NFL Playoffs 2017: Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Sunday's Games

None of the four teams fighting for a trip to Super Bowl XLI have experienced defeat in quite some time.

The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers both closed the season on seven-game winning streaks before setting up their first playoff meeting in 12 years. For the ninth time in 14 years, one of the two powerhouses will claim the AFC crown.

Since boldly positing that the Green Bay Packers would "run the table," per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky, Aaron Rodgers has led them to eight straight triumphs, including playoff victories over the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. They have scored at least 30 points in each of the past six contests.

None of the remaining teams have lost since Dec. 5, when the Atlanta Falcons suffered a 29-28 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs. Since losing on a defensive two-point conversion, they have outscored their opponents by 95 points over five victories.

Regardless of Sunday's outcomes, two red-hot squads will compete for football's grand prize. Let's look at the Conference Championship Weekend schedule and odds, courtesy of OddsShark, before predicting the Super Bowl participants.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Odds
Sun., Jan. 22	3:05 p.m.	Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons	Fox	ATL -5
Sun., Jan. 22	6:40 p.m.	Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots	CBS	NE -6

Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has developed a reputation for stifling the opponent's premier offensive threat. This weekend, his top-rated scoring defense must handle two of them.

After finishing the season tied for third in rushing defense, they contained Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller to 74 yards on 19 carries during the divisional round. New England has not yielded a 100-yard rusher all year, but Le'Veon Bell comfortably passed the barometer in both of Pittsburgh's postseason wins:

Round	OPP	Rush	Rush YD	TD
WC	at KC	29	167	2
DIV	vs. MIA	30	170	0

Nobody has dominated his first postseason with as much success:

Earlier in the season, the Pats contained him to 81 rushing yards on 21 handoffs. Although he also collected 68 receiving yards in the 27-16 loss without Ben Roethlisberger, Belichick's crew would take a duplicate performance.

Roethlisberger has settled into a lesser role this postseason, attempting 49 playoff passes to Bell's 59 runs. With Antonio Brown accounting for 232 of the quarterback's 421 passing yards, the offense has relied exclusively on its two superstars.

Bell feasted on two bottom-10 defense while the Steelers contained two lower-level offenses. A run-heavy attack has taken them this far, but they must produce more points to counter Tom Brady and Co.

Aside from losses to the Patriots and Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh didn't see much action against top-tier offenses. They also rank last in Football Outsiders' defensive-adjusted value over average (DVOA) against No. 1 wide receivers, which bodes well for Julian Edelman.

This matchup has historically ended poorly for Pittsburgh. Brady has torched the Steelers throughout Mike Tomlin's head coaching tenure. FanSided's Ryan Spagnoli detailed the carnage:

New England will keep Bell and Brown in check enough to prevail behind another prolific playoff performance from Brady. Roethlisberger, who has thrown seven interceptions over his last five games, won't keep up on the road.

Prediction: Patriots 30, Steelers 23

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons

For all the points about to disperse, Chris Hardwick might as well announce the NFC Championship Game.

Neither the Falcons nor Packers have tallied fewer than 30 points in a game since Dec. 5. They finished the season No. 1 and 4, respectively, in offensive DVOA.

After finishing the season first in quarterback rating (117.1) and yards per pass attempt (9.26), Matt Ryan deserves to receive MVP honors. Yet he'll have competition from Rodgers. Including his torrid postseason—which doesn't factor into the MVP discussion—he has thrown 25 touchdowns and one interception in Green Bay's last nine games.

But not so fast. As highlighted by CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, Ryan has played just as well lately:

"

We talk about Aaron Rodgers being great the past nine weeks. In the past 10 games, Matt Ryan has 25 TD passes and 3 picks. Too overlooked

— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) January 20, 2017"

If that weren't enough to scream "shootout," neither side boasts a particularly threatening defense. They both ended 2016 among the bottom five in passing yards allowed, and nobody relinquished more yards per pass attempt than the Packers' 8.1.

Of course, it's a not a one-on-one matchup. Ryan reminded everyone of that fact, per ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure.

"I don't specifically have to go out on the field and defend Aaron, which is a good thing for us," Ryan said this week. "I played against him a number of times. I've gotten to know him throughout the years. He's a good friend. And I respect him so much because he's such a great competitor."

Although the Falcons may not need it, they at least have a decent rushing attack. Green Bay, however, doesn't have the ground game to exploit Atlanta's biggest weakness.  

The Packers will require another Herculean performance from Rodgers, which is certainly in the realm of possibility. Adding another layer of difficulty to the daunting task, he may have to pull it off without two of his top wide receivers. Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams are both listed as questionable on the team's latest injury report.

This game may rival last week's wild finish against the Cowboys. If any matchup has warranted a "last team with the ball will win" label, it's this one.

Yet Ryan's offense has somehow found another gear inside the Georgia Dome, and Atlanta's speedy defense disrupted Russell Wilson enough last weekend. Rodgers' riveting run ends in another explosive shootout.

Prediction: Falcons 34, Packers 31