NFC Championship Game 2015: Early Odds and Predictions for Packers vs. Seahawks

The 2015 NFL playoffs have been incredible thus far, but football fans are already turning their attention to the NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.

While some football fans like seeing wild-card teams and underdogs advance in the playoffs, Green Bay and Seattle were the two best teams in the NFC for the majority of the season, and the resulting battle should be one for the ages.

Here are the early odds for the conference championship, the predicted winner and the player under the most pressure to perform at an elite level.

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Odds	Predicted Winner
Jan. 18	3:05 p.m.	Fox	SEA (1-3), GB (27-10)	Seattle

*Odds via OddsShark.com as of Jan. 13 at 7 a.m. ET.

Player Under the Most Pressure: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

There will be expectations on the entire Seattle Seahawks roster to repeat as Super Bowl champions, but the player under the most pressure in the NFC Championship Game will be Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Not only does Rodgers have the pressure of leading his team into the most important game of the season, but he is also dealing with a calf injury that clearly impacted the way he played in the regular-season finale and in the divisional round.

When asked if he’ll be ready to play Seattle Sunday, Rodgers told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, “I think I've got 120 minutes left in me. So I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I can play all those minutes.”

Despite the injured calf, Rodgers put Green Bay on his shoulders and helped lead the team to a monumental win over the Dallas Cowboys. The veteran quarterback threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns, but it was his lack of turnovers that kept the Packers in a position to win.

The official ESPN Stats and Info Twitter account shared the crunch-time numbers for Rodgers:

Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar also spoke glowingly about Rodgers:

Rodgers may be riding serious momentum, but he will be facing off against a Seahawks defense that will be tough to tame. Seattle shut down Carolina in the divisional round, 31-17, but also managed to finish the regular season ranked first against the pass (allowing just 185.6 yards per game) and third against the run (allowing just 81.5 yards per game).

Add in the fact that Seattle beat Green Bay in the opening game of the season, 36-16, and there is enough familiarity between the two franchises to cause legitimate animosity. With a chance to advance to the Super Bowl on the line, Rodgers will be looking for redemption on top of a championship berth.

Regardless of which team is victorious in the NFC Championship, Rodgers will keep the Packers in contention despite the immense amount of pressure on his shoulders.

Predicted Final Score: Seattle 27, Green Bay 24

*Stats via NFL.com.