And then there were four.
The NFL’s conference championship Sunday is here, bringing matchups between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC and the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC. The winners advance to Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
The NFC Championship Game is at 3 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field, and the AFC Championship Game follows at 6:30 p.m. ET at Arrowhead Stadium.
There are no unknowns between these four teams.
Washington and Philadelphia face each other twice a year as members of the NFC East, and they split their games this season. The Eagles won the first meeting 26-18 in Week 11, then the Commanders turned the tables with a 36-33 victory in Week 16.
But this is only the second playoff meeting between the teams. Washington beat Philadelphia 20-6 in the 1990 season wild-card round.
The Chiefs and Bills also have met previously this season, with Buffalo beating Kansas City 30-21 in Week 11. Since 2020, the Bills are 4-1 in the regular season against the Chiefs. Kansas City, however, has won three straight playoff meetings against Buffalo, including last season’s 27-24 triumph in the divisional round. Kansas City also beat Buffalo 42-36 in the 2021 season divisional round and 38-24 in the 2020 season AFC Championship Game.
Here are four more top storylines to follow Sunday.
NFC: Commanders at Eagles
Jayden Daniels’ shot at Super Bowl history
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels has delivered a rookie season for the ages. That success has carried over into the playoffs, where he has a rookie-record 46 completions along with 567 passing yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions, which translates to a 116.2 passer rating. He also has 87 rushing yards in two playoff games.
Daniels has 14 victories in his young career. With another one Sunday, he would surpass Ben Roethlisberger (with the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers) for the most wins by a rookie quarterback, postseason included. Daniels also can become the first rookie quarterback to win three postseason games and start a Super Bowl. Finally, he can join Tom Brady (2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Tony Eason (1985 New England Patriots), Eli Manning (2007 New York Giants), Aaron Rodgers (2010 Green Bay Packers) and Roethlisberger (2005 Steelers) as quarterbacks to win three road games in one playoff run.
In his last meeting with Philadelphia, Daniels recorded 258 passing yards, five touchdown passes, two interceptions and rushed for 81 yards. With the game on the line, Daniels directed a nine-play, 57-yard scoring drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left on the clock to lift the Commanders.
Daniels has directed five fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives (four in the regular season and one in the playoffs at Tampa Bay). The Commanders handily upset Detroit 45-31 in the divisional round last week behind 299 passing yards and two touchdown passes from Daniels. Can the dazzling rookie lead his team to an improbable victory yet again?
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was hobbled last week but still helped Philly beat the Rams. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)
Eagles injury concerns
Almost everyone is beat up this time of year, but the Eagles find themselves nursing injuries at several key positions, and that could hamper their effectiveness against Washington.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered a knee injury in last week’s divisional victory over the Los Angeles Rams and had reduced mobility during the latter stages of the game. Hurts averaged 42 rushing yards per game in the regular season and had 14 rushing touchdowns, many of them scored on the Eagles’ signature tush-push quarterback sneak play.
If Hurts’ mobility is reduced again Sunday, Philadelphia’s offense loses a significant dimension. If that’s the case, look for the Eagles to lean even more heavily on running back Saquon Barkley, who has averaged 25.5 carries and 162 rushing yards per game in the playoffs. He also had two rushing touchdowns — a 62-yarder and a 78-yarder — against the Rams.
The running game is the only consistent element of Philadelphia’s offense. Big-play wide receiver A.J. Brown has just three catches for 24 yards this postseason, while DeVonta Smith has tallied only eight catches for 76 yards and no touchdowns.
Tight end Dallas Goedert has eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown this postseason, but he is nursing an ankle injury that caused him to miss practice time this week. He expects to play Sunday. Center Cam Jurgens is questionable with a back injury.
The Eagles also have a concerning injury on the defensive side of the ball. Impressive rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell missed the bulk of last week’s game with a shoulder injury. He expects to play Sunday, but his effectiveness could be limited depending on his range of motion and strength. Mitchell limited Washington’s leading pass-catcher Terry McLaurin to just one reception for 10 yards in Philadelphia’s victory, but McLaurin had five catches for 60 yards and a touchdown in the rematch.
AFC: Bills at Chiefs
Can Josh Allen, Bills get over the hump?
Allen has spent his entire career chasing Patrick Mahomes. As mentioned, he has outdueled his rival in the regular season. But when the contests matter the most, Allen has come up short.
In last season’s divisional showdown, he completed 26 of 39 passes for just 186 yards and a touchdown but scored two rushing touchdowns. Buffalo had just seven second-half points and suffered a fourth-quarter fumble that foiled a potential scoring drive. Allen and the Bills have had a whole year to think about what they would have done differently as they now get another crack at Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Allen has done more with less in 2024 while directing an offense that ranked second in scoring during the regular season (30.9 points per game) despite not having a top-flight No. 1 receiver. Against Baltimore last week, Allen was efficient, passing for 127 yards, completing 16 of 22 attempts and rushing for two touchdowns. He received support from a defense that forced three Ravens turnovers and running backs who combined for 127 rushing yards on top of Allen’s 20.
Allen and the Bills averaged 359.1 total yards to Kansas City’s 327.6 and averaged eight more points per game than the Chiefs during the regular season. In the postseason, Buffalo’s offense has averaged 372 yards and 29 points in two games to Kansas City’s 212 yards and 23 points in one. Buffalo’s defense boasted a league-best plus-24 turnover differential in the regular season (Kansas City was plus-6) and has a plus-3 differential in the postseason.
Is this finally the year Allen gets his team over the hump?
Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes hasn’t been as explosive this season. Does that change vs. the Bills? (Mark Konezny / Imagn Images)
Defense important as Chiefs eye Super Bowl return
Kansas City finds itself one win away from a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Only three teams, the 1971-73 Dolphins, 1990-93 Bills (four appearances in a row) and 2016-18 Patriots, have accomplished such a feat. No one, however, has won three Super Bowls in a row.
Three other back-to-back Super Bowl champs (the 1992-93 Cowboys, 1988-89 49ers and 1974-75 Steelers) returned to the conference championship game for a third straight season, but none made the Super Bowl.
Mahomes is trying to join Tom Brady and John Elway by reaching the Super Bowl five times in his career. Brady, of course, did so 10 times, so Mahomes would have a ways to go to catch him in this category.
To return to the Super Bowl, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense may need an infusion of life after producing a paltry 212 yards in last week’s 23-14 win over Houston. Third downs proved problematic for the Chiefs, who converted on just four of their 11 attempts.
Mahomes, who passed for just 177 yards and a touchdown last week, is looking for another receiver to emerge as a threat after tight end Travis Kelce erupted for 117 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Xavier Worthy, Noah Gray and Kareem Hunt combined for just nine catches and 60 yards. Marquise Brown, DeAndre Hopkins and JuJu Smith-Schuster all went without a catch on four combined targets.
Offensive struggles will intensify pressure on a defense that limited Houston to only two touchdowns but allowed the Texans to convert 10 of 17 third downs and gain 336 yards. During the regular season, the Chiefs defense was among the stingiest in the league, holding foes to just 19.2 points a game (fourth fewest).
That unit may have to deliver one of its most dominant performances yet to get to New Orleans.
(Top photo of Josh Allen: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images)
