Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens

After dishing out a detrimental blow to the Buffalo Bills organization, the Kansas City Chiefs have propelled themselves to an AFC title matchup against the ever-so-dynamic Baltimore Ravens.

Despite having won last year’s Super Bowl and advancing to their sixth straight AFC Championship, the Chiefs are no stranger to the dark horse narrative in 2023 as they open up as underdogs for the second straight week.

Led by Head Coach Andy Reid and Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City offense has finally found a rhythm as they’ve been playing close to unstoppable this postseason.

Tight End Travis Kelce has officially found his stroke and Rookie Wide Receiver Rashee Rice has emerged as a true #1 target for Mahomes. On top of that, Running Back Isiah Pacheco has also been an appreciating asset to the already improving Chiefs offense.

The Kansas City defense, set up by longtime coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, has been the best it’s ever been in the Mahomes era as they have made even some of the NFL’s best statistical offenses look less than pedestrian.

As a whole, the Chiefs’ defense ranks 2nd in Yards Per Game Allowed with 289.8 and 2nd in Sacks with 57, only behind the Baltimore Ravens.

To say the least, the Baltimore Ravens have been nothing short of outstanding in 2023 as they have notched up an impressive 13-4 record with the soon-to-be NFL MVP Quarterback Lamar Jackson at the helm.

Jackson has elevated his entire Ravens receiving core tenfold with the emergence of breakout star Zay Flowers and established veterans Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham Jr.

He has also created an ability to call his own number when his team is in dire need of a positive gain, evident during the Divisional Round game against Houston.

The Ravens are certified as the 6th best offense with a majority of their yardage coming from the ground game with Running Back Gus Edwards and, you guessed it, Lamar Jackson.

However, the Kansas City Chiefs will advance to the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion as they’ll upset the #1-seeded Baltimore Ravens by a score of 27-24.

Barring a situation where either team completely forgets how to play offense, this game will gradually become a shootout and come down to a possession or two.

Matthew Spivey, a junior at Verrado High School and San Francisco 49ers fan, claims that “the Ravens are going to destroy Kansas City, I am predicting the score will be Ravens 35 and Chiefs 21”.

Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers

Those of the largest city in the state of Michigan may rejoice as their beloved Detroit Lions have a chance to go to Las Vegas awaiting a date with a physical opponent in the San Francisco 49ers.

Orchestrated by 2nd year coordinator and soon to be Head Coaching candidate Ben Johnson, the Lions’ offense has been absolutely deadly in both the regular season and the postseason as they rank 3rd overall in Total Yards Per Game.

Detroit also ranks 5th in Rushing courtesy of their exceptional movement on the offensive line and Running Backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Not to mention, Jared Goff has diced up opposing defenses with his quick and on-time decision making skills, enough to solidify himself as one of the most fundamentally sound Quarterbacks in the entirety of the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers, constructed by General Managers Adam Peters and John Lynch, are widely regarded by most as the single best roster in the NFL.

Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle are all heavy contributors to this label as they all each have over 1,000 + All Purpose Yards.

Quarterback Brock Purdy has played outstanding during his 2023 stint, throwing for a franchise record of 4,280 Passing Yards, enough for his team to rank 4th in Passing Yards Per Game.

However, It is apparent that Purdy has a tendency to lack confidence when everything’s not picture perfect to his favor.

Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel is labeled as “50-50” to go after sustaining a shoulder injury in last week’s Divisional Round matchup against the Packers, potentially being a significant chess piece missing from Purdy’s diverse array of weapons.

Nonetheless, the San Francisco 49ers will pull away with a victory against the Detroit Lions in a tightly contested matchup that’ll end with a score of 27-23.

Alex Rodriguez, a senior at Verrado High School and Seattle Seahawks fan, claims that “The Lions should beat the 49ers because they have some offensive weapons like Amon Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and David Montgomery in the backfield. The 49ers have good players but Aiden Hutchinson on the Lions D-line can and will shut down the run game for the 49ers and might even be able to help stop the passing game as well”.