First look at the NFL conference finals

but don’t expect them Chiefs They are the least affected by this after defeating the Buffalo Bills on the road in another memorable game. After seeing a great matchup between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen on Sunday, fans will experience another great quarterback duel when Mahomes and the Chiefs go to jackson and crows,

Chiefs They have a record of 3-2 afc championship game With Mahomes under center. But there is one important difference this season: Chiefs They have arguably the best defense in the Mahomes era. He finished the season second in points allowed and yards allowed. no team Kansas City He has finished higher than seventh in any of these departments during the Mahomes era. , holder

Why the Ravens will win: are on both sides of the ball baltimore, Let’s start with defense, where crows They did not allow any offensive touchdowns in the divisional round against Texas. Safety of crows The way the Cleveland Browns didn’t blink against Houston in the Wild Card Round, and the unit was dominant, especially against the run, where baltimore Allowed a negative EPA of -0.29 per game. It’s nothing new to protect crowsJoe now ranks first in EPA per game throughout the season, including playoffs.

Despite the popularity of ChiefsThe reality of this conflict is that the defense baltimore has been much better than the crime of Kansas City, Chiefs They ranked 10th in EPA per game entering Sunday.

aggressively, crows They are also in a strong position. They remained good throughout the season and advanced to the playoffs. Jackson posted a QBR of 94 against Houston, and on his run or pass plays, the crows He accumulated an EPA of 0.41 per game. In other words, each of Jackson’s five plays added two full points to the teams’ expected scoring differential. crows, Safety of Chiefs will offer more resistance than Houston, but Kansas City He ranks 11th in quarterback runs or EPA per game allowed against the run. And in general, Chiefs They are absolutely weak against the run, ranking 26th in opponent EPA per run designed. This could be another big day for Jackson. , walder

Why Chiefs will win: This is still Mahomes’ best defense. Chiefs They still have Andy Reid calling plays, a standout receiver in Rashee Rice, and an offensive line protecting Mahomes. And tight end Travis Kelce scored just two touchdowns in the divisional round.

Despite everything that has gone wrong this season — notably a dropped pass percentage from receivers, a league-worst 5.7 passing percentage entering Sunday’s game, and an inability to support Mahomes and get the offense up to an elite level. To carry – all of the above means that Chiefs They have a chance to score a lot of points afc championship game, Furthermore, although crows After leading the league in sacks in the regular season, Mahomes refused to acknowledge them. His 3.9 percent sack rate and 13.8 percent sack-pressure rate are second only to Allen in the NFL.

And while Buffalo turned the ball over at will from time to time Chiefs, the defense is still one of the best groups in the league, ranking fourth in EPA per game. Ultimately, Kansas City Also kept the Bills out of the end zone.

Chiefs They are the underdogs and rightfully so, but they have defeated their biggest rival baltimore In AFC. They can defeat even their own people crows, , walder

nfc championship game

date: Sunday, January 28, 6:30 pm Eastern (5:30 pm CDMX), Levi’s Stadium

How did you open a betting line? SF-7 (51.5)

what you should Know: 49ers They have not won a Super Bowl since 1994. To put this in perspective, quarterback Steve Young threw three touchdown passes to Jerry Rice in the Super Bowl XXIX victory over the Chargers. still, niners Will make his seventh appearance in nfc championship game since 2011. san francisco Has gone 2-4 in those games, three of which have come under head coach Kyle Shanahan since 2019. Shanahan has a chance to surpass Bill Walsh for the best postseason winning percentage in club history. detroit,

As far as quarterback Brock Purdy is concerned, he is trying to build his legacy and winning this game would be a big step after he leaves. conference title game Due to an elbow injury last season. But lions They are also trying to rewrite the history books. By winning two playoff games for the first time since 1957, they have already accomplished something that most NBA fans lions He had never seen it in person. And this lions They’re doing it with an explosive offense that’s shaping up to test elite defenses. 49ers,

Orchestrating it all is quarterback Jared Goff, who is one of the best stories in the NFL this season. after encouraging lions With 287 yards passing and two touchdown passes in Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Rams’ dismissed quarterback has a chance to go to his second Super Bowl. if it takes lions In Las Vegas, they could have built a statue of him in the Motor City. , holder

Why the 49ers will win: Yes, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Purdy’s performance in the divisional round against the Packers — when his completion percentage was more than the expected negative 6 percent — caused concern. But the best way to evaluate a team is to look at the bigger picture, and when we do that, 49ers They still appear to be a major threat.

And let’s think about confrontation 49ers They have the most efficient passing attack in the league. What is the biggest weakness of lions, Protect the pass. until Sunday, lions They rank 30th in EPA allowed per game with an opposing quarterback dropping back to throw. group of offensive players san francisco It will be a nightmare for them detroitAnd although the offensive lions These are also effective, they do not have that much strength.

Other than this, 49ers They also have stars on defense. Pass rusher Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave lead a pass rush that can rush despite only destroying 20 percent of its snaps (sixth-lowest percentage), and cornerback Charvarius Ward and linebacker Fred Warner have been limited to 10 yards per game. Kam Amon-Ra should be able to limit the Saints from Brown and Sam Laporta. detroit, , walder

Why Leo will win: detroit There are two important factors in its favor nfc championship game, First, a hesitation Purdy. Leading up to the series win against the Packers, Purdy was looking quite erratic. He has led an extremely efficient attack all season, but even if he stumbles a bit, it gives hope detroit,

Secondly, one thing that can be done against 49ers Have to move against them. It fits perfectly with the strengths of lions, when he ran for 114 yards against Tampa Bay. They lean toward the run, and are the sixth-most efficient rushing team in terms of EPA per game thanks to solid performances from David Montgomery and Jahmir Gibbs.

ultimately 49ers They have one of the most efficient pass defenses due to their ability to defend deep passes, ranking third in EPA per game on attempts of 20 or more passing yards. But against this it is a useless skill detroitwho only throws deep 7 percent of the time, the lowest percentage in the NFL. lions They will need to have the ball bounced in their favor at times, but they certainly have hope. , walder