NFL Playoff Standings 2018: Post-Divisional Round Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

The New England Patriots did their part, but the Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't uphold their end of the bargain.

The top two AFC seeds were supposed to meet in the AFC Championship Game, given they were the two best teams in their conference throughout the majority of the season.

The Patriots earned the No. 1 seed because they beat the Steelers in Week 15 with a last-second victory. The Steelers still finished as the second seed, and with a bye week and the home-field advantage, they appeared to be in good shape to handle the third-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jacksonville had struggled on offense in their 10-3 wild-card victory over the Buffalo Bills, and the Jaguars didn't look like an offensive threat.

There was a little matter of Jacksonville's 30-9 victory in Week 5 at Pittsburgh, but that game was viewed as something of a fluke as Ben Roethlisberger threw five interceptions in that game.

Playoff football does not follow a script, and teams can improve their performance substantially from one week to the next.

That's just what happened at Heinz Field Sunday, as the Jaguars jumped in front early and held on for a shocking 45-42 victory over the Steelers.

As a result of that win, Jacksonville will play at New England on January 21 for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Rookie running back Leonard Fournette suffered an ankle injury in the game, but he still ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Blake Bortles, who had just 87 passing yards in the win over the Bills, picked up his plays and threw for 214 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers.

After the Steelers gained momentum with touchdowns at the end of the second quarter and start of the third, Bortles led the Jaguars to 17 fourth-quarter points that blunted Pittsburgh's momentum

Post-Divisional-Playoff Rankings and Super Bowl Odds (Odds courtesy of OddsShark)

1. New England Patriots (14-3, +120)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, +700)

3. Minnesota Vikings (13-3, +175)

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-6, +800)

* Rankings based on current win-loss record

The Patriots had no such problems in their 35-14 victory over the Titans. Tennessee scored the opening touchdown of the game as well as the last one, but the Tom Brady-led offense scored five in between that sent New England into the AFC title game for the seventhth straight year.

Special-teams captain Matthew Slater said the team has worked hard for success every year.

"If you don't have the proper perspective, I think that's something you can take for granted," Slater said, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "We're appreciative of the situation that we're in, especially those of us who have been here for a while. But we just try to live in the moment and attack each game, each season as its own." 

The Patriots opened as 8.5-point favorites, per OddsShark.

The Philadelphia Eagles were doubted as a result of starting quarterback Carson Wentz's ACL injury, and they were home underdogs to the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional playoffs. 

While Nick Foles appeared to be a poor understudy, against the Falcons he came through with a solid performance. The backup quarterback completed 23-of-30 passes for 246 yards against the Falcons, and while he did not throw a TD pass, he led the Eagles on several key drives that produced a touchdown and three field goals.

The Eagles came away with a surprising 15-10 victory, and they will host the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game on January 21.

"I mean, we just kept believing in each other," said Foles, per Stats AP (h/t CBS Sports). "That was it. Our team never wavered, defense did an amazing job, special teams—that's just been the story this year is that we just all stuck together."

The Eagles will have their hands full against the Minnesota Vikings, who came up with a miraculous 29-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Case Keenum threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs on the final play of the game, when it looked like the Vikings would suffer yet another gut-wrenching defeat. 

Keenum threw a late pass toward the sidelines with the hope of setting up a game-winning FG attempt for Kai Forbath. However, after Diggs caught the ball, Marcus Williams of the Saints missed the tackle and the receiver ran into the end zone for the winning touchdown.

The Vikings snapped the ball with 10 seconds remaining and had no timeouts left. The clock expired as Diggs ran down the sidelines.

It was a much-needed miracle for the Vikings, who will go to Philadelphia January 21 for the chance to play for the NFC championship.

If they are successful there, they will play in Super Bowl LII at their own U.S. Bank Stadium.