Are there any NFL games on today?
We're all excited about how this National Football League is going to be decided with the Chiefs, Bengals, Rams and 49ers eyeing some Super Bowl glory.
You found this article because you likely asked your favourite search engine or voice-activated assistant about potential gridiron viewing entertainment today. I hate to be the bearer of bad news... there's no NFL action today!
When are the NFL Conference Championship games?
Sunday is when the real action takes place and it's the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs who are being backed by the bookmakers to win the NFC and AFC Championship Games, respectively, setting up a tasty Super Bowl LVI.
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The Rams, who beat reigning Super Bowl champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last weekend's divisional round, are -3 to see off the San Francisco 49ers, who ended the Green Bay Packers’ playoff hopes for the second time in three years.
After defeating the Buffalo Bills in overtime in the divisional round, meanwhile, the Chiefs are -7 to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, who overcame the Tennessee Titans.
Forget the past for Championship Sunday
Curiously, the Rams and the Chiefs both lost to their upcoming opponents during the regular season. Kansas City went down 34-17 to Cincinnati in Week 17, while San Francisco swept their annual series against division rivals the Rams.
The 49ers were 31-10 winners at home in Week 10, before earning a 27-24 victory in overtime in Los Angeles in the final round of the regular season.
Indeed, the 49ers have won six in a row against the Rams and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan leads the coaches’ head-to-head battle, with a 6-3 record over Sean McVay.
The Rams’ most recent win over the 49ers was a 48-32 triumph in Los Angeles in 2018.
Rams aiming to emulate Buccaneers' home Super Bowl success
The Rams are out to become only the second team in NFL history to play the Super Bowl at their home stadium, a year after the Buccaneers lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy on home turf after beating the Chiefs 31-9.
If the Chiefs are victorious on Sunday, they’ll reach their third successive Super Bowl, a feat only previously achieved by the Bills. Buffalo appeared in four straight Super Bowls between 1990 and 1993, losing all of them: twice against the Dallas Cowboys, and once each against the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Football Team (oh, they have a new name if you haven't heard).
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have become the first team ever in the NFL to host four consecutive conference championship deciders.
If the favourites win out this weekend, Super Bowl LVI looks like being a high-scoring game, with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill on one side, and Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr on the other. The most recent matchup between the Chiefs and the Rams was in 2018, and ended 54-51 to the Angelenos.
So, now you know everything you need to know. Enjoy your Saturday, spend time with the family, do whatever else you need to do. And then come back on Sunday for the double header that lines up our Super Bowl extravaganza!