Week 2 of the NFL playoffs proved once again our contention that the Divisional Round of the playoffs are annually the best football all season. It was as incredible of football as we’ve ever seen — some are calling it the best weekend of NFL football ever. Let’s hope that the Conference Championship games are equally as entertaining. We have some incredible teams left in play here with each of them hoping to make it into the biggest game of the season.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Cincinnati Bengals kept their improbable playoff run alive this weekend by finding a way to defeat the Tennessee Titans during the Divisional Round. The Titans were locked in as the No. 1 seed yet couldn’t overcome turnovers as the Bengals walked away with a 19-16 win in the end. Joe Burrow continued to prove that he can lead this team to new heights. In the Wild Card round, he helped the team grab their first playoff win in 31 long years. In the Divisional Round, he helped them get the first road playoff win in their organization’s long history.
The Bengals have to hit the road for the second straight week to play the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship. The Chiefs just had the game of a lifetime during the Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills. Many are already calling for the 42-36 thriller the Game of the Year.
Patrick Mahomes and company had 13 seconds left to get a field goal to send it into overtime. Somehow, they found a way to do that, then won the coin toss and scored a walk-off touchdown. It was a phenomenal showing for both sides, one that could be replicated here.
Both of these offenses are excellent with the CHiefs being the fourth-best scoring offense and the Bengals being marked as the seventh. Burrow has a chance to lead his team to a Super Bowl appearance and reach a standard that no Cincinnati quarterback has ever hit before. Mahomes will try and get to yet another Super Bowl, this time around after losing in it last year. Which team can pull it off?
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
The San Francisco 49ers just shocked the world last week. They were able to knock off the top-seeded Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field one week after from eliminating the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round.
Jimmy Garoppolo and this offense didn’t do much, scoring just six points the entire game. However, it was enough to win due to suffocating defense that kept Green Bay to 10 offensive points. Special teams made the difference, blocking a punt that led to a touchdown and also blocking a field goal right before halftime. Now they get the Los Angeles Rams, a team they have beat six straight times heading into this Conference Championship.
Los Angeles had a stellar first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, building a 27-3 lead but then proceeded to fumble four times and allow Tampa Bay to tie it with a minute left in the game. Luckily, Cooper Kupp broke loose a few times and the Rams sank a winning field goal as time expired.
These two know each other incredibly well and it’s always difficult for a team to beat the other three times in just one season. We will see if the 49ers are up to the task. A victory here might mean we get a rematch between the 49ers and Chiefs from two years ago. Could they do it?