We have two very exciting games coming up in the conference championship round. I went 3 – 1 last weekend with the divisional round picks (The Eagles absolutely massacred the Giants). However, with that out of the way, I was on point in the rest of the matchups. The Chiefs won a weirdly close game against the Jaguars and take care of their business at home. The Jaguars’ inexperience led to their crucial late-game turnover, which cost them the game. The biggest story however was that Mahomes rolled his ankle, which is going to hinder and impact him. The Bills turned out to be the team that was worse than the Bengals as both teams barely won their wild card matchups. The Bengals went into a snowy Buffalo and made it look easy making the right plays at the right time. They were firing on all cylinders and Burrow, Chase, and Hurst play well. This all happened when they were even missing three O-Linemen. The 49ers were able to take advantage of the Cowboys’ Mistakes by sticking with the run game even though that didn’t work in the first half as they didn’t even crack 100 yards. Purdy did enough against the dominant Cowboys Pass Rush. The Eagles smacked the Giants and became the team with the most conference championship appearances in the NFC. since the year 2000. Their offense and defense are clicking on both ends.

NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers (2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1): The NFC Championship Game is an anticipated game as two powerhouse teams the Eagles and 49ers clash. The Eagles offense did well running the football last week, which they will have to continue to do so against this ruthless 49ers defense. Their O-Line must also defend Hurts from Nick Bosa and the rest of the 49ers’ linebackers. I have loved what 49ers QB, “Mr. Irrelevant” – Brock Purdy, has done this year, but to be honest, I think he’s going to get exposed. He has yet to play in a hostile road environment, which will happen today, and they have played many easy teams. That alongside the fact that the 49ers have multiple offensive weapons, which makes Purdy’s job easier. This is not a jab at Purdy, who is someone who had impressed me, especially for the circumstances. It’s just that the Eagles are a different breed that Purdy and the 49ers have yet to face. The Eagles’ pass rush will dominate the 49ers’ offense and will have more of an impact than the Cowboys’ last weekend, where Purdy struggled immensely.

This could go either way as these are two teams that are well-coached and well-rounded. However, I’m giving the edge to the Eagles because their offense can take advantage of the 49ers’ secondary and they also have a dominant offense-line as well that can protect Jalen Hurts, who can also move out of the pocket since he’s mobile. On the other hand, the Eagles led the league in sacks this year, and with the 49ers’ O-Line not performing their best these entire playoffs, the Dominant Eagles’ defense will be able to get crucial stops against the well-rounded Offense of the 49ers. The Eagles need to take care of the 49ers’ secondary and have to take care of the ruthless pass rush of the 49ers with the OL. The Philadelphia Eagles fly back to the Super Bowl after their win 5 years ago. (Eagles win by 14)

AFC Championship: Cincinnati Bengals (2) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1): The AFC Championship is a rematch from last year. This is the Chiefs’ 5th straight AFC Championship game appearance, and for a fun fact, they have made it here every single year that Patrick Mahomes was a starter. The Chiefs are looking to get revenge from last year.

That said, Joe Burrow and the Bengals have just owned the Chiefs as they are 3 – 0 against Mahomes and company. The Bengals right now are one of the most confident teams in the playoffs. They’ve battle tested ever since last year by beating a hard divisional opponent in the Ravens, even though Lamar Jackson was out. Then they head into a blizzard Buffalo and knock out the Super Bowl favorites from this past year in the Bills. They were doubted ever since last year and have proven all the haters wrong. Burrow also seems to relish in big moments (ex: LSU’s National Championship run in 2019 and Bengals Super Bowl run last year). That alongside the fact that they will be going up against an injured and less-mobile Patrick Mahomes, I’m expecting the Bengals to be poised for this game. The Chiefs will hang on, but with Mahomes having the inability to create magic due to his injury, the Bengals will for sure take advantage. For a fact, we’ve seen Mahomes struggle like this 2 years ago in Super Bowl LV against the Buccaneers around a time when he got injured. The Bucs’ defense shut down the Chiefs’ powerhouse offense. Burrow is also 7 – 0 in the month of January They will for the second consecutive year, come into Arrowhead, knock out the Chiefs, and punch their ticket to their second consecutive Super Bowl. (Bengals win by 10)

Regardless of the outcome, any of the 4 potential Super Bowl matchups (Eagles vs Bengals, Eagles vs Chiefs, 49ers vs Bengals, 49ers vs Chiefs) seem exciting and I’m all in for it. Also for a fun fact, the Super Bowl this year will be hosted in my home state of Arizona. Two of the most iconic recent Super Bowls have been held in this same stadium – Superbowl 42 (Giants vs Patriots) and Superbowl 49 (Patriots vs Seahawks).