The High Stakes for Brock Purdy, Lamar Jackson and Others in the NFC, AFC Championship Games

We’ve finally reached the final four teams.

The NFL conference championship games are set to kick off at 3 p.m. ET Sunday with the Ravens taking on the Chiefs for the AFC title in Baltimore, followed by the NFC Championship Game at 6:30 p.m. ET featuring the San Francisco 49ers against the Detroit Lions. The stakes couldn’t be higher – a win secures a spot in the Super Bowl. Baltimore is favored by 3 1/2 points, while San Francisco is favored by a touchdown.

Want to dive deeper into the conference championships? Vic’s Picks predict the 49ers and Ravens will be bound for a Super Bowl rematch.

The No. 1-seeded Ravens and 49ers will take on the No. 3-seeded Chiefs and Lions. Will it be an all-top seeds Super Bowl, or will the underdogs prevail? Last year’s Super Bowl saw both No. 1 seeds advancing, but historical data suggests it’s a rare occurrence. Only 14 times since the NFL instituted seeding in 1975 have both No. 1 seeds reached the Super Bowl.

Some key stakes to watch for in Sunday’s matchups:

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens

For the Chiefs, who are vying for their fourth Super Bowl appearance in the last five seasons:

• Andy Reid is already in elite company after last season’s win, but a victory this Sunday would position him to become only the fifth head coach in history with five Super Bowl appearances and a chance to join the exclusive club of coaches with at least three Super Bowl wins.

• Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is chasing greatness and aiming to join a select group of quarterbacks to have won back-to-back Super Bowls.

• Tight end Travis Kelce and Mahomes have the historic opportunity to break records in the playoffs, and Kelce needs just seven catches to surpass Jerry Rice for the most postseason receptions in history.

Want to get into more detail about the NFL playoffs and the key matchups to watch in the Ravens-Chiefs AFC Championship Game?

For the Ravens, Read More