Check out the exciting content we put together to get you ready for championship Sunday.

The elite eight in the NFL have now been whittled down to four. But before we can look ahead to championship weekend, we need to look at what was unexpected (and expected) from the divisional playoffs.

12 teams entered, eight teams remain. So it’s not quite the Thunderdome, but the competition will be fierce. To highlight the series of great matchups this weekend, take a look at the content we whipped up for your reading pleasure.

We hope everyone has had a chance to recover from New Years’ Eve, and settle into those resolutions, as the NFL playoffs are finally upon us. To help get you prepped for the Wild Card games this weekend, or pass the time until your team takes the field, check out the wealth of prime content we’ve put together for your enjoyment:

As the playoffs draw nearer, it becomes more acceptable to start fantasizing about the potential matchups that could be on the horizon. Here are five playoff showdowns we can only hope to witness come January.

We’re now five days away from the start of the 2011 NFL season, when the Green Bay Packers will host the New Orleans Saints in a meeting between the last two Super Bowl winners. The Saints know firsthand how tough it can be to get back to the playoffs the following year, much less the big game.

When the decision to kickoff or receive to start the overtime arises, I would think very seriously about giving the other team the ball first if defense was my strength and we were facing an offense I felt like we could control.

A hard fought win over the Bears in Week 17 clinched a playoff spot for the Packers, the final available seed in the NFC.

The Steelers had little trouble with the Browns in Week 17, clinching the AFC North and a first-round bye in the playoffs with a 41-9 win in Cleveland.

Well, Week 16 is finally over, so here is one more updated look at the playoff scenarios heading into Week 17:

The Eagles didn’t even have to play Sunday in order to clinch the NFC East.

The Kansas City Chiefs are your 2010 AFC West Champions.

The Jets didn’t take care of business in Chicago on Sunday, but still exit Week 16 with a ticket to the playoffs.

Officially, the AFC playoffs will now go through Foxborough, Mass.

The Ravens are the third team to punch a ticket to the AFC playoffs.