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NFL fans would be hard-pressed to create a more intriguing Championship weekend than the one on Bridge.
As for the AFC, there is a confrontation between the defending champion of the Chiefs of Kansas City and the Buffalo Bills upstarts. If Buffalo is to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 campaign, he will need to overtake the powerhouse holding the Lombardi Trophy which looks set to win a number of championships in the immediate future.
On the NFC side, two of the most legendary quarterbacks in NFL history will travel to historic Lambeau Field when Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers.
Assuming Patrick Mahomes is playing after being ruled out of Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns with a concussion, all four quarterbacks have at least been considered MVP contenders at some point this season.
Here is an overview of key information for both games, as well as the expected winners.
NFC Championship Game
Match: Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Green Bay Packers
Dated: Sunday January 24
Time: 3:05 p.m.
Channel: Fox
Chances: Go -4, by DraftKings
Prediction: Packers 31, Buccaneers 24
Green Bay looked downright unstoppable for much of the year, save for their 28-point Week 6 loss to Tampa Bay. The Packers had no answer for Ronald Jones II, who ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and watched Brady throw touchdowns at Rob Gronkowski and Tyler Johnson.
Still, it was the Tampa Bay defense that was the most impressive as Rodgers threw for 160 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, which Jamel Dean returned for a touchdown.
Everything Green Bay has done since that shattering loss takes place across most of the league on their way to the NFC’s No.1 seed. Rodgers will likely win the MVP trophy, while Davante Adams has established himself as the league’s top wide receiver.
Plus, the Packers’ defense has given up under 20 points in each of their last four games and numbers to be more up to the challenge when it comes to slowing Jones down.
It’s gonna be cold. The Packers are on an absolute tear. They’ll likely be even more motivated to atone for their embarrassing display the last time they met the Buccaneers.
And they have Rodgers.
Look for a different result this time.
AFC Championship Match
Match: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
Dated: Sunday January 24
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Chances: KC -2.5, by DraftKings
Prediction: Counts 30, Bills 17
Before these games, the biggest storyline of the whole week will be Mahomes’ health.
This prediction that the Chiefs will win is based on an assumption that he will play, and Buffalo will win if he doesn’t. While Chad Henne made a key scuffle and a fourth try to ward off the Browns in the fourth quarter on Sunday, winning an entire game against a strong Bills side without Mahomes will prove too difficult for the Chiefs.
As with the NFC Championship game, fans have seen this showdown before during the regular season.
Kansas City dealt Buffalo nine points in Week 6, with Mahomes finding Travis Kelce for two touchdowns and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who did not play Sunday against the Browns, for 161 yards.
Even more impressively, the Chiefs held Josh Allen to 122 passing yards.
While asking Kansas City to contain Allen and Stefon Diggs at this level once again may be unrealistic, their defense only needs to be solid to clinch a victory. After all, Mahomes had no trouble ranking in the Buffalo high school at 21 of 26 assists in the regular season, and it happened when Tyreek Hill was just 20 receiving yards.
Hill will be his typical explosive self, and Mahomes will guide the Chiefs to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
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