NFL Conference Championship Predictions

NFL Championship Sunday

Dude… 

It is that time of the year when the 4 best teams in the NFL battle to see who will make it to the biggest sporting event known to man, The Super Bowl. The NFC and AFC Championships have some big-time dogs ready to go and make their statement to the entire Football world. The NFC is featuring one of the most talented teams, the 49ers hosting the Detroit freaking Lions. The 49ers are back in the NFC Championship again to prove why they should’ve gone to the bowl last year if it weren't for injuries at QB. On the other side is the Detroit Lions, who have batted their way all year and implemented themselves as a hard-nosed, physical football team ready to punch their ticket into the Super Bowl for the first time. The AFC Championship has the Baltimore Ravens, who have a historical defense, and the 2 time MVP Lamar Jackson hosting the Kansas City Chiefs, who have made the AFC Championship game 6 years in a row with the best player on the planet, Patrick Mahomes, at the helm. The dudes have their predictions ready and we will see who will take home the dub with predictions while two teams from each conference battle to see who makes it to Super Bowl 58. 

The Dudes predictions record:

PC: 8-2

How6rd: 5-5

K Stelt: 7-3

#1 Ravens vs. #3 Chiefs

PC: I know you want to read this prediction over everyone else’s. I am currently winning in the predictions. This game in Baltimore is going to be one for the ages. The Baltimore Ravens dynamic mobile QB in Lamar Jackson. He has a speedy rookie wide receiver who has been shredding defenses in Zay Flowers. He has a Super Bowl-winning wide receiver on the other side with Odell Beckham Jr. He’s got his elite tight end back from injury, who’s ready to put on a show in front of the home crowd in Mark Andrews. The Ravens have plenty of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. However, their defense is the best in the league. The Chiefs are looking to continue to solidify their reign over the AFC by winning yet another AFC Championship. Mr. Inevitable in Patrick Mahomes leads KC into Baltimore. He will have his Taylor Swift loving tight end in Travis Kelce, who is still at the top of the tight ends even after all of these years. He’s got a running back who runs like a little kid trying on new shoes in Isiah Pacheco. He’s got some wideouts stepping up for him in Rashee Rice and MVS. His defense is the best he’s ever had backing him up. This contest will be intense and the turnover battle will play a vital role in who goes to Las Vegas and who goes to Cancun on vacation. I’ve stuck by Patty this entire season. I’m going to do it yet again. He continues to show that it doesn’t matter who is catching the ball, as long as it’s caught, he’s going to put the ball in the best spot to be caught. I think the Chiefs get a key turnover that seals the game and leads them back to the Super Bowl. In Patty We Trust.

Chiefs win 24-21

K Stelt: The AFC Championship game is going to be one for the ages. The Ravens are the best team in football. The best defense and one of the best offenses in the League. Lamar is on his way to winning his 2nd MVP, the rushing game is the best in the league, who is going against an OK run defense. The Ravens defense is #1 in points allowed, scoring, and sacks. Oh, and not to mention the offense has receivers on each side who can make a huge impact. This team is going up against the #15 ranked offense from the regular season, with bad receivers, a broken offensive line, and a broken front 4. The Ravens -4 spread against the Chiefs seems disrespectful. The thing this Ravens team hasn't seen is a secondary this good or a QB this good. The Ravens are built to beat this Chiefs team, the Ravens should win this game. If I was picking with my head, I would pick the Ravens. But if I’m picking with my heart, I choose the Chiefs. As a Chiefs fan, I believe they can find a way to win, it will be the hardest game they have had since the Superbowl of last year. I don’t like picking against Mahomes against the spread, it is dangerous. Patrick Mahomes is here for all of it.

Chiefs win 21-17

How6rd: This is obviously the most talked about matchup of this weekend for good reason as we got Lamar Jackson who’s arguably playing his best ball yet going against the AFC’s Thanos equivalent in Patrick Mahomes. The Ravens have one of the better well-rounded teams we’ve seen in a really long time being able to score many points and putting opposing offenses in Guantanamo Bay when everything is clicking. The Chiefs on the other hand have had a rough go of things and even with Mahomes cooking so far in the playoffs are prone to mistakes just as they were in the regular season hence Mecole Hardman’s goal-line fumble. Nonetheless, the Chiefs held their own on the road in a tough Buffalo environment still playing solid football than most people expected, and with that win they showed that it’s going to take a lot more than saying “they’re on the road” to say they have no shot in winning this game. What I can say though is putting aside all the past matchups and talking about the present this Ravens team is way more locked in than many other teams coming across the Chiefs in the past. Between Lamar cussing out the offense in the locker room at halftime last week and the defense being amped up every single play the Texans gained little to no yards.

