniest thing I heard all week. After all, who would think that a Jaguars team that just finished 3-13 with the fourth worst record in the league, led by a QB that nearly lost his job to Chad Henne, would win the Super Bowl? It would’ve been an improvement if they could make the playoffs, 6 months ago me proclaimed.
Well, here we are. The Jaguars are one game away from the Super Bowl, and I’m eating crow for dinner.
In one of the most impressive turnarounds in NFL history, the Jaguars put Duval on their back and rode them all the way to Foxborough for a date with Lombardi on the line. Led by the best defensive unit in the AFC, their scoring defense has soared to one of the best in the league at 17.4 points a match. In today’s NFL, that is definitely impressive. Their beloved Sacksonville Defense, manned by likely AFC Defensive Player of the year in Calais Campbell, Pro-Bowler Malik Jackson, and rising star Yannick Ngakoue (whos 11.0 sacks was 3rd in the AFC), the DL unit acclaimed a whopping total of 55 sacks the entire year which leads the league. Their shutdown corners Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye have also been well deserved Pro-Bowl members. Their offense is nothing to slouch on either, as after putting up 38 against Pittsburgh, they’ve been put on notice. Their rushing game, lead by first year stud Leonard Fournette, has been tops in the league and Blake Bortles is resurgent once again.
Their matchup is none other than the NFL’s best team and biggest dynasty for the past 15 years, the New England Patriots.
Now beating the New England Patriots have never been easy. In the last five years, the Patriots have won approximately 75% of their matchups, which puts them on average at a 12-4 season every year. That is nothing short of amazing. No other team can claim to win 75% of their matchups the last five years. They, like all great dynasties these days, require perfection. Not only do they need to be perfect, but in order to beat them you need to play perfect. Don’t believe me? Ask last year’s Falcons. But this isn’t about past years, its about this year, so let me tell you how they have been this season. Tom Brady has put up astounding numbers yet again, amassing over 4500 passing yards with a 32:8 TD/INT ratio. He will likely win MVP, and with his bevy of weapons, such as Brandin Cooks, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, pass catching RB’s in James White and Dion Lewis, and the league’s greatest tight end in Rob Gronkowski, he will continue putting up great numbers as long as all are around (especially #87).
Yet this Patriots team has been different. Whether it's the so called “power struggle” between the Big 3 of Brady, Kraft and Belichick, or player disputes. This team hasn’t had the look of the same Patriots that have beaten up on teams before. Their defense is ranked 29th in the league and progressively gets worse, and there have been flashes this year where the Patriots have crumbled.
Will we see that this Sunday? Not at all. This Patriots team will be ready and focused.
WIll they win? I’m not sold on it.
Tom Brady has reportedly gotten stitches on his throwing hand, and being out all week is not good to face this type of defense. The Jaguars offense is solid overall, but questions arise on Blake Bortles end. If he plays the way he does against Buffalo, they won’t have a chance. If he plays similar to last week at Heinz Field, then the Jaguars will dominate. He will do just about enough to lead his team to victory, and the defense will do its part and contain Gronk, put Tom under pressure a lot, and win the game. The game will be an upset on Jacksonville’s part, and a game winning field goal is how they take it.
FINAL SCORE: Jacksonville Jaguars 28, New England Patriots 27
NFC Championship
Chris Giraldo: Unlike the AFC title game, this matchup does not feature a Hall of Fame quarterback. Instead, both QBs began the year as the backup.
Prior to this season, Case Keenum was bouncing around from team to team, failing to make an impression anywhere. Landing in Minnesota was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. Taken under his wing by Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Keenum has had a career year, by tossing 22 touchdowns and 3,547 yards.
The ending to last week's divisional round matchup is unquestionably one of the greatest endings in the history of the league. While Marcus William’s whiff, will never be forgotten, neither should Keenum’s brilliant, gutsy throw.
