The NFL Playoffs Divisional round was thrilling football to watch with three of the four games being nail biters and leaving fans in suspense of who will advance one step closer to the Super Bowl.
All in all, the four teams that were favored to win last weekend are here in the Conference Championship Round, like the #1 seed Baltimore Ravens. They started off slow in the first half of their Divisional Round game leaving fans wondering if quarterback CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans had an upset brewing. However, the soon to be two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens shut them down in the second half and dominated the young and uprising Texans in a 34-10 win.
While Baltimore made a statement in the second half by blowing the Texans out, the other #1 seed had quite the scare. The San Francisco 49ers scraped by the Green Bay Packers in a 24-21 win at home. This game was fueled by heroics from their star running back Christian McCaffery, who scored a late touchdown to seal the win for San Francisco when they were down for majority of the game.
With both #1 seeds in the AFC and NFC playing at home, all the pressure on them to show why they’re here and why they deserve to go to the big dance in Super Bowl 58.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m.; streaming on CBS)
Scoring prediction: Chiefs – 24 Ravens – 27
Here we go again, even in a “down year” where they didn’t look like themselves on offense, the Chiefs are back in the AFC Championship. This is the sixth season in a row where they find themselves here and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the offense playing its best all season. The Chiefs have looked like a different team in the two playoff games they’ve had as their offense is more reliable and consistent. However, they’ve got their hands full this weekend as they are facing by far one of the best teams from this season.
Baltimore is a complete team; they can run the ball, their defense is elite, and they have the soon to be two-time MVP quarterback. The Ravens have the second-best offensive ranking out of the teams still alive and were a top ten offense all season. Star tight-end Mark Andrews was also activated off of injured reserve this week, which gives Baltimore another offensive weapon.
The Chiefs can’t lay claim to that, while I believe points will be scored by both teams, it just seems like the Ravens moment to break through, as they will win in a thrilling game.
Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m.; streaming on FOX)
Scoring prediction: Lions – 31 49ers – 38
In a matchup of two of the best rushing offenses in the NFL, the Lions look to spoil the Niners dominant season and get the big upset on the road. The Lions have the best running back tandem in the league with David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. Detroit’s running offense was tied for first in most touchdowns scored this season. In this matchup against the 49ers, whose defense doesn’t look other worldly, the Lions should be able to have success.
The 49ers’ offense will also have success as the Lions secondary has been taken advantage of by teams far worse than them. Star wide receiver Deebo Samuel is officially healthy and ready to go, which will help them score points in this game. McCaffery should be able to do some damage to the Lions, as he scored two touchdowns in their win against Green Bay and has the seventh overall ranked offensive line in the league. San Francisco will win in a shootout game.
Preston Palm is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
