The race to Super Bowl LVI is down to just four teams, as the NFL crowns its AFC and NFC Champions in a massive Monday NFL Playoff double header, live on ESPN.
It follows one of the most amazing rounds of NFL Playoff action in history, which saw three of the Divisional Round matches decided with the final play of regulation time, and the fourth heading to overtime.
This NFL season has continued to be one of the most dramatic ever and the AFC and NFC Championship deciders look set to continue that theme.
ESPN’s live coverage begins on Monday January 31 at 7am AEDT with the AFC Championship Game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs are shooting for their third straight Super Bowl appearance, having been defeated last season by Tampa Bay in the decider.
Kansas City came within 20 seconds of seeing their championship dreams extinguished by the Buffalo Bills, but some late heroics from QB Patrick Mahomes saw them tie the game – before sealing a 42-36 overtime victory.
Cincinnati will again travel to the Arrowhead as the underdogs, and the Cinderella story of this NFL campaign.
The Bengals downed the AFC #1 seeded Tennessee Titans in the divisional round 19-16, with kicker Evan McPherson slotting the match winning field goal in the final moments.
Cincinnati have never won a Super Bowl and have only ever appeared in the NFL’s showpiece event twice, in 1982 and 1989.
Victory over the Chiefs will be a first AFC Championship win in 33 years and rookie playoff QB Joe Burrow looks to take the Bengals into dreamland.
However, beating the Chiefs juggernaut on home soil will be quite the task.
Following immediately at 10.30am AEDT is the NFC Championship decider between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams.
San Francisco have come from the clouds to spark an amazing post-season run, having only snuck into the NFL Playoffs in the final week of the season.
That Week 18 victory to secure their playoff position was a 27-24 overtime win against the Rams, and the 49ers also prevailed against the Rams 31-10 back in November.
Maligned 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo can answer his critics in the most emphatic fashion if he can pilot his side into another Super Bowl appearance.
The 49ers last appeared in a Super Bowl in 2020, falling 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Rams just held on to see off the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round, and now firm as NFC favourites – despite the 49ers head to head advantage this campaign.
Having led at one point 27-3, Tampa came storming back to tie the game in the final quarter, before the Rams iced the contest with the final kick, 30-27, sending Los Angeles to another NFC decider.
The victory has seen the Rams firm as favourites in the NFC, as they enjoy a unique home field advantage, with both the NFC decider and Super Bowl LVI held at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams were last there in a Super Bowl in 2019, going down to the New England Patriots.
A win on Monday will secure a second Super Bowl appearance in four years for Los Angeles, and a second in three years for San Francisco.
However, following the unprecedented drama witnessed so far in the NFL post-season, the only thing to expect, is the unexpected.
Super Bowl LVI will be live on ESPN on Monday February 14 from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
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AFC and NFC Championship Games on ESPN
Monday January 31
AFC Championship Game
7am AEDT, Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs, ESPN
NFC Championship Game
10.30am AEDT, San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams, ESPN
