The NFL season is down to its final four seasons and we’re going to be seeing some familiar faces.
For the second year in a row, the 49ers, Chiefs and Bengals are all in contention for the conference title. This year’s newcomer is the Philadelphia Eagles, who are playing in the NFC Championship for the first time since 2017.
The Eagles will host a 49ers team that swept the Cowboys on Sunday to continue Dallas’ 27-year drought without a conference playoff appearance.
This Eagles-49ers game gives us the best two-team rivalry in the NFC in the 21st century. Including this year, the Eagles have now made it to seven NFC title games, the most of any NFC team since 2000 The 49ers are tied for second—with six. Although both have appeared several times in tile NFC games over the past two decades, they have never played.
In the AFC, we will be getting rare games. The Bengals-Chiefs game will be only the third time in the last 35 years that the AFC Championship has been rematched. The last time it happened was in 2011-12 (Ravens-Patriots), and before that, it hadn’t happened since 1986-87 (Browns-Broncos).
The AFC Championship is a rematch of the Week 13 game, which was won by the Bengals, 27-24. Cincinnati has played the Chiefs three times since Jan. 1 2022 and the Bengals have won all three games.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the entire postseason schedule and bracket.
Super Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 14
- (2) 49ers 41-23 over (7) Seahawks. The 49ers got a brief scare from the Seahawks on a day when Seattle jumped out to a 17-16 halftime lead. But in the second half, San Francisco opened up the game and did well. Brock Purdy threw for 332 yards as he became the first in NFL history to throw for four touchdowns in a playoff game. (Purdy finished with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score).
- (4) Jaguars 31-30 over (5) Chargers. The Jaguars won the game by pulling off one of the greatest touchdowns in NFL history. The Jags fell behind, 27-0, early in the game thanks to a four-yard touchdown run from Trevor Lawrence, but came back to pull off a stunning victory, thanks in large part to Lawrence, who threw four touchdown passes.
Sunday, Jan. 15
- (2) Bills 34-31 over (7) Dolphins. The Dolphins entered the game as the lowest wild card in franchise history (+14) and despite these odds, they were able to put a big scare into the payout. In the end, the Bills were able to prevent an upset thanks to Josh Allen (352 passing yards, three touchdowns) and a defense that came up with several big plays, including two interceptions, four sacks and a fourth-down stoppage. there is only 2:30 left in the game.
- (6) Giants 31-24 over (3) Vikings. New York was able to pull off the upset in Minnesota thanks to a historic performance from Daniel Jones, who became the FIRST QB in NFL playoff history to throw at least 300 yards and two touchdowns and also add at least 70 yards on the ground. Jones not only threw for 301 yards, but also led the game with 78 yards on 17 carries. The win over Minnesota was the Giants’ first win since beating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012.
- (3) Bengals 24-17 over (6) Ravens. The Ravens had Cincinnati on the ropes for most of the game, but the Bengals were able to escape with the victory thanks to their defense, which came up with one of the biggest plays in NFL postseason history. With the Ravens on Cincinnati’s one-yard line, Tyler Huntley fumbled and Sam Hubbard returned it 98 yards for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.
Monday, Jan. 16
- (5) Cowboys 31-14 over (4) Buccaneers. The Cowboys dominated the game from start to finish, and a big reason for that was because of Dak Prescott, who had a big night. The Cowboys QB set a franchise record with five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and threw for 305 yards. The only Cowboys player to tackle in the game was kicker Brett Maher, who missed an NFL-record four more. The Cowboys now have to decide if they want to keep him for Sunday’s game in San Francisco.
Round Section
Saturday, Jan. 21
- (1) Chiefs 27-20 over (4) Jaguars. After leaving the game in the second quarter with a serious nose injury, Patrick Mahomes returned in the second quarter to lead the Chiefs to victory. Playing with one foot didn’t seem to slow him down as he completed 10 of 15 passes for 107 yards after the injury. The Chiefs defense came back with two key plays in the fourth quarter to help Kansas City win its fifth straight AFC title.
- (1) Eagles 38-7 over (6) Giants. The Eagles jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead and then rallied from there. The Eagles were able to pick up the win thanks to a defense that racked up five sacks and a rushing attack that totaled 268 yards on the ground. Jalen Hurts also had a big night, and most importantly, his shoulder looked completely healthy as he completed three touchdowns (two passes and one run).
Sunday, Jan. 22
- (3) Bengals 27-10 over (2) Bills. The Bengal offense put up big numbers, but the defense stole the show in this game. The Bengals limited the Bills to just 10 points, which was Buffalo’s lowest point total of the season. Cincinnati’s offense came back with a big game that included 242 yards and two touchdowns from Joe Burrow along with 105 rushing yards from Joe Mixon.
- (2) 49ers 19-12 over (5) Cow Boys. The 49ers earned their second trip to the NFC Championship by winning a defensive battle against the Cowboys. The 49ers sacked Dak Prescott twice and scored six points from the game, and that turned out to be the difference in the game. Robbie Gould proved to be a key weapon for the 49ers, scoring 13 of their 19 points with four field goals and an extra point.
Championship Sunday
January 29
NFC Championship
- (2) 49ers at (1) Eagles, 3 p.m. ET (Fox, stream at fuboTV). The NFC’s top two seeds will meet in Philadelphia in what should be quite the show. The Eagles will be showing with the third decision of the NFL from 2022 and the 49ers will look to reduce it with a defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFL.
AFC Championship
- (3) Bengals vs. (1) Chiefs 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, stream at Winner +). Chiefs will get another chance by eliminating the Bengal team that they could not beat. Since January 2022, the Chiefs have gone 0-3 against the Bengals, including a loss in last year’s AFC title game. The game will also be the first matchup in the AFC Championship since Ravens-Patriots in 2011 and 2012.
Super Bowl LVII
Feb. 12
AFC Champions vs. NFC Champion at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, 6:30 pm ET (Fox, play on fuboTV)
