I’m stunned, lost, disappointed, and very angry. I hope I’m speaking for more Patriots fans. What looked to be another return to the Super Bowl was cut short by the Baltimore Ravens, who were running on pure destiny.

I was concerned from the very beginning from the game. It was literally a chess match between both teams on each other’s possessions. In the end, I’m not sure if you can say the Patriots “won” it but they did get a field goal out of it.

Baltimore got the first touchdown of the game after a long drive that culminated with a Ray Rice TD run. From the looks of it, the Patriots defense had him but they just couldn’t tackle him and that was a recurring theme throughout the night.  New England responded back 5 minutes later with a 1-yd TD pass from Tom Brady to Wes Welker. With the 10-7 lead and once again having possession deep inside the Ravens’ redzone, the Patriots made a huge clock management blunder. I’m not sure when after Brady slid down with 14 seconds to go, why a timeout wasn’t called. The Pats took nearly 10 seconds to huddle up and then finally, a timeout was called. Sure, Stephen Gostkowski added the Patriot lead to 13-7 at the half, but it’s just devastating to think that maybe new England could have had a 17-7 lead instead.

The second half was a pure disaster. Zero offense from the Patriots and the Ravens got a touchdown from tight end Dennis Pitta. I still had hope because there was still one more quarter to go and the score was still only 14-13 Baltimore. But no, the Patriots defense looked like they took a sedative and performed under par, which led to two Anquan Boldin touchdowns. Granted, Stevan Ridley’s fumble that also gave him a game-ending concussion and the hamstring injury that took out Aqib Talib from the game were huge. But I’m just at a loss for words for how the offense and defense were in complete disarray in the fourth quarter. Brady threw a couple of picks, some of the receivers weren’t even making catches, and most importantly there was no sense of urgency. After 21 unanswered points, the Ravens held on for a 28-13 win in Foxboro and will now play for the Super Bowl in New Orleans against the San Francisco 49ers – oh brother... Congratulations, Baltimore and Ravens fans  everywhere, you guys earned it.

The Super Bowl will be a bit dry for me and I don’t know about you guys, but I’ll be cheering on for the 49ers. Not because Baltimore won but because I just want to see our boy, Randy Moss, get that one ring he’s been fighting for his whole life.

Well that about wraps it up. The 2012 New England Patriots season has officially come to an end but keep a look out for some of our players in the Pro Bowl! If you as a Patriots fan stood by this team all season long, you know there several more positives than negatives. Be blessed that you witnessed the 7th AFC Championship appearance by the Patriots in the Belichick/Brady area. We will be back next season Pats Nation, you can count on it!

What is your key to the game for the AFC Championship?

Stephen:  The key to making it back to the Super Bowl will be preventing big plays. Joe Flacco played a great game in the 2012 AFC Championship, but his team came up short thanks to Billy Cundiff. Flacco shredded the Broncos last week and is out to prove he's elite. The Patriots must limit the big plays from Jacoby Jones and Torrey Smith and force Baltimore to be one-dimensional.

Jason:  The key is for the defense to keep everything in front of them and get off the field on 3rd down. The Ravens are not great in the red zone, but they hit plenty of big plays in the passing game. If the secondary doesn't give up easy points and stops drives when the opportunity presents itself, it's hard to envision a scenario where Baltimore finds a way to grind out a win.

Raj:  If I was BB, I would really stress both the defense and offense to just PLAY YOUR GAME. They should know that the Ravens are a team that's riding high on destiny and it doesn't seem like they're stoppable. If the Patriots' defense plays the same way as it did against Houston in the 2nd half, Baltimore will repeat what they did to the Denver Broncos. That cannot happen. I trust that the Patriots players recognize that there is a lot on the line (more than meets the eye).

Derek: I think the key is to establish the running game. In Week 3, the Pats ran dismally and they ended up sputtering out on some key drives late in the game.  If the Patriots get the ground game going, it will open up the opportunity for Brady to run his patented hurry-up.  After the battles that Baltimore has found themselves in this post-season and given their age on the defensive side, I just don't see Ray Lewis and Co. being able to keep up with the Patriots' motor.  They will tire out, and when they do, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez will have a field day zipping passed the gassed Baltimore D.

