NFL Weekly Game Previews: Conference Championships

plowing through the Bills and Mother Nature. I can't tread. That is officially Compadel Snow a jolt in the end zone. The Bengals are heading to Kansas City awaiting the Bengals a dude who's thrown a few strikes in these games. Theosmeo man, I see you rolled your way into the semis. Travis and me. We're gonna fight for your right to party chiefs fighting for the a f C title for a fifth straight time. They'll roll that way, they find

the five and lunch into touch that chance. Winter is coming and you know what comes with it, cold temperatures and more of those are expected for this game. It's a ways out, but snow is in the Arrowhead forecast over the next week. What an advantage that could give the Bengals, being they played in a heavy snowfall last week. Burrow running his record in games under forty degrees to eight no in his career that it's Chase, but he's

put the fenders. There's also the Burrow Zach Taylor three or no record versus Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid win over them in Cincinnati this year, four in the conference championship game last year. Throws it into the end zone for Chase Hey leaps in touchdown. Therefore, Arrowheads volume Mahomes aura officially not keeping Burrow or anyone in orange and black stripes up. At night, Borrow grab gets away from a sax scramp like left he Chase gets away again

and gets the first out. I apologize ahead of time for the seven hundred and seventy seven ads headed our way and for the seven hundred and seventy seven takes you're going to hear about mahomes ankle this week. YEP, Realistically, he's limited to some degree. High ankle sprains are a month of rest typically Chief's Kingdom, just hoping Mahomes took plenty of jazz bats this week. You've got every single light.

Mahomes comes in off one of those games. The Jack young Blood, Emmett Smith, Daniel LaRusso Kind, Mahomes crane kicked his way to victory, went twenty two of thirty hundred ninety five yards, two touchdown, so a one twelve point five rating versus Jacksonville. Homes now steps up in the pocket, throws winding right on the back of the end zone, touched down US City And are they helping Mahomes up here?

He is lipping off the field. His play plus stats equals first team All Pro at qbast We got another. Let's go get another. Let's go get an not enough yet, not enough. Burrow comes in off one of those games too, the Liam Needsome, Gray, cool Runnings, Kind Burrow and heavy snowfall on the road versus the Bills. Two hundred forty five yards are rating over a hundred to t d S no picks. That's as shysty as it gets. Case

is up against it in every way. Bengals on a ten game win streak and getting great play on both sides of the ball twenty eight point three points per game on offense during the streak, eighteen point five points per game allowed on defense. Cat's hit flutters out since up incomplete pass not a fuffles. Bengals d with the Chiefs OH with a less than hundred percent Mahomes. First thing, we have to look at Bengals pass rush versus Casey's OH line on the chief side, even hurt, Mahomes wasn't

sacked once last week. Casey's O line only two teams allowed fewer sacks all year. Mahomes faced pressure percent of the time in the regular season. Hurt last week, he felt heat on thirty three point three percent of his dropbacks. Wasn't enough to beat him, though, right the instinct blitz him more, But Mahomes was one of the best against the house in two and he was one of the least blitzed because of it. To throw forth under pressure throws Travis Kelsey first out and the Jaguars tried it.

Regular season, he saw five plus pass rushers twenty three percent of the time. The Jags blitzed him thirty three percent of the time. He went seven for ten against it last week. A touchdown so much for the ankle second Jaguars pressure to stay in a crossman for the first half right away. Last year's conference championship game comes to mind. Then, the Bengals only blitzed him nine percent

of past plays. That's super low, and they still sacked him four times Shotgun staff a hand off to mcnellah fake now scrambling forward tackled half the nine yard line. And Cincinnati's win over Kansas City this year, they only blitzed him twenty percent of the time. That's still lowish. Two sacks, eight QB hits. Their pass rush sands too much extra help has played a big role in beating Kansas City. Those last two times one second and seventies in trouble and he's brought down at the twenty three

