On the cusp of the 2015 NFL season, 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: Colts over Ravens.Andrew Luck has taken the Indianapolis Colts one step further into the postseason in each of his first three years. With Frank Gore and Andre Johnson making late-career pushes, the Colts go one step further again.
Jeffri Chadiha: Colts over Patriots. Indianapolis surely learned plenty from last year's AFC title-game loss. This is the year when Andrew Luck utilizes that wisdom.
Brian Billick: Ravens over Colts. The Ravens beat the Colts by pressuring Luck to the tune of six sacks and pull away late to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for the second time in four years.
Michael Silver: Colts over Bengals. Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton will finally break free from their postseason purgatory -- but Indy is a terrible matchup for Cincinnati, and this is Andrew Luck's time.
Colleen Wolfe: Colts over Patriots. A rematch, only this year the balls are ... [ducks again]. OK, that one, I deserved. But the Colts win this one and Luck marches to the Super Bowl to begin his reign as one of the league's best.
Steve Wyche: Steelers over Colts. Luck might throw for 400 yards, but Big Ben throws for 450.
Gil Brandt: Patriots over Ravens.Tom Brady and New England's defense stop Joe Flacco and Co. in the playoffs yet again.
Adam Schein: Colts over Patriots.Deflategate revenge! In Indy this time, the Colts beat the Patriots in a title game for the ages. Andrew Luck takes the next step.
Charley Casserly: Colts over Steelers. Luck breaks through in the championship game with the help of vets Andre Johnson and Frank Gore
Elliot Harrison: Colts over Steelers.Andrew Luck pushes Indy past Cincy, then Pittsburgh, employing the running game versus the Bengals before lighting up the Steelers in the second half of the championship game.
Marc Sessler: Colts over Patriots. Is there any better way to cap an offseason set on fire by endless Deflategate drama? This time, Andrew Luck gets the best of Tom Brady.
Dave Dameshek: Chiefs over Bills. Four years after a couple of fouled-up punt returns in San Francisco cost him a trip to the Super Bowl, Alex Smith gets his new team to the big game in Santa Clara.
Bucky Brooks: Colts over Chiefs.Andrew Luck finds a way to pick apart the Chiefs' secondary with pinpoint passes to T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, Phillip Dorsett and Dwayne Allen. The explosive output allows the Colts' underrated pass rush to force Alex Smith into a dismal performance.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Judy Battista: Packers over Seahawks. The Seahawks might again have the best defense and most daunting running game in the league, but in a rematch of last season's epic, Aaron Rodgers prevails.
Jeffri Chadiha: Seahawks over Packers. Green Bay would've been the choice here if Jordy Nelson hadn't been lost for the season. Now it looks like three straight Super Bowl trips for Seattle.
Brian Billick: Seahawks over Eagles.Russell Wilson earns his big-money contract with a third straight appearance in the Super Bowl.
Michael Silver: Packers over Seahawks.I am truly torn over this one; both teams have incentive to atone for awful endings in 2014. If the Packers' defense is really as good as it looked in last year's NFC title game, Green Bay will get it done this time.
Colleen Wolfe: Packers over Cowboys. Dallas slips into the playoffs and then goes on a run. I know, I know, I said the Cowboys hype train needs to slow down, but by the playoffs, it's rolling at full speed -- until it gets stopped by the Packers, who advance.
Steve Wyche: Seahawks over Vikings. The game will be played in Seattle, which could be too much for the upstart squad from the Twin Cities. Lynch vs. Peterson, though.
Gil Brandt: Packers over Cowboys. Green Bay and Dallas meet in a rematch of last season's divisional playoff game -- and the results are the same, with the Packers winning on a late drive.
Adam Schein: Packers over Seahawks.In Lambeau, the Packers get sweet revenge from last year's debacle and beat the Seahawks.
Charley Casserly: Eagles over Packers. Philly's offense is too much for Green Bay's defense.
Elliot Harrison: Packers over Seahawks.Aaron Rodgers is the key in the divisional playoffs, but in the NFC Championship Game, the Packers' defense forces turnovers to win at home. Rodgers is able to get the ball to Davante Adams when it matters.
Marc Sessler: Eagles over Seahawks. The Seahawks will become known for their heartbreaking finishes after Sam Bradford throws a last-second touchdown strike to Brent Celek in a replay of "The Catch."
Dave Dameshek: Seahawks over Lions. The Legion of Boom slows Megatron and Co. just enough to grab Seattle's third straight NFC crown.
Bucky Brooks: Seahawks over Eagles. In a classic offense vs. defense battle, the Seahawks' physicality and toughness overwhelms the Eagles in a hard-hitting affair. With Russell Wilson's timely playmaking ability and improvisational skills taking over in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks roll to their third straight Super Bowl appearance.
