The New Orleans Saints made a statement by outscoring the high-octane Los Angeles Rams in their midseason meeting, handing the latter its first blemish and ultimately taking a large step toward home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Saints and Rams stayed the course for the duration of the season and each defeated an NFC East foe heading into Sunday's conference championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Kansas City Chiefs are right where many observers expected them to be, although Andy Reid's team is in uncharted territory. The New England Patriots, conversely, are on familiar turf even in Kansas City's backyard. The top-seeded Chiefs seek to advance to their first Super Bowl in 49 years when they host the No. 2 seed Patriots in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.