By Stephen Luckey ’15

Patriots vs Ravens

The divisional matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots was a good one, as the Patriots won it at home 35-31. This game was intense right off from the start. Joe Flacco started things up well for Baltimore with a first quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Kamar Aiken. Then the Ravens scored again with star receiver Steve Smith Sr. on a 9-yard touchdown catch. This gave the purple and black a 14-0 lead over the Patriots. Tom Brady didn’t back down, as he rushed 4 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter to make it 14-7. Further on in the second half, wide receiver Julian Edelman fooled everyone with a pass to Danny Amendola for a 51-yard touchdown. Just as the Patriots were still trailing the Ravens 31-28, Brandon Lafell caught a clutch pass from Tom Brady for a touchdown, which clinched the 35-31 victory. The Patriots head to the AFC Championship game once again, after losing last year to Denver. Will Tom Brady reclaim his throne and win the Super Bowl?

Seahawks vs Panthers

Saturday night brought some major excitement, with the Legion of Boom shutting down Cam Newton’s deep threat. The Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers 31-17 in a thrilling NFC divisional game. Loud-mouth Seattle Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman was fired up, and snatched another interception. The defense really did win the game, but that doesn’t go without recognizing quarterback Russell Wilson. Who threw for 268 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. His main weapons, receivers Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin, both a caught a TD pass. Cam Newton just couldn’t match Seattle’s offensive delivery, and this ultimately led to Carolina’s loss. The Seahawks will play in the NFC Championship game, after winning last year’s championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. In the words of running back Marshawn Lynch, they are just “All ‘bout that action, boss.”

Packers vs Cowboys

The Green Bay Packers came in heavy Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys as Aaron Rodgers threw for 316 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. The cheese heads really took it to the Cowboys, as they used their elite passing game to strategically outplay the Dallas secondary. In a controversial call regarding Dez Bryant’s late fourth quarter fourth down catch, the referees overturned the decision with a challenge by Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy, resulting in a turn over on downs. This gave the Packers great field position with a 26-21 scoring advantage over the Cowboys and less than two minutes left in the game. The Packers got the win, and will go to the NFC Championship to take on the Seattle Seahawks.

Colts vs Broncos

Peyton Manning wasn’t on point as those expected of him, and this let the Indianapolis Colts defeat the Denver Broncos 24-13. Colts quarterback Andre Luck threw for 265 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Yes, Luck also threw two interceptions but Denver couldn’t take advantage of those. The Colts will play the Patriots in the AFC Championship in hopes of shutting down Tom Brady and go the Super Bowl.

Both conference championship games will be ones to watch, and the stakes will be even greater.