NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: Live-Stream Guide, Expert Picks and TV Info

The games aren't played on paper, but fans will never get enough of other people's sports takes.

Nothing is out of bounds, but what draws the most ire is the Mount Rushmore (plus one) of sports debate: Hall of Fame voting, all-star game inclusions (or exclusions), the men's basketball NCAA tournament seedings, power rankings and predictions for upcoming NFL games.

The last one is the topic for this piece. Let's take a look at what the experts are predicting from around the internet leading into Sunday's conference championship tilts.

First, here's the TV and live-stream guide.

Green Bay at Atlanta: 3:05 p.m. ET, Fox, Fox Sports Go (live stream)

Pittsburgh at New England: 6:40 p.m. ET, CBS, CBS All Access (live stream)

Now, here are the expert picks from Bleacher Report, ESPN and CBS Sports.

Bleacher Report

Twelve analysts were brave enough to pick the games this weekend. Seven of 12 took the Packers, while five picked Atlanta.

B/R, however, is very confident in New England's chances, as everyone took the Patriots.

Expert Take: Some thoughts from Brad Gagnon, who is 8-0 picking postseason games, on the Pats:

"

The Patriots are simply a better team with a better quarterback and a better coach, but the clincher for me is that Foxboro advantage. Brady and Belichick are 16-3 in home playoff games. And when serving as the primary quarterback, Brady has lost 17 regular-season and playoff home games in his entire 16-year career. Think about that! The Steelers are 1-4 all time in Foxboro, and Roethlisberger has struggled quite a bit this season on the road. Including the playoffs, he has a 77.8 passer rating, a sub-60 completion percentage and as many interceptions as touchdowns (nine apiece) away from home.

"

ESPN

Picks: Nine analysts picked the conference championship games. Seven of nine took Atlanta in the matinee, while seven of nine took New England in the nightcap.

Merril Hoge was the only one to take both underdogs, as he picked Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Hoge may be onto something, though, as he's hot this postseason with a 7-1 record.

Expert Take: Here's Dan Graziano on the Falcons, who he picked to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl: "QB Matt Ryan is playing at an MVP level, and you especially like his chances of matching Rodgers' offensive output at home. But what stood out about Atlanta in Saturday's victory over the Seattle Seahawks was how dynamic and energetic the Falcons were on the other side of the ball."

CBS Sports

Eight analysts made selections on CBS Sports, and they also picked games against the spread.

The picks here are a little more diverse. It's an even split for the Green Bay-Atlanta game, as each team received four votes apiece. New England beat Pittsburgh, 5-3, for the AFC selections.

Against the spread, five of eight experts took Green Bay, which was a five-point underdog when this crew made their picks (the spread now lies at six, per OddsShark). The picks were an even 4-4 split for the New England game.

Expert Take: Here are Will Brinson's thoughts on the Packers-Falcons game:

"

Ryan has thrown touchdown passes to 13 different receivers this season and used eight receivers against Seattle's mighty defense. The Falcons' offense doesn't get the attention it deserves, and it's hard to imagine the Packers stopping them. Green Bay might keep up, but the Falcons also can salt the game away with a devastating running attack featuring Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

 

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Conclusion

Per OddsShark, both home teams are six-point favorites. The sportsbooks certainly aren't infallible, but they are right more often than not when it comes to setting lines for these games.

That being said, it seems like the public—both random Joes off the street and experts with plenty of sportswriting (or actual playing) experience—are much higher on one six-point favorite (New England) than another (Atlanta).

Looking at the results from the three sites combined, 24 of 29 experts picked New England in a clear majority vote, but "only" 19 of 33 took Atlanta.

It's not too hard to see why. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers just took out the Dallas Cowboys, the NFC's No. 1 seed, in their own stadium in a game seen by 48.5 million people, which is an all-time record for a divisional-round game, per Barry Horn of SportsDayDFW.com.

He's got a crazy amount of momentum (eight straight wins, 24 touchdowns and only one interception in his last nine games), and everyone seems to be riding the bandwagon (rightfully so).

But it's a mistake to sleep on the Falcons, who are a potent offensive team, especially in the Georgia Dome. Football fans might be in for a big surprise on Sunday.

This writer's picks, for what it's worth (perhaps less than two cents): Atlanta 38, Green Bay 30 and New England 31, Pittsburgh 24.