February was arguably the most exciting time of the NFL season. Let’s review the conference championships and give a prediction for the big game.
National Football Conference (NFC) Championship
Philadelphia Eagles 55 Washington Commanders 23
The NFC Championship looked to be an offensive battle between two long-standing divisional rivals: the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles had been in this spot often, being one of the consistently strongest teams in the NFL. On the other hand, this was the Commanders’ first conference championship in 33 years. All season, the Commanders had been winning games because of star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ impressive performances. Daniels, a sure bet to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, flipped the narrative of the franchise, who had only won 4 games the prior year and now had a chance to make the Super Bowl.
But from the first quarter of the conference championship game, it was clear that superstar running back Saquon Barkley, quarterback Jalen Hurts, and the rest of the Eagles were headed to their second Super Bowl in three years. The Eagles’ offense was rolling, putting up a total of 55 points, with Barkley and Hurts each tallying three rushing touchdowns. Daniels and the Commanders’ offense put up a respectable performance, but their defense let them down.
American Football Conference (AFC) Championship
Kansas City Chiefs 32 Buffalo Bills 29
The AFC championship marked the seventh consecutive championship game played by Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs’ dominant success over the NFL has been no secret, with their eyes set on a “three-peat” trying to win their third consecutive Super Bowl. Yet, many believed the front-runner candidate for MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills would end the Chiefs AFC reign. The game was a shootout from the jump, with two of the two most talented quarterbacks playing some of their best football. Nevertheless, Mahomes and the Chiefs left victorious, now looking to be the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row as they face the Eagles on February 7.
Super Bowl Predictions
Two years ago, in Super Bowl LVII, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in a thrilling game that saw Mahomes add yet another ring and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) award to his legacy. I believe that Super Bowl LIX–a rematch of the one two years ago– will have the same outcome and end in yet another Chiefs victory.
The Eagles have undoubtedly the most well-rounded team in the league, which is a testament to Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman’s impressive draft picks and free-agent acquisitions over the years. Over the past two drafts, since the Eagles lost to the Chiefs in Superbowl LVII, they have built the core of their defense.
In the 2023 Draft, they drafted star former Georgia defensive end Jalen Carter at pick no. 9 and followed that up by drafting another Georgia pass rusher, Nolan Smith, at pick no. 30, which is a steal in my eyes. The two combined for 18 sacks through two seasons in the NFL, and Carter was a Second Team All-Pro this season, one of the most prestigious awards in the NFL.
In the 2024 draft, Roseman followed up on his success the prior year, taking cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo with the 22nd pick and Cooper Dejean out of Iowa with the 40th pick. The cornerback duo has added a huge boost to the Eagles’ secondary this season, combining for 18 pass deflections.
After improving their defense substantially, the Eagles needed an offensive spark to supplement the talents of star wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and give Hurts another weapon. They found this spark in All-Pro running back Barkley. This past summer, Roseman lured Barkley from their bitter division rivals, the New York Giants, after Barkley hit the free agent market and wasn’t able to work things out with New York. Barkley has made the best of his move and taken the league by storm, living up to his potential fans around the league saw in New York. In the regular season, he rushed for 2005 yards and 13 touchdowns, which places him 8th all-time in single-season rushing yards amassed. Barkley is the core of this Eagles offense, and especially when he’s running behind the best offensive line in the league, he’s not an easy man to stop. He’s been dominant in the playoffs so far, averaging 147 yards per game and rushing for five touchdowns. It looks like no defense can gameplan successfully to stop him, but that’s where the Chiefs defense, led by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, comes in.
The Chiefs, like the Eagles, have a great defense, led by three-time first-team All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones. Along with Jones, the Chiefs have developed defensive end George Karlaftis, who they drafted with a first-round pick in 2022, and middle linebacker Nick Bolton, who they drafted with a second-round pick in 2021. These three stand as the core of the defense, and specifically, Jones and Bolton, being captains, have led the defense to success.
In the Conference Championship, the Chiefs defense applied an astonishing seventeen pressures, against a Bills offensive line which was dominant in the regular season. I think they will do the same against the Eagles, and Spagnuolo will stick to sending heavy blitzes at unexpected times, utilizing his safeties and corners as late rushers. It will be tough for the Chiefs to stop Barkley, but if they do, I don’t think that Hurts and the rest of the offense have what it takes to step up and lead this team to a Super Bowl Victory.
Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, on the other hand, have shown again and again that they have what it takes to win playoff football games. Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid, who calls their offensive plays, has had to make some changes to their offensive game plan this season due to an injury to star receiver Rashee Rice, but the offense still looks dominant. This is largely due to Mahomes’ versatility and playmaking abilities but also because of the strength of their offensive line so far in this season. Nevertheless, Mahomes hasn’t had a great year by his standards, finishing with only 3928 passing yards, which is his lowest in a full season so far in his career.
The Chiefs run game seemed to have gone downhill after starting running back Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula early in the season, but they signed free agent Kareem Hunt to fill the role, and he hasn’t disappointed. Hunt has been a red zone threat, scoring seven touchdowns in thirteen regular season games and two in two playoff games. He will play an important role in the playoffs, especially in late down and short-distance situations.
Ultimately, these two teams are very evenly matched, so the game will come down to whether the coaches make the right play calls and if either Mahomes or Hurts can step up and lead their respective team to victory.
