With the conference championship games coming up this weekend, let’s take a look at the matchups and what they’ll bring.
On the AFC side, the third-seeded Chiefs are set to play the first-seeded Ravens.
Braeden’s predictions:
The Ravens are coming off a great win against the Texans. While the game was close early on, Baltimore opened a gap in the second half that Houston could not overcome. In last week’s game, Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdown passes, and added 152 yards through the air. However, that’s not where the Ravens dominated. On the ground, Jackson ran 11 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Justice Hill was another contributor for the Ravens, rushing 13 times for 66 yards. Mark Andrews is also set to make his return, which will be important for the Ravens offense.
The defense showed out, only allowing 213 total yards for the Texans, and no touchdowns–although the Texans scored on a punt return. Defense will be a major key factor, as the Ravens suffocating defense are plenty capable of making huge plays to stop the Chiefs offense. On the defensive line, look out for young defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who amassed an impressive 13 sacks in the regular season, Jadeveon Clowney, who totaled 9.5 sacks, and former Patriot Kyle Van Noy, who had nine sacks during the regular season. Players to look out for on the linebacker level include Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, both of whom made the Pro Bowl. They topped the defensive charts in tackling and their ability to stop the run will be huge. In the secondary, cornerback Marlon Humphrey looks to return to bolster the back end of the defense after missing the Texans game.
Switching over to the Chiefs, they definitely looked like they got bailed out by the Bills struggles. For example, receiver Stefon Diggs dropped a huge pass that likely would have been a touchdown. However, Patrick Mahomes played quite well, throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Mahomes also avoided the Bills pass rush incredibly well. Mahomes’ ability to escape the pocket will play a huge role in this game, as the ferocious pass rush of the Ravens is no joke. Both of his touchdowns went to Travis Kelce, who came back to form and dominated, catching five passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Marquez Valdez-Scantling played quite well and showed fans his ability to actually catch passes with two catches for 62 yards. If he can show out again, he can take some pressure off of rookie Rashee Rice, who has been carrying this receiving core as of late.
Switching over to the ground game, the Chiefs had a balanced attack, rushing for 146 yards. Isaiah Pacheco contributed most of those, as he ran 15 times for 97 yards and a touchdown. His tough running will be a huge factor in this game.
The acclaimed Chiefs defense held the tough Bills offense to 24 points, a testament to their abilities and proving they have what it takes to hold the excellent Ravens offense. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed will have to match up with top receiver Zay Flowers in this game. Don’t forget the Chiefs’ other great cornerback Trent McDuffie, a first-team all-pro in just his second season.
This game will be a grueling matchup, as the two AFC titans are evenly matched. However, the balanced Ravens offense will tip the scale in their favor, which is why the Ravens will win by a touchdown.
Lars’ Prediction:
The Ravens are great, but so are the Chiefs. Both teams have a really even matchup going into this game, The Ravens and Chiefs have very similar offensive and defensive structures as well as overall team capability.
The Chiefs, to start, have the best playoff quarterback in the NFL right now. Mahomes has a 13-3 record in the playoffs, and a 1-0 record on the road in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson has a measly 2-3 record in the playoffs (–3 before his game against the Texans last week). Jackson’s playoff record compared to Mahomes’ highly winning playoff record exemplifies Mahomes’ playoff presence. His receivers are showing up, with MVS and Travis Kelce making big plays to push them closer to victory against the Bills. The Chiefs’ run game has been equally as awesome as the pass game during this postseason as well.
Isiah “Pop” Pacheco has been doing what he does best this postseason. He keeps scoring, and playing with “ankle-biting” ferocity (as some social media users have been saying). Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a great secondary running back, backing up Pop with some great runs as well. The Chiefs have a certain offensive explosiveness that has driven them this far into the playoffs. The Ravens have an equally as good defense, however.
On the Baltimore side, the Ravens have a defense that could definitely stop, or at least get close to stopping, the Chiefs’ offense. They have the least number of points allowed to opponents in the league. The Ravens are going to have to show up defensively if they want to move on to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes and the Chiefs are underdogs going into this game. However, the Chiefs have been able to do much more than the Ravens on offense during the playoffs. This game is going to be rough, fun, and full of great offensive and defensive plays. However, the Chiefs have been able to keep up with any team this postseason, as seen with the Bills, and have one of the best playoff quarterbacks of all time. That is why the Chiefs are going to move on to Super Bowl LVIII.
Up next, we have the NFC Championship. The 49ers and the Lions are going head-to-head in the NFC Championship to see who will move on to the Super Bowl.
