NFL Conference Championship Against the Spread Picks

There are only three meaningful games left, so the evil Magic 8 Ball has clinched the championship. There are still tight battles between Brien and Jeremy for the humans title and between J-Red and Russell for the humans cellar.

Also, I'm willing to bet one of us has a perfect weekend.

Brien (47-44-2 for .516)

Taking the home teams last week didn't work out too well for me, but I managed to keep my lead over Jeremy.

NEW ENGLAND (-14) over San Diego - As we get further into the playoffs, two things become even more important: quarterbacks and coaches. I don't want to be watching this game on Sunday knowing that I'm counting on Phillip Rivers to outplay Tom Brady or on Norv Turner to out coach Bill Belichick.

GREEN BAY (-7) over NY Giants - This one isn't as clear cut, because I think Eli is a good quarterback and Coughlin is a good coach. But this is a playoff game at Lambeau Field. You really want to bet against Brett Favre? Oh, and the high temperature for Sunday is forecast to be 7 degrees. The game kicks off at 6:30, so we're likely to see temperatures below 0 before the game ends.

Jeremy and Magic 8 Ball (44-43-6 for .505, 50-37-6 for .570)

Jeremy's Picks:
It's conference championship time, and you have to like the home teams to win this week, especially with two home teams playing in elements that are largely unfamiliar to their opponents.

NEW ENGLAND (-14) over San Diego - I got killed last week because the spread was too big and the Pats couldn't cover against the Jags. They'll cover against the Chargers. This has the potential to be Giants-Vikings 2000 NFC Championship game material.

NY Giants (+7) over GREEN BAY - It's going to be fucking freezing. Three degrees. I can't even imagine functioning in that kind of cold. Green Bay wins, but even they have troubles putting up points at their normal rate in the cold. Not to mention I couldn't deal with two weeks of coverage of Eli Manning.

Magic 8 Ball Picks:
NEW ENGLAND (-14) over San Diego - "Signs point to yes." [Pats beating spread]

GREEN BAY (-7) over NY Giants - "Yes." [Green Bay will beat spread]

J-Red (41-49-3 for .457)

San Diego (+14) over NEW ENGLAND - San Diego deserves to be in this game, and teams that deserve to be in the AFC Championship don't lose by 14, no matter how good the opponent is.

NY Giants (+7) over GREEN BAY - I like the Giants rushing attack more than the Packers in this game. There should be some fumbling, and I like the Giants DL and LBs to do something with the loose balls. I'm not saying the Giants will win, but I think this might come down to a kick.

Russell (40-50-3 for .446)

After a strong showing last week, I'm breathing down J-Red's neck.

San Diego (+14) over NEW ENGLAND - The Chargers are much better than week 2, even with (or especially with) Volek in there. The Pats D isn't good enough to merit this spread. My theory on how to beat the Pats: The Chargers' best three healthy offensive players are LT, Turner, and Sproles. Norv should break out some old-school misdirection rushing offense that they haven't shown all year. This will burn clock and wear out the aging Pats linebackers. Throw to Vincent Jackson when necessary. On defense, Merriman and Phillips have to be all over Tom Brady all the time.

GREEN BAY (-7) over NY Giants - While the Giants are much improved, so are the Pack. The storyline of Favre in the Super Bowl is just too good to pass up, and the home field advantage is worth well more than the standard 3 or 4 points. It might be cold in NY, but it's not Lambeau night game cold. And Brett is much better than Eli in cold weather (predicted high on Sunday: 4 degrees Fahrenheit). Also, the wind is predicted to be 13 mph, but on Saturday the wind will be 37 mph (BBRRRR...) and the front might take a little longer than expected to move through. Who knows, maybe the flurries will turn into real snow again. Even the Pack might wear sleeves for this one.

RECAP

Brien - NE, GB
Jeremy - NE, NYG
J-Red - SD, NYG
Russell - SD, GB
Magic 8 Ball - NE, GB

STANDINGS

Magic 8 (50-37-6 for .570)
Brien (47-44-2 for .516 -- 5 GB)
Jeremy (44-43-6 for .505 -- 6 GB, 1 GB Humans)
J-Red (41-49-3 for .457 -- 9.5 GB, 5.5 GB Humans)
Russell (40-50-3 for .446 -- 11.5 GB, 6.5 GB Humans)

All of us: 222-223-20 for .499
Humans: 172-186-14 for .481