Fireman Mike’s AFC/NFC Championship Bets

When it comes down to it, we win. And win big. A perfect 5-0 record brought us to 70-45-3 on the season and bumped us past the 60% mark as well. With two games on the docket this weekend, we’ll try to finish this season with a bang. Here we go!….-Fireman Mike

Ravens +7 @ Patriots

We’ve become such a “What have you done for me lately?” society that it’s hard to remember what we thought of the Patriots during the regular season. But this is the same team that -in the words of Bart Scott- couldn’t stop a nosebleed, yet they’re a touchdown favorite against a team that was downright dominant against the best teams the NFL had to offer. Ray Lewis and Co. stepped up to every challenege during the season and I fully expect that to continue in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots haven’t beaten a team with a record over .500 yet this year and advanced to the Championship Game by beating one of the worst quarterbacks ever to take a snap in the NFL Playoffs. Joe Flacco isn’t going to light the world on fire but he’s proven time and time again that he can do just enough to win games. Believe me, Joe Flacco can win a Super Bowl, and this might just be the year that he actually does it.

The Ravens win straight up, 26-24, but we’ll take the points because they’re free!

Giants +2.5 @ 49ers

Here’s a crazy stat that has gone mostly understated by the “experts” and even my man Colin didn’t bring it up until I texted him on Friday morning: The NFC has been represented in the Super Bowl by a different team in each of the past ten seasons. That is what scares me about the 49ers. Every time the public thinks an NFC team is going to march back to the SB, a new team arrives on the block and ultimately represents the conference. I think the streak stops here though, simply because the Giants are too hot and haven’t EVER lost in an NFC Championship Game. Not to mention, no team that has won their first two games in blowout fashion has ever gone on to lose their third. Eli Manning has the Giants offense running wild but the most important aspect of the Giants is their defensive front seven, who have been playing at their highest level when it counts. The Giants and Niners get into a surprising shootout in the first half before both defenses settle down, but the Giants are too much late.

New York goes back to the Super Bowl and remains the only NFC team in the past 12 years to make it to multiple Super Bowls with a 37-31 win.