Any one of the four teams battling in the upcoming NFL conference finals is worthy of being called Super Bowl champion.
Any one.
Let’s take them one at a time.
Start with the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve been there recently. The Chiefs beat the 49ers two years ago in Miami and could once again be facing the same foe in Glendale, AZ. this time around.
But the team I’ve claimed is the best in the league has a monumental hurdle to climb this week. KC may be playing at home, but that advantage doesn’t seem very big to me.
The Cincinnati Bengals are on fire.
Kansas City has won 11 of their last 12 games. Is this a hot team?
Yes, in a way.
Their one loss in that span was to the Bengals in Cincinnati, by only a field goal.
But then consider that it was a year ago that the favored Chiefs were beaten by that same 3-point margin in overtime at home in the AFC Championship.
So, those two squads clash again with one huge overriding question?
The health of their super, magical quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
We all know the one unpredictable factor with any team at any time is the health of their star players. No star is bigger than Mahomes for the Chiefs and he suffered a high ankle sprain in the division playoff against the game Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mahomes was hurt in the first quarter, didn’t play at all in the second, but came back and in courageous fashion, even throwing a one-legged jump pass for the winner in the fourth quarter.
Without Mahomes, the Chiefs are probably the fourth rated of the final four.
Even with him, Kansas City might not rate as high as the Bengals, or the Eagles and 49ers, still alive in the NFC.
Mahomes with a week of recovery and re-hab should be ready for Cincy, but at what level. You would think if Mahomes plays, he will perform at a high level.
But is that enough to beat a Cincinnati club that has captured their last 10, and coming off a dominant showing in the Buffalo snow, against the Bills who fell short once again.
The game turned out to be history on the Bengals first possession when they scored a touchdown on a Joe Burrow to Ja’ Marr Chase pass.
This combination, established when the two were teammates at LSU, may be too tough for anyone. And they’ve proven they can win on the road. In those 10 straight victories, they’ve won at Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Tampa Bay, New England and at Buffalo.
There’s no reason to think they can’t beat the Chiefs again in KC, but it’s really too close to call. This is not a cop-out.
Before we move on to the NFC battle, a word about a pair of teams with a bright outlook, and two others who may have seen their widow slam shut.
The Jaguars, and the New York Giants fell short in the division games.
The Jags gave the Chiefs a battle, while the Giants were outclassed from start to finish by the Eagles.
Both of them will be playoff teams next season, and maybe more.
As for the Bills and the Dallas Cowboys, you have to wonder if they’ve seen their best days. This was supposed to be Buffalo’s year. Josh Allen is still young enough to get it done, but their age is showing in spots, and you get the feeling they’ve made their best push to no avail.
Same with the Cowboys. Just not good enough.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is simply not up to the level of the other, younger, and more successful leaders.
That brings us to the fascinating matchup in the NFC between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.
Had Philly QB Jalen Hurts not been sidelined two games with an injured shoulder, we could be talking about a team that suffered only one defeat.
Instead the Eagles who dropped two in a row late in the season are back to playing their best, which may be sufficient to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time since 2018.
Head Coach Nick Sirianni may have gone overboard in likening his young signal caller to Michael Jordan, “to have him out there is like- I know this is high praise, but to have him out there- I shouldn’t even go there- it’s like having Michael Jordan out there. He’s your leader. He’s your guy…”.
But he wasn’t crazy with the comparison.
Who knows better than the head coach.
But the Eagles are more than just Jalen Hurts. They are a roster, put together masterfully by General Manager Howie Roseman, that are talented in virtually every place you look.
When football people tell you the key to any successful team is the line of scrimmage, they are really on the money. Teams try to emulate that, but it’s a difficult task to achieve. Not so the Eagles who have arguably the best front line in the business, proficient in opening up rushing lanes and protecting the passer, but a defense, sparked by a pass rush that has accounted for 75 sacks in the regular season and playoffs, most since the 1985 Bears.
This year, when you talk about defense, the talk has to be about the 49ers.
It is the best in the league, first against the pass, second against the run and the number one reason why the Niners have won 12 consecutive games.
Other than giving up 34 in a close late-season win at Las Vegas, the 49ers have allowed more than 20 points only twice during their streak.
It was the key to their tight win over the Cowboys in the division round.
But while the defense is the rock that holds the team together, the headlines have been about their rock star, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, and rightly so.
Purdy has been at the helm for the last eight of those wins, and he continues to amaze with his poise, and mistake-free performances.
He had his vulnerable moments against Dan Quinn’s Dallas defense, but held it together with an impressive second half.
Purdy has had the benefit of three huge weapons. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle.
McCaffrey was the acquisition of the year, coming in the second half of the season from Carolina. McCaffrey is a runner who can be damaging as a receiver.
Samuel is a wide-out who can run the ball, and Kittle seems to be the heart and soul of the unit.
The 49ers and Eagles are set to tangle in what looks to be a defensive struggle.
The big question is, how do the 49ers play in cold Philadelphia with Purdy having to face that Eagles defense?
Can the 49ers defense nullify Hurts and company enough to allow young Purdy, the last man picked in the last draft, to put up enough points?
No prediction here.
I’ll just let them play, and watch with admiration, four Super Bowl capable teams decide the two who will actually meet for the NFL Championship.
It should be quite a show.