As the divisional round of the National Football League (NFL) playoffs has come to a close, four teams are left to battle for the two Super Bowl berths: the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos. The mile-high city will serve as the host of the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship game, while Seattle will do so for the National Football Conference (NFC). The winner of each conference will travel to New Jersey to play for the league title.
These results do not come as much of a surprise, given the fact that each of these teams are led by exceptionally talented Quarterbacks. For instance, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos had an amazing year, breaking the record of most regular-season touchdowns with 55. Given his age, 37, Manning has played timelessly all season long as the Broncos went 13-3.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will travel to Denver on Sunday to face Manning and the Broncos. Brady, 36, previously held the record for most regular-season touchdowns with 50. He is widely known as one of the greatest Quarterbacks to ever play the game. Even though the Patriots were decimated with injuries and dismissals earlier this year, Brady led his team to a 12-4 record and the second seed in the AFC.
The NFC Championship features the newly-heated rivalry of the Seahawks and 49ers. With two young, gifted Quarterbacks, Russell Wilson (SEA) and Colin Kaepernick (SF), both teams have powered through their schedules. Since the Seahawks have an extremely loud stadium, opposing teams struggle to communicate play calls in that harsh environment. However, on December 22nd, the Arizona Cardinals upset the Seahawks in Seattle 17-10; thus proving that Wilson and his squad are vulnerable at home. This game will be a very intense match up, and a fun one to watch.