Final 4 riding impressive streaks into Championship Sunday
It's not hard to argue that this weekend's set of championship games features the four most deserving teams.
While each has had to win at least one playoff game to reach Championship Sunday, they also put together impressive runs to end the regular season.
Aaron Rodgers' "run the table" quote has been heavily publicized, but the Packers aren't the only team riding an incredible string of success. All four championship teams haven't lost since the seasons changed.
Atlanta Falcons: 5 wins
The Falcons held off the hard-charging Tampa Bay Buccaneers by winning four straight to end the regular season and were crowned NFC South champions and owners of the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The wins came against the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints, so they may not have been the most impressive of performances, but the Falcons don't make the schedule, they just beat whoever was placed in front of them. That quartet of teams finished the year with a combined record of 19-45, but Atlanta left no doubt by putting up 42, 41, 33, and 38 points.
Star receiver Julio Jones missed two of those games and, in his absence, quarterback Matt Ryan integrated Nick Williams, Levine Toilolo, Justin Hardy, and Austin Hooper into the offense. Ryan then proceeded to use eight different weapons in their divisional-round win over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Falcons haven't scored fewer than 33 points since Dec. 4.
Green Bay Packers: 8 wins
The poster boys for the winning streak. The Packers accomplished quite the feat, vaulting from third in the NFC North to division winners on the cusp of a trip to the Super Bowl.
At 4-6 and on the heels of a four-game losing streak, the Pack were left for dead, but they pulled off six straight victories that included wins over three playoff teams, including the team they caught for the division title - the Detroit Lions.
During that span, Rodgers had to be perfect, and he was. The MVP candidate didn't throw an interception despite completing 15 touchdowns and throwing the ball 200 times during that string.
In fact, the only turnover Green Bay committed during those six games was a Rodgers lost fumble.
For good measure, the Packers went on to beat the two teams with the best records in the NFC (Giants tied with the Falcons). They're universally believed to be the hottest team in the league right now, but ...
New England Patriots: 8 wins
The Patriots haven't tasted defeat since an incomplete fade in the end zone to Rob Gronkowski on Nov. 13.
New England was handed just two losses this season, and one came without Tom Brady in the lineup. If there's any team to fear, it's the Patriots, owners of home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Gronkowski was rendered unavailable since the loss to the Seahawks in Week 10, but the Patriots haven't lost a game since.
In their lone playoff game, they dropped 34 points on the top defense in the league. No one's playing at a higher level, except maybe ...
Pittsburgh Steelers: 9 wins
The team with the longest active winning streak. The Steelers and Patriots were last beaten on the same date, Nov. 13. Pittsburgh has played one more game since then, and they won it in decisive fashion.
Like the Packers, the Steelers had to go on a tear at the end of the regular season just to win their division and get in the postseason. They faced far inferior competition to end the year, but won games big, won tight contests, and even won on a last-gasp stretch across the goal line with 13 seconds left.
Pittsburgh's resolve has been steeled. With perhaps the best trio of offensive players in the NFL, and a defense that ranked 12th in the regular season, the Steelers are as qualified as they've ever been to knock the Patriots from their perch and return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010.
The final four are playing at their absolute best, providing us with optimal conference championship matchups.