Looking ahead to conference championship games
NFC Championship: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
Rams: John Kelly (RB)
Saints: Alvin Kamara (RB)
It’s the two running backs from the 2016 team who split carries after Jalen Hurd’s departure from Tennessee football now squaring off with a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Alvin Kamara is the superstar of these guys, and playing at home, we figure that he is going to look to have another huge day.
However, Kamara was once slept on the way John Kelly is being slept on now. That’s both at the NFL level and in college, when Butch Jones slept on both in favor of Hurd. So watch out for what Kelly does in this game, as he just might surprise you. Sean McVay is supposed to be a genius. What if he’s this unpredictable?
AFC Championship: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs
Patriots: Cordarrelle Patterson (WR)
Chiefs: Dustin Colquitt (P) and Eric Berry (S) (***maybe***)
The Kansas City Chiefs are definitely going to play Dustin Colquitt, and a big question is if Eric Berry returns after missing last week. A Tennessee football fan favorite, it would be an amazing story if he could capture a Super Bowl after everything he’s been through. If Colquitt and Berry both play, the Chiefs have to be Vols fan favorites. Don’t expect any action from Alex Ellis or Kahlil McKenzie this week.
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots targeted Cordarrelle Patterson once through the air against the Los Angeles Chargers while giving him a handoff once and letting him return one kickoff. Keep an eye on him this weekend to see if he gets more action. The guy remains deadly with the ball in his hands, so he could be another surprise star. But the story, again, is about Berry and whether or not he’s good to go in the game. If he is, the role that Peyton Manning once had of stopping Tom Brady in the playoffs falls on him.