1 – Philadelphia Eagles
After a 38-7 win against New York, the Eagles fly into the top spot in our Championship Week Power Rankings. Despite total domination with the rushing attack, the best sign from this game was the health of Jalen Hurts. The quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran for one as well and looked much better doing it than he did in Week 18. With Hurts only continuing to get stronger behind one of the league’s best offensive lines, Philadelphia’s offence is once again looking like one of the most dynamic units in the league. Every team is a great one at this point in the season, but with home field advantage and a healthy quarterback on their side, the Eagles top the list for now.
2 – Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals didn’t just go into Buffalo and escape with a win. They DOMINATED the Bills from start to finish. Even with three backups starting the game on the offensive line, all facets of the offence were terrific. Defensively, Cincinnati held Stefon Diggs to just four catches for 35 yards and the whole Bills team to just 63 rushing yards. Joe Burrow is now 5-0 in AFC playoff games in his career and looks like a man on a mission. On top of that, he’s never lost a game to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. If Kansas City can’t find a way to pressure him more than the Bills did, it could easily be more of the same for both of these teams in the AFC Championship.
3 – San Francisco 49ers
Defence still wins championships and there may not be a better one left. The 49ers held a powerful Dallas offence to just 12 points in the Divisional Round, intercepting Dak Prescott twice in the process. Their offence wasn’t terrific, but Brock Purdy once again did what he needed to do to win a football game. The team has hurdled past every challenge so far, but going into Philadelphia and getting a win is a different animal and the Eagles will be their toughest opponent since their last loss against Kansas City. Will Brock Purdy once again be able to defy the odds and lead this very talented team to the Super Bowl?
4 – Kansas City Chiefs
Whether he plays or not, it’s tough to imagine Patrick Mahomes will be operating at 100% after suffering an ankle injury in last week’s win. The Chiefs are certainly good enough to beat a lot of NFL teams with a less-than-100% Mahomes, but it’s a much more difficult task in the AFC Championship game. Assuming he does suit up, the Chiefs will have to devise a game plan of running the rock and getting the ball out quickly in the pass game. With Andy Reid at the helm, we’re not doubting that they’ll have a very good plan, but will it be enough to beat a quarterback they’ve never taken down before?
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