NFL Playoff Picture 2018: AFC, NFC Championship Odds and Super Bowl Scenarios

Four remain in the NFL playoff picture. 

Fittingly enough, the picture is a perfect snapshot of the chaos defining the season outright. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are here, yet they didn't breeze in unscathed. So are the unexpected Jacksonville Jaguars while Blake Bortles makes strong decisions and rides a jaw-dropping defense. 

Don't forget the NFC, the division of perseverance. The Minnesota Vikings are here despite losing a starting quarterback. Down an MVP favorite, the Philadelphia Eagles keep winning as well. 

Not only will this intriguing process crown a champion in a matter of weeks, it serves as a strong showcase of the league's top teams for the coming years. Here's a look at championship weekend so fans can start getting ready.  

Championship Weekend 

Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots

Date and Time: Sunday, January 21, at 3:05 p.m. ET

TV/Live Stream: CBS, CBS All Access

Odds: New England (-9), O/U 46.5

Prediction: Patriots 27, Jaguars 24

Game: Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles

Date and Time: Sunday, January 21, 6:40 p.m. ET

TV/Live Stream: Fox, Fox Sports Go

Odds: Minnesota (-3) O/U 38

Prediction: Vikings 30, Eagles 20

Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots

So here they are. 

It seemed obvious enough the Jaguars and Patriots would collide on the course of this journey at some point. The AFC was weak, and if we're being honest, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked inconsistent at best all year, teasing talent but showing up with rough-around-the-edges coaching. 

The Jaguars haven't had any such problems, squeezing past those Steelers in the divisional round, 45-42. The defense coughed up five touchdown passes to Ben Roethlisberger, yet had jumped out to a 21-0 lead and sat mostly comfortably on the lead for the rest of the game. 

Jacksonville is riding a wave at this point and doesn't try to mask what it wants to do, with safety Barry Church throwing a jab at the doubters, as captured by The MMQB: 

Part of the approach is a typical dominant performance from Leonard Fournette, who despite going to the locker room to deal with a nagging ankle issue, finished the game with 25 carries for 109 yards and three touchdowns. 

This write-up doesn't focus much on the Patriots because, well, they're the Patriots. Expect something else? In a 35-14 laugher against the Tennessee Titans, Tom Brady tossed three touchdowns and his backs rushed for two more. The assault helped the Patriots run almost 20 more plays than the opposition and led to the most obvious result of the postseason. 

The result when the Jaguars visit the Patriots isn't as simple. But the divide here is—Brady. This postseason has been fun because of the unexpected names at quarterback. But Brady is Brady, a guy with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season who doesn't care if the Jaguars have swagger walking into hostile territory and has the mental side of it down enough to counteract what the opposition wants to do without masking it. 

A strong pass rush from Jacksonville and great players at skill positions are something scheme and approach from Brady will counteract at home. Look for him to etch out another chunk of legacy by leading a late scoring drive. 

Prediction: Patriots 27, Jaguars 24

Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles

Talk about fun stories for both teams. 

The hosting Eagles won two of three to close the season with Nick Foles under center despite missing Carson Wentz. An ongoing statement suggesting they might be the best overall team in football continued in the divisional round via a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. 

There, the Eagles held Matt Ryan to a single passing score and LeGarrette Blount brute-forced a touchdown of his own on the ground for the hosts. Foles wasn't bad by any means, posting a 23-of-30 line with 246 yards, riding a defense that held Atlanta's attack to a 4-of-13 mark on third down. 

Nothing the Eagles could have done would have topped this, though:

The Vikings, with Case Keenum under center because of his strong play after both Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford went down, slipped past the New Orleans Saints in 29-24 fashion, limiting Drew Brees to three touchdowns and two interceptions. 

A predictable plan worked well for most of the game—the Vikings ate more than 33 minutes of clock and rushed for two touchdowns, forcing Brees to the air more than the Saints wanted while arguably the league's best running back duo, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, struggled as the offense rushed for 3.3 yards per carry. 

This is the difference between the championship games, right? Jacksonville will try to impose its will in a predictable fashion, to which New England has a player who can counter. Minnesota will do much of the same—and there isn't much Philadelphia can do about it. 

The Eagles, due to an unfortunate injury, are currently constructed to protect their quarterback. But the running game isn't going anywhere against the Vikings defense if the Saints couldn't get it going. Foles taking to the air in an effort to compensate is much worse than Brees doing so, meaning the Vikings shouldn't have a problem pulling away at home. 

Like nobody predicted, it'll be a Keenum-Brady Super Bowl. 

Prediction: Vikings 30, Eagles 20

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to OddsShark.