Super Bowl 2015: NFL Championship Odds and Postseason Predictions

Following Wild Card Weekend, four teams were eliminated from the playoffs, leaving only eight squads with a chance to obtain a coveted berth in Super Bowl XLIX. Each of these teams is just three wins away from being named NFL champion.

As we head into the divisional round of the playoffs, a common debate around the Web has revolved around which teams are most likely to represent the AFC and NFC in the big dance. While there's no way to be 100 percent certain until after the conference championship games, we can always speculate.

Although, let's not stop at simply predicting the impending matchups to determine which team will hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2015. After all, if we're attempting to decide which team is likeliest to win it all, looking at the updated odds from Las Vegas gives us a completely different perspective.

That said, here's a look at the latest from Vegas oddsmakers, followed by predictions for the remainder of the 2015 postseason.

Updated Super Bowl Odds

Team	Odds
Seattle Seahawks	53-25
New England Patriots	343-100
Denver Broncos	132-25
Green Bay Packers	113-20
Dallas Cowboys	64-5
Baltimore Ravens	22-1
Indianapolis Colts	45-2
Carolina Panthers	41-1

Super Bowl odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of January 6.

NFL Postseason Predictions

Divisional Round

Home	Away	Pick
New England Patriots	Baltimore Ravens	Patriots
Seattle Seahawks	Carolina Panthers	Seahawks
Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	Packers
Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	Colts

The divisional round kicks off with a highly anticipated contest between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots. These teams are no strangers to meeting in the postseason, as the Ravens defeated the Patriots in Foxborough in the 2013 AFC Championship Game. NFL on ESPN posted New England's less-than-stellar numbers against Baltimore in the playoffs:

Although, expect a different story this time around, as tight end Rob Gronkowski did not participate in that contest. With the big man healthy and Baltimore's secondary decimated by injuries, Tom Brady will find more success and lead his team to the AFC Championship.

Saturday night's game between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers isn't likely to feature much offense. Both of these teams have stellar defenses, as Carolina really got things turned around at the right time, and Seattle hasn't allowed more than seven points in five of its last six games.

The difference-maker here will be in the passing game. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson hasn't put up gaudy numbers, but he's been very efficient. On the Panthers' side, quarterback Cam Newton continues to struggle with accuracy, and making matters worse, he hasn't had success against the Seahawks, via Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer:

Both of these teams can run the football, but Newton's inconsistency and horrid track record against the Seattle defense won't allow the Panthers to leave with a win.

The Dallas Cowboys put on a great effort against the Detroit Lions, winning 24-20 in the Wild Card Round. Now, a date with the high-octane Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field is set. These are two of the NFL's hottest offenses, so we should probably expect to see a fair amount of points on the board when this one's over.

While Dallas has been extremely good recently, there may not be a team in the league capable of defeating Aaron Rodgers at home. He's 8-0 this season in Green Bay, and he's been on fire in his last 16 home starts, according to NFL on ESPN:

The Packers losing at home? Inconceivable!

The divisional round finishes with a clash between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. This marks the second duel of the season between quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. The last time they met was in Week 1 in Denver, as the Broncos emerged victorious 31-24 thanks to three Manning passing touchdowns. However, plenty has changed since then.

While Manning has put together a great season, he finished the year in sluggish fashion, throwing for fewer than 300 yards in five of his last six games and tossing three touchdown passes against six interceptions over his last four games. Meanwhile, Luck recently rebounded from his struggles, throwing for 376 yards and a score against a good Cincinnati Bengals secondary. That momentum will lead to a Colts win.

Conference Championships

Home	Away	Pick
Seattle Seahawks	Green Bay Packers	Seahawks
New England Patriots	Indianapolis Colts	Patriots

The Packers head west to Seattle for the NFC Championship Game in a rematch of their Week 1 showdown. Seattle won that game 36-16 thanks to a 207-yard rushing effort by the Seahawks and a solid defensive effort that limited Rodgers to 189 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. Unfortunately for Green Bay, the quarterback's road numbers haven't improved much since then.

Seattle was the regular season's top-ranked rushing team, averaging 172.6 yards per game on the ground. Conversely, the Packers struggled against the run, ranking 23rd in the league in that category and allowing a weak Lions running game to average 4.8 yards per carry in their regular-season finale. This matchup favors the Seahawks to reach the Super Bowl once again.

A contest between the Patriots and Colts should be highly intriguing, as Luck squares off against yet another future Hall of Famer in Brady. Both of these quarterbacks and their supporting casts have been very solid of late, but one team is more well-rounded than the other.

While Indianapolis relies heavily on Luck's ability to move the ball through the air to win games, the Patriots have been able to be victorious in a multitude of fashions, winning through the air, on the ground and with solid defensive efforts. The Colts have been inconsistent in those categories, so the upper hand here goes to New England.

Super Bowl

While selecting the two No. 1 seeds to reach the Super Bowl may seem predictable, it's actually been a highly unlikely scenario in the past. Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 tweeted how infrequently these top seeds even advance to the big dance:

Although, this year, both the Patriots and Seahawks are poised to make solid runs to Super Bowl XLIX. So, who wins?

The tricky aspect for the Patriots here is going to be winning with their weapons taken away. New England has an inconsistent rushing offense, and against Seattle's third-ranked run defense, there may not be many yards to come by. That leaves Brady to win the game with his arm against the Seahawks' top-ranked pass defense that will be sure to blanket Gronkowski as much as possible.

Seattle's defense has the size and speed to contain better offenses, and while Bill Belichick is a mastermind in these situations, it's tough to compete with the bevy of talent residing in the Seahawks secondary. Helping to slow New England down will be Seattle's methodical offensive approach, utilizing a strong running game and a scrambling quarterback to sustain long drives and keep opposing offenses off the field.

New England's defense has been solid against the run this season, but it hasn't faced a dual-threat quarterback, especially one that averages 7.2 yards per carry like Wilson. This one should be close, but Seattle will ultimately get the win and start up the talk about an impending dynasty.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Patriots 24