The New England Patriots came off of their bye week and dominated the Houston Texans for the second time in a month 41-28. The game was more lopsided than the final score, but all that matters is that the Pats are back in the AFC Championship Game for the second straight year. Once again, New England will host the Baltimore Ravens for the right to go to the Super Bowl. You can catch the game at 6:30 eastern time on CBS.

These two teams are playing not only in a re-match of last year’s 23-20 AFC Championship Game thriller, but also a re-match of the Week 3 meeting this year in Baltimore where the Ravens came from nine points down in the 4th to win it 31-30. These teams are very familiar with each other as this matchup is becoming one of the more emerging rivalries in the NFL. Baltimore is coming off an emotional 38-35 double overtime win on the road against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Plus, we all know the storyline behind this Ravens’ run is the pending retirement of one of the greatest linebackers of all time as soon as their season ends in Ray Lewis. With all the close games these two teams have played over the last five years, I don’t expect anything different on Sunday night.

Here are my keys to Sunday’s AFC Championship Game in the Giant Razor:

0It seems that during the 2012 season, Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco was looking to add his name to the “elite” pantheon of quarterbacks. Under ex-offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, all the pressure was put on the former 1st round pick due to the lack of usage of a great running game. Now, under the new offensive coordinator, Jim Caldwell, Flacco has seen much more consistency because of a balanced offensive attack. Since Week 16, Flacco has 7 touchdown passes to zero interceptions! Against the Patriots, Flacco has 9 touchdowns in 5 games to just 4 interceptions. This includes 10 completions of 25+ yards. In five games with Caldwell as the OC, Flacco has a QB rating of 102.8. In order for the Ravens to win this game, their quarterback has to hit the home run ball the same way he did against the Broncos and like he did in Week 3 against the Patriots. I am a believer in Flacco in that you can’t rely on him to make the mistake himself. Instead, you have to force him to make mistake by trying out more blitzes. Fortunately, the Patriots have been able to blitz more due to the acquisition mid-season of cornerback Aqib Talib.

2. Tailing On Torrey: When Flacco likes to go deep for the home run, the target he likes to go to most is Torrey Smith. The former Maryland wide receiver had only 6 targets against the Broncos, but still had 3 catches for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns! This was against one of the best cornerbacks of all-time in Champ Bailey. You can recall back in Week 3 that Smith, playing with a heavy heart due to the death of his brother that morning, had 6 catches for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. In Baltimore wins this year, Smith has 10 touchdown receptions. On the other hand, in losses, Smith has not recorded a single touchdown. This makes Aqib Talib’s presence so important in this game.

Back in Week 3, Smith was guarded by Devin McCourty who fell victim to numerous defensive penalties, including a final drive pass interference call that led to the game-winning field goal for the Ravens. McCourty is now playing safety, so he will be in charge of keeping Smith in front of him should he burn Talib from the onset of the snap. I think Talib will limit the big plays, but the Patriots not only have to cover Smith, but also veteran Anquan Boldin, who is great at getting yards after the catch. Look for rookie Alfonzo Dennard to play an important role on that side of the field.

3. Cary, Cary, Quite Contrary: When you talk Ravens’ defense, everyone thinks of players like Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, and of course Ray Lewis. While those players make an impact, the Ravens’ secondary is what I will be watching on Sunday night. The Baltimore defensive backfield has had its share of injuries in 2012. They lost number one defensive back LaDarius Webb early in the season due to a torn ACL. But, two candidates have emerged as the season has progressed to make plays for the team in Corey Graham and Cary Williams. Back in Week 3, Williams had 10 tackles to lead the team, but was the target of some big throws by Tom Brady to receivers Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker. He has five interceptions this year, which includes an INT of Andrew Luck in the 4th quarter of the Wild Card round. Against Williams, yards after catch will be important since he does a very solid job at taking away the underneath routes from opposing quarterbacks.

Also, he has a good complement at defensive back with Corey Graham, who had an interception for a touchdown and the interception in overtime against Peyton Manning last week. Against the Patriots, the Ravens’ defense has been great at forcing Brady to throw interceptions. If New England has no balance to their offense and Brady has to throw 50+ times, the Ravens will be the ones going to New Orleans, forcing at least one interception on #12.

