And then there were four.
After four thrilling divisional round clashes, the NFL conference championship games are set with huge storylines coming from both and one win separating the franchises from a spot in Super Bowl LIX.
Here are the matchups for the penultimate round of the playoffs, how to watch them and what to look out for.
Full championship round schedule and how to watch
Away @ home
Sunday, January 26
NFC Championship: No. 6 Washington Commanders @ No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles – 3 p.m. ET (FOX)
AFC Championship: No. 2 Buffalo Bills @ No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs – 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
The Chiefs survived a rain storm and an injury scare to quarterback Patrick Mahomes to defeat the Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime and improve to 8-0 on the season.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2239″ loading=’lazy’/>
The best photos from the 2024 NFL season
NFC: No. 6 Washington Commanders vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles – 3 p.m. ET
The first conference championship of the 2024 season sees NFC East rivalries renewed as the Washington Commanders travel to the City of Brotherly Love to face the Philadelphia Eagles.
The two teams – just a few hours travel from one another – have already faced each other twice this season, with the pair splitting the series; the most recent clash in December saw Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts depart early with a concussion as the Commanders held on late to snap Philadelphia’s 10-game winning run.
The Commanders are the story of the postseason so far, having gone on the road in both the wild-card and divisional round and producing impressive victories against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the No. 1 seeded Detroit Lions.
A key catalyst on their run has been star rookie QB Jayden Daniels who has continued his record-breaking regular season by passing numerous historic marks in the postseason already.
Daniels became the 12th rookie in NFL history to win a playoff game by beating the Bucs, and in the upset victory over Detroit, he accounted for 350 total yards of offense to break Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck’s single-season record for the most offensive yards by a rookie, including the playoffs.
Daniels’ ability to combine accuracy throwing the ball with his running prowess proved a threat during the regular season and, with the pressure ratcheted up in the playoffs, he hasn’t looked fazed at all and seems to have taken his game to the next level.
Through his poised and assured play, Daniels has breathed life into a stale Commanders organization, which has booked its first spot in the NFC Championship game since the 1991-92 season.
Daniels spoke about the impact playing football has had on him as he prepares to face the Eagles.
“For me, football is just fun and it’s like a safe haven for me with everything I’ve been through personally in my life,” the 2024 No. 2 draft pick said on Wednesday. “So, I’m not really going out there and stressing about the moment because at the end of the day, I get to do what I love each and every week, you know, win, lose or draw.
“So, it’s just a blessing to be one of those kids that are able to fulfill their dream and live out their dream of playing on Sundays in the NFL.”
The 24-year-old will need to be at his best on Sunday though as he comes up against a formidable Eagles defense laden with stars.
From Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith up front, Zach Baun at the linebacker spot and CJ Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay, Reed Blankenship, Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell in the back field, Philadelphia has plenty of game-changing playmakers on defense.
The question marks all revolve around Hurts though. After rushing for a 44-yard touchdown on the opening drive of Philly’s divisional round win over the Los Angeles Rams, Hurts suffered a knee injury in the second half and looked uncomfortable for the remainder of the game.
The 26-year-old threw 15-of-20 for 128 yards in the game but was sacked seven times for a total of 63 yards, bringing the Eagles’ final net passing total down to 65 yards; the cold, snowy weather in Philadelphia appear to hamper the home team’s ability to pass the ball.
Hurts said after the game he was confident he would play against the Commanders, but if his mobility is affected by any lingering issues, it would severely hamper a key aspect of what makes him so dangerous.
Luckily for Philadelphia, they have the best running back in the league, who should be able to shoulder some of that burden.
Saquon Barkley had another outstanding game against the Rams – with 205 rushing yards including two long touchdown runs – and slowing him down will be key for the Commanders if they have any chance of winning.
Although the balance between the Eagles’ passing and rushing games seems to have been slightly off-kilter in recent contests, head coach Nick Sirianni says his team will be ready.
“You do everything you can do to win each and every game. There is going to be a game that we’re going to have to throw a bunch, and there’s going to be a game we have to run a bunch,” Sirianni told reporters on Tuesday.
“I wouldn’t say I have a level of concern of anything there. I know we’re able to win both ways. I know we can win passing the ball. I know we can win running the ball. Just so happens a little bit more this year, we’ve won running the football.
“We’re in this position now to play in the NFC Championship game, which is special. I know we’ve got the right people in place all the way on our offense, our coaches. Yeah, we’re doing what we need to do to win each game. If that means throw it 50 times, we’ll do that. If it means run it 50 times, we’ll do that as well.”
The AFC Championship game has become a familiar sight in recent years: the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen traveling to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs have knocked the Bills out of the playoffs three of the past four seasons, while Buffalo has dominated the regular season clashes with four straight victories, including handing Kansas City one of its two regular season losses in Week 11 this year.
Games between these two AFC juggernauts have come to define the NFL in recent years, with memorable moments going down in folklore, none more so than the Chiefs’ 13 second drive in the divisional round in 2021 and victory in overtime.
“It’s just two really good football teams going up against each other. They have great players at every level on both sides of the ball and they’re well coached,” Mahomes told reporters when asked about the Chiefs-Bills rivalry in recent years. “And so, when you play great football teams like that, it kind of usually ends with that split type of deal there.
“We’ve been able to beat them in the playoffs and they’ve got us in the regular season. If you look at the games, every game’s close, so it just comes out to a play here or there that makes an impact on the outcome.”
Mahomes added: “When you look at the great rivalries of the NFL, it comes with this. It comes with playing each other every year in the regular season and it comes with playing in the playoffs.”
While Kansas City’s Mahomes has almost all of the accolades to his name now, it is Buffalo’s Allen who is the favorite for MVP this year and is coming off an impressive victory over the Baltimore Ravens last week.
For someone who entered the NFL as an unpolished prospect, Allen has matured into the perfect signal-caller with his big arm and strong running ability. His elite level has taken the Buffalo offense to the next level and the whole group has committed a league-low eight turnovers all season.
That pairs well with Buffalo’s turnover-seeking defense which leads the NFL with 35 takeaways this season, including three against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, and has kept the team in games all season.
They will be coming up against the NFL’s biggest superpower in recent years with the Chiefs playing in their seventh-straight AFC Championship, the second longest streak behind the 2011-2018 New England Patriots who achieved the feat eight times.
Shortly after their victory over the Ravens, Allen acknowledged the level of opposition they’ll be coming up against.
“We know what they are. They’re the perennial of what you want to be in the NFL,” Allen told reporters. “You’ve got to beat them to get past them. So, you know, we’re going to enjoy this one tonight.”
Allen added: “The regular season is what the regular season is, and it doesn’t matter how well you perform when you get to the playoffs, it doesn’t really matter.
“It’s hard to beat a team twice. We understand that. We know that. It’s a team that we beat early in the season, but it’s not the same team. They got some guys back on their defense and their offense, and I can’t tell you enough now.”
Despite being just 29 years old, Mahomes enters the game tied for the second-most playoff victories by a quarterback with 16 and with a spot in the history books on the line – Kansas City is looking to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls – he has all the motivation in the world to extend that run.
A big boost for the Chiefs is the return to form for tight end Travis Kelce. After an underwhelming regular season, Kelce had 117 receiving yards in the divisional round win over the Houston Texans, his ninth playoff game with at least 100 yards, the most in NFL history.
And if he can continue to roll back the years, the Bills defense could have a job on their hands to prevent the Chiefs from reaching their third straight Super Bowl.
Allen and Mahomes will become just the fifth set of starting quarterbacks to meet at least four times in the postseason since 1950 and we could be set for another classic.
