CNN —
The race for the NFL’s coveted Lombardi Trophy has narrowed to just four teams.
Playoff excitement continues Sunday with the Conference Championships. First, Brock Purdy and the 49ers will face Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. Later that night, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. All four teams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders and have a chance to win it all.
Here’s what you need to know:
In the NFC, it’s the 49ers and Eagles.
Both teams have capable defenders, well-rounded offensive units and strong defenses. This game will be incredibly well-matched and victory will not be easy for either side.
Despite battling injuries late in the regular season, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has been excellent since the start of the postseason.
In last week’s divisional round, he totaled three touchdowns en route to a 31-point victory over the Giants.
His biggest strength is his ability to cut through defenses with deep throws. He leads the league in touchdown passes and is the only quarterback in the league to complete 50% of his passes on throws over 25 yards this season.
That part of his game could be the X-factor against the 49ers’ elite defense.
On the other hand, the 49ers defense can struggle with Hurts with pressure. Against pressure this season, Hurts has completed 44.4 percent of his passes for 527 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
While those numbers aren’t terrible, they do reflect the weakest part of Hurts’ game; if the 49ers are smart, turning up the pressure will be a major part of their plan to stop him.
Even if the 49ers can contain Hurts, they can’t win this game on defense alone.
It will be up to rookie quarterback Brock Purdy to lead this team to victory. “Mr. Irrelevant” has won each of his first seven career starts. Last week, he became the first rookie quarterback to ever start and win in the divisional round.
With a win this weekend, he would become the first rookie quarterback to ever start and win a conference title. It’s a tall order, but luckily Purdy won’t have to do it alone. He has an arsenal of offensive weapons at his side. If he can get the ball to tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the points will come.
To see which team will advance from the NFC, tune in Sunday at 3:00 PM ET.
In the AFC, it’s the Bengals and Chiefs for the second straight season. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be looking for revenge after last year’s crushing defeat at Arrowhead Stadium. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will try to repeat last year’s finish for his fourth straight victory over Kansas City.
The Chiefs finished the regular season as the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They earned a week off in the Wild Card stage, took care of the Jaguars in the divisional round, and now they’re right where they want to be.
The only problem is that their star quarterback isn’t 100% healthy.
Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the divisional round. There’s no doubt he’ll work through the pain, but any mobility issues will affect his ability to play.
Mahomes will have to be creative with how he moves the ball up the field. The pressure is also on the offensive linemen to keep Mahomes protected. If it remains exposed, there is an increased risk of further injury.
Even though the Bengals are the visiting team and underdogs, it would be incorrect to consider them underdogs.
In the divisional round, they messed up the accounts and made it look easy. If this game is any indicator of how things will go this weekend, the Chiefs should be ready for a fight.
It’s also worth noting that history favors the Bengals. Burrow is 3-0 against Mahomes. And in all three games, Cincinnati was either tied or trailing to start the fourth quarter.
Even if the Chiefs jumped out to an early lead, the Bengals proved they shouldn’t be counted out until the final whistle. To top it all off, Burrow is an even better defender than the last time these two met in the AFC title game. His numbers improved across the board and he gained more experience playing at a high level.
After all, the Chiefs are an elite team with an MVP-caliber quarterback, injured or not. The Bengals are a young, talented team with history on their side. Only time will tell which team has what it takes to reach the next stage.
To see how it all unfolds, tune in Sunday at 6pm ET.
Here’s how to catch these teams and others around the league in action, wherever you are.
Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7Plus
Brazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPN
Canada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZN
Germany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZN
Mexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky Sports
UK: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5
US: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime
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