NFL Playoff Predictions: 3 Reasons Each Team Can Make the Super Bowl

Conference Championship weekend brings together four evenly-matched teams, with no clear favourite in either contest.

The New York Giants travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers as the league's hottest team, while the Baltimore Ravens are unlikely to have any apprehension about meeting the Patriots in New England. The Ravens dominated Bill Belichick's team the last time they made this trip in the postseason.

All four participants have the right to feel very confident about their chances of competing in the Super Bowl. Here are three reasons why each team can advance, beginning first with NFC Championship protagonists.

New York Giants: 1. Unstoppable Passing Offense

It's difficult to know how to defend the New York Giants' aerial attack. Sitting back in coverage is a safe approach, but few defensive backs can match up with either Hakeem Nicks or Victor Cruz.

Blitzing Eli Manning may appear a more logical option, but Big Blue's triggerman has the patience, tenacity and timing to shred an undermanned or exposed secondary.

The Giants' passing game has been unstoppable during the club's dominant four-game winning stretch. Manning, Cruz and Nicks are a trio capable of hitting the big play at any time and always manage to keep the chains moving.

It's hard to see anybody being able to corral them for long enough. Their productivity is enough to send the Giants to a fifth Super Bowl in franchise history.

2. Relentless Front Four

Big Blue's deep and talented stable of pass-rushers is the envy of almost every team in the league. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell can call on multiple combinations and alignments to terrorise opposing blocking schemes.

Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul are as potent a trio on defense as Manning, Nicks and Cruz are on offense.

The Giants have been able to cause havoc in the playoffs with their speed and power up front. Look for them to do more of the same on their way to the Lombardi trophy.

3. The Giants Are the League's Form Team

There is no disputing that the Giants are the form team in the NFL right now. No group is in a hotter or richer vein of form than Tom Coughlin's squad.

Ever since they defeated the Jets in Week 16, the Giants have been building momentum. That momentum has quickly become a powerful force that seems to be dragging the team inevitably towards the Super Bowl.

With the level of confidence they have gained with each resounding win, the Giants are going to take some stopping this postseason.

San Francisco 49ers: 1. Stellar Secondary

If any team can at least limit the Giants' production through the air, it just might be the San Francisco 49ers and their aggressive, opportunistic secondary.

The 49ers' ball-hawking defensive backfield has turned their defense from a solid unit into an elite force. Corner Carlos Rogers has led the way and if he and his teammates can roll the shutters down, the Giants will be in big trouble.

The San Francisco secondary has the players to pounce on and punish any errors from the Giants. Any turnovers they do force will prove decisive.

2. The Growing Aura of Jim Harbaugh

It's hard to fathom the level of success Jim Harbaugh has managed to achieve in his relatively brief time as a head coach.

After stunning the football world with his achievements at Stanford, Harbaugh has sparked a quick and complete reversal of the 49ers fortunes.

He is already gaining the kind of reputation usually reserved for veteran, Super Bowl-winning coaches. Harbaugh appears to be a coach able to will his team to the ultimate triumph.

3. Pressure Up Front

Much like the Giants, the 49ers' ability to generate consistent and heavy pressure up front will give them plenty of options on defense.

Justin Smith's strength to move the pocket backwards and prevent Eli Manning from stepping up will be crucial. If Manning stays on his spot, he will have a hard time escaping the edge pressure from rookie sensation Aldon Smith.

San Francisco's relentless pass rush eventually wore down the normally excellent New Orleans Saints offensive line. The 49ers can do the same again and destroy the balance of the New York offense.

Baltimore Ravens: 1. Ray Rice Against the Soft Patriots Run Defense

They may have done a respectable job repelling the run against the Denver Broncos, but the Patriots will find it a lot harder to subdue Ray Rice.

Against the Broncos, New England's defense utilised several stacked fronts and crowded the line of scrimmage.

That succeeded in stopping the power running of Willis McGahee, but may be too big of a risk to take against the quicker, more elusive Rice.

If Rice breaks free from the pack, he has the ability to go the distance. If the Ravens finally decide to do the sensible thing and put the game firmly in Rice's hands, the diminutive rusher can carry them to the Super Bowl.

2. The Ravens Will Get to Tom Brady

The Ravens are one of the best blitzing defenses in the league. They will be able to generate the kind of pressure Tom Brady has rarely faced this season.

The Ravens will have to get to Brady early and often, but they have the personnel to do it. Baltimore's defensive line can create a ferocious push inside and Terrell Suggs is capable of dominating the perimeter.

If Brady is consistently swarmed, the Ravens can shut down the high-powered New England offense and claim the AFC Championship. 

3. The Last Chance for Ray Lewis

The Ravens are an aging team and a number of veterans, headed by the great Ray Lewis, are facing quite possibly their last shot at going to a Super Bowl.

That level of incentive will provide a degree of motivation and determination which makes the Ravens extremely hard to beat, even for the Patriots.

Lewis in particular will do all he can to end his brilliant career with a flourish and make it back to the NFL title game.

If his fiery passion is matched by his teammates, it could be enough to lead the AFC North Champions past the Patriots.

New England Patriots: 1. Rob Gronkowski Can't Be Stopped

It seems that nobody is capable of preventing big tight end Rob Gronkowski from finding the end zone. Gronkowski's connection with Brady is unstoppable at the moment.

The 6'6", 265 pounder gives the Patriots a matchup advantage against any defense. His intelligent route-running and sure hands have made Gronkowski Brady's primary weapon.

Gronkowski has the strength and instincts to force his way through any coverage scheme. He can be instrumental in helping the Patriots build an unassailable lead.

2. Joe Flacco's Inconsistency

Joe Flacco may not be concerned about the criticisms of his game, but Ravens fans should be. Flacco's streaky style is one of the main reasons this team has thus far failed to take the next step and win a championship.

The Patriots' best route to victory is to put the game in Flacco's hands and challenge him to make plays in clutch situations.

If New England's defense can force Flacco to be precise when it counts, there will be even more playoff agony for the Ravens.

3. Big-Game Mentality

Few outside New England may wish to admit it, but not many teams in league history have performed as well in big games as the Patriots.

It starts with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. More often than not, the duo have produced their best work in the postseason.

Despite the struggles of the New England defense, count on Belichick to devise a game plan that can help the Patriots stifle the Ravens.

Brady's heroics in clutch situations are the stuff of legends. Few, if any quarterbacks can match Brady when the game is on the line. That's bad news for the Ravens in what promises to be a close-fought affair.