Braeden’s Predictions:
In this clash, we can expect a high scoring affair. Both the 49ers and the Lions have top offenses, as they ranked number two and number three in offensive efficiency, so look out for great offensive plays.
Starting with the top-ranked 49ers, they looked shaky in their playoff debut. Against the Packers, they struggled getting momentum on the offensive side of the ball. They punted 4 times, signaling their struggles to sustain longer drives. However, the grit of the Niners offense really showed up later in the game. The mark of a good team is sometimes getting through the games where you play the worst, and the 49ers did just that.
It shouldn’t be surprising that Christian McCaffrey showed up. He rushed 17 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns while also catching seven passes for 30 yards. Brock Purdy played quite well, avoiding interceptions and throwing for a nice 252 yards and a touchdown. If he can continue to avoid these turnovers, the 49ers will be golden. Picking up most of the slack from missing Deebo Samuel for most of this game was George Kittle. He had four receptions for 81 yards and a nice breakaway touchdown. His presence will be important in this matchup, but he should be helped by Deebo Samuel’s return. On top of everything, the Lions aren’t known for their passing defense, as they’re ranked 27th in that category. The 49ers’ pass offense should do great against the Lions.
While the offense may have scored the game winning drive, the 49ers defense really bailed the squad out. Dre Greenlaw’s two interceptions come in clutch, as the latter of the two sealed the deal against the Packers. As the eighth ranked defense this year, the 49ers defense has been excellent. All-pro selection Fred Warner has continued his run as one of the best defensive signal-callers in the league, and his efforts will be instrumental in trying to stop the Lions’ incredible offense. The 49ers defense has pro bowlers at every level, with Javon Hargrove and Nick Bosa on the line, Fred Warner, and cornerback Charvarius Ward in the secondary. Nick Bosa, who won the defensive player of the year last year, will be a major factor in slowing down the passing attack, as he can disrupt Jared Goff quickly. The Lions will struggle to get anything going thanks to the 49ers’ defense.
Switching over to the Lions, their third-ranked offense will be key in this matchup if they hope to move on to the Super Bowl. Jared Goff has been on a great run this season. His weapons include Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Along with Jahmyr Gibbs is David Montgomery, who led the team with 1015 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was Goff’s favorite target in the regular season, don’t expect that to change here. His 1515 yards ranked third in the league, so expect him to be a major component of the Lions offense this game. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta will be another key component and his excellent play will certainly define this game.
The Lions defense had nothing to write home about this season. Being ranked just 27th in pass defense is terrible for this stage of the playoffs. However, second year star Aiden Hutchinson has been a bright spot in this struggling unit, and his ability to get to the quarterback in this game will certainly be important if the Lions hope to stop the 49ers. Rookie Brian Branch’s role in coverage will make its mark on the game. Another player that could come in handy in this game is Jack Campbell, who has been a top tackler for Detroit this season.
The 49ers will be too good this game for the Lions to keep up. The 49ers defense should be able to make some stops on the Lions offense, but the same can’t be said about the Lions’ defense. Thus, the 49ers should come out on top.
Lars’ Prediction:
The Lions and the 49ers have a very similar situation as the Chiefs and the Ravens. While the 49ers have a great defense and a great offense, the Lions have a fairly decent defense and a phenomenal offense.
First of all, the Lions have something insane going for them on offense. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jared Goff have all proved their worth this season. The Lions were second overall in passing yards per game this season, and fifth in rushing yards per game. The Lions were not messing around during the regular season, and have not been messing around during the playoffs either. Meanwhile, the 49ers have CMC and one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The 49ers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, or CMC for short, has (once again) had a phenomenal year. Another 1000-yard rushing season has befallen upon him, and he is making the most out of it with 14 touchdowns during the regular season as well. CMC can do practically anything, having several rushing touchdowns, and a couple crazy passing touchdowns on trick plays. On the defensive side, the 49ers have quite a few defensive lines.
While typically defense thwarts offensive attempts, the number of offensive weapons the Lions have as opposed to the number of defensive weapons the 49ers have will lead to a very offensive battle between these two teams. The 49ers and Lions both have an insane wide receiver, tight end, and running back. This game is going to be quite fun indeed, however, the Lions will come out victorious over the 49ers simply because Jared Goff has yet to show any sign of staggering against any opponent in these playoffs.
Last week, Purdy was struggling a bit against the Packers, winning by just a field goal. Purdy showing some signs of struggle is not fantastic going into this tough game against the Lions. Which is why the Lions will end up coming out victorious over the 49ers in an insanely close game.
This season’s NFC and AFC Championship games have brought about surprising matchups that will be nothing short of exciting. For now, we wait to see who takes the cake in each of these games and move on to this year’s Super Bowl.ChA
