What teams are left in the NFL playoffs?
The NFL Divisional Round is over and it’s time to set our sights on Championship Weekend. The final four teams will fight for a spot in Super Bowl LVII.
We are down to the final four teams in the NFL Playoffs and Conference Championships will determine who is going to be playing in Arizona for a chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVII.
We couldn’t have asked for better matchups in the AFC and the NFC this weekend. The top seeds in both conferences are through to Championship Sunday and the two teams with the longest active winning streaks will be looking keep the train rolling on the road.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles finished the regular season as the top seed in the NFC with a 14-3 record. Jalen Hurts looked like an MVP candidate all season, but might have fallen behind the pack in the final weeks of the season after suffering shoulder injury. The Eagles have been the most balanced team in the league showing they can win games through the air, on the ground and on the defensive side of the ball.
They added to their already impressive defense with a midseason trade that brought Robert Quinn to Philly in an all in move by the Eagles front offices.
Without Hurts, Philadelphia lost two in a row to drop to three losses, but still got the top seed in the conference. After a first round bye, the Eagles put a spanking on the New York Giants going up 28-0 in the first half and cruising to the conference title game.
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners are the hottest team in the league after winning their 12th straight on Sunday night from Levi Stadium. They have had the bumpiest road to the playoffs of any team still in the playoffs after seeing their top two quarterbacks suffer season ending injuries. They lost four of their first seven but then an angel sent in the final pick of the NFL Draft came in to save the day and the season for the Niners.
San Fran’s season took a turn when they made a midseason move for Panthers running back Christian McCaffery. They have not lost since he’s been a Niner. Then Brock Purdy came in under center and added a new dynamic to the offense despite being a one time third string rookie, not to mention Mr. Irrelevant.
In the first round of the playoffs, San Francisco defeated their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, with a commanding second half that sent Seattle packing in what turned out to be a blow out win. This weekend things were a bit tougher against the Cowboys but the defense led San Fran to the NFC Championship holding Dallas to just 12 points.
Cincinnati Bengals
It was far from smooth sailing at the beginning of the Bengals AFC title defense season. After an offseason of beefing up the O line, there was a lot expected of the Bengals in Joe Burrow’s third season.
Cincy lost four of their first eight games of the season, but started to figure things out on the O line and the offense took off from there. They averaged 29 points a game in the their final eight games of the regular season and finished with the AFC North title.
They played the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs, and needed a 98 yard fumble recovery for a TD to get past Baltimore. Then they dominated the Buffalo in the Divisonal Round to win their ninth straight as the run game revealed another weapon of their endless arsenal, and this is a team that is looking like they are getting better as the weeks go on. It all comes down to a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship in Kansas City this weekend.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs were the best team in the AFC all year long, but will go into the AFC Championship hobbling. Quite literally. The heart and soul of KC wears the number 15 jersey, and he is going to be playing on an awfully tender injured ankle this weekend.
Tyreek Hill departed to Miami, and there were loads of questions surrounding the Chiefs offense. What did Mahomes do? Mahomes’ magic earned them a top seed and a first round bye in the AFC playoffs after a 14-3 season and he is the odds on favorite to win the NFL MVP after an incredible regular season full of jaw dropping passes and hypnotizing scrambles.
The Chiefs enjoyed a week off to start the playoffs, and survived the Divisional Round after seeing Mahomes limp off the field. The face of the franchise hobbled through the rest of the game, and had the game winning pass to Marques Valdez-Scantling to send the Chiefs to their fifth straight AFC Championship. They have won six straight games, but their last loss came against the Bengals, the same team that beat them in the AFC Championship.