Tommy the Dago Presents: The Conference Championships

Approximately 53 hours from now, the Bears will either be celebrating a berth in Super Bowl XLI or mourning a lost opportunity.

I don't know that I can wait that long.

The joy that washed over me after Robbie Gould kicked that game winning field goal on Sunday to beat Seattle left me Tuesday morning.

Ever since then my mind has been focused on one question.

"How do we beat the Saints?"

The world loves the Saints right now. They're playing well, and they have that whole Hurricane Katrina thing going for them.

Well, you know what? We had the Great Chicago Fire back in 1871. For three days the city burned, but you don't hear us bitching about it, do you? Nope. We just rebuilt the city into what it is today. The greatest city in the world.

And in that city, there is a team. A team called the Chicago Bears, and this week, they're the underdog.

Nobody is picking them to beat the Saints. Never mind the fact they have compiled a 14-3 record this season. Seriously, just look at what the ESPN "experts" think. The only pick for the Bears comes from a computer!

I'm not saying I don't understand their opinions. The Saints are a good team, and they might be playing their best football of the season. But they're by no means unbeatable.

Of course, nobody will know for sure until Sunday night. And, of course, not knowing has never stopped me from picking games before!

Bears (-2) vs. Saints

I'm not just making this pick as a Bears fan. I really think the Bears will win this game, and by more than two points. The Saints are a very good football team, but they're nowhere near as good as everybody suddenly thinks they are. Their offense is scary, yeah. Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Marques Colston, Reggie Bush. I get it. Still, their defense sucks. Everybody talks about what a complete team this is, yet their defense sucks. They gave up over six yards a run last week against Philadelphia, and during the regular season they were the 23rd ranked defense in the NFL stopping the run, giving up 128.9 yards a game. In the secondary, while Mike McKenzie is good but not exceptional, I feel like I can burn Fred Thomas deep all day long. What's Bernard Berrian going to do to him? The Bears are going to pound the ball all day with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, while occasionally utilizing man coverage with Fred Thomas on Berrian. They're going to control the clock, and keep the Saints off the field. Bears 27 Saints 21

Colts (-3) vs. Patriots

It's pretty unusual for me to pick against the Patriots when they're getting points, especially in the playoffs, but I really think this is the year for Indianapolis. It's weird. A part of me feels like it's kinda meant to be, even though the Colts did everything in their power to lose it. They started out 9-0, and then stumbled down the stretch, but yet here they are playing at home in the AFC Championship anyway. Also, I don't think these Patriots are as good as the Patriots we're used to seeing. Where has Laurence Maroney been this postseason anyway? I think it's going to be close thanks to Tom Brady, but I don't think he's going to be able to do it on his own this time. Remember, if Troy Brown doesn't strip that ball out of Marlon McRee's hands, we're talking about how Tom Brady has thrown two Peyton Manning-like interceptions in the playoffs the last two seasons. (Last year's to Champ Bailey in the loss to Denver.) Colts 31 Patriots 24