The city that never sleeps, Las Vegas will host Super Bowl LVIII. Las Vegas is known for glitz and glamor, let’s see if this Super Bowl can bring its own sparkle on Feb. 11. .
The San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions, who are back in the NFC Championship game for the first time in 32 years, will play for the NFC title on Sunday (6:30 p.m, Fox).
The Niners are in a familiar position as they played in the last four out of five NFC championship games, their last win coming in the 2019-20 season. They come in with home-field advantage as the top seed, finishing the regular season with a 12-5 record.
In the Divisional round, they escaped the red-hot Green Bay Packers in a nail-biting 24-21 win. MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey powered the Niner’s offense with his two-touchdown performance.
The game came down to the Packers’ final drive. In just his second postseason game, Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love showed his inexperience, trying to complete a pass across his body into the middle of the field. It was intercepted, sealing the game for the Niners.
The dream season continues for coach Dan Campbell and his Detroit Lions. After winning the NFC North for the first time since 1993, they didn’t stop there; they won their first playoff games since 1992.
The Lions ended the regular season 12-5, led by the gutsy Campbell, former Rams quarterback Jared Goff and a star-studded rookie class.
The Lions’ first two offensive picks in last year’s draft couldn’t have turned out better. They drafted running back Jahmyr Gibbs twelfth overall. Their second-round pick, tight end Sam LaPorta, finished with 889 yards receiving, fifth best at the position.. Gibbs and LaPorta were the first pair of rookies to have 10 or more touchdowns each in a season.
The Lions also hit on their first two defensive picks – linebacker Jack Campbell and safety Brian Branch. Both players got significant snaps on the defensive side and made big plays.
On the AFC side, it’s again a familiar face in the game. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in the AFC Championship (3 p.m. CBS) for the sixth straight year after once again tearing the hearts out of the Buffalo Bills.
Mahomes and the Chiefs found a way to get there again in what many thought was a down year in KC. The Chiefs led the league with the most drops this season and didn’t have that same offensive explosiveness that made them so dangerous in the past.
One thing that stayed the same was the quarterback, Mahomes, is still one of if not the best in the league and when it comes playoff time it’s hard to beat the Chiefs.
In the way of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances for the Chiefs is the Baltimore Ravens. Throughout the regular season, the Ravens proved to be the best team in the league, beating playoff teams like the 49ers, Lions, Dolphins, and Texans in a dominant fashion.
After the stats quarterback Lamar Jackson put up, he is the front-runner for MVP; this would be his second time winning this award. His MVP-caliber year got the Ravens the No.1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Ravens are 1-3 versus the Chiefs in Jackson’s career, but in their last matchup in the 2021 season, the Ravens won a 36-35 thriller. Jackson had three total touchdowns but also turned the ball over twice. Mahomes threw for over 300 yards, along with three touchdown passes with one turnover.
We will see Sunday what these two superstar quarterbacks have in store for a trip to Super Bowl LVII. If the Chiefs win, it will be Mahomes’ fourth trip to the Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson would make his Super Bowl debut it would be the first for the Ravens since their victory in 2013.
