We now know who will be heading to Las Vegas first come Feb. 11 for the Super Bowl, and it’s two familiar faces for the big game.
One has made Super Bowl appearances since the 2019 season — the Kansas City Chiefs. The other is the one who will see them again on the major stage for the first time since that ’19 run.
Here are the results from the Sunday championship slate.
Kansas City Chiefs (17), Baltimore Ravens (10)
The Chiefs proved they didn’t need Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce to go off in this contest. They instead turned to their defense — and frustrated the heavy favorite to win the Most Valuable Player award, Lamar Jackson.
Jackson was pressured all day by a Chiefs defense that multiple Super Bowl-winning coordinator Steve Spagnuolo called.
The Chiefs snatched the explosive Jackson four times for sacks, forced a strip-sack fumble off of him, and picked him off in the end zone to prevail over the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
Charles Omenihu, who had previously played in two straight NFC title games with the San Francisco 49ers, got the strip sack. Deon Bush snatched an underthrown Jackson pass in the end zone.
Kansas City is now off to its fourth Super Bowl appearance in the last five seasons.
Detroit Lions (31) San Francisco 49ers (34)
The NFC champion is now a record-tying unit.
The San Francisco 49ers have won their eighth conference title, officially joining the Dallas Cowboys for most Super Bowl appearances among NFC teams.
And the Niners needed a second-half surge to prevail against a feisty Detroit Lions team.
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket
The visiting Detroit Lions, playing in their first NFC title game since the 1991 season, jumped out to an astonishing 24-7 halftime lead by turning to the 49ers’ blueprint: pounding the football with the run game and dominating the trenches.
However, Brandon Aiyuk sparked the momentum by catching a deflected pass off a Lions defender. He completed that drive with his red-zone touchdown. And from there, it was all San Francisco.
It’s now the second time that head coach Kyle Shanahan has led the 49ers to the Super Bowl — and he’ll once again get Reid on the other sidelines.
Super Bowl Matchup
The Chiefs will be the designated home team two weeks from now at Allegiant Stadium.
While K.C. has won two previous Vince Lombardi Trophies since the ’19 campaign, the Chiefs now have a chance to produce their first back-to-back titles in the Andy Reid regime.
For the 49ers, they’re aiming to finally end their three-decade drought of winning the Super Bowl. San Francisco hasn’t hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy since the 1994 season. The 49ers have lost their last two Super Bowls against the Baltimore Ravens (2012 season) and the Chiefs (2019).
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!
