https://sports.yahoo.com/pfts-2024-nfl-conference-championship-170052366.html
It’s time.
Simms and I are toe to toe. Face to face. If I stand on the hood of a car.
I hold a one-game lead in a 282 picking competition. Three games remain. Two will be played, if you haven’t heard, this weekend.
And we disagree on BOTH.
Last week, we went 2-2. For the year, I’m 194-88. He’s 193-89. That’s 68.7 percent and 68.4 percent. Which is probably the best we’ve ever done.
Against the spread, I’m 153-122-7. He’s 141-134-7. (Last week, I was 2-1-1 and he was 1-2-1.)
The picks for the NFC and AFC Championships are below. Check them out, and get ready for what hopefully will be a great seven hours of high-stakes football.
Commander at Eagles (-6)
The Eagles are the better team. The Commanders, however, have been playing better recently.
Will it be easy at Philadelphia? No. Was it easy in Detroit last week? The Commanders still pulled it off.
The key will be, for the Eagles, the health of quarterback Jalen Hurts. If the Commanders can keep running back Saquon Barkley closer to 100 yards than 200, Hurts will have to make some plays. Can he run as well as he usually does, given his re-injured left knee? Can he get the ball out to his pass-catchers? Can Washington cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who was acquired at the trade deadline for his moment, disrupt and frustrate A.J. Brown?
For the Commanders, can quarterback Jayden Daniels continue to stay calm at all times, poised in the face of all looks? Five rookie quarterbacks have led their teams to the brink of the Super Bowl in past years. None have punched through to the title game. Daniels, who might already be the best quarterback in the NFC, has proven time and again that the moment isn’t too big for him. No matter how big the moment gets.
Florio: Commanders, 27-23.
Simms: Eagles, 28-17.
Bills at Chiefs (-1.5)
Is the fourth time a charm for the Bills?
The Chiefs have shown, all year long, that they can make a big play in the biggest spots. With one exception.
At Buffalo, it was the Bills (and quarterback Josh Allen) who slammed the door on any potential last-minute magic from Patrick Mahomes, with a 26-yard touchdown run on fourth and two.
Against the Texans, Mahomes did it again. Against the Ravens, Allen did it again.
It all comes down to four or five moments. Which team gets it done in those spots? Who can avoid the crucial mistake? Who can force the other team into making one? Who, ultimately, will deliver with the game on the line?
It’s truly a toss-up. And anyone who cares about football should be glued to the TV for however this one plays out.
Florio: Chiefs, 30-27.
Simms: Bills, 27-24.
https://sports.yahoo.com/pfts-2024-nfl-conference-championship-170052366.html
