SuperBook Sports previews the NFL’s conference championship games

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens

The Kansas City Chiefs are once again in the AFC Championship Game. It’s their sixth-straight appearance, but this one looks a little different.

Sunday will be the first time during the streak that Kansas City has been on the road for an AFC title game. It will be Patrick Mahomes’ first time facing Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in the playoffs.

It’s also an oddity to see the Chiefs not being favored. They enter this game as 3.5-point underdogs to the Ravens, who are without a doubt playing like the best team in the league.

Baltimore was awarded the AFC’s No. 1 seed after ending the season with a 13-4 record. With the one seed came a first-round bye that often comes with a little bit of rust to shake off in the Divisional Round. However, the Ravens showed no signs of being trouble by the layoff whatsoever, as they defeated a tough Texans team 34-10 last weekend.

The Ravens’ offense has been spectacular this year. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the likely MVP and they have young talent in all aspects of the game. But it’s their defense that is turning heads.

The Houston Texans shocked everyone when they scored 45 points against the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Playoff. A “historic” Cleveland defense got absolutely embarrassed in that game, leading people to believe that something similar could happen against the Ravens.

That was not the case. The Texans didn’t have an offensive touchdown. Their lone score came off a punt return.

The Ravens have had the pieces on the roster for quite some time, but injuries have held them back for the last couple years. This year, they are healthy and have lots of young talent to help them.

They currently have the second-best odds behind the 49ers to win the Super Bowl. But they haven’t been on a stage like this before. It’ll be Lamar Jackson’s first AFC Championship Game and he will face one of the league’s best when it comes to big games.

Steve Quinne’s Pick: Baltimore Ravens ML (-200)

Analyze every stat in the world and try to predict the way this one will go. But at the end of the day, it comes down to who will rise in the clutch moment. We’ve seen Mahomes do it time and time again in the playoffs. Will he continue his reign? Or will Lamar begin to cement his legacy as one of the greats? It seems as if the whole world (other than Chiefs fans) are pulling for Baltimore in this one. They’ve been proving themselves all season long and the Chiefs seem more beatable than ever. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are headed to the Super Bowl.

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NFL: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers

Wow. It’s finally happening. The Detroit Lions have a chance to make the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

Dan Campbell took over a team in which losing was the norm and has turned them into a hard-hitting, high-flying and fear-instilling squad that everyone is rooting for. It truly is an American story, and an inspirational one at that.

But the San Francisco 49ers are aiming to put an end to it. San Francisco has been the powerhouse of the NFC for basically the entire season. They are star-studded and well-coached.

They haven’t been to the big game since 2019 in which they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, but they’ve been knocking on the door. They have an inspiring story of their own.

Quarterback Brock Purdy was selected as the last-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. It has been the storyline for his entire NFL career, but it is even more heightened now as he will face a former No. 1 overall pick in Jared Goff.

The 49ers will be the home team and are currently favored by 7.0 points. It makes sense when looking at the numbers. The 49ers have a better record, better offensive stats and better defensive stats, along with bigger and flashier names on both ends of the ball.

On offense, there’s George Kittle, Deebo Samuel (if healthy), Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey, a front runner for NFL Offensive Player of the Year. And on the defensive side of the ball, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner lead the charge.

It’s big name after big name and they are coached by one of the best, Kyle Shanahan. They are a matchup nightmare, or so it seems.

Last week, Jordan Love and the Packers proved that the Niners aren’t immortal, however. A late missed field goal cost the Packers the game after they were arguably the better team for three-and-a-half quarters.

It was a shock that it even close, though. The Packers entered the game as a No. 7 seed with nine regular season wins and an extremely young QB. The Lions bring more to the table. Detroit has tremendous talent within all stages of the offense. The Lions have arguably the best running back tandem in the league with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. They have a first-team All-Pro in Amon-Ra St. Brown at wideout and a tremendous rookie tight end in Sam Laporta. Not to mention they have another first-team All-Pro in Penei Sewell in the trenches, an outstanding edge rusher in Aidan Hutchinson, and Jared Goff has been a top 10 QB.

Steve Quinne’s Pick: Detroit ML (+290)

The Lions may not match up in terms of fame, but they certainly match up in terms of talent. It’s been a gritty road to get to this point, but that’s the way Dan Campbell and the Lions like it. Hammer the Lions with the points and even feel free to bet them moneyline. Cash in on NFL history being made.