And then there were four.

With the AFC and NFC Championships set for this weekend, the pairings may be different than expected, but it should shape up for two classic showdowns.

AFC Championship: Baltimore (12-6) at New England (12-5), 6:30 p.m. Sunday — Many anticipated another Tom Brady-Peyton Manning clash in this final, a matchup of two future Hall-of-Famers, but the Ravens came out of Denver with an improbable 38-35 double-overtime victory. So instead of the Patriots going out to Denver, the Ravens will head to Foxborough for the championship game.

Joe Flacco, thanks to Denver’s defensive gaffe late in regulation, came up big, helping the Ravens reach the AFC title game for the second consecutive year. The Pats won this contest last year to advance to the Super Bowl, but Flacco is proving he can finally get the Ravens over the hump.

But, will it be this year? He’s coming off a 331-yard, three-touchdown game, but can he dispatch two of the era’s top quarterbacks in Manning and Brady in consecutive weeks on the road?

Tom Brady is Tom Brady. He’s been to five Super Bowls, winning three, but dropping the past two, both against the New York Giants, whose defense made Brady look human.

New England at home is a tough out, especially for a team like the Ravens, who has a strong defense only in spurts. The Ravens allow a lot of yards and Brady is the type of quarterback who can turn those yards into touchdowns, something Manning wasn’t able to take full advantage of.

Baltimore will battle, but the Patriots will pull away in the second half.

The pick: New England 30, Baltimore 19

NFC Championship: San Francisco (12-4-1) at Atlanta (14-3), 3 p.m. Sunday — Hey, the Falcons and quarterback Matt Ryan finally picked up their first playoff win in Ryan’s fourth trip to the postseason, but they did not help themselves by taking most of the fourth quarter off. A 20-0 halftime lead and a 27-7 lead entering the final frame nearly went for naught as the Seattle Seahawks scored three times, the latter with 31 seconds left for a 28-27 lead.

Ryan showed he wasn’t going to fold, though, completing consecutive passes totaling 41 yards to set up Matt Bryant’s 49-yarder.

Bryant, however, instead of squibbing a kick 50 yards, did so for just 15 yards, giving the Seahawks the ball near midfield with 13 seconds left needing just a field goal to win.

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary pass was intercepted in the end zone on the final play, securing the Falcons’ 30-28 win.

The Falcons showed too many weaknesses that San Francisco’s defense will be more than happy to exploit. The 49ers blew past Green Bay 45-31 as quarterback Colin Kaepernick passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 181 yards and two more scores, this after shaking off a pick-six that gave the Packers an early 7-0 lead.

Kaepernick showed the ability to shake off a bad start and come on strong.

Having already dispatched the Packers, a team with more experience, I see San Francisco finally reaching the Super Bowl.

The pick: San Francisco 31, Atlanta 13

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.