yards line by Hubbert. Sam Abbert, the two guys that Kansas City has struggled the most with Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson modest two sack totals, but Hendrickson hit him three times. In this year's game. He talied a sack and a half on their way to the dance. Last year, Hubbard got a hold of the homes in both now Here comes the rush Mahomes way back at the twenty time lose all at all, the Chiefs fall on it

at six. Sam Hubbard knocked the ball out. Hendrickson will take on left tackle Orlando Brown, seventeen best tackle out of seventy two this year according to PFF. He gave up four sacks. That's not a lot, but it's not an elite total either. Hubbard will go against Andrew Wiley, and like the Coyote, he had some issues too. Gave up sacks nine times. His mom would get a call from Ed for that as well. See the protection turn away from you. You know, if you've got one on

one against Andrew Wiley, you're going I'll take that. If he has time, though, then you might see him take the kind of shots that allowed him to finish with a fat eight point one yards per attempt and a cartman like plus twelve yards per completion in either scenario. The next topic Travis Kelsey, the most dominant tight end in the game versus Cincinnati's linebackers and safeties. Kelsey comes in off a near record performance fourteen catches scored twice.

He's got to stand Dansas City spreading inside the pilot Bengals fans. Jacksonville's defense one of the worst against tight ends all year. Safety's Jesse Bates, von Bell, linebackers Logan Wilson, Jermaine Pratt helping hold tight ends to a sub eight rating in Cincinnati three to five T to I in t ratio. When they beat Kansas City in Week thirteen, they held Kelsey to four catches fifty six yards. It's

Kelsey Prats trying to hold on to it. Eats a health ball came out, ball came out and Pratt has it. Another possible scenario. They don't pass as often. It's an

Isaiah Pacheco game. Jankel Pounty to the outside, check to the sideline, but check out about the Checko is a nice four point nine yard per carry guy this season enters this contest off a ninety five yard performance back to back weeks seven point nine yards per run or better off chack all right, but check out close twenty on the angle fifteen the right line shop out of bounds outside the Cincinnati they held back to three point nine yards per run this season. Called both Buffalo backs

in check with ease last week. The goal quickly on Singletary, who fights just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Defensive tackles d J. Hill, DJ Reader, Wilson and Pratt a tough group to run at. Wilson and Pratt also pretty tough on running backs his past catchers. That duo kind of underrated, it seems. Bengals pass defense versus running backs fifth lowest rating aloud. Oh, that's not the right tract. They take on Jerick McKinnon this week. He didn't do

anything as a receiver last week. Prior to that game, six games in a row with the receiving touchdown eight total in that span. If Mahomes is limited or hurried, he could get turned too often, scrambles out of there and shovels it forward to McKinnon. That's his ninth receiving touchdown. Casey white Outcore, Juju Smith Schuster, MBS, Justin Watson, Darius Tony. They're the slaters. They might be in the backseat, but they fill in the gaps. They're cool man Patrick Mahomes

crossed the middle, able to complete Juju Smitz Schuster. Cincinnati's play against Whiteouts held them to a sub ninety rating. Not many week spots with this defense. Last week versus Stefawn Diggs ten targets, only allowed him to catch four balls for thirty five yards and it's it completes Eli Apple excited thinking about all the catchup mustard and mayo. He was gonna slather on his celebration sandwich after the game. He likes his condiments hard to use the excuse. The

Bengal secondary was aided by the snow. First, they held quarterbacks to the lowest rating in the NFL this year. Yeah number one. Second, Burrow and his receivers didn't have any issues with the white stuff. Burrow back to pass throws toward the near sideballt wow if he pulls. Kansas City has to defend all three types of pass catcher

as well. Borrow bounces into this game off a classic spread the love type, showing used his standard whiteout trio, his running backs, a little more of his tight end than usual, and first lakes for the first down. What a play. Chiefs pass defense wasn't a strong point for them.

