Four teams remain– who will face off in the 2017 Super Bowl? Catch the Championship Round of the 2017 NFL playoffs this weekend on Sunday, January 22, beginning at 3:05 p.m. EST to find out.
A brief playoffs recap: The Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs saw the Houston Texans emerge victorious over the Oakland Raiders (27-14), the Seattle Seahawks score an easy victory (26-6) over the Detroit Lions, the Pittsburgh Steelers win 30-12 against the Miami Dolphins, and the Green Bay Packers win a surprising victory against the New York Giants (38-13)– allowing all four to secure places in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
In the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, the Atlanta Falcons took home 36-20 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots knocked out the Houston Texans 34-16, the Pittsburgh Steelers won 18-16 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Green Bay Packers sealed the deal in a close 34-31 win against the Dallas Cowboys.
This weekend’s matchups will therefore feature the league’s top teams, vying for championship titles and spots in Super Bowl 51.
The Championship Round playoffs games will take place on Sunday, January 22, beginning at 3:05 p.m. EST with the Green Bay Packers v. Atlanta Falcons and continuing at 6:40 p.m. EST with Pittsburgh Steelers v. New England Patriots.
The Falcons are the favorites to win at the Georgia Dome, but considering Atlanta snuck by with only a 33-32 victory in October, along with the Packers’ nail-biting, “seesaw finish” against the Cowboys, Green Bay’s definitely still got more than a few tricks up their sleeves.
Atlanta does, however, have league MVP favorite (Matt Ryan) and Green Bay only has a 4-4 record on the road, but we’ll all just have to watch what happens.
As for the Steelers-Patriots game, it may be a stomach bug, not season records, that determines the victor.
The Steelers’ team has been plagued by a 24-hour stomach virus going around the locker room, which led four players to sit out Wednesday, including wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. Additional players were out on Thursday, including tight end Ladarius Green.
Coach Mike Tomlin counts himself among the lucky few who have “stayed out of the line of fire,” but says that illness won’t be used as an excuse in Sunday’s AFC Championship game: "We're not making excuses. There won't be. We'll be there, we'll be ready to play, this is just part of normal things that happen over the course of a season.”
Wednesday’s sick players were in attendance at Thursday’s practice, so hopefully the passing bug really won’t be a problem come Sunday.
Aside from unforeseen circumstances, the Steelers-Patriots matchup will be one for the ages. Both teams have played in the Super Bowl multiple times– both teams have played in eight and Pittsburgh has won six (four of which were in the last six years) while New England holds four titles (including a 2015 victory).
The overall picks for Super Bowl LI matchup are still the Patriots and Falcons, but as we’ve seen, things don’t always go according to plan in the NFL playoffs. Here’s how to catch all the action live streaming.
And don’t forget: The action continues with Super Bowl LI on Sunday, February 5.
How to Watch the 2017 NFL Playoffs: Championship Round
The Championship Round playoffs games will take place on Sunday, January 22, beginning at 3:05 p.m. EST with the Green Bay Packers v. Atlanta Falcons and continuing at 6:40 p.m. EST with Pittsburgh Steelers v. New England Patriots.
The games will be broadcast on CBS and FOX. Those with a cable login can catch the action live streaming on CBS Sports and Fox Sports Live.
Those without a cable login can find a guide to other live streaming options on Cut Cable Today.
To see all the matchups for the 2017 NFL Playoffs, here’s the full schedule.
Championship Games
Sunday, January 22
NFC: (4) Green Bay Packers at (2) Atlanta Falcons at 3:05 p.m. EST on FOX
AFC: (3) Pittsburgh Steelers at (1) New England Patriots at 6:40 p.m. EST on CBS
Super Bowl LI
Sunday, February 5
AFC champion v. NFC champion at 6:30 p.m. EST