The Divisional Round of the 2019 NFL Playoffs was about as predictable as it could be with all four home teams advancing to their respective conference title games. Normally, at least one road team wins a game, but this year all four teams swept to victory for just the fourth time since NFL realignment in 2002. Being the top seeded team in either conference used to not mean much, but since 2013 it has meant everything in both conferences. Nine of the ten top seeded teams over the last five years advanced to the Super Bowl. Whereas just three of the ten top seeded teams achieved the same feat from 2008-2012. That means four of the last five Super Bowls have featured the top seeded team from each conference. Amazingly, this happened only one time from 1994-2012. Odds are, we are going to see the Chiefs and Saints playing in early February and that seems to be just fine with Denver Broncos fan on Twitter who overwhelmingly voted for their division rival to end a really long Super Bowl drought over seeing Tom Brady add to his collection of trophies. Who would you rather see win the AFC Championship game? #BroncosCountry — MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) January 14, 2019 Anyway, here is when you’ll want to watch. The NFC is first up then we’ll see about the AFC in the evening. CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES SUNDAY, JANUARY 20 NFC: 1:05 PM MT - Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints (FOX) AFC: 4:40 PM MT - New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs (CBS)<doc-sep>The schedule for the conference championship round of the 2019 NFL playoffs is such that the winner of the NFC title game will be able to kick back and watch the AFC title game as it awaits its challenger for Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta. The Rams and Saints kick off what should be a dandy of a conference championship Sunday with their game in New Orleans. It's a rematch of the high-scoring affair in the regular season that ended with a Saints victory, also at the Superdome. Patriots vs. Chiefs also happens to be a rematch, though when New England beat Kansas City in the regular season, the game was played in Foxborough. MORE: Watch NFL conference championships live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) FOX will carry the NFC championship game, with kickoff scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET. CBS will broadcast the AFC championship game, with kickoff set for 6:40 p.m. ET. Below is all the info you need, including SN's predictions, for conference championship weekend in the NFL. NFL conference championship schedule Date Matchup Time Channel Sun., Jan. 20 NFC: No. 2 Rams at No. 1 Saints 3:05 p.m. FOX/fuboTV Sun., Jan. 20 AFC: No. 2 Patriots at No. 1 Chiefs 6:40 p.m. CBS/fuboTV Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints: Sunday, Jan. 20, 3:05 p.m. ET, FOX TV: FOX — Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews (field reporter), Chris Myers (field reporter) Radio: WESTWOOD ONE — Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner, Ed Werder | SIRIUS/XM: 88 (WW1) The Rams and Saints, as the two best teams in the NFC should, will play for the conference championship Sunday. Top-seeded New Orleans earned the right to host the penultimate playoff game by beating second-seeded Los Angeles at the Superdome back in Week 9. Not much separated the teams' high-flying, balanced offenses in the first meeting. The Rams finished the regular season as the higher-scoring offense overall, ranked second in the NFL with 32.9 points per game. But the Saints were right behind them at 31.5 points per game. The Rams ranked No. 3 in rushing offense; the Saints were No. 6. There was a bigger difference on the other side of the ball. The Saints ranked No. 14 in both total and scoring defense, including No. 2 against the run. The Rams were No. 19 in total, No. 20 in scoring and No. 23 against the run. In just their second year together as Rams coach and quarterback, Sean McVay and Jared Goff are looking to advance to their first Super Bowl. Saints counterparts Sean Payton and Drew Brees are looking for a chance to win their second Super Bowl over the past 10 seasons. Although the QBs are on the marquee, the Rams' Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson and the Saints' Alvin Kamara and Mark ingram are red-hot rushing duos working behind elite offensive lines. Defensively, linemen Aaron Donald and Cameron Jordan lead star-studded casts. Given the volume of playmakers backed by great coaching, there's no reason this sequel in the Superdome can't be even more compelling than the original. Here are Sporting News' picks and predictions for Rams vs. Saints. New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs: Sunday, Jan. 20, 6:40 p.m. ET, CBS TV: CBS: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, Jay Feely, Gene Steratore Radio: WESTWOOD ONE: Kevin Kugler, Tony Boselli, Ross Tucker | SIRIUS/XM: 88 Oddsmakers are not dishing out any favors to those who are tired of seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. New England's status as underdog for