The Outsiders's blog

By now, you've read everything we (and many others) have to say about Sunday's Super Bowl between the Rams and the Patriots. So now it's your turn -- use this thread to discuss the NFL's championship game.

The Los Angeles Rams visit New Orleans to play the Saints for the NFC Championship and the George Halas Trophy at 3:05 p.m. EST. Then the New England Patriots head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs for the AFC Championship and the Lamar Hunt Trophy at 6:40 p.m. Winners meet in the Super Bowl two weeks later. Let's do this.

Your weekend viewing plans (all times Eastern): SATURDAY: Indianapolis at Kansas City, 4:35 p.m.; Dallas at L.A. Rams, 8:15 p.m. SUNDAY: L.A. Chargers at New England, 1:05 p.m.; Philadelphia at New Orleans, 4:40 p.m. Win or go home. Use this thread to discuss them all.

The Chiefs get the hottest team in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts, in a matchup of the top two teams in weighted DVOA. Meanwhile, the Patriots get a Chargers team that had superior stats and more wins during the regular season. We go through all the matchup numbers and tell you what to watch for this weekend in the AFC.

Can the four remaining NFC teams properly exploit their opponents' weaknesses this weekend? The Eagles haven't thrown deep much with Nick Foles at quarterback, but the Saints can be torched deep. The Rams can't stop the run, but the Cowboys run-first offense isn't as efficient as you might expect. These are just a couple of the matchups analyzed in our NFC divisional playoff preview.

Your weekend viewing plans (all times Eastern): SATURDAY: Indianapolis at Houston, 4:35 p.m.; Seattle at Dallas, 8:15 p.m. SUNDAY: L.A. Chargers at Baltimore, 1:05 p.m.; Philadelphia at Chicago, 4:40 p.m. Win or go home. Use this thread to discuss them all.

How will the loss of Earl Thomas and the addition of Amari Cooper affect Seattle's rematch against Dallas? And is there hope for Nick Foles to pull off a second miracle playoff run, or will Chicago's historically great defense be too much to overcome?

The AFC wild-card round brings us two rematches from the regular season. Saturday, the Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, but their stalwart offensive line will have to stop Houston's pairing of J.J. Watt with Jadaveon Clowney. Sunday, the Ravens are red hot on defense and a bit misunderstood on offense; can the Chargers get up on them early and force the Ravens to throw?

The biggest game of the week is on Thursday night. With a win, Kansas City can all but wrap up home-field advantage in the AFC -- but with a loss, they open the door a crack for the L.A. Chargers to slip past them and win the AFC West. We've got a pair of Saturday games (Texans-Jets and Browns-Broncos); critical Sunday games such as Cowboys-Colts, Dolphins-Vikings, and Patriots-Steelers; and finally the Saints and Panthers on Monday night. Use this thread to discuss them all.

The biggest games of the week are Philadelphia-Dallas and Minnesota-Seattle, where the Cowboys and Seahawks can all but clinch playoff berths with wins, but could be in rough shape with losses, while the Eagles and Vikings are both fighting for their lives. Other games with playoff implications include the Jags and Titans on Thursday night, and Colts-Texans, Ravens-Chiefs, Patriots-Dolphins, and Rams-Bears contests on Sunday. Use this thread to discuss them all.