Four teams are one game away from The Big Game. Who will punch their ticket?

After 19 weeks of amazing plays and unforgettable moments, we have made it to championship weekend to see who will be representing each conference in this year’s Super Bowl. While each team has had their moments engraved in NFL history, only two of the remaining four teams will move on to the final stage for a chance to become world champions.

To kickoff championship weekend, we have the AFC Championship of the No.1 seed Baltimore Ravens hosting the No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs starting at 3 p.m. Immediately following will start the fight for the NFC crown with the No.1 seed San Francisco 49ers hosting the No. 3 seed Detroit Lions starting at 6:30pm EST.

Here are my predictions for the championship weekend and who I believe will play for the Lombardi trophy in February.

Ravens (13-4)Lamar Jackson had a dominant game last week with two passing touchdowns as well as two more rushing for a combined 252 yards and no turnovers. The Ravens have the best rushing attack in the NFL with 156 yards per game. The ground game will be key in putting points up for Baltimore as Kansas City’s rush defense is 18th in the NFL.

To pair with the best rushing game, the Ravens also have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They led the league in sacks with 60 and allowed the fewest points per game at 16.8. Along with creating pressure, they picked off the third most passes in the league with 18 and have the sixth best passing defense. In order to have a chance at winning, this defense is going to have to find a way to generate some turnovers and prevent Mahomes from pulling some tricks out his helmet.

Chiefs (11-6)The Chiefs won in the near-arctic conditions of Buffalo, NY last week to set up their sixth straight AFC championship appearance. Though a down year for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, Mahomes was still able to pass for over 4,000 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Just behind the Ravens, the Chiefs have the second best defense in the NFL. They finished second in both sacks, with 57, and points allowed per game at 17.3. Where they are good at preventing points, they lack in creating turnovers where they rank 27th. Having a bottom half rush defense, they will need to find a way to make Jackson use his arm more than his legs.

Result: Ravens 24, Chiefs 17This should be the best matchup of the playoffs. Despite being to the AFC championship four times, this will be Mahomes and the Chiefs first time making it to this stage on the road. The loud fans at Arrowhead stadium were always a service to Kansas City’s defense, who now will have to hear the chants from Baltimore fans. This is the final test for Lamar to secure the MVP trophy, so he is going to be going all out. With the Chiefs’ good pass rush, there should be opportunities for Jackson to use his mobility and put on a show. However, with the slightly better and more well rounded defense, I am going with the Ravens. Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.

49ers (12-5)With their season on the line, the 49ers were able to score and get an interception to cap off a 24-21 fourth quarter comeback over the Packers. San Fran has had one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL posting top 10 in every category. 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel still has not practiced this week due to a shoulder injury and with him listed as questionable, quarterback Brock Purdy is going to have to find ways to keep Detroit on their toes.

The 49ers defense is third in the NFL at stopping the run and had the most interceptions this season with 22. With one of the best linebacker duos in Tre Greenlaw and Fred Warner, they will have their hands filled trying to stop Detroit’s fifth best run offense.

Lions (12-5)Last weekend the Lions earned a trip to the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991 by beating the Buccaneers 31-23. Jared Goff had his best season since joining the Lions in 2020 by throwing for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns. The fifth best scoring offense is going to be put to the test against the 49ers top tier defense.

Detroit has mostly leaned on the offense to bring home the majority of the wins this season, as their defense has been middle-to-bottom of the league in all categories. Twenty-seventh against the pass while giving up 23 points per game which leaves them 23rd in the NFL. They are going to have to find a way to get two or three stops to give their offense a chance to get a step on the 49ers.

Result: 49ers 31, Lions 21Although Goff has valuable playoff experience with winning the NFC Championship in 2018 with the Rams, the best season the Lions have had since the Barry Sanders era will come to an end. The 49ers offense can attack from many different ways, having a wide receiver, running back and quarterback who all can throw, run and catch passes makes it a big challenge for any defense to guard. The Lion’s defense is average. With Dan Cambell at the helm, I don’t see Detroit just rolling over, but San Fran just has too many weapons and ways to score.

There is a lot riding on these two games.

Jackson will play in his first AFC championship game going against Mahomes who has been there five other times, but will be his first time playing it on the road. A game that will either solidify another MVP for Jackson and the Ravens first Super Bowl appearance since 2012, or add more fuel to the Mahomes being the next Tom Brady debate by bringing the Chiefs to their fifth super bowl in the last six years.

Then, in the other game, the 49ers, who lost in the NFC championship last year to the Eagles, are trying to get back to The Big Game for the first time since 2020. For Detroit they have the chance to go to their first super bowl ever after having one of, if not the best season in franchise history.