NFL picks: Championship round

Here's a look at our NFL conference championship picks against the spread as of Tuesday, Jan. 15. Lines are from Pinnacle Sports. Divisional-round picks went 3-1, and we went 133-126-4 overall this season.

Rams +3.5 at Saints

The Rams visit New Orleans for the second time this season after losing, 45-35, in early November. During that matchup, the Saints offense was able to exploit the Rams secondary with Aqib Talib injured and Marcus Peters playing through a calf injury. Both players are healthier for this matchup, and Drew Brees also has run into some struggles lately. The future Hall of Fame quarterback led the Saints offense to only 20 points in their divisional-round win versus Philadelphia and netted point totals of 14, 28, 12 and 31 over his last four regular-season starts. Added is the loss of defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who has anchored one of the top run-stopping defenses in the league. That's trouble against a team that's running hot on the ground with the one-two punch of Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson, who gained a whopping 273 yards versus the vaunted Cowboys defense last week. This game should come down to the wire, but the Rams' combo of running game and improved secondary should make the difference.

Chiefs -3.0 vs. Patriots

Kansas City could face record cold , as the Chiefs host an AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time. The Chiefs defense seems to be peaking at the right time, with consecutive outstanding performances that allowed a total of nine points during the last two games. Last week's cold weather did seem to impact Patrick Mahomes slightly, but he still dominated the Colts defense in the first half. The Patriots won the first matchup of the year versus the Chiefs in Foxborough earlier this season, though it should be noted they're now without Josh Gordon and the Chiefs have been able to calm some of their secondary issues with cornerback Charvarius Ward and safeties Daniel Sorensen and Jordan Lucas. It should be noted that former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt has been a major factor in each of the last two games against the Patriots, and his pass-catching ability will certainly be missed, but the Chiefs have fared well on the ground with Damien Williams. The Patriots have played well since their shocking loss at Miami, but they were still just 3-5 on the road this season and will be facing a Chiefs team that is 8-1 at home and 10-6-1 against the spread overall.