Football

The similarities between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles are stark. Both are led by smothering, stifling defenses. Both have quarterbacks at the helm who weren't the guy under center when the NFL season started. When the regular season got underway, neither team was touted as a playoff contender, let alone to end up as opponents in the NFC championship Game. And neither team has won the Super Bowl.

Talk about a contrast in histories. The New England Patriots are playing in their seventh AFC Championship Game in a row and their 12th conference title game since 2001. The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the AFC Championship Game for just the third time in franchise history. Sunday's contest will be only the 14th playoff game for the team since the Jaguars entered the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1995.

To say that Tom Brady has owned the Tennessee Titans is a bit of an understatement. The New England Patriots quarterback is 6-1 lifetime against Tennessee and has beaten the Titans in their last six meetings. Factor in the Patriots' impressive 20-4 home playoff record, and that they haven't lost at home in postseason play since 2012, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to pick the winner here.

No team in the NFL playoffs was performing better down the stretch than the Atlanta Falcons. The defending NFC champions are 7-2 in their last nine games. They took care of the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams on the road in the wild card round and will look to do the same to the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional playoff round, also on the road.

Will Tom Brady get one for the thumb in Super Bowl LII? Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, led the NFL in passing yardage this season, one year removed from winning his record fourth Super Bowl MVP award. The Patriots are the top seed in the AFC, giving them the inside track to another trip to the Super Bowl, And if victory awaits them, it's a good bet that another MVP award could be handed off to Brady at game's end.

For the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons, the task is simple - win and they are in the NFL playoffs. For other teams, such as the Buffalo Bills, L.A. Chargers and Seattle Seahawks, they are still playoff eligible, but destiny is not in their hands. They must win their final game of the season, and then hope for a series of circumstances to unfold to get to the dance.

There's a dirty bird racing toward the Big Easy and it looms larger in the rear-view mirror of the New Orleans Saints with each passing week. The defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons are in a mood to retain their NFC South crown, and they are positioned well to do so. Win Sunday at New Orleans and again next Sunday against Carolina and the Falcons are once again champs.

Counted out by many when they sat 4-4 eight games into the NFL season, the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons have won four of their last five games to drive right back into contention for the NFC South title. In fact, if the Falcons sweep their remaining three games against division rivals the Buccaneers, Saints and Panthers, then Atlanta will retain the NFC South division crown earned a year ago.

When they say that Lucas Oil Stadium has proven to be a haunted place for the Denver Broncos, they aren't horsing around. The Indianapolis Colts have won six consecutive home games over the Broncos. You have to go all the way back to 2003 to locate a Denver victory in Indianapolis. The Broncos are winless on the road this season at 0-6, so there's that, too.