NFL Playoff Predictions: The New England Patriots Will Easily Survive the AFC

There are some who say this year's Super Bowl will be decided when the NFC Championship Game is decided; the team that tops the NFC this year tops the NFL.

Is the AFC that bad, you ask?

The honest answer is yes. I've been doing my best to deny it for weeks at this point, but the fact that the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos and the injury-riddled Houston Texans are still alive has made me realize that this hasn't been a great year for the AFC. None of the teams still alive are bad teams, but none of them are particularly great either.

The one team that is even close to being great is the New England Patriots. They're the AFC's No. 1 seed, and they're going to represent the conference in the Super Bowl.

Yup, I'm calling it.

As much as people like to use the dreaded "O" word (the opposite of underrated) in conjunction with the Patriots, they're a pretty good team. All of us freaked out after each one of their three losses, but it's hard to nitpick the eight-game winning streak the Pats finished the season with. They got hot, and they stayed hot. 

Getting hot and staying hot is something that proved to be difficult for other teams around the AFC. Of the teams that are still alive, the Broncos were humbled in a big way after going off on a six-game win streak, the Texans stumbled to the finish line and the Baltimore Ravens never managed anything more than four wins in a row during the regular season. 

Of the bunch, the only team that poses any real threat to the Patriots is the Ravens. The Pats should have no trouble taking care of the Broncos in the Divisional Round this weekend, and the Texans would not beat the Patriots at Foxborough in the AFC Championship Game if it came to it—not as long as they have T.J. Yates under center. He couldn't even beat the Indianapolis Colts on the road.

The Ravens, on the other hand, are a threat to the Pats because of two reasons.

The first is because they play outstanding defense, and the other is because they have an offense that is pretty effective on a good day.

On paper, they have enough matchup advantages to hang with the Patriots.

The trouble with the Ravens is that you really can't count on them to play their best away from home. They didn't play well on the road during the regular season, and in fact they played poorly enough to lose to some downright awful teams.

Primarily, I would be concerned about Joe Flacco. He's a solid quarterback, but he's made it abundantly clear that he is vulnerable in the playoffs. In each of his first three seasons, he's finished his year by falling flat in crucial playoff games. Baltimore's defense would keep the game within reach, but it would be up to Flacco to lead the Ravens to a W.

I'll believe he has the ability to do that when he proves it.

As for the Pats, they're by no means perfect. The weakness of their defense is a huge concern, and even Tom Brady isn't invincible. The New York Jets proved that point in the Divisional Round last year, and the Broncos, Texans or Ravens could prove it again this year.

But if the question is whether to have faith in Brady or in three flawed teams, I'll gladly have faith in Brady. The Brady adoration gets a little sickening at times, to be sure, but he's earned it.

Besides, he hasn't been to the Super Bowl in four seasons. That has me thinking he's due.

I think the question is, how easy can Brady make it look?

Considering the other teams in the field, he should make it look easy enough.