NFL CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS
AFC Championship
Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens
The early Sunday kickoff will mark the first time that Lamar Jackson has met Patrick Mahomes in the postseason as the reigning NFL MVP takes on the quarterback who is widely expected to take his crown.
Jackson has lost three of four meetings with Mahomes, his most losses against any quarterback. Then again, the last time Baltimore reached the AFC Championship, they went on to win a Super Bowl in 2013. The Chiefs won it all last season, but have appeared mortal this time around. This is the first season Kansas City has posted a sub 12-win season since Mahomes took over as the starter in 2018, the offense has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play (predominantly receivers dropping passes). That hasn’t mattered, the defense, coordinated by Steve Spagnuolo, has stepped up ranking second (per Pro Football Reference) in team defense. They may not have been their scintillating best at times this season, but under Head Coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs know how to win when it matters.
By the same metrics, Baltimore were the only team to eclipse Kansas City with their defensive output. The Ravens also lay claim to a top five offense when looking at total points per game - according to stats, they are the best performing squad of the 2023 regular season and posted the best record in the NFL with a 13-win campaign. Mark Andrews is one of the sport’s finest tight ends, having been absent since November he is slated to be available for Sunday should he make it through practise this week. Having one of Jackson’s most dependable offensive weapons back should open the field with Odell Beckham and Zay Flowers dangerous players in their own right.
Baltimore enjoyed a Wildcard round bye as the AFC’s #1 seed, they rolled Houston last week and are brimming with confidence. Kansas City have made it to their sixth-straight AFC Championship, though this time they’ll have to win on the road (the previous five have all been at Arrowhead). As good as Baltimore are, the Chiefs know-how at this stage of the playoffs is well documented. We envisage a similar game to that of Chiefs-Bills last weekend, with the Chiefs prevailing.
Prediction: Chiefs 23-20 Ravens
NFC Championship
Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers
Appearing in their third-straight NFC title game, the 49ers take on a resurgent Lions squad looking to ‘kick you in the teeth and bite kneecaps’, at least that’s what their Head Coach Dan Campbell would have you believe.
For San Francisco, will it be third time lucky? Last season they ran out of quarterbacks against Philadelphia, in 2022 they surrendered a 10-point fourth quarter lead to watch the Rams go on to win the Super Bowl. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch have assembled the best roster in the NFL, led by the the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy. The second-year quarterback ousted former #3 overall pick Trey Lance as the starting quarterback and has a 20-5 record under center for the franchise. The 49ers posses the number one scoring unit on both sides of the ball, though star offensive playmaker Deebo Samuel is 50/50 to play on Sunday.
Every neutral fan watching Championship weekend will be behind the Lions. When Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell began talking about biting kneecaps at his introductory press conference in 2021, observers smirked. Rah-rah speeches had lost their place, it was outdated, it was everything that would foreshadow doomed fate in the modern league. Campbell has had the last laugh to date, his team have improved year on year, posting 3 wins in 2021, 9 in 2022, before playoff berth came courtesy of a 12-win season this time around. Quarterback Jared Goff has led the revival under head coaching candidate Ben Johnson, the latter masterminded a top three total offense during the regular season. Goff, jettisoned by the Rams in 2021, was deemed a placeholder for the next franchise quarterback, instead, he’s guided Detroit to their first playoff win since 1991 and one game from reaching the Super Bowl.
Like Baltimore, the 49ers avoided Wildcard weekend and were given a scare by the Packers last weekend before ultimately sealing a home Championship title game. Detroit has been led by their offense, their defense will be put to the test by a ruthless Shanahan-led San Francisco attack. We have to back one underdog to prevail, so we’ll back the Lions to rise to the occasion and reach their first-ever Super Bowl.
