10 Questions That Must Be Answered in the NFL Conference Championships

With the NFC and AFC championship games being played this Sunday, fans generally want to know if defense still wins championships.

The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers certainly hope so, and with all of the flashy offense and brilliant quarterback play fans saw this season, it was those two defensive teams that made it to their conference championships.

It's not a huge shock that the Ravens are playing the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, but the fact that the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints will be watching the 49ers play the New York Giants somewhere on a coach is a bit mind-numbing.

The season has come down to these two conference championships, and these are the 10 questions that must be answered in both contests.

Does Defense Still Win Championships?

You know, I was really starting to believe defenses didn't matter anymore.

With Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers lighting up scoreboards week in and week out, fear of this game changing crept in the minds of all football purists. They sat there waiting for a defense to show up and make a stand against these prolific offenses, and that weekend came in the divisional round of the playoffs.

After shutting down Rodgers' passing game, the New York Giants will now wage war against the best defense in football, according to the West Coast. It's nearly impossible to rush the football against them, as they averaged only 77.3 yards per game rushing over the season.

The 49ers got to this game with great defense and forced five turnovers against the Saints, and even though Alex Smith showed that he can make some big-time throws in critical moments, this team is only going as far as this defense takes them.

Does defense still win championships? For the 49ers sake, it better.

Can Tom Brady Do This Thing by Himself?

Football is a game that's won by 22 men, but Tom Brady could very well defy that theory.

With a defense that's given up 293.9 passing yards per game and 117.1 rushing yards a game, the New England Patriots won 13 regular season games.

Is there any coincidence that the guy throwing the football on the other side of the ball is Brady? Brady threw for 5,235 yards, 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the regular season, and Saturday night against the Denver Broncos, Brady threw for a playoff record-tying six touchdown passes.

This team may not be as good as the 2007 Patriots, but Brady might be playing the best football in his career, which just might be enough to beat the Baltimore Ravens.

Can Eli Manning Get the Giants Past 49ers D?

Eli Manning is elite.

Manning proved all season long that he's clutch, and his NFL-record setting 15 fourth quarter touchdowns prove it.

As good as Manning was all season, he's been even better this postseason. Manning has completed 67.7 percent of his passes, thrown for 607 yards and threw six touchdowns with only one interception, but this is the 49ers defense were talking about.

Led by a pass rush of Smiths, Justin and Aldon don't allow quarterbacks much time to breathe, much less throw. They accounted for 21.5 sacks together, and those inside linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis are pretty good too.

Manning will have his hands full with this defense, but then again, Drew Brees threw for 462 yards and four touchdowns against this same group.

Who's Feeling the Most Pressure?

Joe Flacco is under the most pressure entering this weekend.

The guy with the terrible mustache has been questioned about not being able to win the big game, and with no Pittsburgh Steelers team in sight, it's time for Flacco to prove the haters wrong.

Flacco threw for 3,610 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season, so unlike Brady, it's pretty obvious that the Ravens defense has carried this team.

It's time for Flacco to put all the doubt to rest with a big win that'll send the Ravens back to the Super Bowl.

Can Michael Crabtree Rebound?

Michael Crabtree got off to a great start against the New Orleans Saints as he caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter, but then the drops came.

Crabtree suffered drop after drop after drop on a series of catchable balls. He was targeted 10 times in the game and had three drops to show for it.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Crabtree would finish the game with only four catches for 25 yards. Alex Smith and the 49ers offense are going to need Crabtree to get it together for this game, but is he mentally strong enough to overcome the drops?

Is Ray Rice Elite?

Just because the guy is 5'8" doesn't mean everyone has to overlook Ray Rice's value.

Rice is one of the best running backs in the league because of his speed and versatility. Rice rushed for 1,364 yards and 12 touchdowns while recording 704 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions during the regular season.

Rice is the focal point of this offense, and if he has another show-stopping performance, that gives the Ravens the edge over the Patriots, putting Rice in the discussion of elite running backs will be long overdue.

Can the Giants Run the Ball Against the 49ers?

The Giants rushing game is second fiddle to their passing attack.

Through the season, the Giants ranked in the top five for passing offense and ranked last in the league when it came to rushing the football, and that showed against the Green Bay Packers Sunday.

The Giants pounded the ball early, and the Packers defense wasn't budging at all. The Giants ended up getting a running game going late and picked up first downs to milk the clock and end the game.

After finishing the game with 95 yards rushing, they've now rushed for 267 yards in the postseason, while the 49ers only gave up 37 rushing yards to the sixth-best rushing attack in the league Saturday.

Going against the best front seven in the league, something's gotta give.

Will Justin Smith or Jason Pierre-Paul Impact the Game More?

Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Smith are starting to become the premier defensive ends in the league.

Both defensive ends had incredible seasons, with Pierre-Paul recording 86 tackles, two forced fumbles and 16.5 sacks, and Smith totaling 58 tackles, three forced fumbles and 7.5 sacks.

Both players have a pass rush that can disrupt quarterbacks, so which defensive end will find their way to the quarterback more in the NFC Championship?

Can Ray Lewis Get to Another Super Bowl?

One of the greatest linebackers of all time has a chance to send his team back to another Super Bowl before calling it a career.

At the age of 36, Lewis' small window of winning another Super Bowl ring is closing rather fast. In Lewis career as a Baltimore Raven, he's collected 1,993 combined tackles, 18 forced fumbles and 31 interceptions.

Another ring for this future Hall of Famer would be a storybook ending to a legendary career.

Are We Going to Have an All-Harbaugh Super Bowl?

Who's got it better than us? Nobody.

It was special when they met in the regular season, but it'll be that much more special if Jim and John Harbaugh meet in the Super Bowl.

Both coaches' teams embody the attitude of a mentally strong team with gritty and physical defense. It would be the first time two NFL coaches coached against each other in the Super Bowl, and quite frankly, it would be a pretty cool sight to see.