NFL Playoffs 2018: Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Sunday's Games

The final four teams left in the NFL playoff field consist of one five-time Super Bowl winner (and perennial playoff team) and three zero-time Super Bowl winners, none of whom registered a winning record in the previous season.

The former team (the New England Patriots) is clearly unlike the others, but the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings didn't get to the conference championship round by accident. All three teams had top-four scoring defenses and won their respective divisions.

It should be a fun race to the finish. Until then, you can review a deeper dive into their conference title matchups below, in addition to Sunday's schedule, predictions and odds, per OddsShark.

Conference Championship Schedule and Odds

Sunday, January 21, 3:05 p.m. ET on CBS: No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1 New England Patriots (-7.5, 45 O/U)

Sunday, January 21, 6:40 p.m. ET on Fox: No. 2 Minnesota Vikings at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (-3, 38.5 O/U)

Super Bowl Schedule

Sunday, February 4, 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC: AFC champion vs. NFC champion at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis

Jacksonville at New England Preview and Predictions

1. Patriots QB Tom Brady Plays

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is listed as questionable with an injured right hand—the signal-caller suffered the injury at Wednesday's practice.

Michael Felger of the Felger & Massarotti radio show on 98.5 The Sports Hub provided an inside scoop on Friday (h/t executive producer James Stewart):

Chances are Brady would play the AFC Championship left-handed before missing it entirely. Furthermore, the game script could go in New England's favor, so much so that Brady's primary objective will be handing off the ball to his crew of running backs (Dion Lewis, James White and Rex Burkhead) against a Jaguars run defense that allowed the seventh-most rushing yards per carry in the league.

In other words, he may not need to test out that thumb too often.

2. Patriots RB Dion Lewis and TE Rob Gronkowski Star

Patriots running back Dion Lewis' efficiency is one of the main reasons why his team's offense has done so well this season.

The former Pitt Panther finished second among qualified running backs in yards per carry this season (5.0) behind only the New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara.

Lewis wasn't used in a workhorse role for most of the year as he split time with Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead and James White. However, when injuries hit the unit late in the year, Lewis stepped up, and he's delivered 427 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns on 85 touches in his last three games.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski enjoyed another dominant season as he posted 1,084 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He poses a serious problem for any team, including a tough Jaguars pass defense that finished first in the league in fewest yards allowed per game.

However, Jacksonville just came off a rough showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as it allowed 469 passing yards and five touchdowns. The Pats can take advantage with passes to the running backs and tight ends, leading to a productive offensive evening.

3. Patriots 27, Jaguars 16

The Jaguars should be able to move the ball against a Pats defense that allowed the fourth-most yards in the league, but scoring has been tough for New England's opponents, as it has given up just 18.5 points per game (fifth in the NFL).

Look for Jacksonville to have success entering New England's territory but struggle once it nears the end zone, leading to some field goal tries.

On the flip side, the combo of Lewis and Gronkowski should be too tough to handle. Jacksonville will hang around this game for all four quarters, but New England will advance to its third Super Bowl in four years.

Minnesota at Philadelphia

1. Vikings Jump Out to Early Lead Thanks To Passing Attack

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen finished top five in receiving yards this year with 1,276. It was a remarkable accomplishment for a player who went undrafted and caught just 20 passes in his first two years on the active roster.

Teammate Stefon Diggs has also impressed this year, hauling in eight touchdown passes despite battling a groin injury that forced him to miss two weeks. Of course, the former Maryland Terrapin will now always be remembered for being on the receiving end of the Minneapolis Miracle, which sent the Vikings to their first NFC Championship since 2009.

Look for both players to continue their success on Sunday against Philadelphia. Although the Eagles' pass defense allowed just 6.5 yards per attempt, they did give up some big individual performances, including 18 catches for 272 yards and two touchdowns to the New York Giants' Sterling Shepard in two games.

Shepard dominated in part because of his run-after-catch ability following short passes. Might we see something similar with Thielen and Diggs on Sunday? The guess here is that we do, leading to the Vikings taking an early advantage.

2. Eagles RB Corey Clement Helps Eagles Crawl Back

This is a shot in the dark, especially considering that Eagles running back Corey Clement only touched the ball 84 times from the line of scrimmage in the regular season. However, if the Vikings jump out to a big lead, then the Eagles are going to need Clement's skill set to help fight their way back if they fall behind early.

Eagles running backs Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount are tough, between-the-tackles runners. When the Eagles jump out to a lead, they are great assets as they run downhill and chew up the clock. However, they aren't suited to catch many passes out of the backfield.

Clement can be that change-of-pace back who can help move the sticks with his pass-catching prowess. He caught all five of his targets in the divisional round against the Atlanta Falcons and hauled in an additional 10 passes (including two for touchdowns) in the regular season.

Every so often, we see a player come out of nowhere to deliver a huge postseason performance, and the guess here is that Clement is that person on Sunday.

3. Vikings 17, Eagles 16

It's hard seeing either offense getting the better of the opposing defense for four quarters. The Vikings allowed a league-low 15.8 points per game, while the Eagles weren't far behind with 18.4. Minnesota allowed just 275.9 yards per game (a league-best mark), and Philadelphia took fourth there (306.5 yards allowed).

Football Outsiders also ranked Minnesota and Philadelphia as having top-seven pass and run defenses, which made them the only two teams in the league with that distinction.

Although the guess here is that the Vikings' passing attack wins its share of one-on-one battles, don't expect this to turn into a shootout.

In the end, however, look for Minnesota to squeak by thanks to some big plays from Thielen and Diggs.