the AFC championship game in Kansas City plays right into Tom Brady's nonsensical claim that "everyone thinks (the Patriots) suck and can't win any games." Of course, there is a minuscule fragment of truth to the New England quarterback's words. The Patriots reaching an eighth consecutive conference title game on the strength of a 41-year-old passer is a mind-boggling accomplishment. And there's a reason the Chiefs are the favorites to reach the Super Bowl; his name is Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City QB, likely the NFL MVP for 2018 after throwing 50 touchdowns in the regular season, is the kind of player who can give the Patriots problems. New England under coach Bill Belichick is known for its uncanny preparation habits, but Mahomes is capable of plays for which an opponent simply can't prepare. Then again, Brady remains the leader on the other side. And the Patriots' offense, now an established threat in the power running game to compliment Brady's precision in the passing game, can attack the Chiefs in multiple ways. If there are weaknesses in the Kansas City defense — and there are — New England will identify and exploit them. It all sets up what should be another AFC title-game classic. Here are Sporting News' picks and predictions for Patriots vs. Chiefs. (Contributing: Vinnie Iyer)<doc-sep>Bill Feig/Associated Press The race to Super Bowl LIII been exciting so far, but there just wasn't a ton of drama in the divisional round. While the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles were able to pull upsets over Wild Card Weekend, we had the top two seeds in each conference advance to the championship round. This means we're getting the conference-title matchups it's felt like we were going to get for some time now. This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the New England Patriots for the right to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIII. The New Orleans Saints will host the Los Angeles Rams for the right to represent the NFC. In case you missed it, both of these games are rematches from the regular season. The Saints and Patriots came out victorious in their respective matchups, but a lot changed with all four of these teams since the regular season. The Los Angeles Rams, for example, now have a two-headed backfield that can rival New Orleans'. At this point, it could be anyone's Super Bowl to win We're here to look ahead at the remaining NFL playoff schedule. We'll run down the viewing information for the final two rounds, examine the latest odds and over/unders from OddsShark and make score predictions for Conference Championship Weekend. We'll also dig into some of the latest playoff-related buzz. Video Play Button Videos you might like Conference Championships Sunday, January 20 NFC Conference Championship Game Who: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints When: 3:05 p.m. ET TV and Live Stream: Fox and Fox Sports Go Odds and Over/Under: NO -3.5, 57 Prediction: Saints 31, Rams 26 AFC Conference Championship Game Who: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs When: 6:40 p.m. ET TV and Live Stream: CBS and CBS All Access Odds and Over/Under: KC -3, 55.5 Prediction: Patriots 28, Chiefs 26 Super Bowl LIII Sunday, February 2 AFC Champions vs. NFC Champions When: 6:30 p.m. ET TV and Live Stream: CBS and CBS All Access We're predicting the Patriots and Saints to advance to Super Bowl LIII, but here are the latest championship odds from OddsShark. Super Bowl Odds New Orleans Saints: 7-4 Kansas City Chiefs: 11-4 New England Patriots: 10-3 Los Angeles Rams: 7-2 Latest Buzz Injuries Could Be a Factor for New Orleans An injury to running back Todd Gurley caused the Rams to start C.J. Anderson the last two games of the regular season. Both are healthy now, and each played a significant role against the Dallas Cowboys last week. Unfortunately for New Orleans, the Saints aren't quite so healthy heading into their rematch with Los Angeles. Obviously, the big news is that the Saints have lost star defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins to a torn Achilles. Losing Rankins, who had 40 tackles and 8.0 sacks in the regular season, certainly hurts. However, his isn't the only injury New Orleans is dealing with. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter (h/t Mike Triplett of ESPN.com), guard Andrus Peat played with a broken hand against the Philadelphia Eagles. Per a source, Peat broke the hand in Week 17 and had surgery during New Orleans first-round bye. While it's admirable that Peat was able to play through the injury, it's hard to believe that he'll be back to 100 percent by this Sunday. His injury will be one to track throughout the game. Weather Could Be a Factor in AFC Title Game Last weekend, snow infiltrated Arrowhead Stadium. This didn't slow down the Chiefs offense, as Kansas City rolled comfortably over Indianapolis. This week, laughably cold temperatures are on the menu, as meteorologist Ryan Maue points out: With temperatures well below freezing, we may not see the same aerial back-and-forth we saw the last time Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes