The teams in this year’s AFC and NFC Championship Games took wildly different paths to reach playoff success.
The Kansas City Chiefs dragged themselves into the AFC championship game through sheer force of will, while the Ravens have been powered by an MVP-caliber season from quarterback Lamar Jackson. As for 49ers vs. Lions, San Francisco’s all-star roster will be a stout matchup for the Lions’ high-flying offense.
Could the Lions finally reach the Super Bowl? Will Lamar Jackson’s breakthrough season continue? Here are our biggest questions for this weekend’s NFL Conference Championship Games.
Watch AFC Championship Game 2024: Ravens vs. Chiefs
Can Kansas City’s receivers do it again?
Kansas City’s receivers have had an up-and-down season but made up for it against the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes had an 80% completion percentage to players besides tight end Travis Kelce in last week’s game. However, the Ravens’ defense will be a much tougher challenge than the Bills.
Will the Ravens continue their hot streak?
The Ravens’ defense leads the league in multiple stats, and they’re coming in hot off of last week’s second-half shutout against the Houston Texans. They’re more than capable of locking down Kansas City’s non-Kelce receivers and forcing the Chiefs to lean on Mahomes and running back Isiah Pacheco.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Ravens are one of two remaining teams to rank in the top five in the statistic Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA, which measures on-field efficiency) on both sides of the ball. If Lamar Jackson performs as well this weekend as he did against the Texans, he’ll all but guarantee his second MVP award.
How many shirtless Jason Kelce shots will we get on the broadcast?
CableTV.com is a firmly pro-Swiftie zone, but we’re equally on board with more Jason Kelce/Big Fella content when it comes to Chiefs’ side plots.
Screw it here is with the sound https://t.co/8RIQPVv6MD pic.twitter.com/4ed01N56wN
— Danny Heifetz (@Danny_Heifetz) January 22, 2024
That said, a Bills win would’ve given us an excuse to explain The Pit (a TikTok trend involving Bills fans throwing themselves into a Buffalo-area hole to guarantee Bills wins) to our incredibly patient editors. Sadly, we’ll have to wait until next season.
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Watch NFC Championship Game 2024: Lions vs. 49ers
This is the Niners’ year, right?
On paper, everything’s finally lining up for a 49ers return to the Super Bowl. They’re mostly healthy (Deebo Samuel notwithstanding), and their star-loaded roster has been among the league’s best. As with Baltimore, San Francisco ranks in the top five in offensive and defensive DVOA.
We won’t wade too deep into the “Is Brock Purdy elite?” discourse, but Purdy was hardly the only 49ers player struggling through an off game against Green Bay. If you’re a Niners fan, cross your fingers for Samuel’s return and rain-free gameday weather for the AFC Championship Game.
Unless it’s the Lions’ year?
What else needs to be said about Detroit right now? Quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions offense are playing out of their minds, coach Dan Campbell has fans and players ready to run through a brick wall, and the Lions are one game away from making their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
If there’s any blemish on the Lions’ record right now, it’s a defense that was wildly streaky during the regular season. But thanks to returning players like safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson alongside Aidan Hutchinson’s hot streak against the Rams and Bucs, the Lions’ defense has hit another gear at the right time. If the Lions and Dan Campbell maintain their aggressiveness against the 49ers, they’ll improve the odds for an upset.
Which playoff team has the best celebrity fans?
One of our favorite postseason developments involves the Lions adding actors Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson to their celebrity fan rotation and sprinkling in references to the show I Think You Should Leave (ITYSL) on social media:
@detroitlions Replying to @falconfan45 You sure about that?? #DetroitLions #nfl #itysl ♬ YOU SURE ABOUT THAT DETROIT LIONS - Detroit Lions
Beyond the immediate questions this raises (Which lawyer at Lions HQ had to watch Tim Robinson sketches?), it also gives us an excuse to power-rank the remaining NFL playoff teams by celebrity sideline fans:
- Kansas City Chiefs (don’t hurt us, Swifties)
- Detroit Lions (ITYSL, Chad Smith, Taylor Lautner)
- Baltimore Ravens (Jim Harbaugh, Stavros Halkias)
- San Francisco 49ers (every celebrity at Niners-Packers was there for Green Bay, you couldn’t have thrown E-40 a ticket?)
How to watch NFL Conference Championship Game for free
Want to watch the AFC Championship Game or NFC Championship Game for free? We’d recommend getting an over-the-air (OTA) antenna like the Mohu Leaf 50. OTA antennas connect to your TV and allow you to watch local networks like FOX and CBS for free. Visit our OTA antenna guide for more of our top picks.
Prefer to stream both NFL Championship Games for free? Fubo has a seven-day free trial and includes FOX and CBS. Check out our full Streaming Free Trials and NFL Playoffs guides to learn more about free ways to stream the NFL.
Watch NFL Conference Championship Game 2024 FAQ
When is the AFC championship game in 2024?
The AFC championship game will be on Sunday, January 28 at 3:00 p.m. ET between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
Where is the AFC championship game in 2024?
The AFC championship game will be held between the Chiefs and Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.
When is the NFC championship game in 2024?
The NFC championship game will be on Sunday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m. ET between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
Where is the NFC championship game in 2024?
The NFC championship game will be between the Lions and 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.