Conference Champion Matchups

Photo from NFL.

Karthik Anem

This is it: the games before the long-awaited Super Bowl that thousands of players put their blood, sweat, and tears into in order to get the once-in-a-lifetime shot at the Lombardi. Twenty-eight teams have been eliminated, four remain, and only two will continue. 

The Chiefs and the Bills gave us a classic game that ended in a missed field goal that made Bills fans leave with tears, knowing that this might have been their Super Bowl window. The Packers had similar issues with the 49ers, but some may say that this isn’t their time yet. The Lions and Buccaneers had a duel, where the Lions came out on top after a late Baker Mayfield interception and a controversial moment where Buccaneer head coach didn’t use his final timeout. The Ravens had full control of the Texans and ran ahead. 

Last week had some explosive games that paved the way for this week's matchups. 

AFC Championship:

Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs

24-21

Just when everyone thought Mahomes crashed back to Earth this year, he showed us that no matter how poor his weapons may be, he will still find a way. The Chiefs may have lucked out on a missed field goal that would have tied the game, but at the end of the day, they came out on top. Mahomes had a great game, throwing for two touchdowns and a 73.9% completion percentage. The Chiefs’s Isaiah Pancheco had a great game on the ground as well, scoring a touchdown and running for 6.8 yards per carry. 

This may not be enough, however, because Lamar Jackson and the Ravens exploded last week. Lamar not only threw for two touchdowns, he also ran in for two, while producing 100 yards on the ground. On top of Lamar’s MVP performance, the Baltimore Ravens had a suffocating defense, only allowing 10 points to the young CJ Stroud and his Texans. 

The Chiefs have a great defense, which may slow down Lamar, but I see the Ravens outscoring the Chiefs in a lower-scoring game that, like I said last week about the Chiefs, can go either way.

NFC Championship:

Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers

31-35

In a playoff matchup that hasn’t occurred since 1983, the Lions face off against the elite first-seed 49ers in Santa Clara, California. The Lions’ defense had a good performance against the dangerous Tampa Bay passing attack. They produced two interceptions, one to seal the game, and four sacks. However, they also allowed over 400 total yards and 5.9 yards per run, which is concerning considering they are facing Christian McCaffrey, who ran for 98 yards on a 5.8 yards per carry last week. 

The 49er's defense is also a little suspect, although they can be let off the hook a little bit considering they were facing the hottest offense in the league in the Packers. The 49ers had a struggling defensive performance as Brock Purdy had multiple dropped interceptions and only a 59% completion percentage, but the weather may have played a part in that. The 49ers also lost Deebo Samuel, which is something to monitor. 

The Lions, on the other hand, were much better passing, with Jared Goff having a multi-touchdown performance with a 103.5 quarterback rating. Their run game was also great, with Jahmyr Gibbs getting in the endzone on a 31-yard rushing touchdown. 

The Lions did have a good offensive performance, but I likely see them taking a step back and not keeping up with the explosive 49ers offense that should rebound and come away with the win.