Previewing the NFL Conference Championships
Josh Peterson
Staff Writer
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The NFC and AFC championship matchups are set after a wild weekend of Divisional round play. The Los Angeles Rams survived the Buccaneers and will face the upset minded San Francisco 49ers for the NFC title game. In the AFC, the dominant Kansas City Chiefs will face off against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a game winning drive which kept their season alive after a huge catch by Cooper Kupp. The Rams have been a top team all year after making tons of additions in the offseason. Kupp has had one of the top receiver seasons in the history of the NFL and the Rams will need him to produce if they want to beat the 49ers.
The 49ers will pose tough opposition to the Rams as they knocked off the Packers who were the favorites to win the NFC. The defense has been the strong point for them and the breakout of Deebo Samuel poses a challenge to any defense. They have been having tons of injuries in their two playoff games which could make this ugly if they’re missing some of their stars.
The Rams are the early favorites in this NFC West battle for the Super Bowl. Despite the Rams being a better overall team this season, the 49ers did beat the Rams twice. The Rams will have more star players on the field, but the 49ers has shown they can out coach most teams as they’ve done in the previous two playoff games. The 49ers will need to get the offense going early because the Rams certainly will.
Kansas City led by Patrick Mahomes have made their 4th straight AFC Championship game. They have been the most consistently dominant team the past few years even if they got off to a slow start this year. Mahomes has really turned it up in the second half of the season and the Chiefs look like a top team again. The defense is not great, but the explosive offense makes up for it.
The Bengals seek their first Super Bowl appearance since 1989 which is very different from the 3 other teams remaining. The Bengals have a young team, but that does not stop their offense from being one of the best. Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have one of the best connections in the NFL despite being in their second and first year. The defense is one of the worst and the offensive line is really bad which is a red flag this late into the season. Their season relies on Burrow and Chase connecting on the big plays.
The Chiefs are comfortable favorites, but an upset would not be all that surprising. On paper, it looks like a shootout if Mahomes and Burrow are playing at the top of their game. The Chiefs could pick up tons of sacks this game if the Bengals offensive line plays like they did last week. The Bengals defeated the Chiefs earlier this season, but not many teams can beat the Chiefs twice. If the Chiefs defense steps up and the offense plays up to their caliber, then the Chiefs should take this game and make their third straight Super Bowl.