In two, it was versus Jacksonville held Trevor Lawrence to two d seventeen yards of seventy four point four rating, picked him off, only allowed one touchdown and best of all just five point six yards per attempt laws they dealt with Christian kirk, z A Jones, Marvin Jones not bad, but not on the same level as Jamaar, Chase, Te Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. All three have given Kansas City secondary trouble in their last two games. A f C Conference

championship game, Chase scored Higgins over a hundred yards. Regular season game this year again scored. Boyd had sixty yards, Jamaar ninety seven yards to Chase. How about that pass that look so Race is back on the case. Cincinnati tight end Hayden Purst can't sleep on him. He has games where you can and then bam, you're in the middle of a snowstorm with no chains and he wanders out of the Buffalo forest for five catches fifty nine yards in the score. So oh Plinn what open first

halls it in for another Cincinnati touchdown. That was against the best tight end defense in the NFL to Kansas City. They allowed a one oh one point nine right to the position this season, so they'd like a showing war in line with how they played Evan Ingram last week, held him to five catches thirty one yards. Second of eight bodies. Chris Crossing comes back to Ingram. We couldn't make the play the Frank Clark day, real defensive pressure lands on Casey's front. They have to get to Burrow

without any help. Good news for Kansas City. They were second in sacks without blitzing a ton this season. Lawrence's do They're a team that has first team All Pro Chris Jones, a fifteen and a half sack monster in the middle facing an old line rolling with three backups. He's gotta be Chris Jones. Now he gets rid of the ball. And Chris Jones just took the game, and it's all days, two days sitting there going first. Chandler Jones has as many career playoff sacks as you do.

Game preview guy, Sorry, Chris Jones, Nick Bosa, Joey Tomatoes, Tomatoes. Second, that Hodgepodge line of ours only allowed one sack for two yards last week only allowed Burrow to get hit three times, and that was on thirty seven dropbacks. First, Cat's head, there's Burrow, he said, hey, games, nobody near him and he knows where to go to get the first out of They have another one and not only that. Look what the Duck tape line did for their run game.

Joe mix in a three point nine yard per carry. Guy comes in off a twenty carry hundred and five yard five point three per run game plus a touchdown at six all the big el pointing for picks up lad he gets all away to the Kansas City run defense. They weren't great or terrible on the year versus running backs four point three a run allowed. Don't come in off a great performance, though, struggled versus Travis eat N

six point two yards per carry on ten tries. As Mallory would say, you want ants, that's how you get ants. Me outside cuts it up for the touchdown. Watch out for the kickoff game again, warrant everyone. Jacksonville's Jamal Agnew might be a problem for a Kansas City club that hasn't played kickoffs well. Chiefs let Agnew average forty three point seven yards per return on three attempts. It felt like he was about to break one every time he started up the fields up with momentum and look at

him get through pass. Everybody got ative. Bengals Trayvon Williams could be a problem too, then average over twenty yards per kickoff return in his last five games. Returnable for Williams works the sideline and shoved out as he crossed the thirty five yard line. As for field goals, Kansas Cities Harrison Butker two for two on his attempts last week a fifty yard or three for three on extra points.

Cincinnati's Evan McPherson two for two on his field l tries, made all three of his extra points in the snow so cooler Terrison's Jack. If Mahomes had to come out of the game, don't count Kansas City out. Chad Henny off the bench, eight yard drive in a touchdown Onions Caius Tony first down around the thirty one yard Andy Reid Conference championship record. He was one in four with Philadelphia.

He's two and two with Kansas City. Like we said, though, he hasn't beaten the Cincinnati kid in three tries, and Taylor has won three straight road playoff games. That's ridiculous. Nine votes went towards Cincinnati side, only one vote to Kansas City. NFL dot Com writer or Grant Gordon, the lone believer in Patrick Mahomes anchor when the motivations for each other. It doesn't matter where you play, right, it's it's about not wanting to let your teammates down. And

we got a pretty good team. Um, we've got very talented team. Also a team that plays well together. Coaches, players players, coaches, players players, coaches, coaches get to go and play to go to the super Bowl next week. We looked at the beginning of here, you thought Philly would be the last team right here. And that's the way it's ended up. First game of conference Championships Sundays gonna be cold and violent, and it's gonna be a blast. Is San Francisco train chugs East on the twelve game

