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Editor’s note: Each week during the NFL season, former Bears defensive lineman Alex Brown has shared his football wisdom with RedEye. Those conversations have extended into the postseason, despite the Bears missing out again. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

This week, RedEye asked Alex Brown to make a slew of predictions regarding Sunday’s NFL conference championship games. You could tell he has a ton of respect for what New England has been able to accomplish, and clearly he’s not alone in that regard.

Then there’s the Patriots’ opponent, Pittsburgh, which has been in the spotlight because of receiver Antonio Brown’s Facebook Live feast in his team’s locker room. Would Alex Brown recommend any player do that? No. But now that Antonio Brown has, the former Bears lineman believes it can work to their advantage.

“You talk to any player that hears that speech, just like myself, hell, I’d love to play for him,” Alex Brown said. “My gosh. Just the sheer confidence, the way he carries himself in a professional manner but a tough manner. He seems like a tough dude. …

“The way I see [Pittsburgh] Coach [Mike] Tomlin from afar, he’s like, ‘Antonio, you can’t do that, man, but at least [the Patriots] know now. They know we’re coming. You don’t do that, but since you did it, we meant every word of it. Let’s go to work.’ “

With that, here’s how Alex Brown sees this weekend unfolding.

Who will throw more TD passes Sunday: Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers or Atlanta’s Matt Ryan?

Ryan. I think [Green Bay’s] injuries and lack of depth [in the secondary] eventually have to show up. You’ve got guys playing out of position. You get [Green Bay’s] Micah Hyde on [Atlanta receiver Mohamed] Sanu, you get him on Julio [Jones], get him on [Taylor] Gabriel—all these guys can whoop him. He’s been playing well and making plays, but I just don’t see that continuing to happen. Golly, both teams are going to score a lot of points. It could very well be five touchdowns to four touchdowns and the one that has four touchdowns, [his receiver] dropped it in the end zone [or he would have had just as many].

Who will throw more TD passes Sunday: New England’s Tom Brady or Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger?

Brady. I don’t think it’s close. Ben Roethlisberger’s a totally different quarterback away from home, and I think it showed last week. He may throw one, but I don’t see him two, three touchdowns, whereas I think that’s a common theme with Tom Brady.

Who will have the most rushing yards: the Patriots’ LeGarrette Blount or the Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell?

Le’Veon Bell. I’m staying with the same narrative. Roethlisberger’s not the same quarterback on the road, so they lean more on Le’Veon Bell. With the Patriots, heck, you don’t know who’s going to run the ball. You really have no idea as far as how as that backfield’s going to shake out, and for that matter, who’s going to be the star receiver [from week to week].

Which is more likely: Green Bay’s Julius Peppers getting a ring or the Bears signing Dallas’ Tony Romo?

Peppers getting a ring. I don’t see the Bears being in rebuilding mode and … [then] bringing in a player that’s truly on his last legs. It’s not like we’re a quarterback away [from winning the Super Bowl]; we’re growing. Draft good players and we’ll grow that way. Hopefully management is on the side of this regime and they give [coach John Fox] another two years. There are a lot of different places on the team where we can get better, and Tony Romo just isn’t that answer.

Which team will have the most sacks Sunday?

New England. Roethlisberger’s the only one out of the bunch [of quarterbacks who seems vulnerable]. Rodgers holds the ball, but he’s hard to sack. Tom Brady, he gets the ball out of his hand [quickly]. You look at Matty Ice, Matt Ryan, and he gets the ball out of his hand [quickly].

Which team is the most likely to score a defensive touchdown?

New England. Roethlisberger holds the ball a long time, and he’s not as accurate as the other three [quarterbacks]. You can get sack-fumbles [against Pittsburgh]. You have players on that New England defense that can rush the quarterback, and he’s not immune to throwing interceptions, either.

Would it be better for the NFL if the Falcons won the Super Bowl, or if one of the other teams won?

Maybe Tom Brady winning and really stamping his legacy as being the best quarterback ever [would be what the league needs]. If he wins another, that’s five out of seven; he’s better than everybody. He’s the face of the NFL. And Bill Belichick stamping his legacy as well as the greatest coach ever, maybe that’s the thing.

They’ve done it with completely different teams, they’ve done it a lot of ways, and the common denominators are Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They do it their way, and it works at a high, high rate.

Who will win this Sunday and reach the Super Bowl?

I said whoever won the Green Bay-Giants game would represent the NFC. Green Bay is a well-oiled machine, and I’m not moving off that [prediction]. I think they go down and beat Atlanta. The Falcons, they’ve got to show me that they’ve gotten over that stage of when shit goes wrong, that “Here we go again” doesn’t creep into their head. I need to see [Ryan] do it; I’ve seen Aaron Rodgers do it.

In the other game, I’m gonna go with Pittsburgh. I find it very hard to believe that the New England Patriots can keep winning with injury after injury. They get rid of Jamie Collins, their best defensive player, in the middle of the season [via trade]. My goodness, I don’t know how Pittsburgh’s gonna win it, I have no idea, but I have a feeling they’re going to go in there and shock a lot of people.

Alex Brown is an analyst on CSN Chicago’s “Bears Pregame Live” and “Bears Postgame Live.”

@redeyesportschi | chsosa@redeyechicago.com

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

Green Bay at Atlanta, 2:05 p.m. Fox

Pittsburgh at New England, 5:40 p.m. CBS