NFL playoff picks: Conference Championship round

Here is how much better the Broncos' offense is than every other team in the NFL (via ESPN Stats and Info):

The Broncos had 5 players with at least 10 TDs in the regular season:

• Demaryius Thomas: 14

• Knowshon Moreno: 13

• Julius Thomas: 12

• Eric Decker: 11

• Wes Welker: 10

They don't just score a lot. They do so with a multitude of weapons, making them a matchup nightmare.

Of course, the one guy who has repeatedly demonstrated that he can shut down offensive juggernauts... is Bill Belichick. And how does he do it?

With brutality!

In 14 meetings against Belichick and Brady, Manning's teams (all of which had plenty of firepower) have only averaged 24.6 points per game. This is more hunch than actual analysis, but the cheaters just seem to have Peyton's number more often than not. Pats in the upset.

Colin Kaepernick's 2-game career in Seattle:

Kaepernick can take solace in knowing that he's not the only QB this season to play badly in Seattle. It happened all year:

Seattle's defense only allowed 7 TDs and picked off 16 passes. Opposing QBs combined for a QB rating of 55.4. That is insane in today's NFL, which is designed to make life easier on quarterbacks. Until Kaepernick can prove he can score points in Seattle, noise cancelling headphones or not, it's hard to expect it to happen, until it actually, you know, happens.