Super Bowl 2019: Matchup Predictions and Odds Ahead of Championship Round

It's going to be hard to complain about the Super Bowl LIII matchup that's determined by the NFL's conference championship games. 

Each one of the potential Super Bowl matchups comes with a wealth of intrigue, but the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs are favored to reach Atlanta entering Sunday's games. 

Although the New England Patriots enter as the underdog in the AFC Championship Game, they still have decent Super Bowl odds because of the five championships they've won under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. 

The Los Angeles Rams have the longest Super Bowl odds of the four remaining teams, but Sean McVay's squad is more than capable of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy because of the talent it possesses on both sides of the ball. 

Updated Super Bowl Odds

Matchup Predictions

Chiefs over Patriots 

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is going to have to turn in a similar performance Sunday to the one he put together in Week 6 at Gillette Stadium.

In his first-ever meeting with Brady and the Patriots, Mahomes threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns, but two interceptions made for a blemish on his stat line. 

Mahomes can't afford any turnovers Sunday, as there's a good chance Brady and the New England offense march down the field and turn those errors into points. 

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

The key for Mahomes is to not force throws if they aren't there, which means he may have to settle for checkdown options like Damien Williams on occasion. 

However, Tyreek Hill had 142 receiving yards and three touchdowns against New England the first time around, and if Mahomes opens up the field with Hill's speed, it should give Travis Kelce more room to operate in short-yardage situations in the middle of the field. 

Kelce, who is coming off a 108-yard performance against Indianapolis, should be able to break free on a few occasions because of the mismatches his size creates. 

Kansas City's ground attack will also be vital to controlling the clock and keeping Brady off the field. Williams has performed well since taking over the starting running back job, and he comes into the AFC Championship Game with two triple-digit performances in his last three games. 

Its defense also needs to come up with a few stops, which it was able to do in the win over the Colts. 

The key to defensive success is the pass rush led by Dee Ford and Chris Jones. If they can put Brady under pressure, the Chiefs should be able to force a few punts.

Taking down the Patriots won't be easy, but the Chiefs proved in the divisional round that they have a formula that can lead them to the Super Bowl. 

Saints over Rams 

The undefeated record of Sean Payton and Drew Brees at home in the postseason will be threatened by the Rams, but Jared Goff and Co. won't have enough to get past the Saints. 

The Rams will have a chance to put the Saints under pressure early by establishing a rushing game that takes advantage of Sheldon Rankins' absence on the defensive line. 

But just like they did a week ago, the Saints will make the proper defensive adjustments to close up the holes on the interior and force Goff to beat them through the air. 

That might seem like a risky proposition for the Saints because Goff threw for 391 yards in the Superdome in Week 9, but the Rams quarterback is coming off a pair of sub-200-yard passing performances. 

By limiting the advances of the Rams offense through the air, the Saints defense will give Brees an opportunity to take over the contest. 

Look for Brees to target Michael Thomas early and often as he tries to exploit the deficiencies in Los Angeles' pass coverage for the second time this season. 

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

With extra attention paid to Thomas by the Rams secondary, Brees should be able to target one or more of Tre'Quan Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Keith Kirkwood and Ben Watson in order to move the ball down the field through the air. 

The success in the passing game will pave the way for running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram to take over the game in the second half.

With the Rams defense committed to stopping the pass in an attempt to get the ball back to Goff and the offense, Kamara and Ingram will carve up their front seven and ice the game. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.