The NFL season is officially down to its final four teams and we’ll be seeing some very familiar faces on Sunday.
For the second year in a row, the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cincinnati Bengals all qualify for the conference title round. The only newcomer this year is the Philadelphia Eagles, who are playing in the NFC Championship for the first time since 2017.
The Eagles will host the 49ers who knocked out the Cowboys on Sunday to continue Dallas’ 27-year drought without appearing in a conference title game.
This Eagles-49ers game will give us a matchup between two of the most successful NFC teams of the 21st century. Including this year, the Eagles have now made seven NFC title appearances, the most of any NFC team since 2000. The 49ers are tied for second with six. Although they have appeared several times in the NFC tile game over the past two decades, they have never played each other.
In the AFC, we will get a rare rematch. The Bengals-Chiefs match-up will be only the third time over the past 35 years that the AFC Championship Game has been a rematch. The last time it happened was in 2011-12 (Ravens-Patriots), and before that, it hasn’t happened since 1986-1987 (Browns-Broncos).
The AFC Championship is also a rematch of a game replayed in Week 13, which was won by the Bengals, 27-24. Cincinnati has played the Chiefs three times since January 1, 2022 and the Bengals have won all three games.
With that in mind, here’s a look at it all Postseason schedule and bracket.
Super Wild Card Weekend
Saturday 14 January
- (2) 49ers 41-23 more (7) Seahawks. The 49ers got a short scare from the Seahawks on a day when Seattle jumped out to a 17-16 halftime lead. In the second half, however, San Francisco broke up the game with a dominant performance. Brock Purdy threw for 332 yards while also becoming the first rookie in NFL history to total four touchdowns in a playoff game. (Purdie finished with three passing touchdowns and one rushing point.)
- (4) Jaguar 31-30 up (5) chargers. The Jaguars won this game by hitting one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history. The Jags trailed, 27-0, early in the game due to four interceptions by Trevor Lawrence, but rebounded to claim the stunning win, thanks in large part to Lawrence, who threw four touchdown passes.
Sunday 15 January
- (2) Bills 34-31 up (7) dolphins. The Dolphins came into this game as the biggest underdog in wild card round history (+14) and despite those odds, they were still able to strike a massive scare in the Bills. In the end, the Bills managed to avoid an upset thanks to Josh Allen (352 yards, three touchdowns) and a defense that came up with several big plays, including two turnovers, four sacks, and an iced fourth-down stand. Game with only 2:30 left to play.
- (6) giants 31-24 more (3) Vikings. New York pulled off the Minnesota meltdown thanks to the historic performance of Daniel Jones, who became the first QB in NFL playoff history to throw for at least 300 and two touchdowns while adding at least 70 yards on the ground. Not only did Jones throw for 301 yards, but he also threw for the game-leading rusher with 78 yards on 17 carries. The victory over Minnesota was the first playoff victory for the Giants since their victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012.
- (3) Bengals 24 to 17 years old (6) crows. The Ravens had Cincinnati on the ropes for most of this game, but the Bengals managed to escape with a win thanks to their defense, which came up with one of the biggest plays in NFL postseason history. With the Ravens at Cincinnati’s one-yard line, Tyler Huntley fumbled and Sam Hubbard returned that fumble 98 yards for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.
Monday, January 16th
- (5) Cowboys 31-14 more (4) hacker. The Cowboys dominated this game from start to finish, and the main reason this happened was because of Dak Prescott, who had a big historic night. The Cowboys QB set a franchise record with five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) while also throwing for 305 yards. The only Cowboys player to struggle in this game was kicker Brett Maher, who missed an NFL record four extra points. The Cowboys will now have to decide if they want to keep him for Sunday’s game in San Francisco.
Partition tour
Saturday 21st January
- (1) Chiefs 27-20 over (4) Jaguars. After leaving the game in the second quarter with a serious ankle injury, Patrick Mahomes returned in the second period to lead the Chiefs to victory. Playing on one foot didn’t seem to slow him down as he completed 10 of 15 passes for 107 yards after getting injured. The Chiefs defense also came through with two key turnovers in the fourth quarter to help propel Kansas City to its fifth straight AFC title game.
- (1) the Eagles 38-7 over (6) Giants. The Eagles jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead and then fell back to win from there. The Eagles managed a dominant win thanks to a defense that got five sacks and a rushing offense that totaled 268 yards on the ground. Jalen Hurts also had a big night, and more importantly, his shoulder looked healthy as he hit three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing).
Sunday 22nd January
- (3) Bengal 27-10 on (2) bills. The Bengals offense put up some big numbers, but it was the defense that stole the show in this game. The Bengals limited the Bills to just 10 points, Buffalo’s lowest total for the season. The Cincinnati offense also came through with a big game that included 242 yards and two touchdowns from Joe Burrow along with 105 rushing yards from Joe Mixon.
- (2) 49ers 19-12 over (5) cowboy. The 49ers earned their second straight trip to the NFC Championship by winning a defensive battle with the Cowboys. The 49ers grabbed Dak Prescott twice and had six points on those turnovers, and that proved to be the difference in the game. Robbie Gould proved to be a huge weapon for the 49ers, scoring 13 of 19 points with four field goals and an extra point.
Sunday championship
Jan 29th
NFC Championship
- (2) 49ers at (1) Eagles, 3 p.m. ET (Fox, broadcast fuboTV). The top two NFC seeds will meet in Philadelphia in what should be a showdown of epic proportions. The Eagles will emerge with the NFL’s third-highest offense from the 2022 season and the 49ers will be looking to slow it down with a defense that has given up the fewest points in the NFL.
Asian Championship
- (3) Bengals vs. (1) Chiefs 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Stream on.) Paramount +). The Chiefs would have another crack at defeating a Bengals team they couldn’t overcome. Since January 2022, the AFC Chiefs have gone 0-3 against the Bengals, including losing in the AFC title game last year. This game will be the first AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons since the Patriots Ravens in 2011 and 2012.
Super Bowl LVII
February 12th
AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, 6:30 p.m. ET (Fox stream on fuboTV)