The NFL is down to its conference championship games tomorrow, and ahead of the games, a few student sports writers have ventured a guess as to which two teams, of the four remaining, will end up in the Super Bowl. Here’s a summary of how they see the games:
Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) @ New England Patriots (13-3) — Sunday 2:05 PM CST
Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots was listed as “questionable” for this game, as of Saturday morning. “A source close to the situation told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport that Brady suffered a cut to his right thumb during Wednesday’s practice. The cut was gushing blood and required stitches,” the NFL Network reported.
But if Brady does play in the game, Alex Jackson at the Lake Forest Academy in north-suburban Illinois suspects he might throw at least two interceptions, in a 27-22 loss to the Jaguars. “No one would have ever thought we’d be comparing Tom Brady and Blake Bortles, but with rookie running back Leonard Fournette, the airways have opened up Bortles, even without his best receiver: Allen Robinson,” he writes in The Spectator.
At Bel Air High School in Harford County, Maryland, Blake Lioi has picked the Patriots to win it all, despite predicting that they would be hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers instead of the Jaguars this weekend. “With a great offense, I feel New England will have no trouble scoring,” he writes in The Bellarion.
Minnesota Vikings (13-3) @ Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) — Sunday 5:40 PM CST
After last weekend’s exciting finish between the New Orleans Saints and the Vikings, Mr Jackson at Lake Forest Academy has become a believer.
“[Vikings quarterback] Case Keenum has been too good for too long since stepping in for Sam Bradford to lose to [Philadelphia quarterback] Nick Foles, who has been consistent, but at a lower echelon than Keenum. In addition, Minnesota’s dual-threat running game of Murray and McKinnon were big factors in the Divisional round and should take the same effect this week.”
He’s therefore calling this one for the Vikings, 20-14, after what he predicts will be another game-winning drive at the end, similar to the one the Vikings pulled off last weekend.
Mr Lioi at Bel Air didn’t make a prediction for this game, because he had predicted the Vikings would lose to the Saints. Which they almost did. Except for that game-winning drive.
Regardless of who wins this weekend, special projects editor Alexia Ayuk, writing in The Talon at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, wanted to congratulate the Vikings receiver who caught the touchdown pass on the aforementioned game-winning drive.
“With ten seconds remaining in the NFL Playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints,” she wrote, “Case Keenum threw the ball to Stefon Diggs '11 at their own 39 yard line for the winning touchdown. … This miraculous turn of events is one that will go down in NFL playoff history.”