went head-to-head. While NFL equipment has improved significantly over the years, sub-zero conditions still make it difficult to grip, throw and catch a football. Instead, we may see both teams focus more on the run. This would seem to favor Sony Michel and the Patriots ground attack at first blush. "I think if anything, the cold should help the Patriots by slowing down the Chiefs offense," Ben Volin of the Boston Globe wrote on Twitter. "Pats' best chance to win is to grind out a low-scoring game with ball control and defense." However, snowy conditions also seemed to favor the Colts and their rushing attack last week, but that was not to be. Can Mahomes be Stopped? The weather might slow down Mahomes and the Chiefs passing attack, but it might not. Mahomes, as Robert Mays of the Undefeated recently pointed out, is on a level all his own. We've seen Mahomes do some incredible things this season, from throwing on the run across his body to throwing without even looking at the receiver. The Texas Tech alumnus makes plays that other quarterbacks wouldn't dream of even attempting. Who's to say that he won't make outlandish throws in frigid weather? Mahomes did, after all, pass for 278 yards in snowy conditions last week. There's a good chance that not even the cold will slow Mahoes. If he carves up the Patriots defense and the Chiefs roll, it will be hard not to like Kansas City's chances in Super Bowl LIII.<doc-sep>
Elise Amendola/Associated Press With only four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs, the contenders for Super Bowl LIII will soon be decided. On Sunday, the Conference Championship round will take place, with a pair of Super Bowl berths on the line. In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints will host the Los Angeles Rams in the first matchup on Sunday afternoon. Then, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Each matchup features the top two seeds from its respective conference. Below is a look at the schedule for the rest of the playoffs, along with predictions for both Conference Championship matchups. Remaining Postseason Schedule Sunday, Jan. 20 Video Play Button Videos you might like Conference Championships NFC Championship Game: No. 2 Los Angeles Rams at No. 1 New Orleans Saints, 3:05 p.m. ET, Fox AFC Championship Game: No. 2 New England Patriots at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs, 6:40 p.m. ET, CBS Sunday, Feb. 3 Super Bowl LIII NFC champion vs. AFC champion, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS Where to Watch: NFL playoff games, studio shows and more are available through fuboTV. Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press The first matchup of the Conference Championship round on Sunday features the top two teams from the NFC. Not only were New Orleans and Los Angeles the top two teams, but each has a strong offense. When the two teams played on Nov. 4, the Saints outlasted the Rams, 45-35, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Neither team has been to the Super Bowl in recent seasons. The Saints last played in the NFC Championship Game in the 2009 season, which was also the last time they won the Super Bowl. They had lost in the divisional round in their three previous playoff appearances prior to beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Rams' divisional-round win was their first postseason victory since the 2004 season. They haven't played in the NFC Championship Game since the 2001 season, which was the year they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI. Although the Saints won their last matchup against the Rams—and they again have home-field advantage—don't expect the same result. The Rams will rely on their two-headed rushing attack of Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson to outscore the Saints, and the defense will come up with a key stop late to seal the victory. Pick: Rams 44, Saints 41 New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs Adam Glanzman/Getty Images This matchup features the two top seeds in the AFC, one with tons of playoff experience and the other with much less. The Chiefs haven't played in the AFC Championship Game since the 1993 season, and they haven't been to the Super Bowl since winning Super Bowl IV at the end of the 1969 season. Kansas City had lost in the divisional round or Wild Card Round in four of the previous five seasons before it beat Indianapolis on Saturday to advance. The Patriots are playing in the AFC Championship Game for the eighth straight season. They'll be looking to play in the Super Bowl for the third straight year. New England has won five Super Bowls, all with veteran quarterback Tom Brady at the helm, since the 2001 season. The Chiefs may have the better record and home-field advantage, but the Patriots' experience will be too much to overcome. And just like when these two teams played in the regular season, New England will earn a close win. Expect Brady to come through for New England late, throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to help the Pats get back to the Super Bowl. Pick: Patriots 37, Chiefs 34