AFC & NFC Championship Game 2012 Schedule: Preview, Spreads, Picks and TV Info

The NFL is down to its Final Four, with the Baltimore Ravens heading north to take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and the New York Giants traveling west to face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

The Patriots will once again be hosting the AFC title game, this time after demolishing Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, 45-10. The Ravens will be playing in their second conference championship game in John Harbaugh's four-year tenure following a sluggish 20-13 triumph over the Houston Texans.

In the NFC, the 49ers find themselves within one win of the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 years on account of a 36-32 thriller over the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, the Giants are partying like it's 2008, upsetting the 15-1 Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, 37-20. 

Both games should make for a rather interesting, if not downright exciting, Championship Sunday, two weeks before Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

AFC Championship Game—Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts

When: Sunday, January 22 at 3 p.m. EST

Watch: CBS

Spread: Patriots -7.5 (according to sportsbook.com)

Go with the Pats here. They've won their last five home games by an average margin of 20.4 points, while the Ravens have been decidedly Jekyll-and-Hyde away from M&T Bank Stadium this season.

Over/Under: 50.5 points (according to sportsbook.com)

Take the under. The Pats might put up some points against the Ravens' D, depending on how much (or little) pressure Tom Brady finds himself under on Sunday. Baltimore, on the other hand, isn't likely to score much, irrespective of who or what stands in its way.

Prediction: Patriots 28, Ravens 20

The Ravens have had some success in New England in recent years, but their struggles outside of Charm City this season, particularly against mediocre teams, suggests that things may be different this time around. With Joe Flacco still seemingly mired in an existential funk and Tom Brady turning back the clock to 2007, expect the Pats to hold serve at home to advance to their fifth Super Bowl of the Bill Belichick era.

NFC Championship Game—New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers

Where: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

When: Sunday, January 22 at 6:30 p.m. EST

Watch: FOX

Spread: 49ers -2.5 (according to sportsbook.com)

Go with San Francisco here. The Niners are 8-1 at home this season, postseason included, and topped the Giants at The Stick back in Week 10, 27-20.

Over/Under: 45 points (according to sportsbook.com)

Take the under. These two teams aren't the offensive juggernauts that they've appeared to be in the playoffs and will both look to dictate terms with their defenses. 

Prediction: 49ers 20, Giants 17

Eli Manning will be hard-pressed to find much comfort against a Niners defense that made life miserable for Drew Brees in the Divisional Round.

Not that Alex Smith is necessarily going to show him up, not with Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora coming at him with reckless abandon.

However, with a solid run game behind Frank Gore and a top-notch special teams unit, the Niners will do just enough to win the battle for field position and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994.

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