Super Bowl Final Four

From 16 teams down to 4 and a trip to the super bowl on the line, this Sunday The 49ers, Eagles, Bengals and Chiefs battle for their spot at a chance for glory. The first game played is the NFC championship between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams are loaded with star players and could run away with a game at any moment, but like any other team, they also have their weaknesses. The apparent weakness for the 49ers seemed to be their 7th-round rookie quarterback from Iowa State Brock Purdy. Purdy got the starting job after other 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went out in week 13 after suffering a left foot injury.

But contrary to what everyone thought Purdy went off his first 5 starts throwing for over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns and went undefeated in that time. With Purdy playing as well as he is, and the 49ers team being as deep and well-rounded as they are the 49er’s playoff future can fall on the shoulders of their defensive players like All-Pro defensive lineman Nick Bosa, and All-Pro Linebacker Fred Warner and other numerous weapons on offense such as All-Pro running back Christian Mccaffrey and star receiver Deebo Samuel. On the other side, you have the Philadelphia Eagles leading a high-flying offense led by third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver AJ Brown. On defense, however, they have a different story. The Eagles lead one of the best pass defenses in the league, but their biggest weakness is their inability to stop the run. In their first loss against the Washington Commanders, they could not stop the run giving up 152 rushing yards above the league average. The two teams match up very well, both with incredible defenses and high-scoring offenses, but the deciding factor might be the Eagles lack of run defense, especially going against a premier running back in Christian Mccaffrey. Whichever way the game goes it is sure to be entertaining. 

The next game is the AFC championship between The Kansas City Chiefs and The Cincinnati Bengals. A heated rivalry between the two has emerged in the last few seasons. A rematch of last year’s AFC championship in which the Bengals won in an OT thriller 27-24. Both teams are full of amazing offensive talent including the likes of Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce for the Chiefs and Joe Burrow and Jammar Chase for the Bengals. While the Chiefs have a historic offense the same cannot be said for the other side of the ball. The Chiefs struggle in every aspect of the defensive end except for the pass rush and this can mainly be attributed to star defensive lineman Chirs Jones. Meanwhile, the Bengals rank in the top ten for every defensive category, from pass defense to sacks they rank very highly for a team with no major names on defense. While the Bengal’s defense may be good it has been proven nearly impossible to stop this explosive Chiefs offense with Patrick Mahomes at the helm, but the Bengals are 3-0 against the Chiefs with Joe Burrow. And with the Chiefs losing star receiver Tyreek Hill this offseason, and the Bengals keeping every major star on their team the odds are in their favor, but one thing you cannot do is underestimate Patrick Mahomes especially when he has a chip on his shoulder. A new rivalry emerging, with two of the best facing off for an AFC championship rematch. Both with thoughts of Super Bowl glory in their heads and with millions of fans on their shoulders the pressure could not be higher and it all comes down to one game of football.

When asked about who would win each game and why, Sophomore Ethan Gallegos stated “ The Bengals are going to win because the Chiefs can’t stop Joe Burrow and Jamaar Chase, and the Eagles are going to win because Brock Purdy will not be able to get it done on the big stage.” Sophomore Landon Keipper had similar reasoning for his picks saying, “I think the Eagles will win because they (The 49ers) won’t stop Jalen Hurts and the passing attack, and I think the Bengals will win because the Chiefs defense can’t get enough stops.” Sophomore Mason Hayes said, “ I think the Eagles will win because of their defense, and the Chiefs will win because no one is stopping Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs.”