Tomorrow, four NFL teams remaining will be culled down to the final two that will have the distinction of going to Tampa Bay and Super Bow XLIII.

Since we’re as anxious as everyone else to see who is going win, we went ahead and simulated the two match-ups between the two NFC contenders–Arizona and Phildelpha–and the two AFC contenders–Baltimore and Pittsburgh–in Madden NFL 09.

While this isn’t anything near scientific (obviously), hopefully you enjoy reading about who Madden NFL 09 believes will be the ones to head to Super Bowl XLIII.

NFC Championship: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals

The first game that will be played on Sunday, and the first game we simulated, was the NFC Championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals. The results:

First Quarter:

The first quarter was awfully quiet, as both defenses shut down the respective offenses. The Cardinals did manage to show some life late in the quarter, when quarterback Kurt Warner’s adept passing brought the Cardinals within field goal range. However, late in the drive, Warner slipped up, throwing an interception to Eagles safety Quintin Mikell.

The quarter ended as it started, locked in a 0-0 tie.

Second Quarter:

The second quarter started much like the first, with both defenses refusing to give up an inch. The Eagles did manage to get within the fringe of field goal range, but kicker David Akers missed a 55 yard field goal attempt, giving the Cardinals exceptional field goal position.

However, the first play after the missed field goal, the Warner again threw a pick to Mikell—giving the Eagles the ball at their own 42 with two minutes left in the half.

The Eagles took advantage of Warner’s miscue, rushing down the field quickly. Their drive ended with a six yard pass from Donovan McNabb to Brian Westbrook. David Akers connected on the point-after, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

Surprisingly, the Cardinals put together a lightning quick drive of their own, driving all the way to the Eagles 20 yard line, setting up a field goal attempt for Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers. Rackers, however, missed the 37 field goal attempt wide left, to end the half.

Third Quarter:

In the third, the Cardinals offensive game sputtered initially, with them going three and out on their first possession. However, an interception thrown by McNabb set up a Cardinals 45 yard field goal from Rackers, bringing the Cardinals within four points of the Eagles. (7-3)

The Eagles next drive ended when McNabb threw another interception to end the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter:

The Cardinals started with excellent field position from the interception. From there, they drove to the Eagles 25 yard line, where they faced a fourth and 1 situation with 4:20 to go in the game. The Cardinals chose to go for it, and a pass from Warner to Tim Hightower was not enough for a first down.

After trading punts, the Cardinals got the ball back on the 1 yard line (a great punt by Saverio Rocca) with 1:49 left. However, the Eagles defense gave the Cardinals nothing and the Cardinals turned the ball over on downs in their own red zone.

It appeared to be over the Cardinals, but McNabb threw another interception, giving the Cardinals the ball back on their own five with a minute to go.

A flurry of passes got them to 27 yard line with 8 seconds left, but the Cardinals could not punch it into the endzone on the final play and the Eagles emerged victorious, 7-3.

Final Score: Eagles 7, Cardinals 3

Up second is the AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was sloppy, hard-fought and came down to the wire—here’s the breakdown:

First Quarter:

For the most part, this was quite a sleepy quarter. Both defenses played tremendously well, not giving an inch to the other side. However, the Ravens had started to get something going with their second drive of the quarter, gaining midfield, but with a minute left in the first, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw a pick directly to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Larry Foote.

The quarter ended with the Steelers defense only giving up 35 yards on defense, and the Ravens defense only allowing 42 yards.

Second Quarter:

With the Steelers starting the quarter with great field position thanks to Foote’s interception, the Steelers moved the ball upfield with little resistance from the Ravens early on. The Steelers had gained the red zone when Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger threw a pick directly to Raven Cornerback Fabian Washington, who ran it back 82 yards to give the Ravens a 7-0 first half lead. (After Matt Stover completed the point-after attempt (PAT) )

Not deterred from the previous error, the Steelers quickly responded on their next drive—stringing together a number of long passing and rushing plays to get into Raven territory. A seven yard play-action pass from Roethlisberger to Steelers Tight End Heath Miller knotted up the game at 7-7.

For the rest of the half it was all Pittsburgh as the Ravens offense was completely stalled, unable to rush for any meaningful yardage or complete a single pass. Yet, the Ravens defense held them in. Late in the second quarter, with the Steelers in the red zone and threatening to score, Roethlisberger threw another pick.

The half ended with the game tied at 7.

Third Quarter:

After the Steelers went three and out on their first possession of the half, the Ravens quickly got the ball back. Even quicker, the Ravens gave it back—on the first offensive play, Flacco threw an interception to Steelers CB James Farrior, resulting in a Steelers 32 yard field goal. The next offensive play yielded the same result for Flacco and the Ravens, this time, throwing an interception to Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley.

Again, the Ravens defense held the Steelers to only a field goal, despite both interceptions occurring deep in Raven territory.

The quarter ends with the Steelers leading 13-7.

Fourth Quarter:

With the Ravens offense completely flopping, the Steelers appear to be well on their way to victory. Then, with 4:23 to go in the game, Roethlisberger fumbles the ball deep in his own territory. The Ravens recover the ball at Pittsburgh’s 16 yard line. Despite their complete ineptitude on offense up until this point, the Ravens managed to punch in a 10 yard touchdown from tight end Todd Heap. Ravens kicker Matt Stover makes the PAT, giving the Ravens a 14-13 lead.

The Steelers respond quickly. A long run from Steelers running back Willie Parker gets the Steelers into Raven territory, but the Ravens defense manages to hold the Steelers to a 41 yard field goal.

With 1:56 to go in the game, the Steelers have a 16-14 lead.

On the Raven’s final drive of the game, their offense suddenly finds life. A flurry of quick 10-15 yard passes connect, bringing the Ravens closer and closer to field goal range. Then, it happens—Willis McGahee breaks through the Steeler defensive line, and into the secondary, bring the Ravens within nine yards of paydirt. The Steelers hold the Ravens back, but it made no difference. Matt Stover kicks a 25 yard field goal, giving the Ravens a sloppy 17-16 win—but a win, nonetheless.

Final Score: Ravens 17, Steelers 16