NFL Playoffs 2015: Updated Divisional Bracket, Known AFC, NFC Championship Teams

Did anyone really expect anything different from the divisional round?

Carolina, that team with the losing record, did not overcome a trip to Seattle. Shocker. The propensity for the Baltimore Ravens to pull off a miracle run as a lesser seed was a more distinct possibility, but Joe Flacco collapsed at the worst possible time and erased all the good will gained from a stellar season.

Sunday's showdowns will finalize the conference championships, although Saturday's results give an idea as to how things will shape up.

The best weekend the sporting realm offers is right around the corner.

2015 NFL Divisional Round Schedule and Updated Bracket

Matchup	Date/Time (ET)	TV	Spread (O/U)	Pick ATS	Reason
Dallas at Green Bay	Sun, Jan. 11 at 1:05 p.m.	FOX	GB -6.5 (52.5)	GB (O)	Aaron Rodgers is too hot at home, and the Green Bay rush will decimate a struggling Dallas offensive line.
Indianapolis at Denver	Sun, Jan. 11 at 4:40 p.m.	CBS	DEN -7 (54)	DEN (U)	Even if Peyton Manning struggles, Denver's ability to run the ball and Indianapolis' lack thereof will be the difference.

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 10.

Early Conference Championships Outlook

AFC Runs Through Foxborough

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Brady is soft and outspoken in the eyes of those who vilify him, but greatness does those things to star players.

At the age of 37, Brady still looks a decade younger on the field and used his experience to overcome a pair of 14-point deficits Saturday to take down Baltimore.

Really, all the rest of the roster needs to do in the playoffs is keep Brady in range, as Mike Loyko of NEPatriotsDraft.com illustrates:

"We had two separate 14-point leads. Those guys did a good job getting it back to seven as quickly as they could," Flacco said, per ESPN.com. "They don't panic."

In the end, Brady threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, all the while his team ran 13 times for 14 yards. His defense also caved in and watched helplessly as Flacco tossed four touchdowns and Justin Forsett ran for 129 yards on a per-carry average north of 5.0. 

Now about that AFC crown. Brady will dance either with Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck, and it will happen in Foxborough.

Considering Brady and Co. took down the Indianapolis Colts 42-20 on the road in Week 11 and sent the Denver Broncos packing 43-21 in Week 9, the Patriots are a major favorite in both potential matchups. The Colts are as one dimensional as ever on offense and Manning is in the middle of another late-season slump.

The improbable can happen in the playoffs, but Brady is too hot at the right time to discredit. Whether it is Manning or Luck, old or new, the Patriots have to be the favorite as the march to championship weekend begins.

Defending Champions on the Loose

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The Carolina Panthers entered Saturday with a minute sliver of hope.

After all, Cam Newton and Co. lost just 13-9 to these same Seahawks earlier in the season, were on a tear and Seattle actually dropped a game at home this year.

Except these are not the same Seahawks.

Forget that Seattle owned a six-game winning streak entering the postseason. Forget that the pass defense still ranks first, the run defense third. Just understand that Russell Wilson, like Brady before him on Saturday, rises to the occasion with everything on the line, as ESPN Stats & Info breaks down:

Really, Carolina put up one bitter fight. Newton threw for two scores while his offense went 9-of-16 on third down and his defense held the Seahawks to a 3.6 per-carry average. Seattle did not turn the ball over, though, while Richard Sherman's defense forced three.

These Seahawks are in postseason form almost two months and running at this point, something Wilson accredits to one almighty factor, per the team's Twitter account:

Even so, the fight for the NFC crown offers more intrigue than its AFC counterpart.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, after all, hit the road to Seattle in Week 6 and escaped with a 30-23 victory. Things seem a whole lot different now, but the Cowboys tout the run game with DeMarco Murray and aerial attack with Dez Bryant that can keep pace with the Seahawks at any venue.

Green Bay is the other option, and an intriguing one at that. Seattle took down the Packers in 36-16 fashion to open the season and Aaron Rodgers is not 100 percent healthy, but like some of the other greats in the playoffs right now, it would be foolish to write off Rodgers' ability to pull off the unthinkable.

The NFC offers more interesting angles and unpredictable outcomes, something observers could have predicted after the first week of the season. Either the defending champions will advance, or another team will earn its keep in the top way possible once the NFC crown finds a home.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).