NFL Playoffs 2012: Players That Will Fall Flat in Conference Championship Round

With the Conference Championship Games coming up on Sunday, four teams are just one win away from fulfilling their dreams of reaching the Super Bowl. It's vital for those teams to not look too far ahead though, as there is business to be taken care of first.

Both the Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots in the AFC and the New York Giants vs. the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC are interesting matchups that truly could go either way. While some players will come up huge in lifting their team to the Super Bowl, others will inevitably come up short. Here are three players that will fall flat in the Conference Championship round.

WR Michael Crabtree (SF)

When the Giants upset the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional round last weekend, New York's secondary was extremely physical with Green Bay's wide receivers, forcing a number of dropped balls. Since the formula seemed to work so well last week I would expect the Giants' suffocating defense to continue to hit the receivers off the line when they face the 49ers on Sunday.

San Francisco may not have much in terms of weapons in the passing game, but its best outside receiver is clearly Michael Crabtree. While he isn't a particularly explosive pass catcher, he was pretty effective during the regular season with 874 yards and four touchdowns. Crabtree does have a big enough body to contend with being bumped by New York defenders at the line of scrimmage, but I'm not convinced he has the mettle to fight back.

TE Rob Gronkowski (NE)

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski followed up the greatest regular season ever by a tight end with perhaps one of the best performances by a tight end in a postseason game last week, when he tore apart the Denver Broncos for 10 catches, 145 yards and three touchdowns. Gronkowski may be the closest thing to unstoppable in the league right now based on his success this season, but things won't come easily this week.

Gronkowski will have to contend with the Ravens' fourth-ranked pass defense on Sunday. While playing against a good pass defense hasn't slowed Gronk down this season, the Ravens may be a different story. After seeing what Gronkowski did to Denver last week, the Ravens have to be putting all of their defensive focus on stopping him. That might open up some room for Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez, but the Ravens won't let Gronkowski beat them.

QB Alex Smith (SF)

Niners quarterback Alex Smith entered the postseason with plenty of question marks surrounding him. Prior to last week against the New Orleans Saints, Smith had never played in a playoff game. He answered his critics, however, as he led the 49ers to two late scoring drives and ended the game with 299 yards and four total touchdowns.

With that in mind, Smith is likely entering the game against the Giants with his confidence at an all-time high. Unfortunately for Smith, though, I'm not sure how long that will last. The Giants' defense has simply been a different animal in the postseason, as it has mauled opposing receivers and relentlessly pursued the quarterback. Provided New York's strong pass rush can get to Smith, I think he will have to take some sacks and will be forced into mistakes, unlike last week.