The conference finals present two realities, on the one hand, NFC Championship Game presents two of the most representative figures of a generation of defenders living their last years in the NFL, while the duel for the Super Bowl LV ticket in AFC offers us a duel between two defenders who are beginning to establish themselves as two of the top stars of the next generation of defenders.
The clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers is the setting in which Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will seek to strengthen their legacies as future members of the Hall of Fame.
For their part, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are trying to consolidate the youth movement in the leadership position, led by the passing bosses, who are looking to reach the second consecutive Super Bowl, while Bills is trying to return to that franchise, playing NFL Title after 27 years.
The stakes are high, and ESPN Deportes experts are debating, analyzing the highlights and giving us the predictions for the conference final.
NOTE: The choices of each expert are in capital letters.
– WHICH DEVICE IS BETTER FOR CHALLENGING TO STOP TWO VERSATILE ATTACKS, BUFFALO OR THE CITY OF KANSAS?
IVIS ABURTO / Twitter: @IvisAburto
The Bills and Chiefs are very similar teams, in general, more in the characteristics of their offensive systems, with the difference that Patrick Mahomes has a more varied and dangerous arsenal than Josh Allen, not to mention that Buffalo has no weapons to make. attack.
The Kansas City defense allows many yards in the 60-yard line between the 20-yard lines on each field, but closes the rows in the red zone and knows how to press the opposing defender at key moments, not to mention practicing against Muhammad’s ability and the variety of goals the quarterback Chiefs has.
The same could be said for Bills ‘defense, who trains daily with a defender with characteristics similar to Allen’s, but the potential of the bosses’ offensive weapons makes all the difference.
Key player: DEs Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison – The task of Bills’ defensive goals is to keep Patrick Mahomes in the protective bag to take away his ability to improvise or gain time to find his receivers, as he usually does.
PICKS
Tampa Bay 24-34 GREEN GOLF
Buffalo 27-31 THE CITY OF KANSAS
EDUARDO VARELA / Twitter: @LaloVarelaTV
The bills follow the formula of last year’s bosses: throwing over 70% of the time, but it’s too much. Against the leading champions, throwing so much is easier for the bosses, who intercepted 16 passes in the regular season.
Tyrann Mathieu could be Josh Allen’s worst opponent, who will have to follow the safety of the bosses all the time, who is a hungry hawk looking for balls.
Key player: QB Patrick Mahomes – There is no difference for the Kansas City defender, he can throw or run in the first or third, in the red zone or with less than two minutes on the clock.
PICKS
TAMPA BAY 31-24 Green Bay
Buffalo 17-28 THE CITY OF KANSAS
PABLO VIRUEGA / Twitter: @PabloViruega
Both teams are more driven by offense, but their defense has done a good job in recent games.
I will stay with Bills, who comes from giving a great game from the defensive side, managing to stop the Ravens’ running game and put pressure on Lamar Jackson. Buffalo may come at a better time, but the bosses defense has an excellent coordinator like Steve Spagnuolo, as well as players who can run and make great games at the right time. It will be a very even duel on that side of the ball.
Key player: S tyrant Mathieu – He is not the tallest or the strongest, but he is the fastest and a player with great determination. He can be placed in his area to defend passes or to go down to stop the running game and is always involved in a ball exchange, either causing a headache or an interception, like the one he got- one against Browns. If the defense needs a big game, it will have to come from Mathieu.
PICKS
Tampa Bay 21-27 GREEN GOLF
Buffalo 30-34 THE CITY OF KANSAS (if he plays Muhammad)
– HOW WILL THE TOM BRADY OR AARON RODGERS IMPACT IN THE FINAL FORCE OF NFC?
SEBASTIÁN M. CHRISTENSEN / Twitter: @SebastianMCESPN
I don’t think it will change the legacy of any quarterback. In my opinion, Tom Brady is already the best defender of all time and, although the buccaneers lose on Sunday, what they did this season, at the age of 43, in a new team and a new system is to take off their hat .
It will be the first time Aaron Rodgers has played an NFC championship game at Lambeau Field, but beyond that, win or lose, it will not change my perception that he is the most talented defender in history. Often the number of rings won is used to evaluate a defender, in Rodgers’ case, “just one” to diminish a career.
It’s not easy to win in this team sport, so a title will more or less not affect, in my opinion, the legacy of two of the best defenders in history.
Key player: QB Aaron Jones – Aaron Rodgers looked so good that his running play looked secondary, but when this offense is balanced, Green Bay is impossible to stop. The Packers rushed for 188 meters in their dominant victory over the Rams. In turn, the Buccaneers have the best defense against the NFL career and it will be imperative to limit Aaron Jones, otherwise this duel will be defined earlier.
PICKS
Tampa Bay 20-31 GREEN GOLF
Buffalo 34-37 THE CITY OF KANSAS
ALFONSO MANCILLA / Twitter: @poncho_mancilla
After the high level shown by Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in the divisional round, it is easy to believe that they both have a lot of gas left in their tank, no matter what happens over the weekend.
In the analysis of what was the performance of both in the conference final, Rodgers is the one who has the most pressure due to his score 1-3 on these appointments and a very low rating of 78 points compared to 103.9 accumulates for life.
With the level of competition and the weightlessness that each season presents, Sunday could be Rodgers’ best chance of winning the Super Bowl ticket, which he played only once, which he won. The Packers’ reengineering with coach Matt LaFleur over the past two years suggests that if they lose at home, Rodgers would remain active next season.
About Brady, he has long said he wants to play until he is 45 years old. He is currently 43 years old and with the high level he returned to with Tampa Bay, perhaps reaching the 10th Super Bowl and winning it, it could give him the reason to make him opt for retirement while find out.
Of course, in the case of both defenders, it would seem obvious that even if he lost this Sunday and decided to play next season, he would have guaranteed ownership.
Key player: WR In front of Adams – The receiver proved against Rams’ defense, nothing less than the best in the league, that his role is fundamental in the Packers offensive. Tampa Bay may not be betting on personal coverage against him, so it is clear that his defensive plan will revolve around a large percentage around Adams, whom the Packers like to set in motion before the press for you would open defensive spaces.
PICKS
Tampa Bay 23-30 GREEN GOLF
Buffalo 27-28 THE CITY OF KANSAS
CARLOS NAVA / Twitter: @TapaNava
I think it will have a different impact on each of them and in both cases, unjustly.
In the case of Rodgers, who has already lost three conference finals, including last year, the stigma will begin to be created for some “fans” and “journalists” that he cannot return to the Super Bowl and will say that he needs to retire now. . It’s been a decade since he won the Super Bowl for the only time.
Tom Brady continues with the pressure that anything less than a Super Bowl victory will be a small thing, even if in his case you can see unimaginable things. From the day he announced that he would sign with Tampa Bay, it has already been said that the Buccaneers are suitors. If Brady comes out this week, many will think that his season, with the very good list he has on both sides of the ball, was a failure.
In no case, Brady or Rodgers, will the loss mean retirement.
Key player: QB Aaron Rodgers – The Packers are in the championship game of the National Conference, due to the extraordinary season that their defender is facing, despite the fact that he had a running game, with a more than compliant defense and good coaches. If Rodgers goes out of his way with receiver Davante Adams and avoids interceptions, his Packers go to the Super Bowl.
In the 6th week of the regular season, when they lost to Tampa Bay, Rodgers had one of his worst days in a timely manner, with two interceptions without a touchdown.
PICKS
Tampa Bay 17-28 GREEN GOLF
BUFFALO 31-28 Kansas City