winning streak. No team in the NFL hotter. That's pretty cool to you know, see the clock at zero and then you see like the Niners over the Cowboys last. Pretty sweet. Forty Niners in Philadelphia going to get a good team in a telf environment. And sometimes it's fun to go on the road. Right fly Eagles fly flying

in very high embarrassed their arch enemy in front of their adoring fans. Guys balled out. We played, We played really good, settled their nerves to what shoulder injury he was out, He was at full strength. It is healthy Eagles and their eight NFC Conference championship game in the Super Bowl era. The forty Niners their eighteen trip to the Semis. Been here before, and it's very hard to

get here. Their number one rated defense now testing itself versus the most diverse offense in the game, an offense fueled by its run game, which sets up a serious heavyweight bout. We got one of the best defenses, if not the best defense in the league, San Francisco, number one against the run. In two thanks you get this far, everything just cranks up a nut. Are they ready for this? Jelly? Though?

The forty Niners saw along with everyone else, they're taking on the Jalen Hurts that had everyone chanting those three letters at him by mid season. I truly never put a limit on myself and no, never put a limit on what this team can do. So there's always more out there for us to get. He's like Iver was, Iver was in the shooting guard or point who was shooting? Who's our best point guard? Ever? Who was like Mo Cheeks out there? Hurts dual threat abilities on full display

last week. Jalen always gonna help the running game, big time because of what he can do in the threat that he posted thirty four rushing yards tripped to bob ross Town, hurts back, He's gonna go at the draw, He's gonna run, He's gonna score hurts, healthy rush yards, limiting those at the top of the to do list for the forty Niners defense. It's where it all starts with Philadelphia's offense. Running the ball in the playoffs is a huge thing. We'll keep reminding everyone of the three

twenty three split. The Eagles rolled in and pass attempts third in Russia attempts. Last week's dominating when driven by forty four and offfs two hundred and sixty eight rush yards six point one yards per carry, three trips to the paint. Some of us look, let's pay a close game, but so far it has to domination. San Francisco's defense won't get any breathers along the ground. It's a relentless attack. There's hurts to contend with. We all gotta eat. May maybe you know a sa time we all make it

some happen. Kenneth Gainwell was the big guy last week, a hundred and twelve yards nine point three yards per run, t d It's across the pull fock tape ten fuck Miles Sanders normally the big man on campus and the great up up club versus the gm N ninety yards five point three a carry, get it off again, the Sanders sweet as another first down at a sun down a del and the ring go of the bunch Boston Scott thirty two yards five point three a run in a touchdown power He's look to the ground and he

had the moves to get the ball into the ends of being ringo far from a bad thing, trust me brings us to the first of many big time matchups. The forty Niners. No one yard games allowed to anywhere. Lowest yards per carry allowed to the running back position al Zeke at three point eight yard per carry dude to two point six last week Tony Pollard a five point two guy to three point seven. Hello absolutely nowhere, Nikkosa.

Now the forty Niners have only faced two teams with a similar style to Philadelphias, and I say that loosely. We played good football. We really have. We played good football to this to this day, um, but we we

know that we can keep getting better. The Bears in Week one in a mud pit so whatever and the Atlanta Falcons on the back of two different running backs having good days and a dual threat QB getting them on the ground as well, which set up Marcus Mariota for a one forty four plus rating passing day against San Francisco, two touchdowns, no picks. He's got the corner texta you know who didn't play in that loss for

