Conference Championship Weekend Preview & Prediction
Upstart Goff vs the veteran Brees. Unstoppable Mahomes vs the championship pedigree of Tom Brady. Get the popcorn.
Four teams down, four remain. The NFL Conference championship games are upon us. The top two seeds from each respective conference are set to square off this Sunday for a shot at playing for the Lombardi Trophy in February. The New Orleans Saints will host the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of their Week 9 game, in which the Saints handed the Rams their first loss of the season. Following that game is yet another rematch, as the Kansas City Chiefs are set to host the New England Patriots in a match-up that saw a point total between both teams that exceeded 80 in Week 6. While many could have anticipated these teams being the final four remaining, there is no doubt these will be classic clashes led by legendary quarterbacks of the past generation and quarterbacks of the future. Here’s the rundown:
Game 1: Los Angeles Rams @ New Orleans Saints
Time: 3:05 P.M. EST
The Rams will look to avenge their Week 6 loss against the Saints to kick off the action Sunday afternoon. While both teams have very stout defenses, led by DPOY favorite Aaron Donald and Marshon Lattimore, respectively, this game will no doubt come down to the offenses and who will be able to score the most points down the stretch. Drew Brees is still Drew Brees, and he has a great 1–2 punch of running backs to work with in Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. On the other hand, you have the Rams, led by offensive mastermind Sean Mcvay. Their offense is dictated by Todd Gurley, who is arguably the NFL’s best running back, and his young quarterback Jared Goff. This game will be closer than their Week 9 duel, and I anticipate a lot of points being put on the board.
Final prediction: 35–31 Saints
Game 2: New England Patriots @ Kansas City Chiefs
Time: 6:40 P.M. EST
In Sunday’s final game, the Kansas City Chiefs will be looking for retribution against the Patriots for their Week 6 loss. This game will definitely be a shootout, with arguably the greatest QB in history, Tom Brady, set to square off against the MVP favorite, Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has played lights out this season, eclipsing 50 passing touchdowns in his first full season as a starter. Despite this, I have a hard time seeing him being able to emerge victorious against Brady and the Patriots.
Final Prediction: 45–38 Patriots
