NFC championship: 2 teams, different perspectives

ATLANTA | The Falcons are well aware of just how desperate this city is for its first Super Bowl championship.

AL HAMNIK: Jim Harbaugh doing what comes naturally -- building winners

Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers are one win from Super Bowl XLVII and no one should be surprised.

Bears secondary woke up in second half

CHICAGO | When Aaron Rodgers dropped back in the first half, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where he wanted to throw the ball.

Packers' Shields stunned by his success

Packers' Masthay keeps Hester in check

Packers' Raji never dreamed of scoring

CHICAGO | It was a running gag last week, after the Green Bay Packers nose tackle made his debut at fullback in a playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Third-string quarterback nearly leads Bears to Super Bowl

CHICAGO | Caleb Hanie insisted he's been comfortable with the Bears' offense since training camp.

Urlacher shines on dull Bears defense

CHICAGO | His eyes said it all.

In Packers vs. Bears, it's really Rodgers vs. Cutler

Every element of each team is important, but the outcome will likely hinge on the play of quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler.

Oates: Pressuring Cutler will be key for the Packers

Green Bay knows that the Bears' Jay Cutler has a tendency to throw the ball up for grabs under pressure. And the Packers' defense excels at making life difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

Griffith family finds a home on the Packers' Mother Ship

Close your eyes and imagine a huge green and gold spaceship made of Wisconsin chedder hoovering above the state, sucking in all life forms like a giant vacuum.

Beware forbidding fields in AFC, NFC title games

Cold, wind and frozen turf. They make Pittsburgh's Heinz Field and Chicago's Soldier Field such forbidding places.

NFC Scouting

MATT FORTE

AL HAMNIK: Rodgers, Cutler on different paths to stardom

All week, we've had tireless comparisons between the Bears' Jay Cutler and Packers' Aaron Rodgers.

Packers vs. Bears: 5 things to watch

Five things to watch when the Packers play the Bears for the NFC Championship.

Packers could have their hands full in covering Julius Peppers

Talented Bears defensive end Julius Peppers and other defensive players have been difficult for the Packers to block and could be so again Sunday.

Bears mean business for local bars, eateries

What's being called by some the biggest game in Chicago Bears history might translate into big business for local restaurants and bars.

Cost, demand skyrocket for Bears-Packers tickets

According to a major online marketplace for sports ticket buyers and sellers, Sunday's Bears-Packers NFC Championship game is expected to be its best-selling NFL conference championship in the company's history.

Bears merchandise not exactly flying out the door

What some are calling the biggest game in Chicago Bears history may not be translating to increased sales of the team's merchandise, a local proprietor said.