New England @ Denver
The final chapter in the Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning saga is upon us. This will be their fifth matchup in the playoffs, which is the most head-to-head clashes between starting quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. The only problem is, one of them can still get the job done on talent alone, while the other is dwindling away. Manning was 7-2 as a starter this year but threw for just nine touchdowns, with 17 interceptions. Brady had an absolute stellar season, throwing for 4770 yards while accumulating 37 TDs to 7 interceptions. His weapons in Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are back and performing. Gronkowski caught two touchdowns last week while Edelman had 100 yards receiving. The offence is a well-oiled machine. On the other side of the ball, this will most likely be Manning’s last game of his career. He is still a highly intelligent quarterback, but his arm is now nothing to write home about. He relies heavily on his defence. Once Brady is up, and he will be up on the scoreboard, it will be hard for the old-timer to complete any kind of comeback. Manning threw for just 222 yards last week against a Steelers defence that was capable of more, missing quality opportunities. Although his receivers committed drops, I don’t see the Broncos coming close in this one.
PICK: New England (-2.5)
Arizona @ Carolina
The Panthers are the real deal. They showed that last week after throwing up 31 points before half and then coasting to the finish line. Cam Newton put up MVP-like numbers this campaign, they may also have the defensive MVP on their team with Luke Kuechly. Carolina will be tough to crack. Arizona has lost their starting running back in Chris Johnson. Will David Johnson be up to the task so early in his young career? Only time will tell. This will be the first time these teams have met this year. After barely missing perfection this season and laying the smack down on one of the most quality teams in the NFL for the past five years, look for the Panthers to be headed to the Super Bowl.
PICK: Carolina (-2.5)
