The NFL season is officially down to its final four teams and we’re going to be seeing some very familiar faces.
For the second year in a row, the 49ers, Chiefs and Bengals are all in the conference title round. The only newcomer this year is the Philadelphia Eagles, who are playing in the NFC Championship for the first time since 2017.
The Eagles will be hosting a 49ers team that knocked off the Cowboys on Sunday continuing Dallas’ 27-year drought without a conference title game appearance.
This the Eagles-49ers game will be give us a matchup of two of the most successful NFC teams of the 21st century. Including this year, the Eagles have now made it to seven NFC title games, which is the most of any NFC team since 2000. The 49ers are tied for the second-most with six. Although they’ve both made multiple appearances in the NFC tile game over the past two decades, they’ve never played each other.
In the AFC, we’ll be getting a rare rematch. The Bengals-Chiefs game will mark just the third time over the past 35 years that the AFC Championship has been a rematch. The last time it happened came in 2011-12 (Ravens-Patriots), and before that, it hadn’t happened since 1986-87 (Browns-Broncos).
The AFC Championship is also a rematch of a game played back in Week 13, which was won by the Bengals, 27-24. Cincinnati has played the Chiefs three times since Jan. 1 2022 and the Bengals have won all three games.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the entire postseason schedule and bracket.
Super Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 14
- (2) 49ers 41-23 over (7) Seahawks. The 49ers got a brief scare from the Seahawks on a day where Seattle jumped put to a 17-16 halftime lead. But in the second half, San Francisco broke the game open with a dominating performance. Brock Purdy threw for 332 yards while also becoming the first rookie in NFL history to total four touchdowns in a playoff game. (Purdy finished with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score).
- (4) Jaguars 31-30 over (5) Chargers. The Jaguars won this game by pulling off one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history. The Jags fell behind, 27-0, early in the game due in large part to four interceptions from Trevor Lawrence, but they rebounded to pull off the stunning win, thanks in large part to Lawrence, who threw four touchdown passes.
Sunday, Jan. 15
- (2) Bills 34-31 over (7) Dolphins. The Dolphins went into this game as the biggest underdog in the history of the wild-card round (+14) and despite those odds, they were still able to put a major scare into the Bills. In the end, the Bills were able to stave off the upset thanks to Josh Allen (352 passing yards, three touchdowns) and a defense that came up with multiple big plays, including two turnovers, four sacks and a fourth-down stop that iced the game with just 2:30 left to play.
- (6) Giants 31-24 over (3) Vikings. New York was able to pull off the upset in Minnesota thanks to a historical performance from Daniel Jones, who became the FIRST QB in NFL playoff history to throw for at least 300 and two touchdowns while also adding at least 70 yards on the ground. Not only did Jones throw for 301 yards, but he also the game’s leading rusher with 78 yards on 17 carries. The win over Minnesota marked the Giants’ first playoff victory since they beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI back in February 2012.
- (3) Bengals 24-17 over (6) Ravens. The Ravens had Cincinnati on the ropes for most of this game, but the Bengals were able to escape with a win thanks to their defense, which came up with one of the biggest plays in NFL postseason history. With the Ravens at Cincinnati’s one-yard line, Tyler Huntley fumbled and Sam Hubbard returned that fumble 98 yards for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.
Monday, Jan. 16
- (5) Cowboys 31-14 over (4) Buccaneers. The Cowboys dominated this game from start to finish, and a big reason why that happened was because of Dak Prescott, who had a historically big night. The Cowboys QB set a franchise record with five total touchdowns (four pass, one rush) while also throwing for 305 yards. The only Cowboys player who struggled in this game was kicker Brett Maher, who missed an NFL-record four extra points. The Cowboys will now have to decide if they want to keep him around for Sunday’s game in San Francisco.
Divisional Round
Saturday, Jan. 21
- (1) Chiefs 27-20 over (4) Jaguars. After leaving the game in the second quarter due to a serious ankle injury, Patrick Mahomes returned in the second half to lead the Chiefs to the win. Playing on one foot didn’t seem to slow him down as he completed 10 of 15 passes for 107 yards after suffering the injury. The Chiefs’ defense also came up with two key turnovers in the fourth quarter to help propel Kansas City to its fifth straight AFC title game.
- (1) Eagles 38-7 over (6) Giants. The Eagles jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead and then coasted to the win from there. The Eagles were able to pick up the dominating win thanks to a defense that racked up five sacks and a rushing attack that totaled 268 yards on the ground. Jalen Hurts also had a big night, and more importantly, his shoulder looked fully healthy as he totaled three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing).
Sunday, Jan. 22
- (3) Bengals 27-10 over (2) Bills. The Bengals offense put up some big numbers, but it was the defense that stole the show in this game. The Bengals limited the Bills to just 10 points, which was Buffalo’s lowest total of the season. Cincinnati’s offense also came through with a big game that included 242 yards and two touchdowns from Joe Burrow along with 105 rushing yards from Joe Mixon.
- (2) 49ers 19-12 over (5) Cowboys. The 49ers earned their second-straight trip to the NFC Championship by winning a defensive battle with the Cowboys. The 49ers picked off Dak Prescott twice and got six points off those turnovers, and that proved to be the difference in the game. Robbie Gould proved to be a huge weapon for the 49ers, scoring 13 of their 19 points with four field goals and an extra point.
Championship Sunday
Jan. 29
NFC Championship
- (2) 49ers at (1) Eagles, 3 p.m. ET (Fox, stream on fuboTV). The NFC’s top-two seeds will be meeting in Philadelphia in what should be a showdown of epic proportions. The Eagles will be showing up with the NFL’s third-highest scoring offense from the 2022 season and the 49ers will be looking to slow it down with a defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFL.
AFC Championship
- (3) Bengals vs. (1) Chiefs 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, stream on Paramount+). The Chiefs will get another crack at taking down a Bengals team they just haven’t been able to beat. Since January 2022, the Chiefs have gone 0-3 against the Bengals, including a loss in last year’s AFC title game. This will game will mark the first rematch in the AFC Championship since the Ravens-Patriots in 2011 and 2012.
Super Bowl LVII
Feb. 12
AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, 6:30 p.m. ET (Fox, stream on fuboTV)