Super Bowl 2024: Predictions and Latest Odds Ahead of Conference Championships
And then there were four.
The Kansas City Chiefs will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, while the Detroit Lions will head out west to San Francisco for a date with the 49ers in the NFC title game, with a berth in the Super Bowl at stake in both contests.
Conference Championship Sunday is the culmination of a season of hard work, dedication and excellence that will see two teams cash their tickets to Las Vegas for an opportunity to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
Which two teams will that be, when can you check out the high-stakes action and what are the current odds ahead of those games?
Find out with this preview.
TV Schedule
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Date: Sunday, January 28
AFC Championship Game: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (3 p.m. ET, CBS and Paramount +)
NFC Championship Game: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers (6:30 p.m., Fox)
NFC Championship Odds, Prediction
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Odds
Detroit Lions (+250; bet $100, win $350)
San Francisco 49ers (-310; bet $100, win $132.25)
Two explosive offenses will square off in the NFC finale as Jared Goff leads a potent Detroit Lions squad into San Francisco for a showdown with Brock Purdy and the 49ers.
As has been the case throughout the season, and especially in the playoffs, the Lions' success will be based on how well they counter the pass rush and how well Goff avoids turning the ball over.
Through two games, the stat sheet has been clean. The quarterback has not committed any turnovers while throwing three touchdowns.
The Niners were unable to get to Jordan Love in their divisional-round win over the Green Bay Packers, and if that is the case against Detroit, the home team could be in for a long night Sunday.
Goff has shown an ability to stand in the pocket and pick opponents apart. He has rarely been rattled and has played near-flawless football as a result.
The same cannot be said for Purdy. His stat line was clean, but he nearly threw a big interception early on against the Packers that would have been returned for a touchdown had Darnell Savage caught a ball thrown directly at him.
If Aidan Hutchinson and the rest of the Lions defense can get in Purdy's face and force him to make a quick throw, there is potential to force turnovers.
Ultimately, though, the outcome of the game may come down to the sheer number of stars on the San Francisco side of the ball and their propensity for coming up big when it matters most.
The Niners were outplayed in every facet of the game against Green Bay, but it was Dre Greenlaw coming up big with two interceptions, the second coming right after the go-ahead score from Christian McCaffrey that ensured the team would host the NFC Championship Game.
McCaffrey has the potential to shred a suspect Lions defense that, despite its pass-rushing success, has still given up over 400 yards to the Rams and Buccaneers in consecutive playoff games.
That may come back to bite the team, and it might be in the biggest game of the year.
Prediction: Niners do just enough to get back to the Super Bowl in a close, three-point win
AFC Championship Odds, Prediction
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Odds
Kansas City Chiefs (+145; bet $100, win $245)
Baltimore Ravens (-175; bet $100, win $157.14)
The worst thing that could have happened to anyone hoping to win the Super Bowl was for the Chiefs to get back to the AFC Championship Game.
Sure, the Ravens looked unstoppable in their divisional-round win over Houston, but that young Texans squad is not the grizzled, playoff-experienced Chiefs team that will be coming to M&T Bank Stadium Sunday with a shot at a second successive Super Bowl.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce got red-hot Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, and Isiah Pacheco is running as hard as ever. Perhaps it was for one game and the offense, which struggled at times in the 2023 season, merely took advantage of a depleted defense,
Whatever the case, Kansas City is playing with renewed confidence and it showed.
Furthermore, the defense made just enough plays to contain Josh Allen, a running quarterback whose ability to escape and make an impact down the field with his legs is as impressive as what he can do with his arm.
That experience will help against Lamar Jackson, the front-runner for the NFL MVP award and the most explosive player on any field on which he plays. He took over the Houston game in the second half and willed his team to victory.
It will be on defensive lineman Chris Jones and the Chiefs linebackers to do what they can to disrupt Jackson and keep him in the pocket. If they can do that and limit the number of passes he can get off over the middle of the field, there is good reason to believe Kansas City will send Baltimore and its fans home disappointed as it did Buffalo.
It is easier said than done, but if there is one team any football fan should trust to do it and advance to another Super Bowl, it's the Chiefs.
Prediction: Mahomes, Kelce and head coach Andy Reid find a way to stunt the Ravens' offense just enough to win another AFC title
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