It all comes down to this. Just four teams remain in the 2024-2025 NFL Playoffs, and a trip to the Super Bowl is on the line. This week, the two best football teams in the NFC and the two best teams in the AFC will meet in a pair of conference championship games to determine who gets to head to the biggest game of the year. 

All four teams have been in this position before in their history, and three of them have gone on to win the Super Bowl. Some of these teams are heading back to the highest ranks of playoff competition for the first time in decades, while others have been on a legendary playoff hot streak. Some were expected to be here from the beginning of the season, and others are surprises. So, before the NFL’s Conference Championship games kick off this weekend, let’s take a closer look at who’s playing and what the matchups look like.

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The path to the NFL’s Conference Championship games

Let’s start with the team that seemed least likely to be here. The Washington Commanders broke a 20-year playoff win drought when they won their Wild Card matchup against Tampa Bay, then broke another, even longer drought when they upset the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round to advance to the NFC title game. The victory marks the first time in more than three decades that Washington has played for a trip to the Super Bowl. 

Of course, they’ll have their work cut out for them in facing the Eagles, the NFC East champions and one of the best teams in the league at this point. Philadelphia rolled over the Packers in the Wild Card round, then outlasted the Rams in the Divisional Round in a brutally cold snow game which highlighted both the defensive strength of the Eagles and the endurance of its running game, led by NFL rushing leader Saquon Barkley. Now, they get the chance to make their second Super Bowl in three seasons, having lost in 2023 to the Chiefs. 

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Speaking of the Chiefs, they’re the team that was most expected to be here at this point. In their quest for a league-first Super Bowl threepeat, Kansas City has remained one of the winningest teams in the league, finishing as the top overall seed in the AFC at the end of the regular season and earning a first-round bye. They used that extra rest time to put together a winning strategy against the Houston Texans in the Divisional round, and now they’re heading to their seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game.

Facing them will be a familiar rival on that stage in the form of the Buffalo Bills. Led by quarterback and league MVP candidate Josh Allen, the Bills have put together yet another winning campaign, earning their fifth straight AFC East title and moving ahead with a dominant win over the Broncos in the Wild Card round and a close victory against the Ravens in the Divisional round. Now, for the first time since the 2020-2021 season, they’ve made it to the AFC title game. In that matchup, they lost their chance to go to the Super Bowl to, you guessed it, the Chiefs. Now, Allen and the Bills have a chance at redemption, and at halting a historic run by their old rivals. We’ll find out soon enough if it happens.

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