This weekend is the Championship games for both the AFC and NFC conferences. The winners of these games will meet in SuperBowl XXXVII in San Diego. Even though our beloved Packers are not one of the final four teams, I believe that we are seeing the best four teams in league left in the playoffs. The Packers had a great year this season but when it came to crunch time their weaknesses were exposed.

Let’s look at the NFC championship game first. This game pits Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the NFC first-seed Philadelphia Eagles led by ex-Packer coach and NFL Coach Of the Year Andy Reid. There is an old saying that defense wins championships and this game epitomizes the saying with both teams in the upper echelon of teams that shutdown even the most potent of offenses.

The key to this game is the control of the line of scrimmage. Both teams have solid defensive lines. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers must be able to contain the Eagles pass rush of Hugh Douglas, Darwin Walker and Corey Simon. The Bucs have relied on the pass and have not show a running game that this team has been known for in the past. They need to get a running game in order to score points or the Eagles pass rush which led the league with 56 sacks this year will be all over the immobile Tampa Bay QB Brad Johnson. The Tampa Bay Bucs do not have depth at the Quarterback position so an injury to Johnson would prove costly to the Tampa Bay offense. Philadelphia on the other hand , showed that Donovan McNabb is not the entire offense with a strong performance of the backup QBs and their ability to lead the Eagles offense to some high scoring games without McNabb.

In the past three meetings between these teams, the Eagles have been able to contain Warren Sapp. This game we can expect the Buccaneers to move Sapp to various defensive line positions in an attempt to make his presence known. McNabb will have to be careful with his pre-snap reads and not force the ball into coverage especially around NFL defensive Player of The Year Derrick Brooks who is always around the ball. If the Eagles offensive performance last week is any indication, this game could be decided by turnovers and defensive touchdowns.

The AFC Championship game pits the Tennessee Titans against the hot Oakland Raiders led by League MVP Rich Gannon. On paper, this game looks to be a blow out with the Raiders in the SuperBowl. The Oakland put out the New York Jets fire by soundly defeating them by 20 points , and the Titans barely  squeaked by the Steelers by 3. In week 4, the Raiders defeated the Titans 52-25. You know the Titans will be fired up. The game occurred when the Titans were counted out of the playoffs and before their roll which gave them the second seed in AFC playoffs. The Titan team can not be overlooked just ask the Packers about the Falcons this years. The Titans play with heart and never give up. They are a defensive team that keeps games close and tries to win in the fourth quarters. If they can keep this game close in the fourth quarter, the odds are in the Titans favor.