2018 NFL playoffs: Half of Championship Sunday set

Ron Clements

2018 NFL playoffs: Half of Championship Sunday set image

The No. 1 seeds held Saturday as the Patriots and Eagles advanced to their respective conference championship games. 

Sunday's two NFL divisional playoff games will determine their opponents. The Jaguars and Steelers will tangle in Pittsburgh for the right to face New England while the Eagles await the Saints-Vikings winner. 

The Patriots sealed a spot in their seventh straight AFC championship game by cruising to a 35-14 win over the Titans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The Patriots (14-3) will host next Sunday's AFC tile game against either the Jaguars or Steelers, who play Sunday at Heinz Field (1:05 p.m. ET, CBS).

New England got homefield advantage by way of a controversial 27-24 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh Dec. 17.

The Steelers (13-3) would like to avenge that loss, but in order to do so, will have to beat a Jaguars team that walloped them back on Oct. 8. The Jaguars (11-6), who had the AFC's best defense, intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger five times in the 30-9 victory at Heinz Field. The Steelers will likely try to establish running back Le'Veon Bell early in order to free up passing lanes for Roethlisberger, who will have Antonio Brown at wide receiver. Brown will play for the first time since suffering a calf injury early in the loss to the Patriots.

The Saints (12-5) will head to Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium — the site of Super Bowl 52 — to take on the Vikings (13-3) for the right to face the Eagles next week. Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game (4:40 p.m. ET, Fox) is another rematch, though each team is quite different. When the Vikings dealt the Saints a 29-19 defeat in Week 1, the Saints had Adrian Peterson as their starting running back. The Vikings offense was led by quarterback Sam Bradford and running back Dalvin Cook. Peterson was traded to Arizona and Bradford and Cook were both placed on injured reserve early in the season.

Saints-Vikings DAZN graphic

Bradford is back on the Vikings active roster, as of Saturday, but Case Keenum will start after throwing for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Former Raiders running back Latavius Murray has filled in nicely for Cook. Murray ran for 842 yards and eight scores during the regular season.

The Vikings had the NFL's best defense, and it will be tested by a dynamic Saints offense with plenty of options for quarterback Drew Brees. It starts with the running back tandem of Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara. Both were selected to the Pro Bowl after Ingram ran for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns and Kamara added 728 yards and eight scores. Both players eclipsed 1,500 scrimmage yards as Ingram added 48 catches for 416 yards while Kamara, who will likely be named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year, had 81 receptions for 826 yards and five touchdowns.

While Minnesota's chance of staying at home for the entire postseason was dashed when the Falcons failed to knock off the Eagles, the Vikings still have a chance at history. If they can reach the Super Bowl, the Vikings would become the first team in NFL history to play in a Super Bowl inside their own stadium. 

 

Ron Clements