The Conference Championships are set after a hard-fought divisional round.
The Washington Commanders will meet the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, and the Buffalo Bills will once again face the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, this time at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs previously beat the Bills 27-25 in the 2023 AFC divisional round at Highmark Stadium. Both matches will take place Sunday, Jan. 26.
To open the divisional round, the Houston Texans traveled to Kansas City to face the Chiefs. To nobody’s surprise, the Chiefs walked away on top with a 23-14 victory. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce connected seven times for over 100 yards, pushing Kansas City over the edge and Mahomes to an undefeated divisional round record with the Chiefs, according to ESPN.
The Commanders and Detroit Lions rounded out Saturday’s playoff matchups, and they did not disappoint. In a scoring frenzy from the jump, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels outshined veteran quarterback Jared Goff, throwing for two touchdowns, to help push Washington to a surprising upset victory. The sixth-seed Commanders’ defense was the difference, forcing Goff to throw for three interceptions and a fumble, resulting in three turnovers in just the first half.
The Lions never backed down, but Washington was prepared, dropping the Super Bowl favorites out of the playoffs in a 45-31 victory.
Sunday’s matchups went just about as expected. The Los Angeles Rams’ injury-riddled roster kept up with the Eagles, but Philly’s full-strength roster was the difference. Running back Saquon Barkley rushed for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Eagles to a 28-22 victory.
In the matchup of the divisional round, MVP candidates quarterback Lamar Jackson from the Baltimore Ravens and Josh Allen from the Bills faced off for a chance to dethrone the mighty Chiefs. The Bills just narrowly walked away with a 27-25 win after Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped a wide-open two-point conversion, which would’ve tied the game 27-27. Allen rushed for two touchdowns, and the Bills’ defense forced three Ravens turnovers to advance over the Ravens.
With the divisional round wrapped up, let’s take a look at the new standings:
Gabrielle and Amanda – 141 points
Hunter – 140 points
Nick – 136 points
Shalom – 134 points
Shane – 127 points
Justin – 125 points
Nina – 121 points
Tony – 116 points
Jade – 58 points
Here are the 2024 NFL Conference Championship predictions!
Sunday, Jan. 26, at 12 p.m., PST
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
- Commanders: Tony, Hunter, Shalom, Gabrielle, Jade,
- Eagles: Justin, Amanda, Nick
“I’m still in shambles that the Lions lost….. ” – Justin
“Still never going to pick the Eagles…like ever.” – Tony
“Nick Sirianni deserves nothing but misery. One should not simply be able to sign Saquon Barkley and magically receive a conference title.” – Hunter
“It’s more impressive to beat the Lions than the Rams.” – Shalom
“Not an Eagles fan ANYMORE.” – Jade
“The Commanders can absolutely win this game, especially with how they’ve been playing. But the Eagles just have so much expertise that’s important for a game like this.” – Nick
Sunday, Jan. 26, at 3:30 p.m., PST
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
- Bills: Justin, Hunter, Shalom
- Chiefs: Tony, Gabrielle, Amanda, Jade, Nick
“It’s time, Kansas… Josh Allen REVENGE TOUR.” – Justin
“When TB12 was doing his thing and everybody hated him. Now he’s gone, and Mahomes is doing his thing; people are saying, ‘Ohhhh, I miss the Patriots dynasty; they were so much more likable than the Chiefs.’ In 20 years from now, whoever the best in the league is, fans are gonna say how much they miss Mahomes, and he was more likable than whoever the next best player in the league is. Stop hating and appreciate greatness.” – Tony
“I did not like the Patriots dynasty. I like Mahomes, Kelce, Swift, Reid, etc., but I do not wish for them to become a new dynasty. If they do, I might have to stop liking them – so I’m rooting for the Bills.” – Hunter
“If Josh did it before, he can DO IT AGAIN. The Chief dynasty ends now and forever.” – Shalom
“As much as I like bills in my pocket, I fear it will always be the Chiefs.” – Amanda
“We can’t stop it.” – Jade
“They’re inevitable.” – Nick
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Email Justin Rodriguez: justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
