The road to the Super Bowl comes to its final stop this weekend as conference champions will be crowned at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis and Soldier Field in Chicago. It’s hard to imagine these games being more exciting than those of the last weekend, but we can certainly hope.

A deeper look at the four teams vying for a spot in the Super Bowl reveals some intriguing subplots that will certainly play a large part in determining who will be heading to Miami.

The AFC Championship game pits two road warriors, who are fairly familiar with one another, as the Patriots head to Indianapolis to do battle with the Colts. Both teams battled adversity in defeating higher seeded teams on the road (the Baltimore Ravens and the San Diego Chargers).

The kicking game proved crucial as the Patriots won on a late Stephen Gostkowski field goal. The Colts put their game out of reach on a late Adam Vinatieri kick.

You can expect the Manning-Brady match-up to take center stage. This game in particular could be the defining moment in Peyton Manning’s remarkable career.

Manning will need rookie running back Joseph Addai and his offensive line to establish the running game so that Manning can create opportunities for wide receivers Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.

The window of opportunity is closing on the Colts and, whether they realize it or not, Manning could be one game closer to joining Dan Marino and Co. in the club of great quarterbacks who never won a Super Bowl.

Tom Brady, on the other hand, continues to dominate in the playoffs, where he is 12-1 as a starter. Brady has worked a near miracle in creating an identity for an offense comprised of players like Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson.

Of course, mainstays like Corey Dillon and Troy Brown provide some big plays, but it is clear that Brady has instilled confidence in his young and largely unproven group of wide receivers.

The big question in this game is whether or not the Colts defense will show up. They have only given up14 points in their two playoff wins against Baltimore and Kansas City, but the defense was anything but stable during the regular season.

As usual, the Patriots are working with a patchwork secondary, which has come together to make big plays when needed.
Troy Brown’s strip of Marlon McRee in last week’s game was the difference between the Patriots going home and getting a shot at the Colts.

Wouldn’t it be fitting, though, for the game to come down to a field goal kick? After letting Vinatieri go in the off-season, the Patriots could be playing with fate after Vinatieri defined himself as the most clutch field goal kicker in NFL history during his tenure in New England.

Rookie Stephen Gostkowski has been solid in the postseason, but could the pressure of the playoffs finally get to him?

PREDICTION: The Colts defense shows up, but the offense continues to struggle against Tedy Bruschi and the Patriots defense. New England wins the turnover battle and makes crucial plays on offense en route to a 27-17 victory in Indianapolis.

The NFC Championship game pits the Chicago Bears against the New Orleans Saints. The feel-good story of the year travels to the Windy City where weather conditions are expected to be frigid.

Can the Saints, a team that plays in a dome, bear the elements for three hours and knock out the NFC’s top team?

The headline in this game is the matchup of one of the league’s most dynamic offenses against one of its most feared defenses. Drew Brees has made the most out of his move to New Orleans. Along with wide receivers Joe Horn and Marques Colston and a backfield of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, the Saints, one year removed from a 3-13 finish, are on the verge of the team’s first-ever berth in the Super Bowl.

We know what to expect from the Saints’ offense, and their defense should be able to hold up against an always questionable Bears offense.

Grossman has found that the NFL is several steps above running Steve Spurrier’s “fun ‘n’ gun” offense at the University of Florida.

Grossman has shined at times during the regular season, but playing the Packers, Lions and Vikings twice each makes that statistic slightly deceptive.

If Grossman can be as consistent as he was against the Seahawks last weekend, the Bears have a shot.

Kick returner Devin Hester and the Bears defense will not be able to score enough points by themselves to hold water against the Saints.

Fortunately for Grossman, he doesn’t have to worry about his plans for New Year’s Eve, so he will be able to dedicate himself to preparing for this game.

We know the Bears defense will bring their “A” game but this showdown hinges on the play of Grossman. In spite of leading the Bears to a 13-3 regular season record, he has managed to attain a quarterback rating of less than 40 in five games.

Coach Lovie Smith’s decision to stick with Grossman is admirable to this point, but it could be viewed as stubbornness if the Bears lose on Sunday.

PREDICTION: The dream season rolls on for Drew Brees and the Saints as they bear the weather in a decisive 23-10 win over the Bears. Brian Griese takes over the Bears offense during the second half and Grossman joins the ranks of Danny Wuerffel and other failed Spurrier quarterbacks.