NFL picks: Patriots, Panthers to advance

The National Football League is down to its conference championship games. On one side, you have the New England Patriots at the Denver Broncos, while the NFC championship sees the Carolina Panthers hosting the Arizona Cardinals.

For Carolina, this is the fourth NFC tile games in its history, and only the first time it is playing host in that situation. The Cardinals are making only their second appearance in the game and the first conference title chance for head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer.

The AFC title game sees much more experience. The Patriots are in their 10th conference championship game since Tom Brady took over at quarterback in 2001. Meanwhile, the Broncos are hoping to make their seventh Super Bowl trip, aiming for their third title.

So who wins on Sunday? Here are our NFL picks for this Sunday…

Patriots (-3) at Broncos

Both teams finished the season 12-4, with Denver holding the tiebreaker to earn home-field advantage, thanks to a head-to-head win in Week 12. On the surface, you might think that Denver is the better team based off the previous sentence, but there are a litany of factors that suggest otherwise.

New England was without a bevy of stars in that game including Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower. The Patriots were also facing Brock Osweiler and not Peyton Manning, who has thrown 17 interceptions in only nine starts this regular season.

Frankly, it is tough to see the Broncos winning this time around. Their defense has been great, but the offense is nothing short of rancid. Against the Patriots, Denver will need to score anywhere from 23-27 points. It is hard to imagine Manning turning back the clock, something he will need to do to reach the Super Bowl. Look for the Patriots to roll behind a conservative passing attack and dominant pass rush.

Pick: New England 27, Denver 16

Cardinals at Panthers (-3)

Arizona and Carolina are two very solid teams that don’t have much separating them. The Panthers are 15-1 and dethroned the two-time defending NFC champions last week in the Seattle Seahawks after jumping out to a 31-0 lead. The Cardinals looked considerably less impressive while beating the Green Bay Packers in overtime, with Palmer struggling to avoid Green Bay defenders.

For the Panthers to win this game, they must get quality play from their corners. We all know about Josh Norman and his All-Pro season, but can the rest of that group lock down Michael Floyd and John Brown. On the flip side, the Cardinals must blanket tight end Greg Olsen and force Cam Newton to throw to his outside receivers, who are less than stellar. While it sounds simple, the Panthers have lost just once all season, and never at home.

Pick: Carolina 23, Arizona 20