NFC Championship: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5th seed, 11-5) @ Green Bay Packers (1st seed, 13-3) Sunday, January 24th, 12:05 PM PT, on FOX

The NFC Championship Game features many first times in the NFL history books, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers square off for the right to go to the Super Bowl.
Firstly, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the Conference Championship game for the first time since 2002, when they won their only Super Bowl appearance. They defeated their division rival New Orleans Saints 30-20 and forced four turnovers that changed the course of the game. Led by Quarterback Tom Brady, a top 3 passing attack, and a top 10 defense, the Buccaneers look to make it back to the Super Bowl once again. However, there are a few flaws to this team, two on offense and one on defense. The biggest flaw to the Buccaneers’ offense is that they lack a consistent offensive line and running game. Their running offense ranks near the bottom of the league at 28th.  The O-line has suffered from injuries, specifically when they went to the Super Bowl, they had to travel to the NFC’s #1 seed in freezing conditions and had to face an NFL MVP candidate. The path this year is identical, as they have to travel to Green Bay, where the weather is forecasted to be in freezing temperatures, and they have to face MVP Front-runner Aaron Rodgers and the NFL’s top-scoring offense. This also the first time Rodgers and Tampa Bay Quarterback Tom Brady will meet in the postseason.
Speaking of Rodgers, we’re moving onto the Packers, This is the first time in Aaron Rodgers career as a starter that he will host the NFC conference championship. The last time he was leading the NFC’s No. 1 seed was 2011, when they fell to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, 37-20 in the second round of the playoffs. This year is different, however, as Rodgers was dominant against all opposition, putting up 48 passing touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. His leading weapon, Davante Adams, caught 18 of them and missed three of the 16 regular-season games this year. I cannot say enough about Rodgers and Adams, but the defense is still very good. They boast one of the best passing defenses in the NFL, led by Star corner Jaire Alexander, who allowed negative 3 receiving yards in a 32-18 win over the Rams. The run defense is very concerning for the Packers, but the Buccaneers run offense ranks 28th out of 32 in the NFL.
These two clashed in week 6 with Tampa winning in a rout 38-10, picking off Rodgers twice, returning one for a touchdown. But that was in Tampa Bay, not in Green Bay. I cannot bet against Aaron Rodgers in this Matchup, I have the packers advancing to the Super Bowl by a score of 31-21.

AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills (2nd seed 13-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (14-2, 1st Seed) Sunday, January 24th, 3:40 PM PT on CBS.

The AFC Championship game features two strong passing offenses, premier Quarterbacks, and confident defenses. The Buffalo Bills look to make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995, while the Chiefs are one game closer to repeating as Champs.
I’ll start with the Bills. After acquiring Receiver Stefon Diggs in the offseason, the passing game of the bills has ballooned from the bottom of the league to second, only behind their foes this weekend. The recent play of the offense led Quarterback Josh Allen has all of Buffalo rioting out of happiness, as the fanbase, known as Bills mafia, jumps through table after table after table. Allen’s play was shaky at best in his first two years in the NFL after being selected 7th overall in the 2018 draft, and he never had that big-time receiver last year that prevented the bills from going far in the playoffs. All of the sports media was saying that the bills needed a big-time receiver, and when the Minnesota Vikings starting shopping star receiver Stefon Diggs, the Bills came calling and put an offer on the table Minnesota could not refuse. Out of habit and celebration, Bills mafia smashed it. Stefon Diggs smashed it in buffalo as well, leading the league in catches and yards. The Bills won their first playoff game in 25 years in Wild Card weekend, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 27-24. Leading up to the second round Matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills, especially the bills defense. was criticized for only doing what it takes to win, nothing further. The following game, against the top-ranked rushing offense, the Bills did more than win, they shut down Baltimore, holding them to 3 points, and it took Baltimore 32 total rush attempts to reach 150 yards. However, the Bills are not without concern. Despite the Bills defense’s recent spike in the quality of play, they are still susceptible to the running game when executed properly. In their week 6 matchup, The Chiefs ran for over 200 yards on the Bills, but that was with running back Clyde-Edwards-Helaire.
Simply put, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs were the best team in the NFL in 2020. Featuring the best Quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes, one of the top receivers in the NFL in Tyreek Hill, and the best Tight End in the NFL in Travis Kelce, and a bend but don’t break defense that seems to step up when its needed most. I could go on and on about how great Kansas City is, but that would require a whole other article. The Chiefs lost only one game all year when the starters were playing, that being to the Raiders, and avenged that loss later in the season. However there is one big question mark that may change the course of their upcoming matchup against the Buffalo Bills, and that is the injury to Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Despite the initial report of a concussion, it was later reported that it was a tweaked nerve in his neck that made him feel like he was suffering from concussion-like symptoms. As of now, however, Mahomes has cleared most of the major steps in the NFL’s standardized concussion protocol and is on track to play on Sunday, and the question that remains afterward is his effectiveness. Even with Mahomes, the Chiefs are not without their weaknesses. The defense is very susceptible to allowing big plays on the ground and through the air. On offense, the offensive line is banged up and very beatable.
This game can go one of two ways, a game that features an ineffective Mahomes and a fully effective one. If Mahomes is ineffective, the Bills will likely win, probably by a lot. If Mahomes is fully healthy and effective, The Chiefs will likely win in a closer game, but that says more about the Bills and their level of talent than what the Chiefs are without Mahomes. With the unpredictability of these two teams, any outcome is possible. I’m going to assume Mahomes is fully healthy and effective, and I am picking the Chiefs to win by a score of 38-35.