Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 1-20-17 Edition

Sports
Sentinel Picks Steelers Over Patriots In AFC Championship Game
Sentinel Picks Atanta Over Green Bay In NFC Championship Game
When: Sunday, 6:40 p.m. ET (CBS)
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Line: Patriots favored by 41⁄2
Strength on strength:
During Pittsburgh’s nine- game winning streak, the of- fense has excelled. Behind the QB-RB-WR trifecta of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown, the Steelers have scored an average of 25.9 points since Week 11. New England’s defense, mean- while, may not wow you with star power, but it led the NFL in the regular season in scor- ing (15.6 points per game al- lowed). Specifically, the matchups between Patriots corner Malcolm Butler and Brown, and linebacker Dont’a Hightower and Bell are worth watching.
Rematch between to great quarterbacks: Tom Brady has 4 rings and Ben Roethlisberger has two. The two quarterbacks are big game players. It's a toss up. Don’t put too much stock in New England's 27-16 Week 7
MATT RYAN
AARON RODGERS
team coughed up the ball dur- ing the Falcons' 33-32 win when the clubs met Oct. 30, so any mistake with a Super Bowl berth on the line is bound to be magnified.
High-flying birds: The Falcons scored 540 points in the regular season, tied for eighth most in NFL history. And they're even better at home, where they've averaged 35.1. MVP frontrunner Matt Ryan, who was nearly as surgi- cal as Rodgers down the stretch, had little problem carv- ing up Green Bay in Week 8 (288 yards, 3 TD passes, 129.5 QB rating) despite a quiet day from Jones (3 catches, 29 yards) and absence of dynamic Tevin Coleman, whose 13.6 yards per reception led all run- ning backs in 2016. A battered Packers defense — S Morgan Burnett is the latest casualty — is likely to struggle against a quarterback who is so locked in (Ryan has passed for 1,469 yards, 14 TDs, zero INTs and has a 131.8 rating during the Falcons' winning streak) and has an array of weapons at his disposal, even if Jones remains limited.
Building blocks: Offensive line play is sure to be a major key for both clubs. A huge part of Atlanta's success is rooted in its front five, the only quintet in the league that started all 16 games together this season. But Rodgers also lines up behind a sterling wall, including David Bakhtiari, rated as the best pass-blocking tackle this season by the analytics website Pro- Football Focus. Bakhtiari's ability to negate NFL sack leader Vic Beasley could be crucial in keeping this offense rolling against an Atlanta de- fense that's otherwise highly susceptible against the pass.
Sentinel Score- Falcons 31 Packers 28.
TOM BRADY
BEN ROETHLISBERGER
MIKE TOMLIN
When: Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
Where: Atlanta's Georgia Dome
Line: Falcons favored by 4
Again it's hard to bet against future Hall Of Famer Aaron Rogers. The quarterback has Michael Jordan-like ice in his veins. The game is never over with this guy. Meanwhile, if Matt Ryan doesn’t choke up like he usually does in big games, and uses the weapons the Falcons have, it should be a cake walk. But, don't underesti- mate the Packers. I think Dallas did in the first half of its game.
Injury report: Falcons WR Julio Jones left Saturday's di- visional playoff win early, still coping with the foot and toe is- sues that cost him two games late in the season. The Packers hope to have WR Jordy Nel- son back after injured ribs pre- vented him from playing last Sunday.
Ball control: It's a testa- ment to two offenses that like to sling it that both also managed to be so careful with the ball.
Torrid Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has fired 24 TD passes with just one intercep- tion (thrown Sunday) since Nov. 20. Green Bay has com- mitted just two turnovers dur- ing its eight-game winning streak. Atlanta's 11 giveaways during the regular season were tied for fewest in the league, just one coming during their current five-game hot streak. Neither
victory played in Heinz Field. Roethlisberger suffered a torn meniscus the week be- fore against the Miami Dol- phins and underwent a minor procedure to fix the issue. Backup Landry Jones started in his place, and the Pittsburgh offense just wasn’t the same.
Emerging X-factor: With tight end Rob Gronkowski out for the re- mainder of the season after undergoing back surgery, running back Dion Lewis has emerged as New Eng- land’s toughest matchup problem for opposing de- fenses. Against the Houston Texans in the divisional
round, he became the first player in postseason history to score touchdowns on a kick return, a reception, and a rush in the same game. Lewis is shifty, quick and probably can’t be left in man- to-man coverage. Pittsburgh, however, has very athletic in- side linebackers in Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons, so the Steelers should be able to get creative in their game plan against Lewis.
Sentinel Pick: Even though it's hard to pick against Brady, but we have to go with former Buccaneer coach Mike Tomlin and the talented offense, 27-24.
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