NFL Championship Games 2018: Start Times, TV Channels, For Patriots-Jaguars, Vikings-Eagles

Sunday marks the final time this season in which multiple NFL games will be on the schedule. The 2018 AFC Championship Game kicks off the action, followed by the 2018 NFC Championship Game to determine which teams will meet in Super Bowl LII.

The New England Patriots host the Jacksonville Jaguars at 3:05 p.m. EST on CBS, and the Minnesota Vikings visit the Philadelphia Eagles at 6:40 p.m. EST on FOX. The TV channels will remain the same, though the start time of the second contest could be delayed by a few minutes if the AFC title game runs late.

There’s plenty of intrigue surrounding both games, and even more so after this week’s events. The NFC Championship Game might be too close to call, and an injury to Tom Brady’s hand has affected the betting line between the Jaguars and Patriots.

Brady is expected to play and be largely unaffected by the injury as New England tries to defend their title. The Patriots won their fifth Super Bowl last year when they beat the Atlanta Falcons with a historic comeback. This will be the team’s seventh straight appearance in the AFC Championship Game.

Jacksonville is trying to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in the franchise’s existence. The Jaguars weren’t among the favorites to reach the playoffs when the 2017 regular season began, and they were heavy underdogs in the divisional round when they visited the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The home team is the underdog in Sunday’s second game. Despite being the No.1 seed in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles are the underdogs in the conference title game. Backup quarterback Nick Foles will make his fifth straight start since Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Minnesota matched Philadelphia’s 13 wins in the regular season, securing the No.2 seed because of the tiebreaker. The Vikings aren’t relying on the quarterback that started the year under center, either. Case Keenum took over for Sam Bradford in Week 2, and he briefly went back to being the team’s No.2 quarterback in October when it looked like Bradford might be healthy.

The Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints in the second round with a game-winning, 61-yard touchdown pass as time expired. Philadelphia upset the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons 15-10.

Tom Brady is 7-4 in AFC Championship Games. Blake Bortles, Case Keenum and Nick Foles have never played in a conference title game.