Championship weekend is upon us in the NFL. Big games lie ahead and even bigger storylines surround them. Eric Jensen breaks down each conference championship game in this week’s weekend preview.
AFC Championship: Chiefs Bengals
This is an incredibly hard game to diagnose, here’s why. Patrick Mahomes is practicing in full but also has a high ankle sprain. For those unfamiliar, a high ankle sprain is one of the most painful and non-season-ending injuries one can suffer in the sport. It’s just difficult to diagnose, how will Patrick Mahomes look playing through a high ankle sprain on Championship weekend?
If we assume the injury makes he and opposing Bengals QB Joe Burrow equal in talent, the game comes down to whose roster is better, that prestige would go toward the Bengals. Cincinnati has the better offensive talent surrounding its signal caller, a better defensive line, and a top tier secondary behind it.
The Chiefs while possessing a good defense, aside from stars like Chris Jones, the emerging George Karlaftis and Nick Bolton, the defense is coached up extremely well but not at the talent level of Cincinnati.
The Chiefs have the better offensive line of the two groups though, and if Patrick Mahomes can survive as a pocket passer he can use the time he might get behind said offensive line to pick on weaknesses in Cincy’s secondary like the oft-trolled online Eli Apple. The truth is though, Apple is an average NFL corner that gets burned occasionally.
That sort of liability though provides a point of attack for Andy Ried. Well, then this must be a Chiefs victory going away? No way, not that simple. This game has twists and turns and nuance that even I can’t fully get a grasp on. I’m just trying to walk you, the reader through it.
The Bengals have a generational passer in Joe Burrow. A surgeon from the pocket with the arm to match. Burrow also provides something that’s intangible, confidence. The best passers in the league just look like they’ve been here before.
That is one hundred percent the case with Burrow. From day one, he has been ready to play in and dominate the NFL. He also has the weapons to do so, Tee Higgins has had a career year on the outside and Jamarr Chase remains a super star. Not to mention the incredible month-long run of Joe Mixon. The Bengals are an offense performing at top speed and quite possibly the best all-around team in the NFL.
The Pick Chiefs 31 Bengals 30
As a football writer, I have rules. One of them, when you don’t know which way a game is going, find the best QB and ride with them. Another rule: Don’t pick against Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes, they will make you look like a fool.
There are stakes though, if Burrow wins we must begin the conversation that he is potentially the best signal caller in football. If he wins a Super Bowl, well then we have a very interesting debate on our hands this off season. (This paragraph is sponsored by the mind of a child of the debate show era. )
NFC Championship Weekend: Eagles Niners
This game has been undersold. We have two of the best coaches in the sport, two of the best GM’s in the sport, and some of the most dynamic players in the sport all going against each other in this game.
It should be advertised as a team builder’s dream, these teams have done something right to get here, to fight for this moment.
Where’s the edge, you could make the argument it’s the Eagles stellar and deep defensive line. You look across the sidelines though and you find the master at defeating athletic and toolsy defensive lines in Kyle Shannahan.
The zone blocking scheme allows for Shannahan to prevent defensive mismatches and shield his offense from dynamic defensive fronts.
On Endzone Podcast though, I followed my rule in this one, pick the better QB.
Brock Purdy is a fun story but Jalen Hurts is an MVP candidate for a reason. He is a generational runner who added a massive arm to his game this season. The Eagles will not be beaten.