NFL Playoff Picture 2016: AFC, NFC Championship Scenarios, Picks After Saturday

With two divisional-round games from Saturday in the books, half of the NFL conference championship matchups are set.

Sunday's NFC game between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers and the AFC clash between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers will complete the conference-championship game matchups.

If they are anything like the ones Saturday, fans are in for a treat.

It began with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots continuing their postseason dominance with a home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. While it was entertaining to watch Brady surgically shred the Chiefs' defense, it was nothing compared to the show the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers put on in the nightcap.

A second completed Hail Mary of the season looked to save the Packers, but Larry Fitzgerald came through like a champion in overtime to give his Cardinals a 26-20 victory.

Let's take a look at the updated playoff picture and dig a little deeper into the completed divisional-round games:

AFC	Date	Time (ET)
NFC	Date	Time (ET)
Super Bowl 50
Wild Card Round
(6) Pittsburgh def. (3) Cincinnati, 18-16	Jan. 9
(5) Kansas City def. (4) Houston, 30-0	Jan. 9
Divisional Playoffs
(2) New England def. (5) Kansas City, 27-20	Jan. 16
(6) Pittsburgh vs. (1) Denver	Jan. 17	4:40 p.m.
AFC Conference Championship
(2) New England vs. Pittsburgh/Denver	Jan. 24	3:05 p.m.
Wild Card Round
(6) Seattle def. (3) Minnesota, 10-9	Jan. 10
(5) Green Bay def. (4) Washington, 35-18	Jan. 10
Divisional Playoffs
(2) Arizona def. (5) Green Bay, 26-20 OT	Jan. 16
(6) Seattle at (1) Carolina	Jan. 17	1:05 p.m.
NFC Conference Championship
(2) Arizona vs. Seattle/Carolina	Jan. 24	6:40 p.m.
AFC vs. NFC	Feb. 7	6:30 p.m.

Fitzgerald Seals Cardinals Victory with Clutch Play

Arizona won the game, but this heave from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the final play of regulation nearly cost them, per the NFL:

But then Fitzgerald did this, per the NFL:

He took a five-yard shovel pass into the end zone two plays later for the victory. The always-classy Fitzgerald, who has 1,018 receptions, 13,366 yards and 98 touchdowns in his career, was glad to be able to help his team, per ESPN.com.

"As an elder statesman on this team, I just try to elevate my game and make plays for my teammates," he said.

He elevated it in the second half after just one reception for six yards in the first 30 minutes with his team clinging to a 7-6 lead.

Quarterback Carson Palmer helped bring Arizona back from a 13-10 deficit by throwing what looked to be the game-winning touchdown with three minutes and 44 seconds left in regulation for a 17-13 lead.

After an Arizona field goal, Rodgers did Rodgers, although he wasn't really sure how it happened, per ESPN.com.

"I didn't know where anybody was really," Rodgers said. "I saw Jeff [Janis] briefly, and I just tried to put some air on it to give him a chance."

But Saturday night belonged to Fitzgerald, who continued to add to his historic career, per SportsCenter:

Now Arizona awaits the winner of the Carolina/Seattle matchup, with a trip to Super Bowl 50 on the line. It's time for the Panthers to step up at home and end their three-game, divisional-round losing streak.

Look for the Panthers to win a close one and set up an NFC Championship match in Charlotte.

It won't be easy for Arizona to travel across the country and get a win, but it will surely feel confident with a legend like Larry on its side.

Patriots Pass Chiefs on Way to AFC Championship

Brady never handed the ball off during an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski. The opening-drive score set the tone for the game that saw Brady complete 28-of-42 passes for 302 yards and two scores.

There were questions coming in surrounding the health of Brady and Gronkowski, but the quarterback shook them off well, according to ESPN's Skip Bayless:

The win puts New England in the AFC Championship game for the fifth-straight season—matched only by the 1973-77 Oakland Raiders—and as ESPN's Mike Greenberg pointed out, it once again proves Brady is one of the greatest of all time:

Although the Patriots never trailed, the game was not always in the bag. New England led just 14-6 at halftime, and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith to wide receiver Albert Wilson late in the third quarter made the game 21-13.

Poor clock management was the final nail in the coffin for the Chiefs, who took more than a minute to score a touchdown after having a 1st-and-goal on the one-yard line with 2:33 remaining in the game.

Former Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock, now with Fox Sports 1, trolled Reid after he failed to use the clock correctly and even had his team huddling as precious seconds ticked away:

There were plenty of near misses for Kansas City in addition to the poor clock management. The defense dropped at least two potential game-changing interceptions, the team committed costly penalties and Smith threw for just 249 yards despite attempting 50 passes.

The Patriots, on the other hand, came through nearly every time they had to, even if luck was on their side at the end of the game as wide receiver Julian Edelman caught this tipped pass for the game-sealing first down:

One thing for sure moving forward is that Brady is anything but lucky in his attempt to win back-to-back Super Bowls for the second time. 

The path could get a little harder if the Broncos pull out a victory Sunday against the Steelers.

New England is surely pulling for Pittsburgh to go into Denver and get a win so it can host the AFC Championship game.

However, without wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back DeAngelo Williams, both injured, not to mention having a banged-up Ben Roethlisberger, the Broncos will come out victorious in this one to set up yet another Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning game.

Get your popcorn ready—it's going to be a good one.