CINCINNATI — It can be argued that Championship Sunday is the best Sunday of the NFL Season. Two Championship games with two berths in the Super Bowl at stake. Some of the best games in NFL history have come on Championship Sunday.
Bills-Chiefs and Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes headline Championship Sunday this season. But Commanders-Eagles is the rare divisional matchup on Championship Sunday, only the fifth time a division matchup is featured in a Conference Championship game since division realignment in 2002.
Let’s look at both Conference Championship games, what’s at stake, how I think both games will be decided and who I think will win both games.
NFC Championship: 6. Washington Commanders (14-5) @ 2. Philadelphia Eagles (16-3, NFC East Champions) – 3 p.m. on FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi, Mike Pereira)
Westwood One: Ian Eagle, Kurt Warner, Ross Tucker
For only the fifth time since the NFL’s division realignment in 2002, a division rivalry will be featured on Conference Championship Sunday. Washington-Philadelphia is one of the NFL’s great, historic rivalries. Getting to see it take the NFC Championship stage will be fun to watch.
What can you say about Jayden Daniels? There isn’t a word that does justice to how he’s playing right now. Winning on Super Wild Card Weekend was impressive, the Commanders first playoff win since 2005. But to go into the Lions Den and dismantle the NFC’s No. 1 seed the way he did was beyond comprehension to how great of a performance that was. Just over a year ago, Daniels won the Heisman Trophy when he was at LSU. Now, he’s one win away from taking the Washington Commanders to their first Super Bowl in 33 years.
At this time last year, the Eagles were left reeling from an epic collapse down the stretch of the regular season and Wild Card blowout loss. Then in mid-March, they sent shock waves through the NFL by signing Saquon Barkley in free agency. The move has paid more than massive dividends, with Barkley rushing for over 2,000 yards and the Eagles running their way back into the NFC Championship. But their top-ranked defense has been just as big a reason why they’re in their third NFC Championship in eight seasons and eighth NFC Championship game this century.
This game is being played 33 years to the date of Super Bowl XXVI, where the Commanders beat the Buffalo Bills 37-26. The Commanders won 12 games in the regular-season this year, their first time winning 12 games since that 1991 season that ended with them winning Super Bowl XXVI. It’s been a long time since the Commanders were on this stage, being that this is their first NFC Championship appearance since that 1991 season. But having a franchise quarterback like Jayden Daniels is what’s returned Washington to within one game of the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia was at a crossroads after the way their season ended last year. They were aggressive this offseason to build this year’s team to be able to win their second NFC Championship in three years. But there’s still one more to win get, and it won’t be easy against a Washington team that doesn’t know what it doesn’t know.
Everyone expected the Eagles to be in this game. Nobody expected the Commanders to be here. This is going to be a fun game on Sunday afternoon.
What’s at Stake for the Commanders in the NFC Championship
The Commanders are looking to go to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years. It would be their sixth trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history.
What the Commanders have done this season has been completely unexpected. Nobody thought they would win 14 games and get to the NFC Championship Game in Jayden Daniels’s rookie season and Dan Quinn’s first season as the Commanders head coach. But Daniels has further proven what a special franchise quarterback can do in just one season, and the Commanders have surrounded him with a roster full of talented young players and experienced veteran leaders.
How we view the Commanders season won’t change based on the outcome of this game. They’ve already far exceeded anyone’s expectations this season, and they should be perennial Super Bowl contenders for, at least, the next few seasons.
What’s at Stake for the Eagles in the NFC Championship
The Eagles, on the other hand, have everything at stake. Simply put, if they lose at home to a division rival in the NFC Championship that major changes will be coming in the ensuing offseason. Philadelphia has everything to lose in this game. When they signed Saquon Barkley this past March, it was a move that signaled they were going all-in on winning a Super Bowl this season.
This is the eighth time the Eagles are playing in the NFC Championship this century. That is second-most behind Conference Championship appearances in the last 25 years behind only the New England Patriots and their 13 appearances. Of those eight appearances, this is the Eagles sixth time hosting the NFC Championship.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was on the hot seat coming into this season. Expectations were for this team to win a Super Bowl. They’re in the NFC Championship, and that should mean Sirianni is back in 2025. But Eagles fans aren’t going to be satisfied with just getting to an NFC Championship. They want a trip to the Super Bowl, and they want another parade down Broad Street.
Week 11: Eagles 26 – Commanders 18
This was a 10-6 game going into the fourth quarter. The Commanders were in the lead, on the road in Philadelphia, on Thursday Night Football. Then Saquon Barley took over in the fourth quarter, finishing with 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles 26-18 win. It was the first of four straight and eight 100-yard rushing games for Barkley in the Eagles last nine games.
Week 16: Commanders 36 – Eagles 33
This was the game that sent a message to the NFL that Jayden Daniels is the real deal. Despite throwing two interceptions, and the Commanders turning the ball over five times, Daniels led the Commanders on a game-wining touchdown drive to lift the Commanders to a much-needed win to stay in the thick of the NFC Playoff chase. Daniels threw for five touchdowns in that Week 16 win over the Eagles, throwing for 258 yards and rushing for 81 more yards. Despite Barkley rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns, Daniels willed the Commanders to a season-altering win and a win that began to move the needle on a national level surrounding the Commanders.
Top 12 Players in Commanders-Eagles
1. Saquon Barkley
2. Jayden Daniels
3. Zach Baun
4. Jalen Carter
5. Terry McLaurin
6. Jalen Hurts
7. A.J. Brown
8. Lane Johnson
9. Bobby Wagner
10. Jonathan Allen
11. DeVonta Smith
12. Nolan Smith
This game will be decided… by the Eagles having the advantage in the trenches on both sides of the ball. These are clear mismatches, and the Eagles should be able to run the ball at will in this game. If the Commanders are going to win this game, they’re going to have to find a way to run the ball on offense and contain Saquon Barkley on defense.