San Francisco, Joey Bosa or Nick Bosa. I played my heart out tonight and h and I think I did a good How does he come into play against Hurts? We know who we are, we know who we are, and um, who's gonna go out there and play our best ball? Well, we at least can say they played each other last year San Francisco one seventeen to eleven, Bosa tract Hurts down twice, Nick Bosa with a strip sack. Bosa can attack either side, but you'd expect him to go after left tackle more often. In this game. Right

tackle Lane Johnson didn't allow a sack in two. That's a very low total. Jordan my Latta gave up six. He's not a bad left tackle by any means, but six is more than zero. Hey, it's gonna start to look he bubbles the football clup. The aables were cover get it get this time and calling Wolf a Philly girl and second and correct picks on our panel. Just texted me that San Francisco Philadelphia game you just mentioned was played in Who Gives a Ship's Creak? Is a

funny show? True? That game in the arc of Hurt's short career almost feels like it took place in college. Hurt's latest playoff outing very much in line with how he looked all this season. To climb their mountain, it gets harder, it gets more treacherous as as he gets at the top. Didn't have a ton of yards, doesn't always need him two touchdowns, no picks, a rating over

one ten were he was going deep? Look at Hi Smith all the white guy up a party partyard line tight end Dallas Goddard caught all five of his targets versus New York. Is a big man. I wouldn't want to tackle him. Fifty eight yards a TV. He had a great year to throw. He's got in touchdown Philadelphia. What a savante? Smith six catches sixty one yards in a score. Also a great season. Smith, want to throw a j Brown comes in quiet just three catches twenty

two yards. In the Divisional Round History book says he puts up sixty plus this week. The two times he had dud games this season, he followed them with at least that you get it had a w R one year because he's a w R one cat. He has floated a Jake Brown. Forty Niners don't come off a game handling the opponent's w R one well, ceedee. Lamb pretty much kept the Cowboys in that game last week. Ten catches a hundred and seventeen yards. Scott loading it up has a man It's lab has got it. What

a catch. The other side of the Lamb coin, one of San Francisco's two I tease versus Dak Prescott was on a throw to Lamb. They held him to a seventy one point six rating on his thirteen targets, held Prescott to two six yards five point six yards per attempt, a rating under sixty five picked up by Fred Water Waters got it. Lamb chases him down to the second

interception today for the forty niners. Nothing odd about that showing by the forty nine ers secondary this week we get Davonte and aj versus San Francisco cornerbacks to Various Ward and Diamador Lenore. Lenore comes in hot back to back I n T games in the postseason and throw Ladd Dad, just throw the ball. Ward was their best cornerback in two took on plenty of elite white outs, finished with a sub eight rating, so he can make things tough on the Eagle Stars. Throwock Left and the

Star Various Ward all over t K Metcamp. Great coverage there As for god Heard, he faced a team that ranked low versus tight ends and rating aloud last week, had a good game and scored Niners also a team that ranked low and rating, and they gave up a t D to Dalton Schultz, Row Shultz and touch down dull Us. To be fair, San Francisco held Schultz to five catches on ten targets only twenty seven yards. Hold Dallas to that again, but not really, and they'd be

happy it is juggle to drop by Dalton Schultz. Great coverage there by Temoana. The forty Niners defensive showing last week fit their two body of work fewest points per game, yards per game, et cetera. But the Cowboys win was one of the rare times during their quad streaking run that San Francisco's defense has had pressure to keep the other team off the scoreboard. During their twelve game win streak, no team has had a higher point differential. Brock Purty

in the offense have taken off most games. Oh my. Then came last week, a tight game versus an elite pass rush party's first game without a TV pass, first game with a rating under ninety only two fourteen yards. But no means what's anything perfect? Um for the whole offense and for the whole team. But it seemed like playoff football in that game. Keeping it in perspective, no mistakes,

he battled. If a a Ron or TV twelve had the exact game, we'd be hailing them for all their grit where they get a play action for all and it is cart got George, get a big game, Gett'll split it both perfectly a time from the Niners offense doesn't tend to start with Brock anyway running the ball efficiently. Um, that's always a good thing for your offense. San Francisco's oh bowls like the Eagles, a nice split for them in two the CMC Music Factory scored last week. No

need to cover his resume right now. McCaffrey splits time with Elijah Mitchell. Neither guy cracked the four yard per carry barrier. Don't expect them to get used any less, though. Not only are both guys legit. Philadelphia didn't play running backs well in two. Didn't play se Quon Barkley great last week. Six point eight yards per carry allowed It's Parkley across the forty forty and they stripped up at the party yard line Marca's heps to save the touta.

