All things have gone to play for the AFC this season it seems, as the number one and number two seeds are meeting in the AFC Championship game.  The New England Patriots took down the number one overall seed for the conference with their incredibly impressive 13-3 record, while the Ravens had a 12-4 record of their own that had many hoping to see this match-up this Sunday.  This game has a story that sports fans love to think about, as one of the best offenses in the NFL in the Patriots will be up against one of the best defenses out there.  While the Pats seem to have had it a bit easier this past weekend as they dominated the Denver Broncos 45-10, life wasn’t as easy for the Ravens.  They were up against one of the bigger playoff underdogs in the Houston Texans, but only managed to pull out a 20-13 win at home.  The AFC Championship game will kick off at 3:00pm EST and will be played in New England.

Obviously the main thing to watch will be Tom Brady and his offense against Ed Reed and Ray Lewis with their defense.  Another player to watch though will be Ray Rice for the Ravens, and also how much he gets the ball.  The Ravens are going to need a big day from Rice to pull off this upset on the road, and they are also going to need Joe Flacco to do his best to protect the football on Sunday.  Don’t sleep on the Ravens though, as they have been in the playoffs consistently over the past five years, but never seem to get to the big game.  Could this be their year?  Or will it be Brady and Belichick back in the Super Bowl?

Odds and Sports Betting Line

Baltimore Ravens: +7

New England Patriots: -7

Free Prediction

Going against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick during playoff time is tough to do, but if anyone can pull off the upset it’ll be the Ravens.  Fortunately for Pats fans, I’m not really sure if anyone can right now.  I think that the Patriots offense is just overwhelmingly good, and that their defense will be able to do enough to slow down the Ravens.  The Ravens passing game isn’t enough to keep pace, which will cause some problems for their defense.  I’ll be going with the Patriots to win it, but I think that it will be closer than many are expecting on Sunday.

Prediction:  New England Patriots- 28 Baltimore Ravens- 24

Free Pick

This line started out at right about 7.5 and is slowing going towards Baltimore.  I’m not sure if it will move much more than it has, but I think that this game is closer than a touchdown game.  The Ravens emotions will be high, which will help out a lot, but in the end I think that the better offense will win the game.  I think that the Patriots will win it, but I’m picking the Baltimore Ravens to cover the +7 on the road.

Pick:  Baltimore Ravens +7