AFC and NFC Championship games open thread

It’s championship Sunday! Today the AFC and NFC Championship games will take place, determining who will face off in the Super Bowl in two weeks.

The NFC game is up first, followed by the AFC game. Here’s a look at the two matchups:

NFC Championship Game:

Green Bay Packers (10-6) at Atlanta Falcons (11-5)

3:05 p.m. ET, FOX

This game looks like a fantastic matchup. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have the best offense in football, without question, while Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are as hot as any team right now. It’s a matchup of the team with the best offense (Falcons) and the likely MVP (Ryan) against a incredibly hot team (Packers) and the best player in football right now (Rodgers). This game should be a high scoring game, one that follows the mold of “last team with the ball wins” type games. I love the Falcons’ offense and everything they bring to the table, but I’m taking Rodgers and the Packers in a close, high-scoring, thrilling matchup.

Colts against these teams this year: 1-0

AFC Championship Game:

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) at New England Patriots (14-2)

6:40 p.m. ET, CBS

Another game that on paper looks very exciting, the Steelers travel to New England, where it’s incredibly hard to win in January, and look to knock off the Patriots. The trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown lead the way for a very dangerous Steelers offense, but they’ll be pitted against Tom Brady and a Patriots offense that’s also been very good this season. I expect this game to be a competitive one as well, but I’ll take the Patriots.

Colts against these teams this year: 0-1

Whatever happens, here’s your open thread to discuss today’s games.