Only four teams remain as we are now just three weeks away from Super Bowl LVIII. This weekend will be the conference championship games. Both the AFC and NFC championships will feature the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds.
In the AFC, two usual suspects will duke it out for the right to go to the Super Bowl. After a thrilling victory over the Buffalo Billsthe Kansas City Chiefs will go to Baltimore for an opportunity to play in their fourth Super Bowl in the last five years. The Chiefs have reached at least the AFC championship game in each season that Patrick Mahomes has been their starter. That’s six straight seasons of winding up no more than one game away from a Super Bowl appearance.
Although the Baltimore Ravens have consistently been a strong team and playoff contender, they haven’t played in an AFC championship game since they won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2012-13 season. Likely MVP Lamar Jackson has long seen his talents dismissed by NFL fans for his inability to win in the playoffs. Saturday marked Jackson’s second-ever playoff win and now he faces the juggernaut that is the Chiefs. It will surely be a phenomenal test of the MVP’s clutch factor.
On the NFC side, the San Francisco 49ers are playing in their fourth NFC championship game, but they will not face any of their usual competitors this time around. This Sunday, the Niners will face the Detroit Lionswho have not been to an NFC championship game since the 1991-92 season. Detroit appears to be the team of destiny throughout these playoffs. Every fan across the country is rooting for them. If their team can’t win it all, it may as well be the team that hasn’t won anything…ever.
Here are some predictions from around the internet regarding who will represent the AFC and NFC in this year’s Super Bowl, and who will wind up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
NFL playoffs: Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes is only one of the storylines for AFC championship
AFC Standings:
- 1. Baltimore Ravens – 1st AFC North (13-4)
- 2. Eliminated – Buffalo Bills – 1st AFC East (10-6)
- 3. Kansas City Chiefs – 1st AFC West (11-6)
- 4. Eliminated – Houston Texans – 1st AFC South (10-7)
- 5. Eliminated – Cleveland Browns – 2nd AFC North (11-6)
- 6. Eliminated – Miami Dolphins – 2nd AFC East (11-6)
- 7. Eliminated – Pittsburgh Steelers – 3rd AFC North (10-7)
Per NFL.com.
AFC championship game predictions:
Sportsbook Wire: Over 45 points
Sportsbook Wire mentions that four of the last five meetings between these two teams have seen the over hit. As great as both teams defenses are, the quarterback play on both sides is arguably better. Look for both Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson to constantly battle back and forth. As for a winner predictions, Sportsbook Wire points out that the underdog has covered in three of the last four games between these teams. That’s good news for Taylor Swift fans, and Chiefs fans too I guess.
CBS Sports: Chiefs 24, Ravens 20
Cody Benjamin writes, “Plenty of fans will be pulling for Baltimore just for the sake of watching someone other than the Chiefs fight for the Lombardi Trophy, and certainly the Ravens defense has the tools to keep things tight. But even with Lamar Jackson, Baltimore was uneven with the ball to open its game against Houston, and K.C.’s ‘D’ under Steve Spagnuolo has been far stingier.”
Bleacher Report: Kansas City Chiefs win
Erik Breaston writes, “Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce got red-hot Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, and Isiah Pacheco is running as hard as ever. Perhaps it was for one game and the offense, which struggled at times in the 2023 season, merely took advantage of a depleted defense. Furthermore, the defense made just enough plays to contain Josh Allen, a running quarterback whose ability to escape and make an impact down the field with his legs is as impressive as what he can do with his arm. That experience will help against Lamar Jackson, the front-runner for the NFL MVP award and the most explosive player on any field on which he plays.”
NFL playoffs: NFL divisional playoff winners, losers
NFC Standings
- 1. San Francisco 49ers – 1st NFC West (12-5)
- 2. Eliminated – Dallas Cowboys – 1st NFC East (12-5)
- 3. Detroit Lions – 1st NFC North (12-5)
- 4. Eliminated – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 1st NFC South (9-8)
- 5. Eliminated – Philadelphia Eagles – 2nd NFC East (11-6)
- 6. Eliminated – Los Angeles Rams – 2nd in NFC West (10-7)
- 7. Eliminated – Green Bay Packers – 2nd NFC North (9-8)
Per NFL.com.
NFC championship game predictions:
Sporting News: 49ers 34, Lions 20
Vinnie Iyer writes, “The Lions have had a great run, but it comes to an end, as they simply do not have enough defense to slow down all the 49ers’ weapons around Purdy. Goff will be under more duress all game with his backs being less of a factor than McCaffrey will. Aiyuk and Kittle also will explode for bigger games than St. Brown and LaPorta.”
Bleacher Report: Niners win
Erik Breaston writes, “If Aiden Hutchinson and the rest of the Lions’ defense can get in Purdy’s face and force him to make a quick throw, there is potential to force turnovers. Ultimately, though, the outcome of the game may come down to the sheer number of stars on the San Francisco side of the ball and their propensity for coming up big when it matters most.”
CBS Sports: 49ers 27, Lions 23
Cody Benjamin writes, “Detroit is a feel-good story, living up to preseason hype as a hard-nosed fighter, and if Goff gets run support while feeding St. Brown early and often, the Lions are capable of the upset. But Goff has also been significantly less effective on the road than at home, and the 49ers tend to take advantage of defensive opportunities. While Purdy and Shanahan proved vulnerable in their decision-making against the Packers, the superior talent is the safer bet.”
Super Bowl LVIII Odds
Covers: 49ers remain favorites
Despite a near loss at the hands of the 7th-seeded Green Bay Packers, Covers lists the 49ers as the Super Bowl favorites still at +145 odds. Although the 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens handedly earlier in the season, the Niners have maintained better Super Bowl odds than the Ravens for the entirety of the 2023-24 season.
FOX Sports: Niners, Ravens are massive favorites
FOX Sports lists the 49ers (+145) and Ravens (+190) as massive favorites for the Lombardi Trophy. The next closest team is the Kansas City Chiefs at (+400), more than double the odds for the Ravens.
Pro Football Network: 49ers have been the favorites all postseason
Brian Blewis writes, “The San Francisco 49ers were Super Bowl favorites entering the postseason, and going into Conference Championship weekend, they still have the shortest odds to win their first Lombardi Trophy since the 1994 season.”
NFL playoffs: San Francisco 49ers need to fix their mistakes. Fast.
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2024-01-22 22:37:11
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