Gone are the Cardinals, Steelers, Bengals and Lions, all pretenders to the throne.
All waved goodbye after this past weekend's wild-card round. Most of them went quietly. Only the Lions put up a real fight.
Eight teams are left to travel that rough road to Glendale, Arizona and Super Bowl XLIX, where wealth, fame and legend await.
But, first there's some football we got to play!
Here is my analysis of this week's playoff games, with their seeds in parentheses, along with my startlingly accurate predictions.
These are two teams that know how to win Super Bowls. The mouthy Baltimore Ravens won one just two years ago, and to get there they beat the Patriots in New England.
Of course, this is a different team, a team many thought was gutted after that Super Bowl win and wouldn't be a contender. I was amazed their patchwork secondary stymied the Steelers last week and one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league, Ben Roethlisberger.
The Ravens are fully capable of beating the Patriots at home in the playoffs. They've done it before, one of the few teams in recent times to pull it off more than once.
Look at the Patriots' last two regular-season games: They scraped by the terrible Jets and got beat by Buffalo. Yes, they were protecting their starters, but that kind of lackadaisical play can be contagious. I've seen it happen.
Prediction: Ravens by five.
The Panthers beat a crippled Arizona Cardinals team in the wild-card round, and for that they get the honor of playing the bad-ass Seahawks, who many think are the best in the league right now.
The Seattle secondary, the "Legion of Boom," is the best in the NFL and definitely the most aggressive: can rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin take the abuse, both physical and psychological?
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton will have to play better than he did last week if the Panthers are to have any chance at all.
This would be a huge upset if Carolina wins, and it would turn the whole playoff picture upside down.
Prediction: Never happen. Seattle by 12.
Will the Dallas Cowboys' dream season continue, or will it melt away in the snow, ice and hostile history of Lambeau Field?
The forecast calls for 20 degrees and clear. Aaron Rodgers has a calf injury. Think that will stop him? Neither do I. However, it might slow him down a bit. After all, there are reports he is human.
The Packers are unbeaten at home; that includes a win over the AFC's top-seeded Patriots.
The Cowboys are unbeaten on the road, including a win at the NFC's top-seeded Seattle.
Man alive, something's got to give!
Prediction: Packers by seven.
The Broncos are bent on revenge since their humiliation in last year's Super Bowl, when they were trounced by Seattle. The Colts stand in their way.
Andrew Luck vs. Peyton Manning: The best young quarterback in the game vs. the old-time, future Hall of Famer who relies more on his savvy and smarts than an aging arm.
Denver is better on defense this year, much better, and more balanced on offense. Manning is no longer the only guy who drives this bus.
The Colts tend to get beaten by teams who can run the ball. Denver can, and will, run the ball my friends. When they don't run, there's Manning back to pass, firing another precision drill.
Sorry, not your time yet, young Luck.
Prediction: Broncos by eight.
All waved goodbye after this past weekend's wild-card round. Most of them went quietly. Only the Lions put up a real fight.
Eight teams are left to travel that rough road to Glendale, Arizona and Super Bowl XLIX, where wealth, fame and legend await.
But, first there's some football we got to play!
Here is my analysis of this week's playoff games, with their seeds in parentheses, along with my startlingly accurate predictions.
 at New England Patriots (1) Saturday 4:35 p.m.){kind=link}
•Baltimore Ravens (6) at New England Patriots (1) Saturday 4:35 p.m.
These are two teams that know how to win Super Bowls. The mouthy Baltimore Ravens won one just two years ago, and to get there they beat the Patriots in New England.
Of course, this is a different team, a team many thought was gutted after that Super Bowl win and wouldn't be a contender. I was amazed their patchwork secondary stymied the Steelers last week and one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league, Ben Roethlisberger.
The Ravens are fully capable of beating the Patriots at home in the playoffs. They've done it before, one of the few teams in recent times to pull it off more than once.
Look at the Patriots' last two regular-season games: They scraped by the terrible Jets and got beat by Buffalo. Yes, they were protecting their starters, but that kind of lackadaisical play can be contagious. I've seen it happen.
Prediction: Ravens by five.
 at Seattle Seahawks (1) Saturday 8:15 p.m.){kind=link}
•Carolina Panthers (4) at Seattle Seahawks (1) Saturday 8:15 p.m.
The Panthers beat a crippled Arizona Cardinals team in the wild-card round, and for that they get the honor of playing the bad-ass Seahawks, who many think are the best in the league right now.
The Seattle secondary, the "Legion of Boom," is the best in the NFL and definitely the most aggressive: can rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin take the abuse, both physical and psychological?
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton will have to play better than he did last week if the Panthers are to have any chance at all.
This would be a huge upset if Carolina wins, and it would turn the whole playoff picture upside down.
Prediction: Never happen. Seattle by 12.
 at Green Bay Packers (2) Sunday 1:05 p.m.){kind=link}
•Dallas Cowboys (3) at Green Bay Packers (2) Sunday 1:05 p.m.
Will the Dallas Cowboys' dream season continue, or will it melt away in the snow, ice and hostile history of Lambeau Field?
The forecast calls for 20 degrees and clear. Aaron Rodgers has a calf injury. Think that will stop him? Neither do I. However, it might slow him down a bit. After all, there are reports he is human.
The Packers are unbeaten at home; that includes a win over the AFC's top-seeded Patriots.
The Cowboys are unbeaten on the road, including a win at the NFC's top-seeded Seattle.
Man alive, something's got to give!
Prediction: Packers by seven.
 at Denver Broncos (2) Sunday 4:40 p.m.){kind=link}
•Indianapolis Colts (4) at Denver Broncos (2) Sunday 4:40 p.m.
The Broncos are bent on revenge since their humiliation in last year's Super Bowl, when they were trounced by Seattle. The Colts stand in their way.
Andrew Luck vs. Peyton Manning: The best young quarterback in the game vs. the old-time, future Hall of Famer who relies more on his savvy and smarts than an aging arm.
Denver is better on defense this year, much better, and more balanced on offense. Manning is no longer the only guy who drives this bus.
The Colts tend to get beaten by teams who can run the ball. Denver can, and will, run the ball my friends. When they don't run, there's Manning back to pass, firing another precision drill.
Sorry, not your time yet, young Luck.
Prediction: Broncos by eight.