The Road to Indianapolis

The NFL playoffs has reached the conference championship, with the AFC and NFC champions facing off in Indianapolis's Lucas Oil Stadium in two weeks' time. But before all the fireworks, we look at the four teams participating in their respective conference championships.

AFC Championship

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

The Patriots have owned the Ravens all-time (6-1), but their lone playoff meeting saw the Ravens win 33-14 in the 2009 Wild Card playoff at Gillette Stadium. This time, the stakes are higher with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Once again, the Patriots will rely on their experienced QB Tom Brady and improving tight end combination of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. However, they are about to face one of the NFL'S stingiest defenses led by Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. At the other end, Joe Flacco is hoping to take advantage of the porous Patriot defense and find receivers such as Ray Rice, while Matt Light, Rob Ninkovich and Vince Wilfork are hoping to stop Flacco and Rice's every move.

NFC Championship

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers

Not since Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Bill Walsh's glory days has 49ers fans see a lot of heightened playoff excitement in Candlestick Park. The Giants and 49ers are meeting for the eighth time in the playoffs, with the 49ers leading 4-3 all-time. And rightfully so, having toppled two of the NFL's most prolific offenses and the past two Super Bowl champions in the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, respectively. Again this will be an offense-defense matchup. The Giants will rely offensively on Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, and defensively on Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck, while the 49ers will play their offensive cards on Alex Smith, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, while the defense will rely on Carlos Rogers and Justin Smith.

A lot of storylines will occur in the upcoming Super Bowl XLVI. Will it be a 'Harbaugh Bowl', a Super Bowl XLII rematch, or the first Super Bowl meetings between the Patriots and 49ers or the Ravens and Giants? We'll find out as kickoff dawns this Sunday, with the Super Bowl trip on the line.

The Harbaugh Bowl

This year's NFL postseason features two coaching brothers leading their teams deep into the playoffs. John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Orioles, and his younger brother Jim of the San Francisco 49ers, have led their teams to their respective conference championships, which envisions the possibility of the first Super Bowl involving two brothers in the coaching ranks.

Jim Harbaugh, left, and brother John, right, before a game between the
49ers and Ravens at M&T Bank Park on November 24, 2011

The elder Harbaugh has been the coach of the Ravens since 2008, and have led the team to the playoffs in all of his four seasons. The younger Harbaugh is in his first season with the 49ers, and is credited to turning the team's fortunes around as well as sticking through embattled quarterback Alex Smith. This year, both brothers made the playoffs, earning first-round byes in the process. 

On November 24, the Harbaughs faced off for the first time when the 49ers visited the Ravens at M&T Bank Park on Thanksgiving. The Ravens won, 16-6, in a low-scoring game that demonstrated the coaches' defensive-minded approach.

Last Saturday, Jim's 49ers overcame two late-game deficits against the New Orleans Saints to win 36-32, highlighted by Alex Smith's game winning touchdown pass to Vernon Davis, in what was later dubbed in San Francisco sports lore as 'The Grab.' John's Ravens played the next day against the Houston Texans, with Baltimore winning 20-13. It was the brothers' first NFL playoff wins as coaches, though Jim won it in his first playoff game; John won in his fourth. 

While the Harbaughs have made their mark as coaches, Jim actually has a more extensive NFL experience than John, having played 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback with the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers, earning All-Pro honors in 1995. John began his odyssey as a college football assistant for various universities before being hired by the Philadelphia Eagles to be their special teams coordinator and later defensive backs coach, roles he held from 1998-2007. Jim also served as a college football assistant with Western Kentucky University under his father Jack during his final seven NFL seasons, before briefly serving as a quarterback coach for the Oakland Raiders from 2002-03.  He then coached the University of San Diego for three seasons, then at Stanford for four seasons, before landing his first NFL head coaching gig with the 49ers. 

Their biggest test as coaches will come next week, as they face two Super Bowl-winning veterans in Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin, respectively. The Harbaugh family will be in Foxboro and San Francisco, respectively, to cheer for the NFL's coaching brothers. If both prevail, then we may as well rename Super Bowl XLVI into the 'Harbaugh Bowl.'