They also gave up five point eight yards per run to Matt Brita. Very few of those runs really had any major impact on the game or the flow of it. Eagles rushed defense might be the weak link in their d but it only matters if San Francisco isn't behind right away and they can use it on their terms. If Philadelphia gets up early and forces San Francisco to pass more than it wants to to keep up, it plays into the Eagles hands, more specifically, into the hands

of its pass rushers. Look it's part rous part Ravens. Eagles passed rush in two unrivaled five sacks, eight QUB hits. Last week, Josh Sweat a forced fumble a second and a half versus New York eleven and two. Look good for what the back side though, Josh Sweat rocking it out. Fletcher Cox got home once versus d J seven times on the year, pressured by Cox by Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham planted Jones once eleven for the season. Graham has

a quarterbacker eleven sack man Javon Hargrave. Last week, the new edition Ralph of the Sack Quintet didn't hardly get mentioned because no QB takedowns. Poor Ralph. The fifth member and the headliner of the group, the Bobby Hassan Reddick one and a half of those bags versus New York sixteen for the sea in Jones as well protective, but the coverage is tied and he's drilled right out there again.

Reddick will face off with right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Most snaps just like my Lata not a bad tackle, but gave up six sacks as well. Came inside the right tackle and split the rifeguard and right tackle for Purdy. Got gobbled up two times by Dallas, but it's important to note me. It's like, man, I gotta do my part in this in this team, for this team, I mean, everyone else is going to do their part, and that's

where justus comes into play. Purdy has taken three plus sacks three times, no losses, and his rating in a game where he took four hundred and forty one point two rock Perty will dump it off. Je McCAT free. He's headed for the end zone at Christian McCree has a forty ner touched up. Putting up a big game with Philadelphia heat on you and Philadelphia dbs a different kind of challenge, though, when so much is on the line, you know everyone's gonna be playing their best football. Every

drive and every moment matters. Daniel Jones It looked pretty good as of late, tossing the old pig skin against what some might call second rate secondaries. Philadelphia's group seriously called Kenny Loggins to go right, right right. They're one of the year's best, and they showed why in the divisional round. Delivers almost stripped by blanket Ship, but it's a turn over on delve Sterling a genius. Eagles have given up over two thirty nine passing yards once this season.

Once Green's cornerback trio sets its sights on Juan Jennings slot guy. His good days are like forty plus yards, Brandon Auk eight touchdowns in two, about sixty receiving yards per game, and Deebo Samuel he's the potential game breaker. Of course, none of those guys did anything significant versus Dallas. Samuel has been pretty quiet most games lately, to under sixty yards receiving an eight of his last nine. Samuel,

he's in trouble. He's taken down by Lawrence George Kittle straight off the set of Trailer Park Boys to save the game with that crazy cash last week ninety five yard night cats by Bill? Are you Patty Kittle's going to have to work this week? Only four teams with a lower rating allowed to tight ends than Philadelphia's in two that Prescott wants a dropped the ball tow to tight end and sweat, take it away and take it

in for tupl kicking games. Philadelphia's Jake Elliott got lots of practice on one pointers last week five for five hit his one field goal. He hit five of six from fifty plus, so they trust him. San Francisco's Robbie Gold comes in off another solid Gold, outing one for one on extra points, four for four on field goal tries, including a fifty yard or his Gold Gold at eight for twenty eight well field goals in his postseason career.

Niners better hope these Eagles aren't feeling like Dennis, because if they haven't begun to peet, when they do peak, they'll know it because they could peak so hard everybody in Philadelphia could feel it. This week. The Niners looking to prevent that and make it to the Final Dance for the eighth time. It's all about one game right now,

one game in that in Philly. Seven votes for the Eagles, three for the forty Niners, NFL dot com writer Kevin Patra, Grant Gordon, and Mark Sessler, who has them winning an overtime. NFL game Debut is a production of the NFL in partnership with I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.