NFL Conference Championships, Pacio-Saruta and More to Watch This Weekend

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

Must Watch: NFL Conference Championships

This Sunday, we'll see the four best teams in the NFL put it all on the line for a spot in Super Bowl LIII.

No. 2 Los Angeles Rams at No. 1 New Orleans Saints

Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET on Fox

Line: Saints, -3.5

If you thought the Superdome was loud last weekend, it will be absolutely chaotic this time around. History's on the side of the hometown Saints for three reasons:

• Drew Brees and Sean Payton are a perfect 6-0 in home playoff games since joining New Orleans in 2006.
• The home team in the past five NFC Championship games has won.
• The top seeds in both the AFC and NFC have advanced to the Super Bowl nine out of 10 times since 2013.

The key for the Los Angeles Rams to stop a celebration on Bourbon Street is the run game, as they are only 2-3 this season when they don't hit the 100-yard rushing mark. This will be tough to do against the Saints' second-best rushing defense in the NFL, but the Rams do have running back and fantasy football behemoth Todd Gurley in their backfield.

They also have corner Marcus Peters, who wasn't happy with Sean Payton the last time these two teams met:

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No. 2 New England Patriots at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday, 6:40 p.m. ET on CBS

Line: Chiefs, -3

Tom Brady and the Patriots put up over 500 yards of offense when these two teams played each other in Week 6, and the Chiefs defense is second to last in the league in passing defense and yards per run. However, if there's one coach who seems to get the better of Bill Belichick, it's Andy Reid. Since 2013, the Patriots have given up 40 or more points just four times. Andy Reid's Chiefs are responsible for three of those occasions. The home team in the AFC title game has also won 11 of the last 12 matchups.

Oddly enough, Patrick Mahomes' mother wants her son to be more like his counterpart:

It's also going to be ridiculously cold in Kansas City that night:

Watch This: ONE Championship: Eternal Glory, Pacquiao-Broner, Cejudo-Dillashaw

ONE Championship

The U.S. debut of ONE Championship, Asia's largest mixed martial arts promotion, starts off with a bang on B/R Live as Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio takes on Yosuke Saruta this Saturday in the main event of ONE: Eternal Glory.

Pacio takes on Saruta in his first title defense since becoming champion last September. At 23, Pacio is the youngest strawweight champion in ONE history. Saruta, who is a late replacement for the injured Hayato Suzuki, is competing in just his second match with the promotion. However, he is a 10-year mixed martial arts veteran with an overall record of 18-8-3.

Other notable bouts include Christian Lee vs. Edward Kelly and Alexi Serepisos vs. Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy in a muay thai match. The preliminary card begins at 6:30 a.m. ET on B/R Live, while the main card starts at approximately 8:30 a.m. Here is more information on ONE and what makes the promotion different from other mixed martial arts brands.

Here's the full card:

ONE: Eternal Glory Match CardONE Championship

Boxing

Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring on Saturday for the first time since last July to take on Adrien Broner for the WBA welterweight title. According to OddsShark, Pacquiao is a -300 favorite as Broner has looked shaky his last two matches. You can watch on Showtime for $74.99. The event begins at 9 p.m. ET with the main event expected to begin around 11:30 p.m.

UFC

Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw attempts to become the fourth two-weight champion in UFC history when he goes up against Flyweight Henry Cejudo for his title. Dillashaw is listed as a -210 favorite.

Another notable matchup includes Greg Hardy vs. Allen Crowder in a heavyweight bout. Hardy, who is a former NFL Pro Bowler, is making his UFC debut with a 3-0 MMA record. Main card coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET with the main event expected to begin around 12:30 a.m.

Three more things to watch

1. After unranked Syracuse pulled off the upset last Monday, No. 1 Duke must bounce back quickly as they take on their toughest test of the season against No. 4 Virginia in a major ACC matchup. When Syracuse hit this shot, you got the sense it was destined to be a special night for the Orange and a forgettable night for the Blue Devils. Watch Duke vs. Virginia on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

2. DeMarcus Cousins makes his highly anticipated Golden State Warriors debut on Friday night, as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Although many are eager to see a full strength Warriors side, Boogie is still playing with a massive chip on his shoulder:

You can also catch every NBA League Pass game right here on B/R Live for free through Sunday, including the Boston Celtics vs. the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. Kyrie Irving has grown as a leader since leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, so much so that he called former teammate LeBron James to say sorry:

Here's how to sign up to watch on B/R Live and here's the full NBA schedule.

3. The Australian Open continues as No. 16 Serena Williams faces Dayana Yastremska in the third round. Williams has won many trophies over her illustrious career, but the one she holds most dearly is the one sister Venus gave to her. Watch Williams in action on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Quick Catch Up

1. James Harden is on a historic tear, having scored at least 30 points in his last 18 games. The Beard is averaging over 41 points per game over his last 20 games, becoming the fifth player in NBA history to do so in that span. Not only that, Harden has scored at least 55 points in his last two games, putting him in elite company, per ESPN Stats & Info:

2. Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts both shook up the college football world over the week, as Murray decided to enter the NFL draft even after being selected 9th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft while Hurts transferred from Alabama to another national powerhouse in Oklahoma. Could Hurts join Murray as an Oklahoma Heisman winner soon enough?

3. Adam Gase was introduced as the new head coach of the New York Jets. During the press conference, people were far more curious about what he was doing rather than what he was saying:

Aah, that explains it.

4. This is Lionel Messi's dog. His name is Hulk. He is probably bigger than you. He is a very good boy.

Odds and lines via OddsShark.