PREDICTION

After a wild divisional round, Raj has continued his late-season surge to pull ahead in the contest by a single game.  With both him and myself picking opposite in the NFC Championship game, will we head into the Super Bowl tied, or will he hold a solid two game lead?

Who will you be rooting for in the NFC Championship Game?

Raj:  I will be rooting for San Francisco. I realize that in terms of simplicity, the Falcons would be an "easier" team for the Patriots. However, I think both teams pose a big threat. The 49ers are a slightly tougher threat but I know that New England can beat this team again. A known devil (San Francisco) is always better than an unknown devil (Atlanta). I'd like one more shot at revenge on the biggest stage in American sports.

Stephen:  Once again, this comes down to rooting for an easier matchup vs. the better storyline. And again, I'm going for No. 2. I'd love to see the Pats get another shot at the 49ers, this time on the biggest stage. New England nearly completed a furious comeback against San Fran on Monday Night Football, so putting the stamp on the season with a win over the best team in the NFC would be one hell of way to end the year.

Jason:  I'll be rooting for the 49ers, no doubt. The Atlanta passing game would be terrifying even if the Patriots had an above average secondary. Unless Matt Ryan dies, they'd be putting up points with impunity. Make no mistake -- the Falcons could beat the Pats. Even in losing the game against the 49ers, the Patriots looked like the better team by a wide margin. Unless the 49ers somehow manage to recover every fumble and get help from the refs, I don't think they beat the Pats.

Derek:  Last year, I wanted a piece of the Giants.  I thought we'd have a better shot against Alex Smith than a streaking Eli Manning, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a legendary Patriots victory and revenge for Super Bowl XLII. 

We all know how that turned out.  While I still think that I was right for not shying away from potential greatness, this year I have a slightly different take.  I just want to win.  Beating San Francisco would be slightly more gratifying than beating Atlanta, given what happened in Week 15.  However, I think Atlanta gives the Patriots the best shot for hoisting the Lombardi.  The Niners are too similar to the Giants, Ravens, and 2009/2010 Jets, and could cause serious trouble for the Patriots.  I'll take my chances with Atlanta's passing game if it means that Brady can avoid getting nailed by Aldon Smith and Justin Smith all evening.  The final score may be 83-79 in a New England/Atlanta Super Bowl, but I think the Pats would come out on top.

How big of an impact will the loss of Rob Gronkowski have on the Patriots' Super Bowl chances?

Jason:  The injury to Gronk seems like a non-issue at this point. He has played very little in the second half of the season, and the offense has kept on rolling. The only way his injury really hurts is if Hernandez gets injured by Pollard. No whammies.

Stephen:  Against a team like the Ravens, Gronk definitely would have helped due to his ability to block and draw coverage. However, the fact New England played well in his absence for over half the season speaks to this team's ability to adjust. There's no doubt the Patriots are a better team with Gronk in the lineup, but I don't think it's going to make a huge difference in their Super Bowl pursuit.

Raj:  The loss of Gronk will hurt big time. They barely beat Baltimore last year and then lost to New York with an injured Gronk. Now that he's out, it's bound to be different but I still believe that the Pats will overcome that pitfall. They still have a great offense that is better than last years. I think they can get the job done.

Derek:  Don't get me wrong, having Gronk out of the field would make me supremely confident about this team's chances to hoist the Lombardi, but I still feel like they should win the title without him.  I don't want to look past Baltimore, but in my opinion, the big concern with losing Gronkowski would be if San Francisco makes the Super Bowl as well.  I left the Niners game thinking that Rob would have made a big impact in reversing that game's outcome and was thankful he'd be back for a Super Bowl rematch.  Little did I know...    Still, the Pats have had plenty of reps to get used to life without the big fella, and they've proven that they can have success without him on the field. 

The Patriots opened as 8.5- point favorites as they prepare to host the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. Again.

After going 2-6 through the first two weeks of the playoffs and predicting this line would be no higher than -6, I’m prepared to admit that I have no idea what is going on in the NFL right now. Up is down, left is right, dogs and cats are living together. And these two teams, who haven’t changed substantially in the past twelve months in which they have played two games decided by a total of four points, are suddenly a significant mismatch. I don’t get it.

