NFL Playoff Schedule 2015: Live Stream Guide, Expert Picks and TV Info
Just hours from now, the NFC and AFC Championship Games will finally kick off. After months of debating which teams would earn a berth to the Super Bowl, it will all be decided by the end of Sunday night.
The stage is set in the NFC for either the defending champion Seattle Seahawks or the Green Bay Packers to win the conference. In the AFC, the same can be said for the three-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, who are the only remaining team from the Wild Card Round.
Before both games kick off on opposite sides of the country, here's a look at a sampling of expert picks and the full viewing info.
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| Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) | GB | IND |
| Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) | SEA | NE |
| Will Brinson (CBS Sports) | GB | NE |
| Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports) | GB | IND |
| John Breech (CBS Sports) | SEA | IND |
| Mike Golic (ESPN) | SEA | NE |
| Merril Hoge (ESPN) | SEA | IND |
| Adam Schefter (ESPN) | SEA | NE |
| Mark Schlereth (ESPN) | SEA | NE |
| Mike Ditka (ESPN) | GB | IND |
| Mike Garafolo (Fox Sports) | SEA | IND |
| Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) | SEA | NE |
| Peter Schrager (Fox Sports) | GB | NE |
| Brendon Ayanbadejo (Fox Sports) | SEA | NE |
| Jimmy Traina (Fox Sports) | GB | NE |
| Packers at Seahawks | 3:05 p.m. | Fox | Fox Sports Go |
| Colts at Patriots | 6:40 p.m. | CBS | CBSSports.com |
Fox Sports picks can be found here. ESPN picks can be found here. CBS Sports picks can be found here.
Breakdown
Prior to the playoffs getting underway, my personal picks for the Super Bowl were the Patriots and Packers. New England seemed like an obvious choice, but I also believed in Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's offense righting the ship against Seattle.
After seeing what he was able to do with a calf injury against the Dallas Cowboys, there's still reason for optimism. Though much has been made of that bum calf, Greg Cosell of Yahoo Sports offered his take on Rodgers' play against Dallas:
"Aaron Rodgers’ calf injury has been a huge topic of conversation, but from watching the film of last week’s game I can tell you that there’s nothing wrong with his arm.
The Green Bay Packers did some things last week to adjust for Rodgers’ injury, most notably that he didn’t take a snap under center. They didn’t want him dropping back and risk injuring himself further. But before the Packers play the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game, it’s worth noting that Rodgers was very sharp as usual last week, injury or not.
"
Sure, most will argue that he was in a comfortable position in Green Bay, but let's not forget about the conditions he played in. Making a start with an injury in freezing temperatures is not ideal. Rodgers will have to face the 12th Man, but he will do so in favorable weather at over 50 degrees and light rain, via Weather.com.
Both quarterbacks in the NFC Championship Game still have a running back to lean on. Between Marshawn Lynch and Eddie Lacy, each defense will have its hands full. Seattle will look to force the Packers to utilize Lacy, but the passing offense has a plethora of receivers to get the job done against the Legion of Boom.
In the nightcap, the Patriots will host a Colts team led by a quarterback who has never been in this situation. Luck may be brand new to this spotlight, but Tom Brady is more than comfortable here. New England's official account notes how common this stage is for Brady:
Each signal-caller has looked calm and deadly during the playoffs, with both slaying beasts in the divisional round. For Luck, it was simply taking down his predecessor in Peyton Manning. Brady had struggled against the Baltimore Ravens in January before a comeback victory last Saturday.
Luck will have a chance to defeat two of the best quarterbacks in the league in consecutive games. With a full repertoire of offensive players of his own, Luck matches up well with Brady and the Patriots.
However, the recent record reflects a different story, as the Pats have beaten the Colts handily in their last three meetings with Luck under center. The Colts will put up a great fight, but the Patriots simply have too many playmakers on both sides of the ball to lose here.
Let the fun begin.
Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.
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