It’s crunch time in the NFL season. The final four is set. The divisional round produced a big surprise with the shocking Commander’s victory over the Lions. Along with this game, the other three games were all entertaining. In the end, the Eagles, Chiefs, and Bills would emerge victorious. This leaves the Commanders, Eagles, Chiefs, and Bills left. In this article, we are going to preview and make picks for the NFC and AFC championship games.
NFC Championship Game: Washington Commanders vs Philadelphia Eagles
A nightmare game for fellow Giants fans. With the Commander’s victory over the Lions, the Eagles now have home field advantage. These two division rivals have already played two great games earlier in the season, with the teams splitting the two games. Jayden Daniels, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite, carried the Commanders to their first NFC title game since 1991. Daniels is the sixth rookie quarterback to advance to a conference title game. However, in this game, Saquon Barkley is the x-factor. The running back for the Eagles just finished Sunday’s game against the Rams with 205 rushing yards. In two postseason games, he recorded 324 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. I think this game could be decided by the end of the first half.
If the Commanders come out how they did against Detroit, they will run away with it. I think the key for the Commanders will be containing Barkley. Hurts has not been good as of recent and is a little banged up from the Rams game. All in all, I think the Eagles are just too talented for this Commanders team and historically we have seen Cinderella teams fade out in the semi-finals.
Pick: Eagles 31-28
AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
Allen vs Mahomes volume 4. This is the matchup that everyone has expected to happen at some point in the playoffs. This is also Mahomes’ 7th consecutive AFC championship game. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes will face off for the eighth time. Although their head-to-head record is 4–4, Mahomes leads Allen 3-0 in the postseason. Back in Week 11, Buffalo defeated the Chiefs 30–21, resulting in Kansas City’s lone defeat when starting their best players. When these two teams faced off in the divisional round last season, the Chiefs prevailed 27–24. I believe that it is finally Allen’s time to conquer Mahomes in the playoffs.
Everyone knows that the Chiefs have won games in the most obscure ways this season, and in my opinion, look the worst they have out of their previous two Super Bowl runs. The key to the Bills winning this game is getting out to a good start like they did against the Ravens. It is crucial that Buffalo does not fall behind given Kansas City’s stout defense. Overall, this is the Bills game to lose, and I think that last week’s big win against Baltimore will propel them to a victory here.
Pick: Bills 24-20
