A domination, an offensive explosion, a chance for a team’s sixth super bowl, and a Super Bowl 50 years in the making highlights this year’s conference championships
Titans: 24
Chiefs: 35
Kansas City is in the Super Bowl. The last time that sentence was uttered was in 1970 when they were going against the Vikings and ended up as champions. Their journey to the Super Bowl was full of perfectly timed conveniences, aggressive offense, and a surprising defense. The Chiefs were expected to play against the Ravens or the Patriots, not the Titans, who almost seemed like a downgrade. Don’t let that fool you. The Titans were a dominant team and had unbelievable momentum going into this AFC Conference Championship game. Running back Derrick Henry of the Titans ran violently and the only way to tackle him was with a wing and a prayer. The Chief’s offense was great as expected, but the question was could the Chief’s defense, who was disappointing throughout this season, take down Derrick Henry. The answer was yes. Derrick Henry, who had 182 yards against the Patriots and 195 yards against the Ravens, only had 69 yards total rushing against the Chief’s defense. The Chief’s defense stepped up to the challenge and kept Derrick Henry and the Titans going nowhere which also explains why they were the MVP of the game. The Chief’s offense was spectacular as always with 294 passing yards, 112 rushing yards and 5 total touchdowns against a Titan’s defense, who could’ve held them but eventually got too tired chasing after the Legion of Zoom. However, the Titan’s Cinderella run should not be understated and was absolutely deserved with all the hard work put in but it just wasn’t enough to stop the Chiefs.
Packers: 20
49ers : 37
Once again, the mighty Packers were taken down by their nemesis: inconsistency. After playing one of their best games against the Seahawks, they decided to do a 180 and completely lapse until garbage time. Their esteemed rushing attack only had 62 rushing yards total with Davante Adams carrying their team into relevance in this game. Aaron Rodgers, the symbol for inconsistency, threw 326 yards and 2 touchdowns and had 2 picks tied to his name. It seems like Rodgers has lost a step and his Hall of Fame career might come to an end real soon although Aaron Rodgers will likely have another monster season or two to put all of his haters to shame. San Francisco was dominant, stepping on the opposition’s throat and never letting go. Play after play, the score continued to increase for San Francisco and would’ve continued to do so if the game hadn’t ended so soon. Raheem Mostert had a career day with 220 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns and carried the 49ers into the Super Bowl. They played another complete game with both sides of the ball playing their best football and crushing anyone in their path. The Packers eventually woke up in the 4th quarter and remembered it was a playoff game, but it was too little too late. The 49ers are headed to the Super Bowl in an attempt to win the franchise’s 6th Super Bowl ring.
Preview for the Super Bowl
AFC: The Chiefs have one of the greatest offenses in the NFL right now. They probably have the best, young quarterback in the league right now with Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes blends two styles of play effortlessly, elusiveness and a cannon arm. With his talents and stats, he has quickly become one of the faces of the NFL. A Super Bowl appearance was inevitable for Mahomes. Tyreek Hill, one of the fastest wide receivers ever, was everywhere on the field. The emerging rookie Mecole Hardman was already frightening secondaries with his blazing speed. Also, Travis Kelce, an amazing tight end, could’ve juked you out of your socks or just run straight through you as if you were cardboard. Damien Williams helped give an element of surprise to the back field with his great receiving talents as well as his running back talents. Throw in a few other players like Sammy Watkins and you have the recipe for an amazing offense. The main question for the Chiefs will be their defense. They have moments of success but they never seem to stay consistent. They have great players in Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorensen, and Chris Jones on defense, but will it be enough?
NFC: San Francisco came into this season with doubts. They had a good roster but they were plagued with injuries last year and never really seemed to play up to their potential like they did in the 80’s and 90’s. They came into this year fully healthy and showed us exactly what they could do with both sides of the ball. Jimmy Garoppolo was the head of a great offense, controlling everything to perfection. He proved to the league that he was a starting quarterback despite backing up Tom Brady for all those years and barely playing a full season with the 49ers. The offense had a great run game with players like Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, and Tevin Coleman running with precision. The defense should also be recognized with players like Nick Bosa, Deforest Buckner, Fred Warner, Dee Ford, Richard Sherman, etc. All of these players should be credited with success of the 49ers success. Without their killer defense, they probably wouldn’t even be in the playoffs, much less be playing in the Super Bowl.
