The final four is set and Championship Sunday is upon us. We have both #1 seeds in the AFC (Baltimore) and NFC (San Francisco) still alive and both #3 seeds (Kansas City and Detroit). Both games feature really good matchups. As I always like to do, I like to rank the best possible Super Bowl matchups based on the four teams left. These are not my preferred matchups, but the matchups that probably feature the best storylines and juice:
1) San Francisco vs. Kansas City-Rematch of the Super Bowl LIV from a few years ago. The whole Taylor Swift storyline with the Chiefs. KC going to a repeat Super Bowl victory. Two dominant teams from the past five years facing off. A lot of star-power on both sides.
2) San Francisco vs. Baltimore- Rematch of Super Bowl XLVII. Rematch of the Christmas night game from a month ago. Matchup of both #1 seeds and probably the two best teams in the league this year.
3) Detroit vs. Kansas City-The Lions making their first appearance in a Super Bowl ever. Rematch of opening night game to kickoff the season. Taylor Swift against Eminem in terms of celebrity fans.
4) Detroit vs. Baltimore-The Lions making their first ever Super Bowl appearance. Rematch of a game from the regular season. Two of the top teams all year long from each conference. A matchup of two teams that no one had picked would be facing off in the Super Bowl-something different.
Now, onto the picks for Championship Sunday.....
Final Regular Season Overall Record: 143-110-18
Last Week's Playoff Record: 3-1
Overall Playoff Record: 6-4
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
AFC Championship Game
(3) Kansas City at (1) Baltimore
A Case for the Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes is the best QB on the planet, and the Chiefs have a chance as long as he is around. Everyone made a big deal about him playing in his first road playoff game in his career, and went into Buffalo and pulled out the win over the Bills. As good as the Ravens defense has played this year, Mahomes can exploit them.The Chiefs defense has played well all year, and you can see a scenario in which they have a solid gameplan and frustrate the Ravens offense. Everyone talked about how this wasn't a vintage Chiefs team this year and they were the most vulnerable in this ear of Mahomes. It seems like everything is coming together for them in the playoffs. They are dangerous, battle-tested, and will make things very difficult on the Ravens.
A Case for the Ravens: The Ravens have been the best team in league from start to finish. They lost four games all year. Three were close, late losses to Pitt, Cleveland, and Indy. The fourth loss was to the Steelers in Week 18 when Baltimore sat their starters. They also have a dynamic offense and Lamar Jackson is playing at a MVP level again. They are at home and this is the first time the Ravens have hosted an AFC Championship Game. The crowd and energy should be off the charts. Pound-for-pound they are the better team.
Prediction: Kansas City (+3.5) over BALTIMORE: I think the Ravens should win this game. I think the Ravens will win this game, but I'm not betting against Patrick Mahomes. I see the Chiefs somehow going into Baltimore and pulling off the upset and heading to their fourth Super Bowl in the last five years.
Final Score: Chiefs-26 Ravens-23
NFC Championship Game
(3) Detroit at (1) San Francisco
A Case for the Lions: They are the feel good story of the NFC this year. But, they are no slouch. They won 12 games this year and two playoff wins. Jared Goff is playing the best football of his career. Their offense is explosive and has so many weapons. They definitely will be able to move the ball and put up points on this 49ers defense. The Lions are one of the few remaining franchises that have never made the Super Bowl. They are in their first NFC Championship since 1991 and are 60 minutes away. Maybe they are due. Maybe they will reward their long-suffering fans with a trip to the Super Bowl.
A Case for the 49ers: We know how talented the Niners are, and for most of the game last week against the Packers it looked like the Niners were going to choke away a playoff game and get upset at home. They were able to turn it around late and won the game. Perhaps the Niners got it out of their system. Now, they can exhale a little and dial in on the Lions in the NFC Title game. I would expect a crisp and solid performance from the Niners. It would be surprising if the Niners laid an egg in this one.
Prediction: SAN FRANCISCO (-7) over Detroit: The 49ers get over the hump after losing the last two NFC Championship Games and beat the Lions to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2019 and the 8th Super Bowl appearance overall.
Final Score: 49ers-31 Lions-23
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