With the Colts & Cowboys gone, no team legitimately stands in the way of NE now. I don't see a banged up SD squad putting up much of a fight, nor do either of the NFC teams putting a fear into NE. I can't believe the frigging Giants won yesterday. That's what happens when TO & Crayton make key drops. Marion Barber played like a man possessed for Big D yesterday.
I think NE should beat SD handily, and they would have beaten the Colts. I also think that either the Giants or Packers could give the Patriots a better game than the nosediving Cowboys could have. But either GB or NY would be decided underdogs.
This has to be the first time in NFL history (for those interested in useless information) where the 4 teams playing in the conference championship round come from two-named locations: New England, New York, Green Bay, Tampa Bay and San Diego. It came close in '95 when SD, SF, GB made it, but Pittsburgh was the other team.
