Championship Sunday
4 Teams. 2 Games. 4 quarters. 60 Minutes. Welcome to the Conference Championships.AFC Championship/3:05 PM ET
Titans @ Chiefs
If you told me at the start of the season that the Tennessee Titans are going to bench Marcus Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill halfway through the season & make it to the AFC Championship as a 9-7 wild card team, I’d call you crazy. But it’s the playoffs… anything is possible. The Titans treacherous journey has taken them into Brady’s Foxboro fortress to Lamar’s lair in Baltimore. Both games might have looked close on the scoreboard, however, the Titans dominated in all aspects. Interestingly enough, the Titans are the 3rd team since the 1970 merger to defeat the NFL's #1 scoring defense (Patriots) and #1 scoring offense (Ravens) in the same postseason (both previous teams went on to win Super Bowl). This week they head to Arrowhead stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs who are playing host to a conference championship game for the second consecutive season.
via NFL/GIPHY
Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs are seeking revenge. Not only on the Titans... Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a heartbreaking loss at home to none other than Tom Brady & the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. This Sunday, the leagues reigning MVP is playing at home once again but with a chip on his shoulder. A chip that will not go away until the Lamar Hunt Trophy is back home in Kansas City…
thefanalyst keys to victory for Chiefs/Titans
Titans run it UP!
Titans Postseason
The Titans simply need to stick to the script. Run the ball & dominate the line of scrimmage. The regular season was a different story & quite frankly, Mike Vrabel is most certainly the type of coach who will find a way to put the ball in his best players hands. That, indubitably is Derrick Henry. Henry has taken this offense from calling run plays on 48.7% of the plays in the regular season to calling run plays on 70.0% of the plays in the postseason! Here’s a statistical breakdown of how that’s affected the Titans offensive attack.
Titans Offensive Stats
Despite the Titans being somewhat of a one-dimensional attack, I believe it is one of the best one-dimensional attacks I have seen in a long time. I tend to be very realistic in terms of how defenses limit opposing offenses in their strengths making them one-dimensional. However, the Titans already are one-dimensional & hypothetically if the Chiefs were to find a way to slow down King Henry, they still have Ryan Tannehill. Sure he has failed to pass for more than 88 yards in a game this postseason, but the Titans are 1 win away from a Super Bowl appearance. Expect the Titans to remain one-dimensional on offense (in a good way).
This is it Chief!
It’s time to get closure in Kansas City. Fortunately, Arrowhead stadium is going to be packed with fans optimistic as ever. This season has been a bounce back year for the Chiefs. Everyone is playing with a chip on their shoulder. Andy Reid still has something left to prove. The atmosphere is going to be filled with a lot of emotion… Have it be down 24-0 or up 30 points, the Chiefs offense will keep their foot on the gas. The Chiefs are red hot now having won 7 consecutive games (longest active streak in NFL). On top of that, an 8th consecutive win on Sunday really does not sound crazy! Patrick Mahomes is has a record of 8-0 and a 124.5 passer rating in his career following a game with 4+ pass TD… last week he threw for 5 & now the Chiefs offense is averaging 37.7 PPG in the postseason under Mahomes as starter.
via GIPHY
Clearly, if I’m the Titans I’m thinking “Why not us?” however, when I look across the field & see the Chiefs, I’d say “that’s why”. This game is simply going to come down to Mahomes & his arm against Henry & his legs. One guy attacks with an arsenal of weapons while another simply goes slow & steady by draining the clock. Unfortunately for the Titans, I believe in this Chiefs defense to find a way to not stop Henry, but put the Titans in a late-game situation where Tannehill will have to play hero football. I’m betting on Patrick Mahomes one year later. The Lamar Hunt trophy is coming come to Kansas City as the Chiefs take their Kingdom to Southern Florida!
Getty Images/AP Images/Ringer illustration
Score: 31-23, Chiefs Win
NFC Championship/6:40 PM ET
Packers @ 49ers
A classic. Packers. 49ers. Rodgers coming back home to the Bay Area to take on the franchise he grew up watching. The same franchise that has broken his heart one too many times. Yes, 2005 is when it all began. The 49ers selected Alex Smith with the 1st overall pick instead of Aaron Rodgers. It was not until years later that the two crossed paths in the playoffs… when Smith was a backup. Former 49er’ Colin Kaepernick led his troops to a 2-0 record against the Packers in the playoffs in the span of two seasons. It wasn’t until the post-Harbaugh era Rodgers found a fair share of success against his hometown team. Then came Kyle Shanahan came along & pummeled the Pack 37-8 prior to Thanksgiving this season!
