Two more playoff games before the Super Bowl and both matchups are intriguing for Conference Championship Sunday.

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots – Sunday 1/22 12:00 PM PST (CBS)

Just about everyone is going to take the Patriots in this game after what happened in the Divisional Round last week. New England soundly beat Denver by 35 points and looked like a juggernaut. Baltimore, using two first quarter turnovers, built an early 17-3 lead over Houston and didn’t have to do too much else in defeating the Texans 20-13. But Baltimore certainly didn’t look all that great. Once Houston settled down after those early miscues they seemed to control the game outscoring Baltimore 10-3 after the first quarter. The Ravens won in large part because they played a clean game, not committing a single penalty or turnover.

Looking at some of what Baltimore’s players have said, I think they will come into New England confident drawing on their playoff win in Foxborough two seasons ago. Another element playing on their side is the us-against-the-world mentality they can take into this game. On offense, the Ravens are going to rely on Ray Rice, as always, to make a huge impact. He’s their most dynamic offensive player. What B-More needs is for Joe Flacco to step up in this game and make some big-time plays. He faces a New England defense ranked 31st in pass defense during the regular season but that also seems to be improving. The Ravens can’t settle for field goals. Ray Rice breaking big plays and/or Torrey Smith getting behind the Patriots’ secondary would go a long way. Unlike last week, the Ravens offense will have to play better than clean. Defensively, the Ravens will look to stop a high-powered Patriots offense that spreads defenses out and is able to attack the middle with their two great tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Baltimore again has a top-ranked defense ranking fourth in pass defense and second in rush defense during the regular season. Putting pressure on Tom Brady, forcing New England into field goal attempts, and getting takeaways will be three main things Baltimore will try to do. The Ravens will lean on their defense once again.

On the flip side, the Patriots are looking to avenge their home playoff loss to Baltimore from two seasons previous. New England has won nine straight and is playing like they see the finish line. Tom Brady and the rest of the New England offense certainly look in the zone right now. Over the Patriots last five home games including the playoffs they have averaged over 37 points scored. Facing a tough defense I expect the Patriots’ offense to be slowed to an extent. Still, there are so many weapons on this offense. I don’t read anything into Brady missing a practice this week. New England’s defense is as healthy as it has been in some time getting Patrick Chung and Brandon Spikes back recently. The group looked formidable against Denver last week and now plays a pretty pedestrian offense in Baltimore this week. I expect them to be ready with a good game plan centered on containing Ray Rice. If the Patriots defense plays up to the level it did last week, the Ravens will have a hard time winning this game.

Quick notes:

• New England, including the playoffs, has a 14-3 record but is 0-2 against teams that had winning records in the regular season. New England has eight wins against teams that finished the regular season 8-8.
• Baltimore, including the playoffs, has a 13-4 record and is 7-1 against teams that had winning records in the regular season. Baltimore beat Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Houston twice each (and San Francisco once).

Patriots at home, on a roll, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Pick: Ravens 20 Patriots 27

New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers – Sunday 1/22 3:30 PM PST (FOX)

To me, this is a tossup. I figure most people will be leaning towards New York based on their win at Green Bay and the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately mentality as the Giants played in the final game last week. I figure Jim Harbaugh is using this as motivation. Both teams had tough matchups in the Divisional Round and played quite well in advancing.

The Giants are playing with extreme confidence right now. It permeates the TV. My opinion of the Giants is unchanged. I thought they were better than their 9-7 regular season record and are the underrated contender in the playoffs. I’m writing this for the third straight week, but having one of the league’s best quarterbacks playing at (or near) the top of his game with explosive receiving options and a dominant defensive line can take a team a long way in the playoffs. On offense, New York won’t rely on their rushing attack but will try to keep the pass/rush split balanced enough. During the regular season, the Giants averaged the fewest rushing yards per game while the 49ers ranked first in opponent rushing yards. That’s where Eli Manning and the group of receivers come in and will try to make big plays. Defensively, I expect the Giants to key in on Frank Gore and stopping the run. Alex Smith was great in last week’s game, but the Giants will make him beat them. At this point I’m almost thinking New York welcomes going on the road. They’re healthy and playing their best at the right time.

The 49ers are a dominant home team this season going 8-1, including the playoffs, with a +15.3 average margin. These teams met in Week 10, a 27-20 home victory for San Francisco. When the Niners have the ball, I expect them to rely on power running. In their first matchup Frank Gore rushed six times for zero yards before leaving the game with an injury. I expect him to be much more involved. If you’re a Niners fan, you must feel a lot better about Alex Smith than you did even this time last week. With the game on the line he made massive plays. Especially considering the circumstances, that may have been the strongest game of his career. San Francisco features one of the top defenses in the league. I imagine they will use their strong run defense to stop Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs making New York more one-dimensional on offense. The 49ers skilled special teams could play a huge factor and setup good starting field position over the course of the game.

Again, this is a tossup to me. Unlike last time these teams met, I expect New York to make a big play at the end to secure a very close win. (Couldn’t get off the Giants bandwagon now)

Pick: Giants 24 49ers 23

Who ya got?