Analysis

Championship Sunday predictions: Who will challenge Patriots?

Published:
3split-170830-sl

With the 2017 NFL season just around the corner, our analysts provide their predictions, including the winners of individual awards, playoff teams for each conference and Championship Sunday/Super Bowl forecasts.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Judy Battista: Patriots over Steelers. The Patriots will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and an improved roster from last season is enough to again overcome the Steelers' own explosive offense.

Steve Wyche: Raiders over Patriots. So Hollywood, but ... The Raiders get home-field and they give it to Marshawn from the 1 in the waning seconds.

Ike Taylor: Steelers over Patriots.Big Ben's receivers give him the edge in this passing showdown.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Raiders over Patriots. Oakland's young offense comes alive for the second year in a row.

Jeffri Chadiha: Patriots over Raiders. Oakland is good enough to reach the AFC title game, but the Pats have too much experience and talent to lose at this point.

Heath Evans: Patriots over Steelers. With as many offensive weapons as the Steelers have, they just can't overcome a Bill Belichick-coached team.

Dan Hanzus: Steelers over Patriots. The Steelers' big regular season will give them something they haven't had in a while: home-field advantage for a winner-take-all game against Tom Brady.

Gil Brandt: Patriots over Steelers. The Patriots should have home-field advantage, and they're almost unbeatable at Gillette Stadium.

Gregg Rosenthal: Steelers over Patriots. The Colts-Patriots rivalry also felt one-sided until a dramatic conference title comeback victory for Indy. The Steelers have been building to this season.

Reggie Wayne: Patriots over Steelers. The players and coaches -- and front offices -- know what it takes to get deep in the playoffs on the regular. This year will be no different.

Charley Casserly: Patriots over anybody. Brady usually prevails in this game.

Adam Rank: Patriots over Dolphins. I think we all want to see Jay Cutler in the Super Bowl, but the Patriots don't care about what you want to see.

Marc Sessler: Chargers over Patriots. Weeks ago, I had a vision the Chargers would win the AFC. I tweeted my thoughts and was killed for it. This only strengthens my resolve.

Adam Schein: Patriots over Raiders. The Oakland defense has no answer for Tom Brady.

Dave Dameshek: Steelers over Patriots. Three of five Brady-Belichick Super Bowl wins were immediately preceded by wins over Pittsburgh in the AFC title game. Now the Pats stand on the cusp of joining the Steelers as six-time Lombardi champs. Enough's enough. In a shootout for the ages, Roetlhlisberger finally vanquishes Brady.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Judy Battista: Packers over Seahawks.An easy schedule might give the Seahawks an edge in the race for home-field advantage, but wherever this game is played, Aaron Rodgers is the difference.

Steve Wyche: Seahawks over Falcons. Both teams should be red hot at season's end, but Seattle's defense and running game is just too much at C-Link. Did I mention Jimmy Graham is going to have a resurgent season?

Ike Taylor: Giants over Falcons. Even with two great defenses on the field, be ready for an offensive battle.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Giants over Packers. Odell fulfills his promise in his return to Lambeau.

Jeffri Chadiha: Packers over Falcons. A rematch of last year's NFC title game ends on a better note for Aaron Rodgers and Co.

Heath Evans: Seahawks over Saints. The Saints' offense gets them this far, but runs into Pete Carroll's physical defense.

Dan Hanzus: Packers over Seahawks. A Super Bowl return for Aaron Rodgers has been overdue. We'll finally get it after a decisive conference title game win at snowy Lambeau.

Gil Brandt: Seahawks over Packers. The 12s make this team so hard to beat at home.

Reggie Wayne: Falcons over Buccaneers. Is this the NFC title game or the decider of the best team in the NFC South? Or both?

Gregg Rosenthal: Seahawks over Falcons. One year after getting roasted in Atlanta, the Seahawks will host the NFC title game and make it appropriately ugly before rookie running back Chris Carson breaks a long game-winner.

Charley Casserly: Giants over Packers. The Giants' defense neutralizes Aaron Rodgers, and the Giants' receivers have their way with the Pack's CBs.

Adam Rank: Buccaneers over Cowboys.Jameis Winston is ready to take the stage as the next superstar quarterback.

Marc Sessler: Giants over Falcons. The G-Men will ride into this affair as massive underdogs, but a wild second-half comeback by New York will give Falcons fans fresh nightmares.

Adam Schein: Falcons over Packers. It's the same outcome as last year, but this time, the game goes down to the wire.

Dave Dameshek: Seahawks over Falcons.Earl Thomas is the Jenga piece of the Seahawks' D. Take him away, the whole thing implodes. Good news, then, that Thomas is back after confronting football mortality. I have a hunch this might be it for the Pete Carroll Era -- and I further suspect the Seahawks will rally around that to championship effect.