However, since that embarrassing loss, the Packers have not lost a game. Their defense? Found a way to put the clamps on opposing offenses allowing a mere 16.2 PPG since week 14. Despite eyeballing this matchup- & believing it is lopsided in favor of the 49ers, I wouldn’t count Rodgers & Packers out just yet…
thefanalyst keys to victory for 49ers/Packers
Gold Rush!
This sounds does not sound as crazy as you’d think. Don’t let Garoppolo control this game. Let Shanahan do his thing! The 49ers are simply going to need to find a way to establish a run game. This bodes well for a backfield that has great depth as they will be taking on a Packer team that ranks # 4 against the rush among postseason teams. It seems like a great point of attack as this will also allow the 49ers to control the clock. VERY ESSENTIAL when going up against Aaron Rodgers. Jimmy Garoppolo will certainly have to play a spot on game as turnovers can be pivotal down the stretch. He has thrown more than 3 times as many interceptions (14) as Aaron Rodgers has this season (4). Giving the Packers a turnover in a game like this is not going to be a walk in the park especially after last weeks’ offensive performance.
One thing you can bank on with this 49er’ squad is their defense. Dominant is an understatement! They held the Vikings offense to a mere 21 rush yards & 71 pass yards! If they can get a similar game plan that is successful against Rodgers & his Packer offense, then they can control the game from start to finish & book their ticket to Miami.
Pack? Attack!
Turnover DIF.
Turnovers are going to be the key in this game for Green Bay. capitalization on turnovers specifically. Yes, the mentality has ever so slightly changed since the postseason began in Green Bay. Yes, it has only been one game however, the offense has taken a big step forward compared to what it looked like throughout the season. Meanwhile the Packers defense has played at a high level all season long but showed flaws down the stretch against the pass last week. Fortunately, the Packers won’t have to go up against another Wilson in the pocket this week, however, they do have to deal with a versatile rush attack...
Making the 49ers offense one dimensional is not going to be easy as we continue to remind ourselves, Kyle Shanahan is calling plays. Matt LaFleur is going to have to find a way to put the ball Aaron Rodgers’ hand as much as possible. Although it’s not been the Packers offensive identity all season long, it’s the postseason. Last week, Rodgers was arguably the best he’s been all season. He simply took over the game in it’s biggest moments. If LaFleur allows Rodgers to do that once again, the start of something special could be brewing in Green Bay for longer than we’d think.
via NFL/GIPHY
I expect Green Bay to establish a two-dimensional offense in San Francisco… clearly something that did not happen two months ago. In order for that success to happen, Rodgers’ will have to do is find a way feed Davante Adams. Coming off a franchise-record, 160 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, Adams find himself lined up across Richard Sherman & a 49er secondary that ranks #1 against the pass. Aaron Rodgers has a 28-4 TD-INT ratio this season (highest in NFL, incl. playoffs). Making smart decisions will not be a problem for Rodgers who has more than double the amount of career playoff starts (17) as the other 3 starting playoff QBs combined (6). But with Sherman having allowed a mere 6 targets, 2 rec, 20 yards, INT in 7 career games against Adams, another Packer will have to step up in the pass game. Allen Lazard? A vintage Jimmy Graham in the red zone? Aaron Jones carrying the rock a couple more time? Whatever it takes for the Packers…
Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle
This might be Rodgers first matchup against the 49ers in the Championship game, however, it’s his second dance against Kyle Shanahan. A man who dismantled the Packers 48-21 the last time they were in the NFC Championship game (2016). Although Rodgers has no control over his teams defensive unit, best believe Shanahan will find a way to thwart Rodgers & LaFleur of spoiling what looks like a cinderella story of a season in San Francisco. A Packer/49er matchup that brings back too much déjà vu leads me to believe the more complete team is simply more deserving of a trip to Miami… that is the Bay Area’s finest.
