The Divisional Round is over, and the Conference Championship matchups are set, as we are now just 3 weeks away from the Super Bowl. After what was a mediocre at best Wildcard Round, Divisional round Saturday saw Lamar Jackson and the Ravens beat the Texans 34-10, and Christian McCaffery and the 49ers beat Jordan Love and the Packers 24-21. The next day saw Jared Goff and the Lions take down Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs once again beat Josh Allen and the Bills for the fourth time.
The Ravens and Chiefs will play on CBS at 3 p.m. this coming Sunday in Baltimore. It is the first AFC Championship the Ravens have been in since 2012, and the first time the Ravens will host an AFC Championship. The defending champion Chiefs have been to six consecutive AFC Championship games, every year Mahomes has been the starter.
The Ravens’ defense led by all-pro Roquan Smith is the first defense in NFL history to lead the league in points allowed per game (16.5), sacks (60), and takeaways (31). The defense is also first in the league in yards per play (4.6). The 60 sacks also tied a team record set in the 2006 season. They have beaten 11 teams that are above .500, an NFL record, nine of these won by at least two touchdowns. The MVP favorite Jackon set his career high in passing yards (3,678), and had a 24-7 touchdown to interception ratio.
The Kansas City Chiefs are an anomaly. They have one of the worst wide receiver rooms, outside of rookie Rashee Rice, as the Chiefs had the highest drop rate out of any team since the 2017 Cleveland Browns (who went 0-16). Travis Kelce failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2015. Mahomes, despite still being the best quarterback in football, had his worst season since 2019 statistically (his 4,183 yards are his fewest in a season since 2019). However, the defense, led by interior defensive lineman Chris Jones, has been one of the best, if not the best, in the Mahomes era. Even though the defense has been relatively surprising, this is likely the weakest team Mahomes has had thus far in his career. Despite all their flaws, the Chiefs are back, as
On the NFC side of things, the San Francisco 49ers will host the Detroit Lions on Fox at 6:30 p.m. It will be the third consecutive year the 49ers have been in the NFC championship for the third consecutive season, and for the fourth time in five seasons (1-2 record). The 49ers are led by running back Christian McCaffery, who led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,459, and 4th in rushing touchdowns with 14. Their loaded offense also features Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel (who is 50/50 due to injury), and George Kittle. They are quarterbacked by Brock Purdy, who despite his limitations and overall poor game against Green Bay, has the team one game away from the Super Bowl. Purdy played relatively poorly when pressured, and missed easy throws up until the last drive against the youngest team in football, and a very mediocre defense.
The Detroit Lions, led by Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and a plethora of rookies and other young players have won their first playoff game since 1991 with their win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard round, and reached their first Conference Championship game since the same year with their win over Tampa Bay. After decades of suffering, the 12-5 Lions have a chance to make their first ever Super Bowl appearance, and possibly win their first championship since 1957.
Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs has taken on more and more of the rushing load, and has looked more and more explosive, putting up 114 yards on 13 touches in the Divisional. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta broke the rookie tight end record for both catches (86), and yards (889). The Lions defense, despite having great young talent in Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch, and Jack Campbell, have been mediocre at best against some of the better teams in the league this season, and face a very formidable offensive opponent in the 49ers.
Just two games separate us from the biggest game of the season, and more storylines are sure to develop after these games. Will Jackson make his first Super Bowl, or will Mahomes go back yet again. Will the 49ers get over the hump, or will the Lions get closer to making Lions fans forget about decades of pain. All this will be answered this Sunday.
