The San Francisco 49ers are advancing to the NFC Championship Game after a heart-stopping finish against the Green Bay Packers.
One more win and you're in the Super Bowl.
Only four teams remain after a riveting weekend of divisional round action.
In the NFC, the No. 1 San Francisco 49ers won 24-21 in gritty fashion at home over the No. 7 Green Bay Packers before the No. 3 Detroit Lions handled the No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23.
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In the AFC, the No. 1 Baltimore Ravens crushed the No. 4 Houston Texans 34-10 before the No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs once again eliminated the No. 2 Buffalo Bills, this time on the road.
So, out of the four potential matchups possible in Super Bowl LVIII, which one is the best? Let's rank them from least to most intriguing:
4. No. 1 Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 3 Detroit Lions
Not that it's a formula for these rankings, but this is a matchup we've seen in the regular season. And it played out in rather predictable fashion, but to an extreme extent. The Ravens routed the Lions at home 38-6, with Lamar Jackson carving a shaky Detroit secondary by completing 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards, three touchdowns and no picks.
The Lions needed to air it out to move the ball quickly, resulting in Jared Goff completing 33 of 53 passes for 284 yards, no touchdowns and one pick. Standout rookie Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 68 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Little has changed for the two teams since then other than Detroit's crop of rookies improving, so the Ravens should be able to soar over the Lions once more in this scenario.
3. No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 3 Detroit Lions
This was another game that occurred during the regular season. In fact, it was the season opener in Kansas City. Detroit pulled off a stunning 21-20 win over the reigning champions that put the league on notice. Goff completed 22 of 35 passes for 253 yards, one touchdown and no picks, while David Montgomery ran for 74 yards on 21 carries and a score. Rookie safety Brian Branch returned a tipped pick to the house.
Patrick Mahomes struggled without Travis Kelce and the current crop of wideouts he's played with, completing 21 of 39 passes for 226 yards, two touchdowns and the aforementioned pick. Isiah Pacheco struggled on the ground against a solid rush defense, collecting 23 yards on eight carries.
This game would probably turn out in a similar fashion should there be a rematch, though Kelce being healthy likely tips the scale towards a Kansas City Super Bowl repeat.
2. No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 1 San Francisco 49ers
This was a matchup not played in the regular season, though it was the Super Bowl LIV clash in 2020. The difference boiled down to Mahomes outplaying Jimmy Garoppolo down the stretch when it mattered most.
This year, the Chiefs' offense and the 49ers' defense have taken steps back with the opposite units leading the charge. Mahomes is still Mahomes, but the Kansas City defense is truly elite. The 49ers' defense still possesses star names, but their pass rush isn't as lethal, which also limits the run defense. Brock Purdy, however, has raised the ceiling of the offense thanks to his ability to make the plays Garoppolo couldn't in Kyle Shanahan's system.
There's no definite favorite in this matchup, and it could very well come down to which quarterback delivers in the clutch. In that scenario, Mahomes' resume tops Purdy's.
1. No. 1 Baltimore Ravens vs. No. 1 San Francisco 49ers
Like it was in the aforementioned Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl, this would be a matchup between the two best teams in each conference. It's also one that played out in the regular season, though Baltimore cruised 33-19 in San Francisco on Christmas under the lights. Nonetheless, the two sides absolutely deserve a rematch.
Statistically, it marked Purdy's worst career game as he completed 18 of 32 passes for 255 yards, no touchdowns and four picks. It was the performance critics were waiting for from Purdy when healthy on a big stage. But three of Purdy's four picks were deflections -- would those fall the same way another time? San Francisco also accumulated 429 total yards. They weren't completely stumped by Baltimore's defense; they just endured tough luck despite moving the ball well through the air and on the ground before and after Purdy's shoulder stinger.
Baltimore would likely play it out the same way as Jackson eventually grew into the game. But, if deflected picks don't sting the 49ers, this could be a thriller and a well-deserved rematch of Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. The Ravens should still be favored in such a scenario, though, because defense wins championships.
