NFL Playoffs 2015: Updated Schedule, Playoff Standings and Picks

Only four teams remain alive in pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy following Sunday's NFL doubleheader that cemented the final two participants for the conference championships.

A controversial 26-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys allowed the Green Bay Packers to punch a ticket to Seattle to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in a battle of the NFC's top two seeds.

To cap off next weekend's slate, the New England Patriots will play host to the Indianapolis Colts, who went on the road and defeated the Denver Broncos 24-13 in the one huge upset of the divisional round.

Check out the updated postseason schedule, a look at the overall standings after Sunday's action and the latest picks as to what will happen for the remainder of these thrilling playoffs.

Sunday, January 18	Time (ET)	TV	Pick
Sunday, February 1	Time (ET)	TV	Pick
No. 2 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 1 Seattle Seahawks	3:05 p.m.	FOX	Seahawks
No. 4 Indianapolis Colts vs. No. 1 New England Patriots	6:40 p.m.	CBS	Patriots
Super Bowl XLIX	6:30 p.m.	NBC	Seahawks

AFC Championship Preview

Getting past Baltimore was big for the hopes of a fourth Super Bowl ring for the Patriots in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.

Neither AFC team looked particularly impressive on Sunday. The fact that New England will host the conference title game at Gillette Stadium further fortifies the AFC leader's status as prohibitive favorite.

NFL.com's Judy Battista expressed that opinion:

General football fans may be bummed about missing out on another quarterback duel between Brady and Denver's Peyton Manning. Patriots fans should be thankful, because the Broncos embraced running the ball with C.J. Anderson, and New England was battered up front by the Ravens' offensive line.

The NFL on ESPN notes how resilient the Patriots had to be after being pushed to the brink of a disappointing playoff exit:

Indianapolis' offensive front can be had, as it ranks 15th in run blocking according to Football Outsiders, whereas Baltimore's unit was ranked third. Denver's ranking of 12th isn't as telling, since it adjusted its offensive identity late in 2014.

Daniel Herron and Zurlon Tipton are the ball-carriers the Patriots have to concern themselves with. They can essentially depend on their strong defensive backfield and force the error-prone Andrew Luck to beat them through the air.

USA Today's Tom Pelissero observed how a changing of the guard does seem to be taking place, as Luck helped the Colts take a huge step in the post-Manning days:

But Luck threw four interceptions in last year's divisional-round loss at Foxborough. He tossed two careless picks in Sunday's win at Denver, too, bringing the total tally to 10 INTs in five career postseason starts.

When the Patriots traveled to Indy earlier in the regular season, they emerged with a commanding 42-20 victory, pummeling an outmatched Colts team.

As many strides as Luck has made in 2014 by leading the NFL with 40 touchdown passes, he's still prone to giving the ball away too often. Belichick's teams traditionally feast on opponents' mistakes, and Luck hasn't proven he's over his generous ways and can carry the Colts to Super Bowl XLIX.

AFC Championship Prediction: Patriots 24, Colts 16

NFC Championship Preview

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Despite a bad calf, Aaron Rodgers put forth an outstanding effort in guiding the Packers to a divisional-round win over Dallas.

ESPN Stats & Info points out just how precise and clutch Rodgers was down the stretch:

That only adds to the anticipation as Rodgers and Green Bay's exceptional offense travels west to tackle their ultimate test in Seattle.

The Cowboys' defensive front eventually wore down and couldn't get enough pressure on an immobile Rodgers to knock him off his spot often enough. Such won't be the case versus the Seahawks, whose team speed is far superior to Dallas' and will prove to be a far more difficult matchup.

Mike Greenberg of ESPN weighed in on Rodgers' unfavorable health situation in light of the Packers' upcoming opponent:

Green Bay managed four sacks of Tony Romo on Sunday, but he isn't quite the improviser he used to be.

Russell Wilson is now the NFL's best at the art form. He also stepped up when it mattered most on Saturday to dominate Carolina's resurgent defense:

The mentality and leadership Wilson carries with him seems to rub off on the Seahawks.

This Packers defense isn't physical enough up front to combat the likes of Marshawn Lynch and Wilson, who give the opposition headaches with their explosive runs.

The "Legion of Boom" is going to pose problems even for a receiving corps as loaded as Green Bay's, which will allow Seattle to secure a Super Bowl berth for the second straight year.

Should the Seahawks and Patriots indeed meet for Super Bowl XLIX, it's a bad matchup for New England. Its defense couldn't stop Baltimore's Justin Forsett in the divisional round and relied almost completely on Brady's arm to win the game in the second half.

The Patriots need to be far more balanced against the Seahawks, because Brady doesn't have enough weapons to light up Seattle's secondary without a good ground game.

If New England gets gashed by Lynch as it was by Forsett, it's going to be tough for Brady to lead the team back from a 14-point deficit as he did twice in the divisional round, never mind anything less than that.

NFC Championship Prediction: Seahawks 27, Packers 17