It has now been 18 weeks since week one of NFL action, so the regular season has come to a halt. Some teams have now shifted their focus to the offseason and the draft, but others are focusing on winning the Super Bowl. 

14 teams advanced to the playoffs: seven in the NFC and seven in the AFC. All of them made an attempt to win after a chaotic season. Most came up short, but now there are four left: the Chiefs, Bengals, 49ers, and Rams. 

Each of these teams has a real chance of winning the Super Bowl, and have had success in their own unique ways.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the two seed coming off back to back Super Bowl seasons (one win and one loss). QB Patrick Mahomes has been highly regarded as their best in the league for about two years now. The beginning of their season was characterized by bad defense and turnovers. Between weeks 1-5 they have allowed an average of 32.6 points, but between weeks 6-13 they have allowed 13.7. It’s no secret that the defense has improved, and the offense is still as dominant as it has been the past few years.

After an offensive shootout with Josh Allen’s Bills, the Chiefs have all the momentum heading into Cincinnati. Head coach Andy Reid is looking for a third Super Bowl appearance in a row. 

The Cincinnati Bengals were heavily slept on this season. Many predicted three would be one of the worst teams in the league. Popular TikTok user Theo Ash predicted that they would go 2-15 this season. They went 10-7.

The Bengals had many breakout players this year including QB Joe Burrow who had torn his ACL and MCL, both significant knee injuries. He has been playing like no injury had ever happened and is now highly regarded as a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. First round draft pick WR Ja’marr Chase was a heavily criticized selection in the 2021 draft, as the Bengals had a significant need at offensive line, and didn’t necessarily need a receiver. Chase is now a key to the heavy Bengals offense and has had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history. Defense was also a point of concern coming into the season, but players like Safety Jessie Bates III, and DE Trey Hendrickson have enhanced the defense to complete one of the most electric rosters in the league.

The Los Angeles Rams have been one of the powerhouse teams this year. Coming off of a couple of average playoff performances, they look to finally cash in on a super bowl. With the key addition of QB Matthew Stafford before the season, the Rams were pushed over the brink of mediocrity. Many additions were made deep into the season including Odell Beckham and former Bronco Von Miller. The team was stacked all season, but now it feels even more like a super team.WR Cooper Kupp, the favorite for offensive player of the year, led the league in almost every receiver stat and was the focal point of a very successful Rams offense.

With So-Fi Stadium (the Rams home field) hosting the championship game this year, it would be huge for the Rams to have home field advantage. Sean Mcvay has solidified himself as a top head coach in the league and is looking to bring a super bowl to LA.

The San Francisco 49ers are the ultimate underdogs in the 2022 conference championships. Coming in as the six seed, nobody thought they would take down the Cowboys — but they did. Then they had to go to Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in near zero degree weather. Again, many said there was no chance the 49ers would win — but they did.

The WR, RB hybrid Deebo Samuel has shocked the world with how successful his season has been. Nobody has seen something quite like him before; his ability to run the ball at an elite level and also be the number one receiver makes him the heart and soul of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The defense was riddled with injury last season. Nick Bosa was gone for the whole year, but is back better than ever, racking up 15.5 sacks on the season. Fred Warner has also punched his spot as one of the best linebackers in football and has played a huge part in propelling the Niners this deep into the playoffs.

They made it to the Super Bowl in 2020 and are looking to get another chance at lifting the Lombardi trophy.

The Conference championships started Sunday, Jan. 30. Games started at 1 p.m. Mountain time.