2013 Conference Championship Picks.

Don't you just love it?
Manning vs Brady?
It's the best QB rivalry in NFL history.
Not. A. Question.
Both offenses are healthy enough and on a roll.
Both defenses are completely depleted.
The Broncos had a bad defense before they lost all of their star players, and the Patriots struggle mightily versus the run.
The weather is fine, there's basically no defense, and the best two Quarterbacks in NFL history.
Damn.
Wellllll....
Here's the thing...
It's the playoffs...
This might be a cop out, but...
In the playoffs, you never pick Peyton, and you never pick against Brady.
It's the truth.
That, and while the Pats defense isn't amazing, it's definitely healthier, and there's a lot of underrated talent that just needs to turn it up. (See: Chandler Jones)

I'm just saying. I'm taking the Pats.

Just as the Ravens/Steelers rivalry replaced the Raiders/Steelers as the most physical rivalry, they have been replaced by the 49ers and the Seahawks.
These two teams love defense, running the ball, and hating each other.
If the guys and gals at NFL network have any intelligence at all (unlikely), they'll have wide out Anquan Boldin and corner Richard Sherman mic'd up this weekend.
So.
Much.
Trash.
Talk.

But seriously, this game is gonna be about execution.
I guarantee that whoever wins the turnover battle will win the game.
The Seahawks are depleted in their receiving corps.
Without Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin, it'll be tough for the Hawks to throw the ball downfield, and that might be exactly what they have to do if the 49ers succeed on shutting down Marshawn Lynch.

Despite what you might be thinking after reading that, I am picking the Seahawks.
And let me tell you why.
It's in Seattle.
And in case you've been living under a rock, it's kinda loud there.
And Colin Kaepernick? Not the brightest QB in the NFL.
The Seahawks get a huge boost with the return of linebacker K.J. Wright, and um... their secondary is pretty good.

This is how I see the game going down.
It's gonna be a defensive bout.
The front sevens are going to be focused on the run, but that won't stop both offenses from trying. I could see the game starting with back to back 3 and outs.
But Colin Kaepernick is a moron, and he's playing against the best secondary in the NFL.
If it becomes a shootout, I'll take the conservative Wilson throwing versus a depleted 49er secondary over an inconsistent Kaepernick vs the Legion of Boom.