The Super Bowl: the most coveted event during the NFL season. But before that, this Sunday, these prospective teams will be competing in the AFC and NFC championships.
The buildup has been incredible as other teams in the league have fallen short of expectations, such as the Philadelphia Eagles. After going 10-1 and destroying their competition, the Eagles began to get dominated by teams they previously beat.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are led by their quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield had an extremely interesting year, having been cut and traded by several teams within only a few years after being drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. Mayfield has made a complete comeback and led the team to a 10-8 record.
This season has been quite eventful and entertaining, but now we are closing in on the Super Bowl. The only games left standing in the way for these contenders are the AFC and NFC championships. The mighty teams left in contention are the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens. Each team has had its ups and downs during the season, injuries, firings, and trades. But through all the blood sweat and tears, these teams stand high above their divisions.
The Baltimore Ravens have had an incredible season, with stars on both sides of the ball, they look truly unstoppable. With players such as their star Quarterback Lamar Jackson, Star wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr and Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews this team has been and continues to be destined for greatness.
This team has been performing great all season, they also have such a cool swagger to them, the vibe and intensity this team brings you can’t not want them to win. What makes this team also super interesting is that their head coach is John Harbaugh, his brother, Jim Harbaugh was the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, who just won the College Football National Championship. The Harbaugh house would be nothing but celebration if both men won the biggest title in both their teams in the same year.
On the other hand, the extremely controversial Kansas City Chiefs have struggled the entire season, with losses in free agency and several players who couldn’t step up and make big plays. Many winnable games have been lost because of this, including Kadarius Toney offsides on a game-winning touchdown, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropping a game-winning perfect touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes.
These mistakes have been very embarrassing, you would expect them to play better than everyone because of “Mahomey magic” but it couldn’t be further from the truth. This team has just barely gotten by, this team shouldn’t even really be in the position they are in.
But because of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love, they battled their way to the AFC Championship for the fifth year in a row.
Plenty of eyes will be on both games Sunday night, but in my opinion, there will be more eyes watching the Ravens play the Chiefs both because of the talent on each team and Taylor Swift’s attendance. Two MVP quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson will go blow to blow shredding each other’s defenses. This game will be extremely eventful, and just like last year’s AFC Championship game, it will likely come down to the final play
The NFC has a lot more story than the AFC, both the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions have both had their ups and downs during the season, but they sure are great teams. A win from either team would be historic, especially for the Detroit Lions, just a few weeks ago they won their first NFL Playoff game in 32 years. The Lion’s head coach Dan Campbell truly turned around not only their team but their entire franchise into a winning machine. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a single point in the first round of playoffs then the next week promptly defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The momentum is in swing for the Lions and it will not stop.
The 49ers have had such an interesting year this year, they have several pro bowlers and all pros on both sides of the ball, but their quarterback has the most interesting story. Brock Purdy was the very last pick in the 2022 NFL draft and was initially a third-string backup, but as the two quarterbacks in front of him went down for the rest of the season he stepped up and showed everyone why he’s him.
Despite their rocky season, they rightfully earned the No. 1 seed in their conference and dominated the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles, which knocked their season off the rails. Will the 49ers be able to knock off the Lions? Unsure, this game is completely up in the air and can be stolen from either team. I do think that the 49ers have the edge over the Lions because of their roster talent.
These games will be extremely pivotal for not only teams looking to win the Super Bowl this year but also cementing both players and their team’s legacies. If the Chiefs win, they will officially become a dynasty. If the Ravens win, Lamar Jackson will undoubtedly earn his deserved title of “MVP.”
If the 49ers win, it will put Brock Purdy who was Mr. Irrelevant will have done the impossible, leading his team to their first superbowl win since 1995. But the most impressive of all, if the Lions win the Superbowl, it will cement Dan Campbell’s legacy as making him one of the best coaches of the decade.
