C a d e n C e n t e r NFL Championship weekend pr eview and pr edictions

By Caden Henderson

This installment of the NFL playoffs saw a historically entertaining wild card round before a divisional round that was rather forgettable

But, either way, here we are The final four The Chiefs vs Bengals in a rematch from last year, and the Eagles vs the 49ers, a battle of two of the best defenses in all of football Let’s break down both matchups and predict the winner

Starting with the AFC, there’s one big storyline going into the game; Patrick Mahomes’ ankle The former MVP suffered a high ankle sprain during the divisional round, an injury that normally keeps a player out multiple weeks

Mahomes playing is not a guarantee but, if he does manage to, expect him to be heavily limited, especially in terms of his mobility that makes him so special What does this mean for the Chiefs gameplan?

They will need to establish the run game early, something Andy Reid has shown he can do with this offense Also, in the passing game, expect Juju Smith-Schuster to get more looks as the Chiefs will be looking to get the ball out of Mahomes hands fast

If Mahomes doesn’t play, backup Chad Henne will replace him, and the Chiefs chances of winning will go down drastically

The Bengals, meanwhile, look as good as ever Joe Burrow continues to slice up defenses along with his superstar WR Ja’Marr chase, and RB Joe Mixon was able to finally find the end zone in the divisional round

The Bengals defense will surely be looking to bring pressure considering Mahomes’ circumstances, and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson will likely have a big game as a result As for my prediction, I did roll with the Chiefs in my original playoff predictions article, but I think Mahomes injury will ultimately cost the Chiefs their season The Bengals will punch their ticket to a second straight Super Bowl with a 31-21 victory

Old school football fans will absolutely love watching this NFC title bout between the 1 seeded Eagles and the 49ers For the Eagles, they took care of business in the divisional round by absolutely demolishing the Giants, but I don’t think it’s anything to take note of because, well, it’s the Giants Jalen Hurts will have the biggest test of his career with this 49er defense, and he’ll need to not just be good, but be great if Philadel-