Game Pick: Eagles 27 – Commanders 24
These two teams know each other so well, and I’m expecting a heavyweight fight on Sunday afternoon. Jayden Daniels will give the Commanders a chance to win even if his offensive line gets overwhelmed by the Eagles beef on their defensive line. But when push comes to shove, Saquon Barkley will have another great performance. The Eagles defense will also make a late stand to send the Eagles to their third Super Bowl in the last eight seasons.
AFC Championship: 2. Buffalo Bills (15-4, AFC East Champions) @ 1. Kansas City Chiefs (16-2, AFC West Champions) – 6:30 p.m. on CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn, Jay Feeley, Gene Steratore)
Westwood One: Kevin Harlan, Devin McCourty, Derek Rackley
Here we go again, right? For the fourth time in the last five seasons, the Bills and Chiefs will meet in the Playoffs.
This is, arguably, the fifth-biggest game in Buffalo Bills history. After their four Super Bowls, this is the biggest game they have played in the Bills will play in the history of their franchise. It’s because they are trying to slay the Goliath of the NFL. The Bills are looking to become the first team since Joe Burrow and the Bengals in 2021 to beat the Chiefs in the Playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. No team vying for a three-peat has ever made it to the Super Bowl in that third year, and the Chiefs are the first team going for a three-peat since the 1990 San Francisco 49ers to play in a Conference Championship Game.
These two teams have played in some memorable games in the Playoffs this decade. Another one could be on tap on Sunday night in Kansas City. Josh Allen and the Bills are trying to slay Goliath and change their perception and place in the AFC hierarchy, while the Chiefs are looking to become the first team going for a Super Bowl three-peat to go to a third straight Super Bowl. This game could turn into a heavyweight battle, leaving one team and its fanbase in ecstasy and the other team and its fanbase devastated for the next seven-and-a-half months.
What’s at stake for the Bills in the AFC Championship
If not now, then when for the Buffalo Bills? That’s literally what’s at stake for them in the AFC Championship Sunday night. I echo the same sentiment that a lot of Bills podcast hosts have been saying this week; this is the Bills year. This is the best team they’ve had in Josh Allen’s career. It’s the most balanced Bills team Allen has been a part of. This Bills team can match up well with the Chiefs, and this time the Bills can match up with them in the Playoffs. After beating the Chiefs in each of the last four regular seasons, the Bills know they can beat the Chiefs in the Playoffs. This is the Bills best chance to get back to the Super Bowl in 31 years.
What’s at stake for the Chiefs in the AFC Championship
This year’s Chiefs are the first team going for a Super Bowl three-peat since the 1990 San Francisco 49ers to make it to their Conference Championship Game. They’ll now try to become the first team going for a Super Bowl three-peat to get to the Super Bowl. Just like it felt with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, there’s an inevitable feeling Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are going to find a way to win games regardless of how they’re playing. Can they beat Josh Allen and the Bills for the fourth straight time in the Playoffs? We will find out Sunday night.
Week 11: Bills 30 – Chiefs 21
It’s become commonplace for the Bills to beat the Chiefs in the regular season. Their win in Week 11 was their fourth straight win over the Chiefs in the regular season. Josh Allen’s 26-yard touchdown run on 4th&2 late in the fourth quarter was the gustiest play call of the season. It was a flip of the narrative for Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who showed his aggressiveness when it mattered the most. The Bills intercepted Mahomes twice in this game, but he and the Chiefs have not had a turnover since this game. Yup, that’s right. No turnovers in the Chiefs last eight games. The Bills beating the Chiefs in Week 11 knocked Kansas City from the ranks of the unbeaten, so it was an impressive win. Now the question remains, can the Bills beat the Chiefs in the Playoffs?
Top 12 Players in Bills-Chiefs
1. Josh Allen
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Travis Kelce
4. Chris Jones
5. James Cook
6. George Karlaftis
7. Isiah Pacheco
8. Trent McDuffie
9. Von Miller
10. Nick Bolton
11. Matt Milano
12. Damar Hamlin
This game will be decided by… the Bills gameplan for Travis Kelce. In the Bills Week 11 win over the Chiefs, Kelce was held to just two catches for eight yards. But make no mistake, Kelce was made for the Playoffs. For starters, he has five touchdowns in three playoff games against the Bills. But that’s not all he did in those playoff matchups with the Bills. Here are his stats from each of his three playoff games against the Bills.
2020 AFC Championship: 13 rec., 118 yds, 2 TD
2021 AFC Divisional: 8 rec., 96 yds, TD
2023 AFC Divisional: 5 rec., 75 yds, 2 TD
Kelce’s seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown last week against the Texans gives him 14 straight playoff games with 70+ receiving yards and nine playoff games overall with 100+ receiving yards, both the most in NFL history. The Bills are going to have a plan to contain him, or, at the very least, not take over this game. If the Chiefs are going down in this game, they’re going down with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. The Bills know that, but they can execute their gameplan to contain Kelce? That’s what this game comes down to.
Game Pick: Bills 28 – Chiefs 24
The Bills were my pick to win the Super Bowl before the season started. After watching the Bills beat the Ravens last week in the Divisional round, I truly believe this team is different. They can match up with the Chiefs, and they’re not going to be timid by the challenge this game presents. A late touchdown and defensive stand will send the Bills to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993, setting off a wild celebration within Bills Mafia and Buffalo.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 