What to know for the NFL's conference championships
Super Bowl spots are on the line this Sunday
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The matchup for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans will be decided on Sunday in the NFL's conference championship games. Here are the backstories you need to know for both of them:
NFC: Washington Commanders (14-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (16-3) — 3 p.m. ET
There have been a lot of changes in Washington lately, including on the football field. The perennially lousy Commanders are suddenly a success, going from the second-worst team in the NFL last year to the brink of the Super Bowl.
New ownership and new head coach Dan Quinn certainly helped, but the real engine behind Washington's turnaround is Jayden Daniels, the sensational rookie quarterback drafted No. 2 overall by the Commanders last spring out of LSU. Daniels, 24, showed poise and a polished dual-threat skill set beyond his years, throwing 25 touchdown passes in the regular season while rushing for six TDS and nearly 900 yards — just a shade behind reigning MVP Lamar Jackson for the league lead among quarterbacks.
After beating Tampa Bay on the road in his first NFL playoff game, Daniels took out the top-seeded Detroit Lions last week in a 45-31 shocker where he threw for 299 yards and two TDs and added 51 rushing yards against Detroit's injury-riddled defence. A tougher foe awaits Sunday in Philadelphia, which has the league's top-rated defence along with its most ornery fans.
Besides D and anger (and cheesesteaks) Philly is powered by sublime running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 2,005 yards this season (just 100 shy of Eric Dickerson's longstanding record) and scored 15 total TDs. He also may have invented the no-look hurdle when he pulled off possibly the highlight of the year back in November against Jacksonville.
Barkley was at it again last week, rushing for 205 yards (including a 78-yard score) in a snowy 28-22 win over the Rams. With banged-up QB Jalen Hurts looking shaky, it could be up to Barkley to carry the Eagles to their second Super Bowl in three years.
AFC: Buffalo Bills (15-4) at Kansas City (16-2) — 6:30 p.m. ET
Kansas City has lost only one meaningful game since winning their second consecutive Super Bowl title (and third of the Patrick Mahomes era) a year ago. But that loss came to the Bills, who beat K.C. 30-21 on Nov. 17 in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Mahomes threw two interceptions that day, including the game-ender after Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen ran for a 26-yard touchdown on 4th-and-2 with 2:17 left to put the Bills up by two scores. The dramatic play was a signature moment in what could be an MVP season for Allen. He's favoured to win the award over reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, who Allen beat 27-25 in last week's playoff thriller against the Ravens.
The November win squared Allen's career record against Mahomes at 4-4, but Allen is 0-3 in their playoff showdowns. K.C. hammered Buffalo 38-24 in the 2021 AFC title game, then pulled out a 42-36 overtime win in their 2022 second-round classic after Allen threw his fourth TD pass with 13 seconds left to go up by three. The rivals met again in the second round last year, with Mahomes visiting Buffalo in the playoffs for the first time. He conquered one of the most hostile environments in football as K.C. eked out a 27-24 win en route to its second straight Super Bowl title.
This Sunday's game is back at Arrowhead Stadium, another rough place for visiting teams. Kansas City held off underdog Houston 24-13 at Arrowhead last week despite being badly outgained and not forcing a turnover. But the Texans were flagged for eight penalties, including a pair of controversial 15-yard calls for roughing Mahomes. Those fueled the dubious complaint that K.C. "gets all the calls" and was only able to grind out so many close wins this season with help from the refs.
Whoever survives what should be another razor's-edge showdown on Sunday night, it'll make for a compelling Super Bowl narrative. Kansas City is trying to become the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls, while long-suffering Bills fans are praying "please, just one before I die" after losing four in a row in the early '90s.
