Championship Games: picks, bets and predictions for a ticket to Super Bowl LVII

It is true that the penultimate Sunday of every season NFL It can be considered the best of the year, since it gives us two championship games.

I have no doubt that the four teams that come alive this weekend are the best in the league. And for a mile.

It was exactly 10 years ago the last time the two visitors won the game for a ticket to the Super Bowl. In the NFC the san francisco 49ers defeated 28-24 the Atlanta Falconswhile in the AFC the Baltimore Ravens won 28-13 in Foxborough against the New England Patriots.

Can the visitors win this Sunday? Let’s go to the analysis and the penultimate picks of the 2022 season:

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

San Francisco 49ers en Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5)

Brock Purdy (23 years old) and Jalen Hurts (24) will make history this Sunday by becoming the first pair of starting quarterbacks under the age of 25 in a Conference Championship.

Purdy went from being “Mr. Irrelevant” to “Mr. Dependable ”because since he took the place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolothe Niners are 8-0 and have only had four interceptions (none in the playoffs), against 16 touchdown passes.

Hurts is the player who made the most progress from one year to the next. In 2021 he led the Eagles to the playoffs, but in 2022 he put together an MVP-caliber campaign in just his third year in the league.

Purdy and Hurts may steal the camera for being the quarterbacks in the NFC Championship, but the defenses will be the real protagonists of this game.

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San Francisco’s is the best in the NFL in terms of points at 16.3 per game, but Philadelphia’s isn’t far behind at 20.2.

Eagles led the league with 70 sacks, 15 more than second place (Kansas City, with 55).

Meanwhile, the 49ers haven’t allowed a 100-yard rushing player in 19 games this season, including the playoffs. The last time someone rushed for 100 or more yards against San Francisco was Justin Fieldsquarterback of the Chicago Bearsat the end of October 2021.

Three key duels

QB Jalen Hurts vs. LB Fred Warner

The Niners will use Warner as a “Spy” for Hurts, who was fourth among quarterbacks with 760 rushing yards. When these two teams met in September 2021, Hurts passed for 190 yards and ran for 82 yards and a touchdown. The mission of “All-Pro Fred” will be to prevent the Eagles quarterback from improvising on broken plays and having a run, like that 27-yarder in the game early last season.

OT Spencer Burford vs. LB Haason Reddick

Burford, the Niners’ rookie right tackle, has the toughest job of all Sunday in Philadelphia: trying to hold off Reddick, the Eagles’ sack leader with 16 in the regular season and 1.5 last week against the Giants.

Reddick took most of his sacks from quarterback lining up on the left side of Philadelphia’s defense and Burford is likely to need the tight end’s help. George Kittle to slow down Reddick on his way to the young Purdy.

CBs Charvarius Ward of Deommodore Lenoir vs. WRs AJ Brown and Devonta Smith

Ward and Lenoir left without a touchdown CeeDee Lamb in Divisional Play, but the wide receiver of the Dallas Cowboys he caught 10 passes for 117 yards.

Brown and Smith are in another category. Brown led the team with 88 receptions, 1,496 yards, and 11 touchdowns. His 17-yard per catch average was third in the league, and Hurts won’t hesitate to challenge what many think is the weak point of the Niners’ defense.

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (-1)

The Bengals are the team the Chiefs didn’t want to meet in the postseason. Including last year’s AFC Championship, Cincinnati has won three straight games over Kansas City.

In those three games, Joe Burrow he has eight touchdown passes, a single interception and a rating of 121 points. Four of those shipments to the diagonals have been at the hands of Ja’Marr Chasewho has scored a touchdown in three of his first four playoff games with the Bengals.

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on the other side is Patrick Mahomes, who will not be one hundred percent after spraining his ankle last week against Jacksonville. Although he was out for a few plays, he came back early in the second half, finished the game and ensured he’ll be ready for the Super Bowl LVII matchup.

Mahomes has 32 touchdowns (28 passing, four rushing) and three interceptions in 10 home postseason games. However, in last season’s AFC Championship Game, two interceptions by Mahomes in the second half and overtime resulted in a touchdown and the game-winning field goal for the Bengals.

Three key duels

DE Trey Hendrickson vs. OT Orlando Brown

With the limited mobility that Mahomes will surely have in the bag due to the ankle injury, it is essential for the Chiefs that Brown can contain Hendrickson, the best pass rusher the Bengals have (eight sacks in the regular season and 1.5 in the season). AFC Championship last year).

It is likely that Lou AnarumoCincinnati’s defensive coordinator, will risk sending more blitzes than usual if he confirms that Mahomes is not showing the usual mobility.

WRs Ja’Marr Chase y Tee Higgins vs. CBs L’Jarius Sneed y Trent McDuffie

Burrow knows he can hurt the Kansas City perimeter with his terrific wide receiver pairing, so Sneed and rookie McDuffie will be busy all night in Arrowhead.

In last season’s AFC Championship Game, Chase had six receptions, 54 yards and a touchdown, while Higgins had another six catches and 103 yards.

If the Bengals can move the ball through the air, the Chiefs will be on the ropes.

S Jeremy Bates vs. TE Travis Kelce

The plan that the Bengals implemented to contain Kelce in the penultimate game of the regular season was more than efficient. The best tight end in the league only caught five passes for 25 yards, with an eight-yard reception for the longest. Bates was in charge of Kelce for most of the game and it stands to reason that Cincinnati is going to repeat that formula.

In last season’s AFC Championship, the Bengals also used linebacker Germaine Pratt y al cornerback That is, Apple to take over Kelce.

If Cincinnati can get Mahomes to go elsewhere with the ball, the most important battle will be won.

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