Nick Foles is best remembered for his ridiculous 2013 season. He’s never come close to reaching that form again. He’s bounced around from Philly to St.Louis to Kansas City and back to Philly. With Carson Wentz down, the hopes of Philadelphia fans fell on Foles’ shoulders. Sadly for them, the Nick Foles we’ve seen the 4 games he’s started, has been inconsistent.
Which Nick Foles shows up for the NFC title game? If the good one does, will the Vikings defense be too much of a challenge?
Another difference in this matchup is the fact that both teams carry great defenses. The Eagles defensive unit is anchored by their big men up front including Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Timmy Jernigan. The Vikings have an all-around scary defense with some of the best in the game like Harrison Smith, Everson Griffen and Xavier Rhodes.
There is no doubt in my mind that the home crowd will be a factor. While the Vikings are used to playing in a loud, ruckus atmosphere, the not-so friendly confines of Philadelphia will be absolutely wild.
However, talent wins football games and I’ll take the Vikings defense of the Eagles’. Also, I believe more in the Vikings weapons on offense ( Diggs, Thielen, Rudolph and Murray) than the Eagles weapons ( Jeffrey, Agholor, Ertz and Ajayi).
If the Eagles had Carson Wentz, we would be having a totally different conversation right now. But, since Wentz is out with a torn ACL, the full perspective shows an advantage for the Vikings.
Eagles fan will have to suffer through another year with no Super Bowls.
I think this game will feature slightly more scoring than the AFC title game, and will likely come down to who has the ball last.
Final score: Vikings 23, Eagles 21
Jesus Martinez: I have yet to fully accept the fact that these two teams are in the NFC Championship game. For one, the Falcons had every opportunity to win the game in Philly last week. They were up 10-6 at the half and were poised to go back to the Super Bowl to avenge themselves, just like I had envisioned and predicted. Then a weird bounce off a safety’s knee and long catch set them up for a field goal. Why is this relevant you ask? Well, two more field goals helped the Eagles put a 5 point lead on Atlanta, and a goal line stand prevented a possible opportunity at a Patriots Falcons rematch. If it was only 2 instead of 5, the Falcons would have definitely won the game on a field goal. As for the Saints, if Marcus Williams hadn’t left his brain on the sidelines, then we would have a much different outlook.
Instead of the Saints moving on, Stefon Diggs and Case Keenum became Vikings legends and they are one game away from becoming the first team to host their own Super Bowl.
Instead of the Falcons moving on, the Eagles are one game away from going to the place everyone had saw them going before Carson got hurt, and one game from having an opportunity to win their first Super Bowl and end all Eagles memes.
The appeal to this matchup is in regards to the stout defenses both of these teams have. While the Jaguars defense is tops in the AFC, the Vikings are second to none in the NFC. Led by Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr, this defense has given up only 16 points a game, ranking 1st in the league at that. Trae Waynes and Andrew Serejendo round out an elite secondary that have frustrated QBs and receivers all season. As for the Philadelphia Eagles, their defensive studs such Nigel Bradham, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Ronald Darby, and Timmy Jernigan all make solid contributions to a top 5 defense that has recently carried this team. With Carson Wentz, the offense would more than do their part, being one of the creme of the crop. Without Wentz, they have stalled, averaging under 25 a game, but with a rushing attack of the two headed monster in Legarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, I expect the offense to not be completely stagnant. This will be a defensive battle for the ages, and with each having something to prove, Folesadelphia comes through and plays like his 2013 self, throwing for 200 and 1 TD with no interceptions. Not insane stats, but with Ajayi and Blount eating, the Eagles fly to a convincing win and a spot to the Super Bowl secured. Maybe next year we’ll see a team host a Super Bowl. I wonder where its hosted at..
Atlanta? Ha! Sure thing Falcons, see you there in 2019. Haha.
FINAL SCORE: Minnesota Vikings 13, Philadelphia Eagles 21
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