We now know two of the four teams that will play next weekend in the conference championship games as the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks both took care of business at home on Saturday in their Divisional Round games.
In their 43-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the Patriots were led by running back LeGarrette Blount, who rushed for 166 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns. Fellow Patriots running back Stevan Ridley also chipped in two rushing touchdowns and quarterback Tom Brady threw for 198 yards on just 13 completions.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, but was also picked off four times by the Patriots defense.
In Seattle, the Seahawks beat the New Orleans Saints 23-15 as running back Marshawn Lynch ran for 140 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson only completed nine passes for 103 yards in the game, but it was enough.
After getting off to a slow start in the game, Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 309 yards in the loss and his lone touchdown toss came with 26 seconds left in the game.
The Seahawks will now host the winner of the Sunday game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers next week, while the Patriots will face the winner of the Sunday evening game between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers. Should the Chargers win, the Patriots will get to host the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium.
