NFL Playoff Schedule 2015: TV Info and Key Storylines for Conference Title Games

The anticipation for Sunday's conference championship games has reached its pinnacle. The Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots have made their final preparations and are just waiting for the clock to show that it's time to play. 

Even though the NFL is lauded for being unpredictable, especially in the postseason, the four teams playing this weekend seemed inevitable. With the possible exception of the Colts, who have been in the playoffs three straight years and have the best young quarterback, no one can claim shock at seeing these matchups. 

The Seahawks and Patriots were the best teams in the regular season, though the order changed depending on the week. Green Bay won 12 games and has the league's best quarterback. All of this should make for compelling drama on the field, though there are big questions to ask for a couple of teams. 

Here's a look at the schedule for Sunday's conference title games, as well as the key storylines to pay close attention to after the games start. 

Aaron Rodgers' Calf vs. Seattle's Defense

Last week, I suggested that the Cowboys should play their game against the Packers by making Aaron Rodgers beat them. I didn't mean by keeping your standard nickel-coverage scheme and giving him time in the pocket but rather send the house at him early and often to test the calf. 

While Rodgers did struggle with his accuracy early in the game, he found his footing in the fourth quarter. ESPN Stats & Info has the numbers to back me up:

Why was Rodgers able to do that? Because the Cowboys couldn't get any pressure in the backfield with their defensive line and weren't sending extra pass-rushers. 

Like the Cowboys, Seattle doesn't employ a lot of blitzes into its package. However, the Seahawks are able to get away with that strategy because the secondary is so good in coverage. They can leave players such as Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas alone against the pass because no one gets open. 

When you have a secondary as good as Seattle's, it makes the defensive line that much better because those players are going to have more time since the quarterback is likely to hold the ball longer waiting for an opening. 

Rodgers could be playing mind games coming into this game. He said on his radio show earlier in the week, via Gary D'Amato of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, his calf injury isn't getting any better:

"Yeah, it's good," Rodgers said. "It's not better. It's worse than when I started the game, but it's doing OK. I'm tired of talking about it. It is what it is. It's a significant injury. I was able to get through it."

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The good news is Seattle's defensive group isn't buying a word Rodgers is selling. Thomas told reporters, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, he saw something against the Cowboys that makes him doubt the significance of the injury.

“I’m not buying into this leg issue,” Thomas said. “I’m not buying into it. I saw him scramble close to the goal line on the Cowboys, so he’s not fooling me with that.”

Having that kind of outlook is the best thing for the Seahawks. They need to treat Rodgers like all is normal because it means they won't take their foot off the gas pedal or believe a lesser effort will allow them to get away with certain things. 

Rodgers is still capable of making plays, but he struggled the first time these two teams played. The Packers quarterback completed 23 of his 33 attempts, but he had his second-lowest yards per attempt (5.73) and total passing yards (189), per ESPN.com. 

If Seattle's defense was able to do that against a 100 percent healthy Rodgers, what's going to happen in a scenario where he's going to be limited? It's not going to be pretty. 

Andrew Luck's Turnover Dilemma

Despite being properly lauded for his ability to make plays in any situation and having as much poise as any young quarterback in the league, Andrew Luck has been prone to giving up the ball this season. The Colts' star threw 16 interceptions in the regular season and had two more last week against Denver. 

Only five quarterbacks threw more picks as Luck in the regular season. His accuracy is also not where you would expect it to be. The No. 1 pick in 2012 finished 23rd in completion percentage (61.7), just ahead of Colin Kaepernick (60.5). 

Fortunately, the Colts haven't needed Luck to play at his best thus far. Cincinnati remains a solid regular-season team that can't put together a good playoff game, while the Broncos fell apart when Peyton Manning couldn't throw the ball with accuracy. 

Now, the Patriots await. There are no signs that New England's offense is going to slow down against the Colts defense. Tom Brady and Co. dropped 35 points on Baltimore last week without being able to run the ball. 

That's bad news for Indianapolis, especially because Luck hasn't figured out the Patriots. In three games against Bill Belichick's defense, Luck has thrown eight interceptions. Not surprisingly, per the NFL on ESPN, the scores haven't been close:

Going back before the Luck era in Indianapolis started, America's Pregame noted the Patriots have run all over the Colts in their last five games:

Jared Dubin of CBSSports.com broke down why Luck has struggled against New England throughout his career:

"

Throughout his career, Luck has completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 7.4 yards per attempt with 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions against the blitz, good for an 89.6 quarterback rating. In three games against New England, though, Luck's numbers against the blitz pale in comparison. He's 15 of 31 (48.4 percent) for 180 yards (5.8 per attempt), a touchdown and two interceptions, which equates to a 50.5 quarterback rating.

"

It's easy to get stuck on the quarterbacks, especially in games of this magnitude, but these two conference championship games have such compelling quandaries for Rodgers and Luck that it's hard to ignore. 

Luck, in particular, has to be the focal point because he is Indianapolis' offense. Rodgers can at least count on Eddie Lacy, but the Colts don't have that kind of rushing attack. Chuck Pagano's team attempted 661 passes this year against 415 rushes. 

You can get away with turnovers against a team where the opposing quarterback isn't at his best. Brady is playing as well as he ever has, completing 66 percent of his passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns in the divisional round. 

Even if Luck is at the top of his game, does anyone think the Colts have enough on defense to contain New England's offense? It hasn't happened in a long time, including earlier this season, so an upset in this spot would be a huge surprise. 

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