National Football League

NFL 2014 predictions: Home cooking in conference title games

Published Sep. 3, 2014 2:00 p.m. ET

Alex Marvez

As kickoff of the NFL season approaches, FOXSports.com will preview how the year will play out, from the regular season standings to round-by-round postseason predictions. We have told you who will make the playoffs and how the first two rounds will play out. Today, we continue with the NFL’s Final Four. When you're done reading, feel free to let us know what you think about our picks.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Cincinnati (2) vs. New England (1): As soon as it was determined that Cincinnati – and not Denver -- would be coming to Gillette Stadium for the conference title game, some travel-wise Patriots fans began booking their Super Bowl trips to Glendale, Ariz. This proves a smart move even though the underdog Bengals make them sweat on a wintry day in Foxboro. Cincinnati’s heavy emphasis on the running game under new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson pays dividends with Giovani Bernard and rookie Jeremy Hill helping the Bengals control time of possession through the first three quarters. New England’s offensive line also has fits with the Bengals’ defensive front. But do you think there’s any way Tom Brady would lose a third straight conference championship game? Brady’s two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and a sack-and-strip of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton by Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones spells the difference.

Player of the game: Brady. An uneven 2013 campaign wasn’t a sign of Brady’s demise. Another reminder of that came with a 350-yard, three-touchdown passing display against the Bengals.

Final: New England 27, Cincinnati 17

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Philadelphia (2) vs. New Orleans (1): Any remaining doubts about whether the innovative methodology Eagles head coach Chip Kelly brought with him from the college ranks into the NFL have ceased with Philadelphia’s strong 2014 campaign. Instead, rivals will continue scouring Eagles game film and digging for behind-the-scenes secrets during the 2015 offseason to try and duplicate Kelly’s success. But before he gets mentioned in the same breath as Vince Lombardi or Don Shula, Kelly needs to win a Super Bowl. That means avenging last year’s first-round playoff loss to the Saints. It doesn’t happen on this Sunday. The Saints are once again able to control the game on the ground and the always raucous Louisiana Superdome crowd makes enough noise to disrupt the flow of Philadelphia’s quick-paced offensive attack. By midway through the fourth quarter, the Saints are marching their way into Super Bowl 49.

Player of the game: Saints running back Mark Ingram. It took four seasons, but Ingram has finally lived up to his 2011 draft status. He follows a 1,200-yard regular season campaign by rushing for 132 more yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles.

Final: New Orleans 34, Philadelphia 19

FOX Sports 1's' Peter Schrager also provides his picks for the conference title games:

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Indianapolis (3) at New England (1): Patriots 30, Colts 24

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

San Francisco (2) at Green Bay (1): Packers 30, 49ers 24

OK, so that's a lot to digest, we know. What did you think of our picks? Fire away at us on Twitter.