And then there were four. An exciting weekend of divisional round NFL playoff games saw the postseason field whittled down from eight teams to four as the playoffs move one step closer to Super Bowl 59.
The AFC’s No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs punched a ticket to their seventh consecutive conference championship game with a 23-14 win over the No. 4 seed Houston Texans to start off the weekend. The NFC’s top seed, the Detroit Lions, were upset 45-31 by the visiting No. 6 seed Washington Commanders hours later. Washington will be the first No. 6 seed in a conference championship game since the 2021 San Francisco 49ers.
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On Sunday, the NFC’s No. 2 seeded Philadelphia Eagles held on for a 28-22 win over the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams in a snowy night in Philadelphia. The Eagles are back in the conference championship game for the second time in the last three seasons. In the divisional round finale, the AFC’s No. 2 seeded Buffalo Bills won 27-25 against the visiting No. 3 seed Baltimore Ravens in a battle of MVP contenders Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
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With those results, the conference championship games are set. The Eagles and Commanders will face off for the NFC crown and the Chiefs and Bills will compete for the AFC title.
Here’s how the four remaining teams stack up in odds to win Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
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The lowest seed remaining in the playoff field is unsurprisingly fourth out of the final four teams. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is powering an efficient, prolific offense that’s scored 68 points in its last two games. Daniels has zero turnovers and has taken just one sack over his first two career playoff games.
The defense gave up 521 yards to Detroit in the divisional round but forced five turnovers against the Lions to stay ahead. They’ll face another tough task against Philadelphia but already took down the Eagles in Week 16 of the regular season behind a sensational performance by Daniels. They’re a long shot but have more than earned the right to be in the conversation.
Buffalo’s back in the conference championship game for the first time in four years behind one of the best offenses in the NFL. Allen made it look easy in the wild-card round against Denver and the offense made key plays in the second half to win against the Ravens in the divisional round. Buffalo’s defense looked better against the Broncos than the Ravens but multiple turnovers made the difference, as did key stops on two-point conversions.
They’re on to face the Chiefs once again and are a more balance offense compared to prior matchups. They already beat this team in the regular season to give some confidence.
The Chiefs remain in contention to be the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles. By scoring and yards, this Chiefs team has the worst offense in two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ career. Instead, this team is powered by a strong defense yet again.
Kansas City notched eight sacks against Houston to stay in control despite the Texans racking up more yards and time of possession. Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce are getting hot at the right time and they defeated Buffalo last season in their run to a Super Bowl title. They’re more experienced at this stage than any other team remaining and, unlike last year, are playing the conference championship game at home.
Philadelphia got a huge performance from running back Saquon Barkley against the Rams to clinch a spot in the NFC championship game. That came one week after Philadelphia leaned on its defense in a controlling 22-10 win over Green Bay.
The Eagles’ offense runs through Barkley and arguably the best offensive line in the NFL. The defense is one of the best units in the league with playmakers at every level, starting with a fearsome defensive line. Quarterback Jalen Hurts wasn’t asked to do much against the Packers or Rams through the air and that’s likely the biggest factor against the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes.
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