NFL- Conference Championship Previews

It's the final four of the NFL this weekend when the Chicago Bears play host to the Green Bay Packers for the NFC Championship and the Pittsburgh Steelers takes on the visiting New York Jets in the AFC title game.
Three of the four teams mentioned are not a big surprise, but the Chicago Bears have indeed been a team that many "experts" weren't counting on to be in the conference championship round in late January.
The Bears knocked off the Seattle Seahawks last week in Chicago, 35-24 and are hosting the Packers, who beat the Atlanta Falcons (48-21) and Philadelphia Eagles (21-16) on the road to get to this point.
The Bears and Packers split two games in the regular season.
The Packers and Bears both feature solid defenses and can create turnovers as well.
Offensively, Green Bay has the edge at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers, who is coming off a huge game last weekend when he threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns.
Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler passed for two scores and ran for two as well in the victory. Cutler showed he can handle the post-season pressure, but this week will be tested against a much better defense than he faced in playing Seattle.
The key for the game will be turnovers. The team that loses that battle will likely lose this football game.

Heftyinfo pick: Packers 21, Bears 13

In the AFC, the Jets continue to confound experienced playoff quarterbacks with their defense schemes.
After disposing of the Colts (17-16) and Patriots (28-21) in road victories, the reward for the Jets is a trip to Pittsburgh and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers knocked off the mighty Baltimore Ravens, 31-24 last week by overcoming a 14-point halftime deficit.
The Steelers are more experienced in post-season play than the Jets, especially at the quarterback position.
Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl victories to his credit while Jets' QB Mark Sanchez (4-1 in playoffs) is still getting his resume' set in the post-season.
The Jets rely on defense and the run when they have the football.
Knowing Rex Ryan and his coaching staff, the Jets will likely come out THROWING the football on Sunday as they seek to confuse the Steel Curtain defense, which led the NFL this season by allowing just 60 yards rushing per game.
In fact, the Ravens managed just 126 yards of offense in the loss to Pittsburgh.
The Jets are not going to be able to control the line of scrimmage against the Steelers, which means they will not run the ball effectively.
Given that, if the Jets have to rely on Sanchez to beat Pittsburgh, it's not happening.
Plus, remember that even though the Jets won the regular season meeting 22-17 five weeks ago, Pittsburgh was without All-Pro safety Troy Palomalu and starting tight end Heath Miller for that game.

Heftyinfo pick: Steelers 23, Jets 14

Last Week's Record: 3-1

Playoffs Record: 4-4