Nfc Championship Game

ST. LOUIS - Cornerback Aeneas Williams toiled for 10 years in a place that, at times, must have seemed like a football wasteland. Now, after making an interception that sealed a 29-24 St. Louis victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game yesterday, Williams will make his first Super Bowl appearance Sunday when the Rams face the New England Patriots. Williams played for 10 seasons with the often-awful Arizona Cardinals before coming to St. Louis this season as one of eight new defensive starters for the Rams.

About Baltimore Sun staff picks: Each week, Sun columnists and NFL reporters will pick games (not against the spread) Sunday's games 49ers at Falcons Ravens at Patriots Kevin Cowherd Last week: 2-2 Overall: 177-86-1 49ers 27, Falcons 21: Colin Kaepernick's made a believer out of me. He's fast, smart and a winner. Better yet he's on a roll. That was a Mona Lisa of a game the 49ers QB turned in against the Green Bay Packers last week: 181 yards rushing and 263 yards passing for two touchdowns.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears defensive end and resident philosopher Alex Brown reflected on the place yesterday's 27-24 overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks might warrant. "This game right here, it'll be an instant classic," Brown said after the win in the NFC divisional playoff game. "Great game. Somebody has to win and lose, and unfortunately ... " Brown hesitated. There are, after all, limits to sportsmanship. "No, fortunately, Seattle had to lose." The Bears overcame some bad plays of their own and some very good plays by Seattle, then made enough great ones to advance to the NFC championship game.

Ravens and 49ers Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times In the NFC, I like the 49ers beating the Falcons. Atlanta couldn't stop Russell Wilson in the second half against the Seahawks, and Colin Kaepernick won't be any easier. Even with Justin Smith playing with a torn triceps, the 49ers will be able to stop the run better than the Seahawks did in the first half against the Falcons. In the AFC, I like the Ravens upsetting the Patriots. In the five times these teams have met, with Bill Belichick and John Harbaugh coaching, every game but one has come down to the last possession.

"The Bears treated New Orleans worse than President Bush. I haven't seen people in Chicago that happy since Oprah gave away those cars." Jay Leno On the NFC championship game

CHICAGO -- Before they last hosted an NFC championship game, they were the fabled 1985 Chicago Bears, and they defined brash. The Super Bowl Shuffle already was a hit, Mike Ditka was daring people to knock the chip off his shoulder and Buddy Ryan, their defensive coordinator, was correctly predicting they would force the Los Angeles Rams' Eric Dickerson into a few fumbles at Soldier Field. Saints@Bears NFC championship game, Sunday, 3 p.m., chs. 45, 5 Line: Bears by 2 1/2

ESPN is replaying the January 1984 NFC championship game between the Redskins and 49ers. Don't tell me who wins. I want to be surprised. I love when these games turn up on the cable channel, or on ESPN Classic. They basically show every play, minus the huddles and timeouts. And it's great to hear Chuck Thompson and Vince Bagli calling the 1977 playoff game between the Colts and Raiders, even though the result is heartbreaking. To this day, Bert Jones is haunted by one pass, when he overthrew Raymond Chester along the left sideline on third down.

A year later How Super Bowl winners fared in their next season: 1967-Green Bay repeated and beat Oakland, 33-14, in Super Bowl. 1968-Green Bay finished third in NFL Central with a 6-7-1 record. 1969-New York Jets lost to Kansas City, 13-6, in AFL divisional game. 1970-Kansas City finished second in the AFC West Division with a 7-5-2 record. 1971-Baltimore lost to Miami, 21-0, in AFC championship game. 1972-Dallas lost to Washington, 26-3, in NFC championship game. 1973-Miami repeated and beat Minnesota, 24-7, in Super Bowl.

Tonight's game N.Y. Giants (5-4) at Minnesota (3-5) Time: 9 p.m., chs. 2, 7. Line: Vikings by 2. Outlook: Revenge is in order, since the Vikings were pounded by the Giants in the NFC championship game last season, 41-0. Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has 15 sacks and needs seven to tie the NFL record set by the Jets' Mark Gastineau in 1984. Vikings receiver Randy Moss has yet to break the 100-yard mark this season. The pick: Minnesota. The Vikings have been horrible on the road, going 0-4 while giving up 33 points a game, but they are a respectable 3-1 at home, where they have given up fewer than 20 points a game.

