Previewing the Teams in Sunday’s NFL Conference Championship Games

The NFL AFC and NFC Championship games are here at last, and the Patriots, Jaguars, Eagles, and Vikings all have equal shot at the Super Bowl title. Here is a look at how they made it to this point ahead of this Sunday’s conference championship games.

New England Patriots

Brady, Belichick, and the always controversial Patriots are back in the AFC Championship game for the 7th straight time, dating back to 2011. They have won 3 of the previous 6 of those games. New England finished 13-3 and romped Tennessee 35-14 in the Divisional round after a first round bye. Tom Brady threw for 4,577 yards with 32 TDs in his first full season since 2015, Rob Gronkowski caught 8 TD passes, and Dion Lewis has become the lead running back in a potent Patriots offense. Even with speculation of turmoil among Brady, Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft, this team looks  stronger than ever, and are a favorite to win the entire thing once again.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The underdog team from Jacksonville pulled off a surprising 45-42 victory over the favored Steelers  in the Divisional round, and beat the Bills 10-3 in the Wild Card round a week before that to make it to their first Conference Championship game since 1999. They are led by their stifling defense, with the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, Barry Church, and Telvin Smith holding 8 of their regular season opponents to 10 points or less. The offense revolves around rookie running back Leonard Fournette, who posted 1,040 yards and 9 TDs in his first season. Quarterback Blake Bortles has had an up and down season, but looks to keep his momentum going after 2 playoff wins already. They may be considered the underdog, but everybody should take this team seriously.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles got here by knocking off  Atlanta 15-10 in the Divisional round last Sunday. Although they were the best team in the NFC this season, their season was turned on its end when star second year quarterback Carson Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14, throwing veteran Nick Foles into the drivers seat of this high powered offense with the likes of Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery, and trade deadline acquisition Jay Ajayi. It has not been the same offense, however, as the Eagles have scored 15, 0, and 19 points in the last three games with Foles under center. If the Eagles want to make the Super Bowl for the first time since 2004, then Foles will have to put home field advantage to good use and play the best game of his life.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings needed a final play touchdown by Stefon Diggs to defeat New Orleans and get to the NFC Championship game. They have major threats on both offense and defense, but none has been as surprising as that of Case Keenum, a third string quarterback turned Vikings hero in the span of a few months. His offensive targets Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen have been lights out, tallying 8 and 4 touchdowns, respectively. The Super Bowl is in Minnesota this year, and the Vikings have a very real shot to play the Super Bowl in the comforts of home, an extremely rare occurrence.

The NFL championship games are on Sunday, January 21, with the Patriots and Jaguars at 3:05 on CBS and the Vikings and Eagles at 6:40 on FOX.