Bird is the Word? Looking Ahead to the Conference Championship Games

Cardinals. Ravens. Eagles. Steelers. Which of these things is not like the others?

It was bound to happen sooner or later - the NFL playoffs are being dominated by aptly-named teams with quick, aerial assaults. Back in the pre-season a person might have been considered a real bird-brain if they picked these teams to be a game away from the Super Bowl.

In the NFC it's the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles that are left in the chase for the George Halas Trophy. Both teams won nine games during the regular season and were best known for their erratic and irregular play from week to week. The Eagles were hailed by many as a group of under-achievers that "should" have won more often. The Cardinals are being hailed as this year's "Cinderella" team after winning an incredibly weak division.

A quick break-down of the teams:

PHILADELPHIA

The Eagles are 6-1 in their last seven games after a rough 0-2-1 patch in which they lost to the Giants and Ravens while tying the Bengals. Donovan McNabb set a new career high in yards as he managed to pass for nearly 4,000 and 23 touchdowns. A lot seems to be riding on the shoulders of McNabb and Brian Westbrook, who gained 1,336 yards from scrimmage and scored 14 times in 14 games. They are 2-5 when giving up 20+ points, so they key to the game may be the pace at which points are scored. If the offense can keep the ball away from the Cardinals' potent offense by putting together time consuming drives, the Eagles' odds of winning increases dramatically. Pressure on Kurt Warner is a must, but it will be up to the front four to provide said pressure if Arizona has Anquan Boldin back from injury.

ARIZONA

The Cardinals clinched their division several weeks before the end of the regular season, so their 2-4 stretch at the end of the year wasn't very indicative of their true level of talent. Atlanta and Carolina have learned that the hard way, suffering losses at home in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The offense has generated over 700 yards this post-season and has scored 66 points...the Eagles are in trouble if they think they can beat these Cardinals like they did in week 13. The key to this game for Arizona will be scoring points...their defense is quick enough and Donovan McNabb is inconsistent enough that they will be able to create turnovers, so they'll need to turn those turnovers into points to beat Philadelphia. Being at home could do wonders for the Cardinals; if this game was in Philadelphia, I'd tell you to start chiseling out Arizona's gravestone immediately. Instead they'll be backed by their own fans, in their own stadium, on their own terms.

My call: Arizona 28, Philadelphia 24. Warner-to-Fitzgerald is unstoppable, and the Eagles play down to opponents in Conference Championship games.

In the AFC it's a clash of epic proportions as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third meeting between these two teams this year. The Steelers have already won the first two matches, but their margins were small and a few lucky bounces could end their season. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are the emotional leaders of yet another fiery Baltimore defense, and their offense has seen a bit of a resurgence with rookie signal caller Joe Flacco at the helm. Meanwhile, the Steelers overcame early injury problems to take the AFC North crown and a #2 seed behind their own stingy defense led by James Harrison and Troy Polamalu. Ben Roethlisberger has been up and down, both in performance and health, but has gotten the job done.

A quick break-down of the teams:

BALTIMORE

The Ravens exceeded many expectations in 2008 thanks to a stifling defense and some gutsy draft-day maneuvering. Baltimore took QB Joe Flacco in the first round of the draft and when their top two signal callers fell with injuries the young man from Delaware burst on to the scene. Flacco's statistics don't show his true value on the field, as his leadership and confidence on the field seemed to create a spark among his teammates. Since a three game losing streak dropped their record to 2-3 early on, the Ravens have gone on winning streaks of four, three and four games respectively. The key to the game for Baltimore will be turning at least one drive into a touchdown instead of a field goal. The Ravens will not win on three-pointers alone. They scored two touchdowns in their first game against Pittsburgh but lost in overtime; in their second game, they failed to break in to the end zone even once and lost because Pittsburgh did. Flacco needs to connect on some long passes (something San Diego did quite effectively) in order for his team to have a fighting chance.

PITTSBURGH

The Steelers, my pre-season favorite to win it all, somehow managed to sneak through the regular season without much fanfare. Their 12 wins were second in the league behind Tennessee and their defense finished the season ranked first in terms of points allowed. As mentioned previously, QB Ben Roethlisberger has struggled with injuries and inconsistency this year and spent a good amount of time watching backup signal caller Byron Leftwich guide the offense. Willie Parker also spent some time on the sidelines and now splits carries with Mewelde Moore. WR Hines Ward once again cracked 1,000 receiving yards but the true deep threats on the team are Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington. For the Steelers to win this game they'll need to out-grit possibly the grittiest team in all of football by converting on third downs like they did against San Diego last week. Big hits in the secondary will keep Joe Flacco from risking deep throws, so it's up to Troy Polamalu to scare the Ravens' receivers away from the long ball. If Pittsburgh can capitalize on Flacco's rookie mistakes while avoiding shaky play from Big Ben, the Steelers will be able to put some distance between themselves and the Ravens.

My call: Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 18. The Ravens are too good to get blown out but Pittsburgh is just a little bit better late in the game. Flacco and Roethlisberger are both in for long nights...one big play puts the Steelers ahead for good.

You got it! I'm calling for a Cardinals-Steelers Super Bowl. Check back next week for my preview of the big game.