KANSAS
CITY
Los Angeles Rams
Jerseys Stitched , Mo. ¨C The New England Patriots are in their eighth
consecutive conference championship game and trying to reach the Super Bowl for
the fourth time in five seasons and the ninth time overall in the Bill
Belichick-Tom Brady era.The Kansas City Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick
Mahomes, are hosting the AFC title game for the first time at Arrowhead Stadium,
and are trying to get to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1969
season.One thing that is unusual is that the Patriots are a slight underdog
against the top-seeded Chiefs.¡°We¡¯re going against a team that¡¯s the No. 1 seed
in the league,¡± Brady said after the team¡¯s final practice on Friday. ¡°I¡¯m sure
there¡¯s a lot of people that are thinking they¡¯re going to win. Everyone can
have their own opinion. We certainly have an opinion, and we¡¯ve got to go out
there and execute our best in order to accomplish that.¡±On the NFC side, the Los
Angeles Rams are back inside the stadium where they lost for the first time this
season, looking for retribution and a Super Bowl berth as they face the New
Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game.The Superdome is coming alive for
the last time this football season as predominantly Saints fans arrive for just
the second NFC title game to be held at the site of seven Super Bowls.The
previous time the Saints hosted a game this late in a season, they pulled out a
hair-raising overtime triumph over Minnesota en route to their first Super Bowl
appearance ¡ª and championship.That was the 2009 season. Some nine seasons
later
David Edwards
Jersey nfl draft , coach Sean Payton and 40-year-old, record-setting
quarterback Drew Brees are back with a largely different cast, one victory away
from the team¡¯s second trip to the NFL¡¯s biggest event.When these teams met in
Week 9, running back C.J. Anderson had not yet joined Todd Gurley in the Rams¡¯
backfield and Los Angeles cornerback Aqib Talib was not healthy enough to play.
Their availability puts the Rams in a stronger position than they were in back
on Nov. 4, when they fell to New Orleans 45-35.This is the first NFC title game
for Rams 32-year-old, second-year coach Sean McVay and his 24-year-old
quarterback, Jared Goff.The winners that emerge from the conference championship
games will meet in Atlanta on Feb. 3 in the Super Bowl.Los Angeles Rams at
Seattle Seahawks: Opponent scouting report This week¡¯s trip to CenturyLink Field
in Seattle doesn¡¯t quite feel like it used to. The Seahawks are no longer one of
the league¡¯s premier teams, but still they remain a semi-dangerous divisional
road test, and they aren¡¯t without weapons.OffenseTraditionally the Rams have
had tons of success punishing quarterback Russell Wilson. It will be interesting
to see if the Rams new interior-centric pass rush is able to feast the way
previous Rams defenses did. Seattle¡¯s offensive line has played better than they
did in recent seasons. Their strength lies in the interior with guards Ethan
Pocic and DJ
Fluker
Custom David
Edwards Jersey , but will it be enough to semi-neutralize Aaron Donald,
Ndamukong Suh, and Michael Brockers? Most likely, the answer is not much.
Russell Wilson will need to unload the ball quicker than he usually does, which
could pose a issue for Seattle since Wilson has enjoyed greater success on
slower developing plays so far this season. Seattle has capable receivers in
Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and Jaron Brown. So far, under offensive
coordinator Brian Schottenheimer (eek!) Seattle has run an ultra conservative
offense, last week only throwing a single pass over 20 yards. The Seahawks have
gone to the ground game in recent weeks and have gotten 100-yard efforts from
both Chris Carson and Mike Davis. Unlike the Rams zone blocking schemes the
Seahawks have been pounding the ball up the gut. If they are able to continue
their success on the ground this
weekend
Discount David
Edwards Jersey , that could potentially set up some play action for
Wilson, if Schottenheimer is willing to pull the trigger.DefenseDespite high
profile departures and injuries, Seattle¡¯s defense remains a strength. They are
currently ranked seventh in yards allowed, and ninth in points surrendered. The
Seahawks pass defense has been stingy, only allowing 204.2 yards a game through
the air (fifth in the league), and are fourth in the league in opponent¡¯s passer
rating, 77.2. With the loss of Earl Thomas to a leg injury last week, it will be
a challenge for the Seahawks to continue their success against the Rams
aggressive passing attack. However the Seahawks still have plenty of talent at
the safety positions with Bradley McDugald, Tedric
Thompson
Austin Blythe
Jersey , and Delano Hill. Also worth noting is that the Seahawks overall
secondary depth should help them avoid compromising mismatches against the Rams
receivers, as was the case when the Rams continuously torched Vikings¡¯
linebacker Anthony Barr last week. Look for Seattle¡¯s slot defender Justin
Coleman to end up guarding Cooper Kupp often on Sunday.Seattle has talent up
front, but their run defense has allowed 122.5 yards per game. Look for the Rams
to use Todd Gurley to set up their passing attack this week earlier than they
have in other games this season. Another matchup to watch will be Andrew
Whitworth vs defensive end Frank Clark. If Clark can¡¯t disrupt Jared Goff,
Seahawks corners Shaquill Griffin and rookie Tre Flowers may end up getting
taken to school by receivers Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods.What will happen?The
Seahawks have elements that could disrupt the Rams, and Pete Carroll teams have
been knows to elevate their game against elite opponents, but they will need a
near perfect effort to end up outscoring this Rams team. It seems unlikely that
the Seahawks will get this one, but as always with division games, pay
attention. There¡¯s no doubt the Seahawks have been thinking about this matchup
since they were embarrassed by the Rams at home last December.