Are you ready for an epic weekend of NFL action? This Sunday, the league’s biggest games take centre stage as teams battle it out in the conference championships.
Leading up to this weekend’s NFL Conference Championships, the San Francisco 49ers scored an incredible win against their rivals, the Dallas Cowboys to gain entrance into this year's NFC Championship Game. The Eagles were sent soaring after defeating the Giants at Lincoln Financial Stadium by 31 points!
On Sunday in AFC action meanwhile it was a battle of epic proportions between two uncontainable forces as both Jaguars and Chiefs fought tooth-and-nail for victory, with Kansas City eventually emerging victorious 27 - 20. In the other AFC Divisional game, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills 27 - 10.
San Francisco 49ers unseat the Dallas Cowboys
And that's how it's done! The 49ers have once again shown their dominance over the Cowboys, advancing to the NFC Championship game. Brock Purdy, who was drafted as the last pick of the season, has led his team to victory and is now just one win away from the Super Bowl.
The first half saw a rollercoaster of emotions for the Cowboys, courtesy of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Despite missing five games and throwing two interceptions resulting in field goals, he led his team to an impressive long 74-yard drive - culminating with Dalton Schultz's four yard touchdown!
49ers cornerback Ray-Ray McCloud had other plans as they managed to edge ahead at 9-6 just before the break. The script was flipped shortly into third when a fumble by McCloud gave Brett Maher ample chance to settle things up.
Despite injuries to their starting quarterbacks, the San Francisco 49ers managed an incredible 91-yard drive with tight end George Kittle making a miraculous catch as Christian McCaffrey put them in position for the win. After each side kicked field goals it was up to their defence who emerged victorious and kept Purdy's winning streak alive on all seven starts!
Philadelphia Eagles cut the New York Giants down to size
An unstoppable performance from the Eagles saw them take down their opponents in a truly dominant fashion! Led by an injured Jalen Hurts, Philly's offence took apart the Giants defence with precision and finesse.
From touchdown passes to Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith, right through to rushing scores for Matt Breida and Kenneth Gainwell - this was one game that will be remembered come NFC Championships time as it secured home field advantage next week.
The Eagles were powerful and unstoppable, pounding their way to 268 yards on the ground. On defence they caused absolute havoc in New York's backfield all night long, as Daniel Jones was sacked a whopping five times!
The Giants ended up no match for Philadelphia this time around - ending what had been an impressive season – but that didn't stop Coach Siriani’s birds from lifting off with a victory back home at Lincoln Financial Field!
Kansas City Chiefs silence the Jacksonville Jaguars
In a match of sheer willpower, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes dug deep and overcame an ankle injury to lead his team all the way to their fifth consecutive AFC Championship appearance! Despite obvious pain and discomfort, "Showtime" threw two crucial touchdowns in the second half that propelled Kansas City towards victory.
The dynamic duo of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce connected twice for touchdowns, with one coming from back-up Chad Henne who powered the Chiefs to an impressive scoring drive and secured them a spot in the NFL Conference Championships!
Jacksonville matched Kansas City throughout most of the matchup; pulling ahead briefly after Trevor Lawrence hit Christian Kirk in the first quarter. But late game heroics by Etienne gave KC just enough cushion to stay out front while Andy Reid kept his star QB on despite hobbling pain - proving that this was truly not a game you wanted to miss!
Even with one leg and facing a must-win situation, Patrick Mahomes stepped up to march the Chiefs all the way down field. With just seconds left on the clock he did what he does best - flinging an unorthodox touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling that sent Kansas City into celebration mode!
Cincinnati Bengals round up the Buffalo Bills
With an impressive 13-1 record at home in the play-offs, few NFL teams can stand against the Buffalo Bills when snow is forecast. But on this occasion the Bengals of Cincinnati were undeterred by cold conditions and made it count from start to finish - with quarterback Joe Burrow masterfully producing two touchdowns in quick succession during their opening possession!
Still trailing 17–7 after a Josh Allen score for Buffalo early in Q2, neither side seemed ready to give up without a fight as both sides proceeded into long drive attempts throughout quarter three; eventually settling for field goals instead of touchdowns. Leaving the Final score at 17-10 to the Bengals and a spot in this weekend's NFL Conference Championships.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s AFC Championship Game
It's been a close rivalry between these two teams this season, as the Bengals have managed to come out on top each time with slim margins of victory. The most recent game ending in Week 13 was no exception; Cincinnati edged past their opponent 27-24 for three points yet again!
Kansas City's star QB, Patrick Mahomes will head into Sunday's matchup against the Bengals with an ankle sprain. In their December meeting, Cincinnati put up an impressive defensive front resulting in Mahomes' fewest completions of his season.
But don't count him out yet - last weekend while limited by injury, he still managed 22 total completions for 195 yards and two touchdown throws despite it being one of the most competitive games all year long. We'll see if Mahome can outperform this fierce defence.
It was a remarkable comeback performance by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, as they handed Patrick Mahomes his third consecutive loss! With superb rushing performances from both Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, plus two passing TDs for 286 total yards from Burrow himself -- this game belonged to Cincy. Their defence also deserves heartfelt praise; holding the Bills offence to just 10 points in that divisional round is truly impressive!
Looking ahead to this weekend’s NFC Championship Game
It's a classic showdown of the West versus the East Coast: The San Francisco 49ers hoping to snag victory over Philadelphia Eagles. Led by seasoned quarterback Jalen Hurts, and boasting an enviable array of diverse talent from DeVonta Smith and A.J Brown at wide receiver, Dallas Goedert as tight end, and Miles Sanders in rushing back - despite enduring shoulder pain.
With the 49ers' stacked offence boasting stars like tight end George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey coming off a strong season - it looks as if San Francisco will still be able to bring explosive plays this year under rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.
With the injuries to 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, rookie Nick Mullens has stepped up for San Francisco in a major way. But now he faces an entirely new challenge with Philadelphia's defence -- perhaps one of the best units we've seen all year. Coming into this NFC Championship Game, they allowed teams just 5.5 net yards per pass attempt and 3,057 passing yards during their regular season run!
This match-up is sure to be an epic showdown between two talented, experienced teams. Both the 49ers and Eagles have had strong defensive showings this season. It could come down to which team has more experience from recent successes on the big stage; The Niners played in a Super Bowl last year but Hurts vs Purdy could easily tip it for Philly if he can use his prior victories as leverage!
UK NFL fans will have plenty to cheer about when the NFL Conference Championships kick off at 20:00 pm GMT with the Eagles facing the 49ers in the NFC Championship. The Chiefs vs Bengals game is sure to be a cliff-hanger and starts at 23:30 GMT when the AFC title will be decided.
It’s going to be an exciting weekend of NFL action and you don’t want to miss a minute of it. Make sure you have all the gear you need to support your team with official NFL Merchandise from N1Fan Store. GoTeam!
