FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- I picked the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game last year and came away questioning myself afterward for failing to project some of the team’s struggles at the line of scrimmage. Dynamic pass-rushers have hurt the Patriots this season on the edge, and the Broncos have two of them in DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller. And that doesn't even factor in the presence of defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, who hurt the Patriots most in the AFC title game. Defensively, the Patriots’ struggles stopping the run in sub are a concern. It should be a great game and I wonder if the Broncos’ reliance on a young kicker might haunt them in the end, but I’ll go with the club that tight end Rob Gronkowski called the best team in the NFL right now and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork called the perfect team.

Prediction: Broncos 30, Patriots 27.

ACCOUNTABILITY CHECK (what we said last week): "I view this as a matchup between a careless team (Chicago Bears) and one that protects the ball with good discipline (New England Patriots). The turnover numbers reflect that -- 13 giveaways for the Bears, just five for the Patriots. If the Patriots can protect Tom Brady, I see opportunities for the offense to move the ball and score points much like Miami did last week when Ryan Tannehill completed his first 14 passes of the game. If Tannehill can do that, I think the chances are good that Brady will exceed it. Prediction: Patriots 34, Bears 28