Bird Words 8 SPECIAL EDITION: NFL Championship weekend preview
Previewing the final games before the Super Bowl in Miami.
Championship weekend is upon us! This NFL season has absolutely flown by and now we are only a few days away from finding out who each conference’s representative will be in the Super Bowl. This year’s playoffs have been more exciting than years past, which sets up for some absolute masterclass games this Sunday.
AFC Championship Game: Tennessee Titans @ Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 3:05 pm)
The Tennessee Titans just can not stop winning. In this post last week, I mentioned that I was not sure if they even stood a chance against the Baltimore Ravens. Boy was I wrong.
Tennessee shut down probable-MVP Lamar Jackson and their rushing attack led by Derrick Henry steamrolled the Ravens defense. This week they take on another offensive juggernaut in Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs had their own wild performance last week. After falling 24-0, they stormed back into the game, scoring seven straight touchdowns, and cruised to a 51-31 victory over the Houston Texans. Now they get their shot at the NFL’s Cinderella.
This is a battle between teams who could not be any more different. Kansas City is the perfect embodiment of a modern NFL offense. A team that spread things out, loads the field with dudes who are really fast. They throw the ball deep as much as everyone, and Mahomes gigantic arm and ability to throw from any angle makes this offense a touchdown threat on every play.
On the other side, the Titans are playing things old school. Their entire offense is focused around Henry and his ability to power through teams has a downhill runner. This especially makes him a threat against a Chiefs team that struggles to stop the run.
The teams met earlier this season in Nashville, and the Titans came out on top in a shootout after a late missed field goal. It is hard to see this game play out the same way, as Ryan Tannehill has really struggles to get going so far in the postseason. If it becomes a shootout once again then it is hard to see how the Titans will manage to keep up.
Prediction: Chiefs win (Chiefs -7.5)
NFC Championship Game: Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, 6:40 pm)
The NFC Championship game is set up to be a defensive battle. The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers are both teams that got this far on the back of unbreakable defenses.
The Packers’ features the Bird Words Defensive Player of the YearZa’Darius Smith fellow 2019 free agent signing Preston Smith. The edge rushing duo have been wreaking havoc upon teams all season, and were crucial in the teams divisional round victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The backend features a few stars as well, including young corner Jaire Alexander. Blake Martinez - one of the most underrated linebackers in the league - holds it down over the middle.
San Francisco has some defensive fire power of their own. Nick Bosa is basically a lock to win Defensive Rookie of the Year because of his own exploits rushing off the edge, and should earn some votes for Defensive Player of the Year as well. Richard Sherman proved that an Achilles injury last year could not stop him, and found himself on the All-pro list this year after an incredible season. Kwon Alexander returned from a long injury layoff last week, meaning the 49ers have their own star at the center of their linebacker group as well.
While the defenses are the headliners, each offense has a few stars as well. George Kittle has proven himself to be the top tight end in the NFL, and rookie receiver Deebo Samuel has erupted as a future star in the league as well. The Packers feature one of the league’s top receivers in Davante Adams, while the threat of Aaron Rodgers - arguably the greatest quarterback of all time - should never be underestimated.
This game should be a defensive slugfest, but both teams have enough offensive talent to keep opposing defenses on their toes. It should be close, but the 49ers do have a better offense.
Prediction: 49ers win (Packers +7.5)
Subscribe to Bird Words to receive every column in your inbox on Monday mornings! Also consider sharing this post if you enjoyed it, and even donating on PayPal to support a young freelance journalist!
Next Monday will feature a recap of this weekend’s action and more!