One edge for the Pats is the fact that the Ravens haven’t really seen the feverish pace the New England offense has adopted in the last half of the season. Baltimore has seen the hurry-up, but the Patriots have pumped it full of steroids and Mountain Dew. Teams always think they have it figured out. Then when the bullets start flying, they are left wondering what the hell happened. The Ravens can whine about it ahead of time as much as they want, but stopping it is a whole ‘nother problem.

The Ravens are coming into the game healthy and motivated, and they don’t have nearly as many deficiencies on defense as the Texans last week. They’ve effectively complained about the officiating to the point that they are actually upset when they don’t get every ridiculous call in their favor (although they are still getting the lion’s share … just ask any fan in Denver). And the whole Ray Lewis story means they are going to continue to get every call imaginable. I’m not sure New England can overcome that disadvantage to win, let alone cover a two-score spread.

Nothing would make me happier than seeing the Patriots smear the Ravens and send a murderer to a premature retirement. But this week, I’m taking Baltimore to cover, and I wouldn’t begrudge anyone for taking the Ravens moneyline at +325.

Falcons (+4) vs. 49ers

Again, I don’t know where this line comes from. I understand that Colin Kaepernick spent 60 minutes repeatedly whipping the Green Bay defense in the face with his dick last week, but he’s not Moses. The 49ers offense averaged a little over 26 points per game in his 7 regular season starts, which is only slightly above average. They’ve given up about the same number of points when they’ve faced teams that boast an above-average offense. The Falcons are among the healthiest teams in the league, and they are playing in a stadium where they are 14-2 over the past two years in meaningful games. This should have been a pick ‘em, so I’ll take the points.

2012 Record ATS: 31-30

Record ATS since 2010: 102-95-4

Welcome to the playoffs, Shane Vereen. 

New England's forgotten second-year tailback—who was drafted 17 spots ahead of Stevan Ridley in 2011—stole the show Sunday evening, piling up 124 total yards and three touchdowns in New England's 41-28 thrashing of the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round. 

The speedster out of California proved to be the X-factor for the Patriots, who lost star tight end Rob Gronkowski for the rest of the playoffs after the Pro Bowler re-injured his forearm. 

Vereen and Ridley picked up the slack and helped the Patriots reach the AFC Championship for the second consecutive season. 

Not to be lost in the win was New England's defense, which held Matt Schaub to a paltry 6.5 yards per completion and mostly bottled up Arian Foster (22 carries for 90 yards). 

Although the loss of Gronkowski certainly doesn't help the Patriots' Super Bowl chances, the fact they dropped 40+ points on the Texans again highlights their versatility, resiliency and creativity on offense. 

Let's take a look at this week's risers and fallers. 

Risers

1. Shane Vereen, RB: Selected with the 56th overall pick in 2011, Vereen basically redshirted his rookie year because of a hamstring injury. After making spot contributions during the regular season, the speedy second-year tailback exploded for three touchdowns, including a beautiful 33-yard reception along the left sideline to put the Pats up 38-13. Vereen's quickness and big-play ability could help ease the loss of Gronk as the Patriots' playoff march continues. 

2. Wes Welker, WR: It wasn't a perfect day for No. 83, but dammit I'll take it. Dubbed "unathletic" by Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the 5'9", 185-pounder proved good things do come in small packages. The super slot receiver racked up 131 yards on eight catches, with none better than his 47-yard, one-handed bomb in tight coverage. Welker's terrific outing pushed him past Patriot great Troy Brown as the team's all-time leader in playoff receptions (59). 

3. Offensive Line: Houston got its hits on Tom Brady—seven to be exact—but J.J. Watt and Co. managed to take down No. 12 just once in the 13-point defeat. Left tackle Nate Solder and left guard Logan Mankins were dominant on the afternoon, and Sebastian Vollmer and Dan Connolly were solid enough on the right side to limit Watt to just four tackles and a half sack. The o-line wore down Houston's front seven, leading the way for 122 rushing yards on just 24 carries (5.1 yard average) and two touchdowns. 

4. Tom Brady, QB: Tom wasn't on his A game to start, but boy did he finish. Missing key cogs Danny Woodhead and Rob Gronkowski, Brady continued to pepper the ball to Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Lloyd. Just a few weeks after shredding the Texans defense for 296 yards and four touchdowns, the 2010 MVP tossed three scores on 344 yards passing in his record-breaking 17th playoff win. 

