NFL conference championship preview

Conference Championship weekend is upon us. On Sunday, the participants in the Super Bowl will be determined. Can the Steelers defeat the Ravens for the third time this season to advance or can the Ravens finally get past the Steelers? Can the Eagles ground the Cardinals in the desert or will the Cardinals use their potent offense to avenge their Thanksgiving loss to the Eagles? The CT will tell who will win and why.

NFC Championship

Who: Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals
When: Sunday, 3 p.m. on FOX
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
Line: Eagles by 3.5
Summary: This is a rematch of the Thanksgiving game that the Eagles won 48-20. The Eagles dominated the game on both sides of the ball. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb threw four touchdowns while RB Brian Westbrook scored two touchdowns on the ground and caught another two touchdowns. The Eagles defense held the high-octane offense of the Cardinals to just 260 yards, 105 yards under Arizona’s season average, while forcing the Cardinals into four turnovers. While the Cardinals were dominated in the regular season meeting, they have a couple of things on their side. Their defense has been playing great this postseason. While giving up a shade under 27 points per game in the regular season, they have held their two postseason opponents, the Falcons and Panthers, to just under 19 points per game. The game also is at home, where they went 6-2 in the regular season. There are also a couple of things that hurt them. Arizona will be going up against the third-ranked defense in the league. Their stud WR Anquan Boldin is still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered against the Falcons two weeks ago. The Eagles defense will slow down the Cardinals offense. McNabb and the offense won’t put up another 48 points but they will score enough to send them to the Super Bowl.
Winner: Philadelphia wins and covers spread

AFC Championship

Who: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
When: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. on CBS
Where: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh
Line: Steelers by 6
Summary: The two division rivals clash for the third time this season. The Steelers won the two regular season games by a total of seven points. Expect this game to be just as close as the first two. These are the two best defenses in the NFL. The Steelers defense gave up the least amount of points and yards in the league. The Ravens allowed the second fewest yards and the third fewest points. With the defenses being so even, other factors will determine the outcome of the game and they all favor the Steelers. The Ravens defense looked tired in last week’s game against the Titans. Titans RB Chris Johnson was having his way with the Ravens defense until he was sidelined by an ankle injury. Steelers RB Willie Parker is the same shifty back that Johnson is and that spells trouble for the Ravens. Baltimore has played 17 straight games without a bye week and that is starting to take its toll. The Ravens are also fighting injuries. LB Terrell Suggs left the game against the Titans with a shoulder injury and RB Le’Ron McClain also was nicked up in that game. The Steelers also have the better offense. While Baltimore’s offense had slightly better numbers in the regular season, you have to remember that Pittsburgh was without Parker for five games. The Ravens should be able to get to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and while that will keep them in the game, Pittsburgh will ultimately win another close game.
Winner: Pittsburgh wins but Baltimore covers spread