Another year of the NFL Conference Championships is in the books.
Going into the 2024 Super Bowl, we’re left with what’s quite possibly the most predictable matchup possible. If I were a betting man, I would’ve put my money on the Chiefs and Eagles, but the 49ers would’ve been my third guess.
The first game of the day took place at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
All throughout the weekend, social media was flooded with posts about how the fans of every team in the league were backing the Baltimore Ravens to finally knock the Kansas City Chiefs down a peg.
Even as a Steelers fan whose team has one of the most intense rivalries in the NFL with the Ravens, I still wanted to see the Chiefs lose, solely out of the frustration of seeing them win every year, combined with the oversaturation of seeing Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ faces everywhere I look.
There’s something about seeing those two bullying the Ravens kicker in his home stadium during warmups, throwing his helmet and stack of balls while he’s trying to practice, and knocking down his tee every chance they get that really leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
However, the Ravens have a nasty habit of choking under pressure.
The Chiefs started off strong with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce. The Ravens kept things close at first, responding with a touchdown pass of their own from Lamar Jackson to Zay Flowers.
In the second quarter, Isaiah Pacheco ran for another Chiefs touchdown, followed by a 52-yard field goal from their kicker, Harrison Butker, with four seconds left in the half.
Down 10, the Ravens offense just couldn’t find any momentum, with neither team scoring throughout the third quarter and most of the fourth.
Finally, with two and a half minutes left on the clock, Justin Tucker was able to land a 43-yard field goal, making the final score 17-10 and sending Kansas City to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
The day’s second game was the NFC Championship, which took place at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. The Lions were hoping to make history by going to the Super Bowl for the first time since they moved from Ohio to Detroit in 1934.
This was one of the most heartbreaking games for a fanbase that I’ve watched in a long time.
The Lions opening drive inspired confidence in the hearts of the city of Detroit, with Jameson Williams scoring a 42-yard touchdown run within the first two minutes of the game. They followed it with another touchdown run, this one coming from David Montgomery to put them up 14-0 early.
The 49ers struck back with a touchdown run of their own from Christian McCaffrey to start the second quarter. However, the Lions were relentless, getting another touchdown run, this time from Jahmyr Gibbs. They then punched in a field goal with 21 seconds left in the first half to go up 24-7.
The second half would not be so kind to Detroit.
Throughout the third and fourth quarters, the 49ers went on to score a 43-yard field goal from Jake Moody, a touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk, another touchdown run from McCaffrey, another field goal from Moody, and a touchdown run from Elijah Mitchell, completely unanswered.
The Lions got their feet back under them enough to get one more touchdown, this one being a pass from Jared Goff to Jameson Williams, but it was too little too late, ending the game 34-31.
Detroit is left in shambles, and San Francisco moves on to be the league’s only hope in preventing Kansas City from getting their third Super Bowl title this decade.
The 2024 Super Bowl will take place in Paradise, NV on Feb. 11.