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NFL Liveblog

We are liveblogging the NFL Conference championships on Sunday – come back at game time for in-game chat and info with Reuters reporters and fans.

Click here for the Liveblog

Sunday’s American Football Conference (AFC) championship game (15:00 ET) between the high-powered New England Patriots and ferocious Baltimore Ravens is more than just a clash between two rivals battling for a place in the Super Bowl.

It is a classic showdown between teams with opposing styles of play. A match-up that has been played all over North American fields for generations and has the ingredients for an intriguing battle that will be decided as much by wits as athleticism. Read more from Julian Linden’s Reuters preview here.

The New York Giants have enjoyed plenty of playoff success on the road, but their good fortunes will be tested in Sunday’s NFC title game against a San Francisco 49ers team that has lost just once at home all season.

There are many ways to get to the Super Bowl and the Giants are once again taking a long and winding road, but it is a path they are familiar with having followed a similar route to the National Football League’s (NFL) title game four years ago.

The Lineman: Week Nine NFL Picks

Week Eight was full of surprises, not many of them pleasant. The St. Louis Rams taking down the New Orleans Saints was the big shocker while the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens managed to escape with wins but were unimpressive failing to cover.

It all it added up to a disappointing 2-4 week but we bounce back in Week Nine.

Record: 25-23; Last week 2-4; Pick of the Week: 6-2

PICK OF THE WEEK Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (0-8) (Line Falcons minus-7.5)

You have to feel for Indy, no NBA and no NFL. It is apparent now that there will not be any meaningful football played at Lucas Oil Stadium until the Super Bowl hits town in February.

It has been a truly miserable season for Colts fans, who can’t even get excited about the possibility of landing superstar college quarterback Andrew Luck with injured Peyton Manning having just signed a ba-zillion dollar contract. After being pounded 62-7 by the Saints, the Colts bounced back last week and only lost by 17 to the Titans but now await the Falcons coming off a bye week, well rested and starting to take flight as they chase a third straight win.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, his superb pass-catching trio of Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones and the punishing running of Michael Turner are likely to heap more embarrassment on a Colts defence that is surrendering a league worst average of 31.5 points a game.

The Lineman: Week Four NFL picks

By Steve Keating

OK, OK; the shine of a 5-1 opening week is really starting to dim but after three weeks the Lineman is still batting .500.

But like the Atlanta Falcons, we get our season turned around in Week Four. Good Luck.

Record: 9-9. Last week 2-4

Pick of the Week: 2-1

PICK OF THE WEEK

New Orleans Saints (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)  (Line Saints minus-7.5)

The Lineman’s NFL picks: Week 1

The Lineman is back for another season of Pick Six that will end with the Green Bay Packers winning the Super Bowl. Yes, the Lineman likes the Pack baby. In fact so does Ms. Lineman and some out of work Octopus.

So, let’s have some fun. Here we go Week One.

PICK OF THE WEEK:

San Diego Chargers (0-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-0) (Line Chargers minus-4.5): The Chargers have been slow out of the blocks under coach Norv Turner but that will not happen this season.

Unless quarterback Philip Rivers breaks both legs or Southern California slips into the Pacific the Bolts should get off to a lightning quick start thanks to a mushy soft schedule that will see them face just one playoff team (Arizona) from last season in their opening six contests.

Things are not quite as sunny as the weather in San Diego with Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson grumbling over a contract and All-Pro left tackle Marcus McNeil missing from the lineup but the Chargers are by far and away the class of a weak AFC West and a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Rivers ranks among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks and rookie running back Ryan Mathews should make Chargers faithful forget about former NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, who has landed with the Jets.

NFL Week 17 Blog picks

Well, here we are at the end of the regular season staring at a .500 record. Let’s go out with a bang.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Chicago Bears (6-9) at Detroit Lions (2-13) (Line Bears minus 2 1/2)

End of season games between two teams with nothing to play for are always tricky but I can’t imagine the Bears losing this one to their NFC North rivals.

Jay Cutler has had a ghastly first season with Da Bears, tossing an NFL high 26 interceptions but gets to end the campaign against the league’s worst defence. Running back Matt Forte can expect a big day lugging the ball.

If you are a Lions fan this year has already been wildly successful compared to last year’s winless season, picking up two wins. But the Lions still have more troubles than the auto industry on both sides of the ball.

The Bears wheel into the Motor City riding the momentum of a big win last week over the Vikings and I don’t expect to see them go into hibernation with a loss to the toothless Lions.

Week Nine NFL Picks

Okay, the first string is back calling the shots this week after Week 8 backup CBall got pounded 1-5 (ouch).

CBall’s fumbles have left Team Lineman (6-0 in the Lineman’s last start in Week 7 in case anyone forgot) perilously close to the .500 mark but the big guy is back and so is the momentum as we head into the second half the schedule.

Record: 25-34. Last week: 1-5. Pick of the Week: 4-4

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Houston Texans (5-3) at Indianapolis Colts (7-0) (Line Texans plus 9 1/2) Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been red hot at the controls of the NFL’s top ranked passing game. But wait a second; who is that guy ahead of him leading the league in most yards passing and touchdown passes? Why it’s Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.

Texans monster wide receiver Andre Johnson is scary good and leads NFL with 697 yards on 44 catches but Manning’s favourite target Reggie Wayne has just eight yards less on 55 catches.

After a stuttering start to the season the Texans have won three straight and are 3-1 on the road so should not be intimidated coming into the “Big Oil Drum” Lucas Oil Stadium.