NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Patriots and Ravens Meet in Perfect Contrast of Style

NFL fans everywhere will be treated to a chess match in the AFC Championship game when Tom Brady and the high-scoring Patriots take on Ray Lewis and the stingy Ravens defense.

As far as contrasting styles go, this is about as good as it gets. This game is the classic matchup of Old School vs. New School, The Irresistible Force vs The Immovable Object or whatever other cliche you want to call it.

The Patriots offense has been on an all-out rampage since mid-November. Led by Brady and his arsenal of weapons, New England is putting up 37.3 points per game during their nine-game winning streak.

The Patriots made a mockery of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos on Saturday, scoring 35 points before halftime and letting Brady punt the ball on third down.

Other quarterbacks got more hype this season, but Brady reminded everyone why he's a candidate for the unofficial title of best quarterback in NFL history.

He mercilessly picked apart the Broncos secondary, completing 26 of 34 passes for 363 yards and six touchdowns. The depth of the Patriots receiving corps was on full display, as Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Rob Gronkowski all caught touchdown passes.

Of course, dropping 45 points on Baltimore will be a much tougher task.

While the Patriots win games by outgunning teams, the Ravens succeed because of their suffocating defense. In the regular season, they ranked second in the NFL in opponents' rushing yards (92.6 per game) and fourth in opponents' passing yards (196.3 per game).

Their defense led them to victory again on Sunday, when they held the Houston Texans to 13 points. Ed Reed and Co. forced four turnovers to help make up for the occasionally terrible play of their offense.

This should be a fascinating AFC Championship game, because while both teams have major flaws, neither has the power to exploit those weaknesses.

Although it won't be easy, I'm expecting the Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl. Brady has been on an absolute tear, and nobody—not even the Ravens—can stop him now.

Prediction: Patriots 31, Ravens 21

Playoff Schedule

AFC Championship Game: Patriots at Ravens Sunday Jan 22, 3 p.m. ET on CBS

NFC Championship Game: To Be Decided