The set-up: All four teams playing on Championship Sunday feature terrific QBs but Rodgers against Ryan in the NFC championship game may offer the most intrigue. Rodgers has proven (at least so far) to be Nostradamus, as he told reporters that after Green Bay had fallen to 4-6 with a 42-24 loss at Washington in Week 10, that the Packers were capable of running the table. That's exactly what happened plus Green Bay has added 38-13 and 34-31 wins in the postseason, to enter Sunday's game on an eight-game winning streak. The Falcons were the NFC's No. 1 seed back in 2012 but lost in the NFC championship game to the 49ers but three non-playoff seasons followed, as Atlanta went 4-14, 6-10 and 8-8 (after a 6-1 start!). However. Matt Ryan had a "career year" (see below) for Atlanta in 2016, leading the NFL's highest scoring offense (33.8 PPG) to an 11-5 record and the NFC's No. 2 seed. Now, in the Falcons' final game in the Georgia Dome, he gets a chance to put his past playoff 'demons' aside and lead Atlanta to its second-ever Super Bowl appearance by besting Rodgers and the Packers. Pretty sweet story-line, isn't it?

Green Bay: Rodgers finally threw an interception last time out, his first since the team's Week 9 loss at Tennessee but that's 'splitting hairs.' After a slow start to the 2016 season, Rodgers finished with an NFL-high 40 TD passes and just seven INTs (QB rating of 104.2), leading Green Bay into the postseason for the eighth straight year. He hasn't slowed down in the playoffs, passing for 362 yards and four TDs in a 38-13 win over the Giants, despite Jordy Nelson leaving that game with a rib injury. Without Nelson against Dallas, Rodgers threw for 356 yards with two TDs, as the Packers won 34-31 with the game-winning FG coming on the final play! Rodgers has 21 TDs and just one INT in Green Bay's current 8-0 run (his INT last weekend is Green Bay's lone TO in the last six games!), one in which the Packers have averaged PPG, including scoring 30 points or more in each of the last six games. Then there is the Green Bay defense, which allowed 24.2 PPG on the season (to rank 21st), but has held opponents to 19.5 PPG during its winning run.

Atlanta: Ryan led Atlanta to 71 more points than any team in the NFL during the regular season. He passed for 4,944 yards, while throwing for 38 TDs and just seven INTs. His 117.1 QB rating not only led the NFL, but was the fifth-best in NFL history. He topped 100 in passer rating in 12 of 16 regular-season games, then did it again against Seattle (125.7) in the divisional round when threw for 338 yards with three TDs and zero INTs against Seattle. Julio Jones (83 catches for 1,409 yards) is one of the NFL's best WRs and the RB duo of Freeman and Coleman has turned into a real 'weapon.' Freeman gained 1,541 yards from scrimmage during the regular season and scored 13 TDs, while Coleman 941 yards from scrimmage with 11 TDs (his 13.6 YPC average is better than many of the league's top WRs!). Of course, Atlanta's defense is its Achilles' heel, allowing 25.4 PPG (27th) on 371.2 YPG (25th).

The pick: However, defense will not win this game. When these teams met back in Week 8, the Packers took the lead with just under four minutes to go in what had been a back-and-forth contest. However, Ryan drove the Falcons on a 75-yard TD, 11-play drive and with the extra point, won 33-32. I realize much is being made of Ryan exorcising his playoff demons (he had been 1-4 in his postseason career) by playing well in beating Seattle last weekend but remember, Seattle had struggled all season long away from home, averaging just 14.8 PPG in road games. Just how will the Atlanta defense slow down Rodgers and why would anyone want to give Green Bay a "margin of error," by making them an underdog. Green Bay is a 10* NFL Game of the Year.