NFL Playoffs 2015: Final AFC, NFC Title Odds and TV Coverage Guide
With the AFC and NFC Championship games on approach, it is important to remember that football is paradise for fans of "what if" scenarios.
What if the back had hit the right hole? What if the quarterback had thrown to the other shoulder? What if the tight end secured a down-field block?
This dynamic is never more on display than the Sunday of what is commonly hailed as the best football weekend of the calendar.
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Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers storm to Seattle. Andrew Luck, a week from possibly ending Peyton Manning's career, now has Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in his crosshairs.
These amazing, Hollywood-esque storylines will play out in the span of a few singular, "what if" plays by a few of the most important names who suit up Sunday.
NFC, AFC Championship Schedule and Odds
| Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks | Sunday, January 18, 3 p.m. | Fox | SEA -8 (47) | GB |
| Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots | Sunday, January 18, 6:30 p.m. | CBS | NE -7 (54) | NE |
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 17.
NFC Championship Game X-Factor to Watch: Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers is important. It writes itself.
But the man is also vulnerable. Rodgers is hurt. He is also on the road, somewhere he struggles mightily in comparison to his numbers at Lambeau Field, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Think those factors are as bad as it gets? There also happens to be a great chance of heavy winds, meaning Rodgers will be more reliant on his backfield than ever at the most inopportune time.
It's Eddie Lacy's time to shine. Back in a Week 1 36-16 loss in Seattle, the Alabama product rushed 12 times and turned in a miserable 34 yards.
Lacy is better as of late.
Since Week 11 he ranks first in the NFL in rush plays that gain 10 or more yards at 21. He rushed 26 times for 100 yards against Detroit's stout defense to close the season, then he rumbled for another 101 yards against Dallas in the divisional round.
The Packers will need a similar performance from their lead back against Seattle's third-ranked rush defense.
After all, as ESPN Stats & Information breaks down, the run is a critical component of each Seattle loss as of late. The four teams that beat the Seahawks this year were the four that found the most success on the ground. The two teams to beat Seattle at home with Russell Wilson under center both controlled time of possession.
The blueprint for a Green Bay victory is open for all to see. The only issue being that Seattle understands this just as well.
Elements and other factors suggest Sunday's early contest will be an all-out war between Lacy and Marshawn Lynch. The victor who bruises his way to a Super Bowl berth will have earned his time off before the big game.
AFC Championship Game X-Factor to Watch: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
Luck is a centerpiece of the AFC title game just as much as Brady is.
That goes the same for whomever Bill Belichick decides to trot out at running back, thanks to a miserable Indianapolis rush defense. Ditto for Daniel "Boom" Herron, who might be the savior the Colts need to take pressure off Luck.
But this is an X-factor. T.Y. Hilton personifies the term.
By far Luck's No. 1 wideout, the owner of 82 catches for 1,345 yards and seven scores needs a major performance for the Colts to pick up an upset in Foxborough.
As Luck told the media this week, the team is doing whatever necessary to make sure Hilton can get opportunities, per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com:
As for Hilton—who struggled to three catches for 24 yards in a 42-20 loss against these same Patriots in Week 11—Sunday's challenge seems to be one he welcomes with open arms.
"We feel good. If they want to do that again, good luck," Hilton said, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com. "This is a different team."
"That" is New England's strategy that shut Hilton down last time out, as Darrelle Revis was nowhere near his vicinity. Instead, the Patriots doubled Hilton and kept their top corner on veteran Reggie Wayne.
So far, Hilton has played quite well this postseason, although a better catch rate would only help his team Sunday:
| vs. CIN | 6 | 15 | 103 | 0 |
| at DEN | 4 | 7 | 72 | 0 |
Bill it as a game of chess or any other dramatic descriptions that come to mind.
Individual matchups will decide this one, like any other. Hilton's ability to break free of whatever coverage comes his way, and then make splash plays in the cold, will dictate the outcome.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.
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