In Chicago and in San Diego, it came down to field goals. The Bears made theirs, but the Chargers came up short, and that was the difference in yesterday's divisional playoff games. With a 27-24 overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks, the Bears moved into the NFC championship game. The AFC's top-seeded Chargers fell to New England, 24-21, putting the Patriots into the conference title game. The Chargers had a last chance to tie the game, but Nate Kaeding's 54-yard kick didn't have the distance.

Kevin Cowherd: 1-3 last week, 170-94 overall Bears at Packers: Packers Jets at Steelers: Steelers Ken Murray: 2-2 last week, 169-95 overall Bears at Packers: Packers Jets at Steelers: Steelers Mike Preston: 1-3 last week, 168-96 overall Bears at Packers: Packers Jets at Steelers: Steelers WJZ's Mark Viviano: 21- last week, 167-97 overall Bears at Packers: Packers Jets at...

TAMPA, Fla. - Although the Ravens failed to reach the Super Bowl this season, could their future No. 1 wide receiver be playing in it? Arizona's Anquan Boldin will likely draw interest from the Ravens as well as a handful of other teams this offseason if the Cardinals are willing to deal him. Boldin has publicly expressed his unhappiness with the Cardinals - from fuming about his contract during the summer to arguing with offensive coordinator Todd...

As if we needed further proof that the NFC is second-rate again this season, Week 2 removed any lingering doubts. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, just 4-12 a year ago, not only beat the New Orleans Saints yesterday, but blew out the team that reached the NFC championship game last season, 31-14. The Detroit Lions outlasted the Minnesota Vikings in overtime, 20-17, in a nine-turnover nightmare in which both teams missed field goals that would've won the game. The St. Louis Rams punched out 392 yards in total offense to San Francisco's 186, but the 49ers won this NFC West matchup, 17-16, when the Rams gave away 10 points with fumbles.

"The Bears treated New Orleans worse than President Bush. I haven't seen people in Chicago that happy since Oprah gave away those cars." Jay Leno On the NFC championship game

CHICAGO -- Before they last hosted an NFC championship game, they were the fabled 1985 Chicago Bears, and they defined brash. The Super Bowl Shuffle already was a hit, Mike Ditka was daring people to knock the chip off his shoulder and Buddy Ryan, their defensive coordinator, was correctly predicting they would force the Los Angeles Rams' Eric Dickerson into a few fumbles at Soldier Field. Saints@Bears NFC championship game, Sunday, 3 p.m., chs. 45, 5 Line: Bears by 2 1/2

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears defensive end and resident philosopher Alex Brown reflected on the place yesterday's 27-24 overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks might warrant. "This game right here, it'll be an instant classic," Brown said after the win in the NFC divisional playoff game. "Great game. Somebody has to win and lose, and unfortunately ... " Brown hesitated. There are, after all, limits to sportsmanship. "No, fortunately, Seattle had to lose." The Bears overcame some bad plays of their own and some very good plays by Seattle, then made enough great ones to advance to the NFC championship game.

GIVE TERRELL OWENS a little credit. If he was the selfish player so many people think he is, he wouldn't be sticking his neck out for a team that has been known to feel a little tightness between the head and the shoulders at this time of year. Owens has all but guaranteed that the Philadelphia Eagles will shed their reputation for treating the NFC championship game like kryptonite, even without the help of the best receiver in the league - who is out at least until Super Bowl Sunday with an ankle injury.

The Los Angeles Rams' fall seems as stunning as it was unpredictable.Wasn't it just the other week that John Robinson silenced Buddy Ryan with a playoff upset in Philadelphia? Wasn't it just the other day that Willie Anderson took Jim Everett's pass through the end zone and up the ramp at the Meadowlands, terminating another playoff game and the New York Giants' season?Doesn't it seem like yesterday that the Rams were on the brink of a return to the Super Bowl, squared off against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game?

In Chicago and in San Diego, it came down to field goals. The Bears made theirs, but the Chargers came up short, and that was the difference in yesterday's divisional playoff games. With a 27-24 overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks, the Bears moved into the NFC championship game. The AFC's top-seeded Chargers fell to New England, 24-21, putting the Patriots into the conference title game. The Chargers had a last chance to tie the game, but Nate Kaeding's 54-yard kick didn't have the distance.

In football terms, today's NFC championship game between the NFL's No. 2 offense, the Seattle Seahawks, and the league's No. 3 defense, the Carolina Panthers, is a quintessential conflict between irresistible force and immovable object. But perhaps just as intriguing is that it features a struggle between the conference's most ungracious hosts, the Seahawks, playing at deafening Qwest Field, where they are undefeated this season, against the NFC's rudest guests, the Panthers, with an 8-2 road record.