The Super Bowl is set. The National Football League (NFL) Conference Championship games took place this past weekend on Jan. 29. These games decided the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC) champions. In the AFC, the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals traveled to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs, while in the NFC, Brock Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers into Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to challenge the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC crown.
On the NFC side of the playoff picture, it will be the Philadelphia Eagles who will get the chance to capture the Lombardi Trophy. They came, saw and conquered the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, winning 31-7. While San Francisco had to play through some injuries, like losing quarterback Brock Purdy for much of the game after he hurt his elbow early in the first quarter, their #1 ranked rushing defense was unable to make key stops. Eagles running backs Kenneth Gainwell and Miles Sanders were able to find the clutch yardage throughout the game, ultimately being catalysts in securing the win.
Philadelphia dominated on both sides of the football, showcasing a superb rushing attack and a defense that gave their opponent little to no room to make any play whatsoever. San Francisco’s superstar running back Christian McCaffrey was the lone 49er to find paydirt, as after that second-quarter score, the Eagles’ defense buckled down and shut out the 49ers from there on out. After winning their first Super Bowl back in 2017 against the New England Patriots, the Eagles are already headed back to the big stage, making their way to Phoenix, Ariz. for Super Bowl LVII (57) on Sunday, Feb. 12.
As for the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs will make yet another Super Bowl appearance, outlasting the Cincinnati Bengals in a tight battle, 23-20. For the Chiefs, they got the win on the back on some huge plays from both sides of the football. Everyday contributors like star defensive lineman Chris Jones got to Joe Burrow twice, one of the two giving the Chiefs’ offense one last chance at the end of regulation. You also had a couple of rookies make key plays. Most notably, rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore, who made miscue after miscue as a punt returner all season, set his team up in tremendous field position with less than a minute to go. But of course, it would be Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ savior, who would make the game-sealing play. After favoring his right ankle practically all game, the superstar quarterback put his body on the line, sprinting past the first down marker and out of bounds. The Chiefs would also receive an extra 15 yards following an unnecessary roughness penalty by Bengals pass rusher Joseph Ossai, which would set Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker up comfortably within 50 yards for the game-winning field goal.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off on Sunday, Feb. 12. These two best teams in the NFL this season conquered the gauntlet in their respective conferences and are set to square off on the biggest stage of them all. Both teams with recent experience of sitting atop the football world will look to once again hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
