Championship Sunday in the National Football League is this weekend. Soon, we will know which two teams will battle in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9th. 

     The final four teams are the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs. Each team has its unique storyline going into this weekend, but just like on any Sunday in the NFL season, it’s anybody’s game.

     With that said, I will now dissect everything to know going into this Sunday, including matchup stats, players to watch, and betting odds.

NFC Championship: #6 Washington Commanders @ #2 Philadelphia Eagles

When: 3:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 26th

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: FOX

Spread: PHI -6.0

Over/Under: 47.5

Matchup Preview

     It’s a trilogy fight between two NFC East rivals with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Washington enters this game with superstar rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels leading the way. Daniels led his Commanders to a 36-33 win on December 22, although Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had to leave the game after suffering a concussion. Philadelphia won the first matchup 26-18 on November 18th.

     On the surface, the Eagles have the better roster and an advantage at most positions. Saquon Barkley has been the league’s best running back this season after many wasted seasons with the New York Giants. He rushed for 205 yards last week and broke loose for two long touchdown runs in the effort. 

     Washington will need Daniels to play the game of his life for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. He will have his work cut out for him against the top-ranked Eagles defense.

     The Commanders’ defense forced five turnovers against Detroit, but that probably won’t happen this week. Stopping Barkley will be a tall task for a run defense that ranks 29th in the NFL. Washington ranks 13th in total defense, while Philadelphia ranks first in both total and pass defense, but 10th in run defense.

Divisional Round Recap

#6 Commanders def. #1 Lions 45-31

     Jayden Daniels proved last week why he’s a generational talent. He went into Detroit and dominated the Lions from start to finish. Granted, Detroit had an injury-plagued defense, but Daniels was sensational. 

     Dyami Brown has emerged as a new weapon for Daniels outside of Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz. Brown finished with six catches for 98 yards. He is a key player to watch this week, especially if McLaurin struggles against Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. That’s a key matchup, and so will be Brown or Olamide Zaccheaus against either Darius Slay Jr. or rookie Cooper DeJean.

     The Commanders have all the momentum going their way entering this game, and if they want to win, they have to play a clean game like they did last week and use momentum to their advantage. This team is capable of pulling off the upset, but it’s just a matter of not beating themselves.

#2 Eagles def. #4 Rams 28-22

     This game was especially interesting towards the end. Saquon Barkley broke loose for a 78 yard touchdown with four minutes to go, giving the Eagles a 28-15 lead. The game seemed over until Matthew Stafford and the Rams marched down the field during a late drive, scoring a touchdown with 2:48 to go. Because of Jake Elliot’s missed PAT after Barkley’s TD, it was a six-point game. After LA’s defense forced a punt, Stafford had a chance to win the game.

     However, one man was determined to be a disruptor: Jalen Carter. On 3rd and 2 at Philadelphia’s 13-yard line, Carter broke through the Rams offensive line and made a game-saving sack on Stafford, forcing a 4th and 11 play in which Stafford threw an incomplete pass, ending the game and clinching the win for Philadelphia.

     Philadelphia escaped with a win in the snow but did not look great as a team. Barkley had his monster game, but Jalen Hurts only threw for 128 yards compared to Stafford’s 324. The passing game was alive for the Rams despite the snowy conditions. The Rams had 402 yards of total offense compared to the Eagles’ 350, but take out Barkley’s yardage, and the performance was underwhelming. 

AFC Championship: #2 Buffalo Bills @ #1 Kansas City Chiefs

When: 6:30 PM ET, Sunday, January 26th

Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

TV: CBS

Spread: KC -2.5

Over/Under: 48.5

Matchup Preview

     They meet again. Those are the words many have said once they found out that Josh Allen would face Patrick Mahomes for a second time this year. These two quarterbacks have made for some all-time classics, like the 2021 AFC Divisional Round, where Gabe Davis caught four touchdowns before the infamous “13 seconds is too much time for Patrick Mahomes” moment.

     What really made fans upset about this game was the fact that Josh Allen never got to possess the ball in overtime, as the new playoff overtime rules didn’t exist at the time.

     The Bills got the better of the Chiefs when they met at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on November 17. In the 30-21 win, Josh Allen outplayed Mahomes, throwing for 262 yards and one touchdown while scoring another on the ground, compared to Mahomes’ 196 yards, three TD passes, and two interceptions compared to Allen’s one.

     Now, the scene shifts to Kansas City for the rematch. Josh Allen has yet to beat Mahomes in the playoffs in his career, so the same narrative will continue unless Allen pulls off the upset on Sunday. 

Divisional Round Recap

#2 Bills def. #3 Ravens 27-25

     The Bills barely escaped Orchard Park with a two-point win against the Baltimore Ravens, a game that should’ve gone to overtime if only Ravens tight end Mark Andrews caught a wide-open pass from Lamar Jackson on a potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt. 

     This was a big upset, as Buffalo doesn’t have the roster talent that Baltimore has, although their defense held Derrick Henry to just 84 rushing yards. In his prior four games, he rushed for at least 130 yards, including a 186 yard performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round.

#1 Chiefs def. #4 Texans 23-14

     This game left many fans questioning the Chiefs’ legitimacy, as they got outplayed by Houston for the most part. DeMeco Ryans’ defense came to play. Houston had 336 yards of total offense compared to Kansas City’s 212, but they had eight penalties for 82 yards, while the Chiefs had four penalties for 29 yards. 

     Penalties and bad officiating have been quite the controversy in the NFL lately, and this game had some atrocious calls, like when Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was flagged for roughing the passer, although replay showed otherwise.

     While Patrick Mahomes had a lackluster game for the most part, he was able to survive off of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit, which recorded eight sacks on C.J. Stroud, which could’ve been expected considering the Texans offensive line ranks among the worst in the NFL.

     Travis Kelce was the Chiefs’ entire offense in this game, catching seven passes for 117 yards and one touchdown, while Hollywood Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, and JuJu Smith-Schuster did not record a single catch.

One Key Stat

     This is the first time in NFL history that all four teams that advanced to conference championships did not have a single turnover in their Divisional Round games. 

     With that said, that’s everything you need to know going into Championship Sunday.