NFL Playoffs 2016: TV Info, Bracket Predictions and Super Bowl Odds

Following 19 hectic NFL weekends, each conference's top two seeds will battle for spots in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.

For the second time in three years, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos will joust for AFC supremacy. This time, however, focusing solely on legendary quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in their fourth (and possibly final) AFC Championship Game meeting would be missing the mark.

The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals offer two fresh faces; neither has advanced this far since 2008. The teams also exited the regular season sporting the league's two highest point differentials before attaining close divisional-round victories.

Before prognosticating the remaining games, here's a look at the updated bracket and Super Bowl odds, courtesy of Odds Shark:

Team	Odds
Carolina Panthers	99-50
New England Patriots	2-1
Arizona Cardinals	413-100
Denver Broncos	43-10

Super Bowl Prediction: New England Patriots vs. Arizona Cardinals

Denver is the No. 1 seed and beat New England earlier in the season, but Las Vegas doesn't care. Odds Shark lists the Pats as three-point favorites. If anything, that spread will rise in the defending champions' favor.

The Broncos didn't instill much confidence during their 23-16 win over the battered Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps wanting one last playoff run for Manning, the football gods gifted Denver a usually untamed offense that was without Antonio Brown (concussion) and DeAngelo Williams (foot). And though he threw the ball better than Manning, a shoulder injury slowed Ben Roethlisberger down.

Denver will receive no such luck against New England, which instead is getting healthy at the right time. Returning from a two-month absence Saturday, Julian Edelman (foot) recovered from a rocky start to record 10 receptions for 100 yards.

With Edelman in the fold, the Patriots have won all 10 games, amassing at least 27 points every time. After burning the Kansas City Chiefs for 302 passing yards—his first 300-yard game since Week 13—Brady is now averaging 334.5 passing yards per game with his star receiver and 246.7 yards per contest without him.

Even without Edelman, Brady accrued 280 yards and three touchdowns during a Week 12 overtime loss to Denver, and Edelman's presence will provide the extra ammo necessary to finish the job. ESPN.com's Mike Reiss discussed Edelman's importance to New England's offense, particularly on third down:

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With Edelman available, the Patriots were a better offense on third down (6 of 12) and shifted to more of a three-receiver attack (47 of the first 50 snaps). How much does quarterback Tom Brady rely on Edelman? Start with how he targeted him a team-high 16 times on Saturday, and you get the idea. Edelman, who broke a bone in his left foot Nov. 15 and returned for the first time Saturday, didn’t play in the Patriots’ 30-24 overtime loss to the Broncos on Nov. 29. The Patriots were 2 of 13 against the Broncos on third downs in that game. Edelman’s presence promises to yield better results.

"

The Broncos, meanwhile, remain allergic to the end zone. Manning mustered 6.0 yards per pass attempt against the league's No. 30-ranked passing defense. His biggest play came after he slid down to take a sack. A rejuvenated C.J. Anderson again outplayed fellow running back Ronnie Hillman by miles, but he logged one fewer carry (and gained 34 more yards).

Identical records aside, New England has outscored its opposition by 91 more points than Denver. The Broncos could pull off an upset behind a swarming pass rush and heavy dose of Anderson, but the Patriots are back on track and ready to cruise to California.

The NFC title clash offers more intrigue. It will also hopefully make amends for last year's Wild Card Round, when the 7-8-1 Panthers defeated Ryan Lindley's Cardinals in one of the sport's ugliest playoff games in recent memory.

Carson Palmer posted a league-best 8.5 yards per pass attempt during the regular season, but Carolina allowed an NFC-low 6.2 yards per pass attempt. Last Sunday, the 36-year-old quarterback forced columnists to ditch their "He can't win the big one!" hot takes, bouncing back from two picks to register 349 yards and three scores in an overtime thriller over the Green Bay Packers.

"It's easy to dwell on (bad plays)," Palmer said, per the Associated Press' Steve Reed. "But the experience I have, I've learned from a lot of opportunities and situations. You've got to forget about it and move on. There is no other thought."

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

After handling the Seattle Seahawks, the Panthers won't fear Arizona. If Eddie Lacy can churn out a 61-yard run, Jonathan Stewart should get plenty of opportunities to pick apart a regressing Cardinals run defense.

Arizona, however, has a deep batch of receivers who can exploit Carolina, which is thin at cornerback after star Josh Norman. When the score pushed Seattle to stop forcing the issue with a rusty Marshawn Lynch (abdomen), Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett all picked the Panthers secondary apart.

Now Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown will get a turn. With Fitzgerald lining up inside, the veteran will avoid Norman enough to deliver another strong performance. In an even showdown between two elite squads, the Cardinals' formidable offense will lead the team to its first NFC title since 2008.