The NFL's final four is upon us. The NFC title game is a big ole surprise between Philadelphia and Arizona. The AFC title game is a not quite so surprising matchup of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. I think the Eagles-Cardinals game will feature a whole lot of scoring, while the Ravens-Steelers should be a grind-it-out dogfight.
Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
12:00 PM PST, FOX
Eagles coverage: Bleeding Green Nation
Cardinals coverage: Revenge of the Birds
How many times will we hear discussion of the big chip on the Cardinals shoulder? Or of how Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb overcame the odds. Of course, if the Eagles lose, I'm sure the post-game reaction of the city of Philadelphia will not be pleasant. I think Philly wins this game, but given how topsy-turvy the NFC playoff has been, nothing would surprise me today.
Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
3:30 PM PST, CBS
Ravens coverage: Baltimore Beatdown
Steelers coverage: Behind the Steel Curtain
How many times will we hear how these two teams really don't like each other? How many ways can the pregame crew and the announcers predict a smash-mouth type of game? I think the cliches will be truly free-flowin. I think the Ravens pull off the upset. Flacco could completely crap the bed, but the Ravens have done a good job of keeping out of situations where Flacco has to do too much. We'll see if they can keep it up.