With this weekend marking the end of the divisional round in the NFL playoffs, it leaves us with only four teams remaining all vying for a spot in one of the world’s most well-known sporting events, the Super Bowl. Below we are going to dissect each conference championship game and assess the four remaining teams’ chances of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
AFC Championship – Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs
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The AFC championship sets up to be a clash between two of this generation’s best quarterbacks in Kansas City Chiefs MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes and Cincinnati Bengals superstar Joe Burrow. The Chiefs were able to hold off the Jaguars in the divisional round despite Mahomes sustaining an ankle injury during the game. He was able to continue to play through the injury in the second half although visually you could see that it was impacting him although he was still as dynamic as ever throwing for 2 touchdowns among his 195 yards.
Not only has the Chiefs’ offence been dynamic (being ranked number one in the league), their defence has been able to come up with big plays throughout the year putting them in positions to win games. Against the Jaguars they were able to force a fumble on the three-yard line with the Jaguars looking to tie the game in the dying stages. They were able to constantly put pressure on Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Quarterback) and will be looking to do the same again this weekend against the Bengals as Burrow is known to hold onto the ball a touch longer than most quarterbacks and the Bengals’ offensive line is certainly no standout.
The Bengals however are one of few teams who can match Kansas City’s firepower on offence with weapons such as Jamarr Chase, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon. They are coming off a huge dangerous game against the Buffalo Bills where they were able to keep them to a low score and nullify Bills star quarterback Josh Allen’s influence, keeping them to a score of 10 while scoring 27 themselves. There will be a fire in the belly after being beaten in last year’s Super Bowl by the Los Angeles Rams and if Joe Burrow is able to get in a rhythm and avoid multiple sacks they will be hard to beat.
Verdict: Bengals
Going to be a very interesting and tight-fought affair however, I am going to have to side with the Bengals. The Jamarr Chase and Joe Burrow connection is unmatched and has won them a college championship after losing the Super Bowl last year, will be looking to rectify that loss and add the Vince Lombardi trophy to the partnership also. The Chiefs certainly will not go down without a fight but I just think with Mahomes is not at full health due to his ankle it might restrict him from being able to pull off some of the ridiculous plays that we have become accustomed to that often get the Chiefs out of trouble.
NFC Championship – Philadelphia Eagles vs San Francisco 49ers
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The NFC championship brings together an intriguing matchup that will see the top two seeds the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers do battle. Philadelphia has had a relatively easy run through the playoffs to this point with the first-week bye and then a dominant display over the New York Giants in the divisional round. They have been one of the better teams all year and have one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts who has been sensational all year leading one of the best offences in the league. The balance between their run game and their passing game keeps opposing defences honest and Hurts’ ability to extend plays and take off from the pocket and gain yards with his legs is what has held the Eagles in such good stead all year.
This offence may well be facing its stiffest test all year, however, coming up against the 49ers’ number one of the best defences in the league. Full of stars like Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead they are able to constantly put pressure on the quarterback without necessarily having to blitz, allowing them to have better coverage downfield as both Bosa and Armstead are so often able to get to the quarterback and win their one on one battles. The winner of the Philly offence and the 49ers’ defence may well determine the outcome of this game as one of the best defences in the league faces one of the better offences in the league. Philly’s defence has also been quality this year getting 5 sacks and 8 quarterback hits in their divisional-round victory over the Giants. They will certainly look to get to inexperienced quarterback Brock Purdy and put him under pressure from the outset and aim to force him into errors.
Another question mark over the game however will be whether it is actually Brock Purdy lining up under centre or whether Jimmy Garoppolo returns from Injury. Purdy has not stepped a foot wrong since stepping in for Garoppolo and has surprised many across the league with his play and has arguably made their offence better. Will be intriguing to see whether Garoppolo is fit and ready to play, and if so, whether he starts or whether they leave Purdy in who has gotten them this far.
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Verdict: Eagles
We are in for yet another blockbuster conference championship which really could go either way but I believe this may be the Eagles’ year to reach another Super Bowl since Nick Foles led them to an upset Super Bowl win. I think their offence has been so good on both sides of the ball this year and they were ultra-impressive in their victory over the New York Giants and should still be relatively fresh heading into this clash after getting the bye in the wildcard round. I’m with the Eagles to create a blockbuster Super Bowl matchup between two young elite quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts and the Eagles vs Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Who Do You Think Makes The Super Bowl? Comment Below!