NFL Playoff Predictions 2012: Predicting the Conference Championship Games

Realistically, the San Francisco 49ers were not supposed to beat the high-powered New Orleans Saints. The New York Giants were not supposed to beat the defending champion Green Bay Packers.

Then again, football was never supposed to be a completely predictable game.

After the 49ers ousted the Saints, 36-32, and the Giants shocked the Packers, 37-20, they both will meet in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

In the AFC, the New England Patriots disposed of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, and the Baltimore Ravens turned into a nightmare for Houston Texans rookie quarterback T.J. Yates.

Both conference championship games figure to be electric.

Here are my picks for who is going to the Super Bowl this season.

AFC Championship Game: Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

This is the matchup we've all been waiting for in the AFC: A dominant offense led by the incomparable Tom Brady pitted against one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL.

The Patriots averaged 32.1 points per game this season, third in the NFL. The Ravens, on the other hand, allowed 16.6 points per game, also third in the NFL. Something's got to give.

In the end, I see the Patriots advancing.

Brady and the Patriots dominated the Broncos in the Divisional Round, 45-10. Brady threw for 363 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, while completing 76.5 percent of his 34 attempts.

In my mind, even with the Ravens defense, I don't see Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco outscoring Brady. Flacco completed just 51.5 percent of his throws against the Texans and hasn't had the most spectacular season, to be honest. In fact, you could say he's taken a step back since his last two seasons.

On top of that, the Ravens were 4-4 on the road this season, losing to the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers along the way. The Patriots were 7-1 at home, only losing to the Giants on a last-minute touchdown.

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

Giants quarterback Eli Manning is on another one of his late-season rolls. Against the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, he's thrown for a combined 607 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, while completing 67 percent of his passes.

Nonetheless, the 49ers have the best defense in the league in my opinion and things are going to be much tougher for Manning in the NFC title game.

Manning threw two interceptions against the 49ers in their Week 10 matchup. It was only the third time Manning threw multiple interceptions this season. That's because the 49ers racked up 23 interceptions this season, tied for second-most in the NFL with the Patriots. They also picked off Drew Brees twice in the Divisional Round.

I expect Manning to have a good game statistically, but I think he'll turn the ball over multiple times and that will be the difference.

As for the 49ers offense against the Giants pass rush, that will obviously be a problem, but the 49ers and quarterback Alex Smith showed in the Divisional Round that they could get it done offensively despite Smith getting pressured (he was sacked four times).

Expect the 49ers to move on to their first Super Bowl since 1995.