5. Rob Ninkovich, DE: Ninko is officially my new man crush. No matter what position he plays, how he hurt he is, or how bad the defense is playing, the guy comes up with game-changing plays. With Houston driving into New England territory and down by 11 points in the third quarter, Ninkovich dropped into coverage and intercepted Schaub. Six plays later, Brady hooked up with Lloyd for his 40th career postseason touchdown pass. 

Fallers

1. Chandler Jones, DE: It's been a rough second half of the season for New England's top draft pick. Facing the league's best left tackle in Duane Brown, Jones was shut down all game before exiting with an ankle injury. The 21st overall pick was limited to just two tackles and failed to provide any pressure on Schaub. 

2. Kickoff Coverage: An absolute abysmal day for this special teams unit. Danieal Manning torched the kickoff team for 216 yards on four returns, including a 94-yarder to open the game. If not for Stephen Gostkowski tripping up the starting safety a few times, Manning could have taken a few back to the house. Houston really only scored because of Manning's excellent returns, so this is an area New England must clean up as the Ravens feature Pro Bowl returner Jacoby Jones. 

If you asked me to describe this game in one word, I could not give it to you. I’m certain Patriots fans all went through phases of excitement, anger, confusion, and relief. In the end though, the final score favors the Patriots and we will see them in the AFC Championship for the 2^nd straight year.

The opening of this game was extremely scary. I was not anticipating the Texans to return the opening kickoff all the way to the New England 10 yard line. The defense responded well and held them to a field goal. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if the Patriots knew how to respond. True, they did have a couple of weeks off and rust could have been a big factor, but the Patriots just did not look like themselves in the majority of the first quarter. Fortunately however, Tom Brady and the Patriots generated a great drive at the end of the first quarter, which culminated in a 1-yd touchdown run by Shane Vereen.

Leading 7-3, the Patriots completely changed their attitude towards the game and got better on offense. Stephen Gostkowski (surprisingly) nailed a 37-yd field goal and Brady later found Vereen for an 8-yd touchdown pass. The Texans responded quickly with Arian Foster’s 1-yd touchdown rush. In their next possession, it seemed that time ran out but the referee said that Houston called a timeout with 2 seconds to go. I thought that was a blown call because I heard no whistle until that clock hit 0:00. But the lucky Texans got their wish and the former-Patriot Shayne Graham drilled a 55 yarder and cut the New England lead to 17-13 at the half.

I prayed that the Patriots would make the third quarter theirs and it certainly was. A rushing touchdown from Stevan Ridley and a Brady passing touchdown to Brandon Lloyd extended the Patriots lead to 31-13. To be honest, I thought a rout was on at that point.

What Patriots fan doesn’t like it when Brady throws a deep ball? He already threw one to Wes Welker so surely he could do it again, right? Indeed, with an arching 33 yard pass to Vereen, who ran it for a touchdown. At that point, I was really stunned at how Vereen showed up tonight. He arguably had a much better night than Stevan Ridley did. Unfortunately, it seemed like the New England defense was too mesmerized by the offense. A questionable touchdown reception from DeVier Posey was reviewed through a challenge and Houston won it. 6 minutes later, Foster added another touchdown for the Texans and the 2-pt conversion was successful. With the lead only 10, Rob Ninkovich made a game saving recovery on the ensuing onside kick. Lloyd caught a crucial 3^rd down pass and that set the way for the final field goal for Gostkowski. The Patriots defeat the Texans 41-28 and will meet the Baltimore Ravens again for the AFC Championship. The last time this happened was in 1987, when the Browns and Broncos played each other for the second consecutive time.

While we Pats fans should rejoice this win, we should pick up on a couple of things. I strongly believe that tonight’s referees heavily favored Houston because several calls (not letting the clock run out, penalizing Lloyd for no reason, etc.) went the Texans’ way. I’m hoping that’s not the case next week. Speaking of next week, New England will NOT have Rob Gronkowski for that game…and the rest of the season, since he injured that same arm in the first quarter. Rest well Gronk, I believe the Patriots can finish the deal. On a more positive note though, congrats to Tom Brady, whose 17th playoff win passes Joe Montana's 16, for most all time!