The Chiefs need a big game from Pacheco this week as many other positions for KC will be overmatched to win in other areas, at least consistently, but even then a defense can only hold down Lamar for so long right now until he breaks out into a game-winning mentality. I believe the Ravens get a lot more done later in the game that won’t give this Chiefs team much room to mess up if at all, and aside from Mahomes that’s probably asking too much of this current squad given the missed opportunities to put last week’s game away sooner.

Ravens win 26-20

#1 49ers vs. #3 Lions

PC: Everyone loves a good underdog story. I believe Dan Campbell and the Lions have been playing that card every game. Always seemed like where they have gotten, was good enough. Not for this team. Jared Goff leads an electrifying yet young offense. The threats at wide receiver are extensive. Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a top tier wideout all year. Josh Reynolds has blossomed into a pivotal second option. Jameson Williams is a threat with his speed if the ball is getting thrown to him, or handed off to him as well. We can’t forget about our breakout rookie at tight end in Sam Laporta, who has my vote for offensive rookie of the year if CJ Stroud didn’t exist. The defense is solid, yet has some flaws that the 49ers hope to exploit. The boys from San Fran are looking to get back to that Super Bowl. Mr. Irrelevant in Brock Purdy is steering this elite offense with efficiency and poise with all the lights on him. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are going to dice up this defense over and over again. Christian McCafferey is destined to run through the Lions defense. The 49ers tight end is also in that top echelon of tight ends in the NFL. Their defense flies around the field with Fred Warner holding it down in the middle of it all. This game is going to be an old fashioned shootout. I think the Lions have a lot of talent but are missing a few pieces in their young defense to push them to Super Bowl level. I think they don’t have enough talent to stop McCaffrey. If you can’t stop the run, the rest of the playbook opens up for Kyle Shannahan and he’s ready to drop bombs all over the field. This closely contested dual is going to come down to if the Lions defense can hold the 49ers offense enough for Goff and company to have plenty of chances at winning the game. I think Campbell and the Lions will come up just short, but should be favorites to win it all next year.

49ers win 30-24 

K Stelt: The Lions have a chance to do something they have never done before. These two teams are hungry for a Superbowl. The Lions are physical, run a dynamic offense, and might be the hungriest team in this group of 4, but the 49ers have the most talented team in the NFL. The offense is elite and the defense is a well-oiled machine. This game, on paper, should go to the 49ers, but I have one problem. The QB is the biggest weakness for this 49ers team. The Lions on the other hand don’t have one that is much better, but has been successful this season with a good OC in his ear. The Lions are here to continue the story, I think their offense will be better than the 49ers offense and they will make it to the Superbowl for the first time.

Lions win 26-24

How6rd: It seems that this is the matchup hardly anyone is talking about this weekend and personally I believe that this will turn out to be the better matchup. The offensive weapons between the four teams left are heavily involved in this one as the Lions have two studs in Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow within the trenches up against a dangerous 49ers defensive group up front. Detroit also has talented receiving weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam Laporta who’ve come up big in the playoffs with solid receiving depth as well, and we can go on and on about the rest but bottom line this is arguably the best offense the 49ers have gone up against in the NFC all year with a mastermind in Ben Johnson calling the plays. Meanwhile, San Francisco is obviously not short of these weapons themselves as Trent Williams is one of the best, if not the best, offensive lineman in the league right now headlining an O-line to give Brock Purdy and the best skill position player in the league Christian McCaffrey enough room to go to work. George Kittle is the main star of the 49ers pass catchers, but Brandon Aiyuk is a stud in his own right where if Deebo Samuel comes out healthy on Sunday could get a lot of opportunities to go to work on an iffy Lions secondary. The biggest question as these teams will most likely trade blows on Sunday is if Aaron Glenn can come up with as many solid defensive schemes as he did to get the Buccaneers completely off their game in the middle and end of the game last week.

I think Brandon Aiyuk is an X factor for the 49ers this week and if more players can break through the Lions defense aside from their secondary then the 49ers can definitely find a way to win as they did against the Packers. On the other hand, I believe the Lions defense is more talented and physical than the Packers core and if they’re able to time their aggressive pass rushing right like they did a week ago they can get Brock Purdy completely off his game once again. Jared Goff may be capable of a mistake or two in this one as it’s the most intense game he’s played in multiple years, but if Detroit's defense can come up with many crucial stops in this one I think the Lions offense explodes well enough to escape the Bay with a win.

Lions win 34-31