By Kevin Perez

One of the wildest NFL seasons is almost drawing to a close as the final four teams prepare for the Conference Championship games this weekend. In the AFC the Kansas City Chiefs are set to host the Cincinnati Bengals and in the NFC the Los Angeles Rams will play host to the San Francisco 49ers. 

This past weekend the NFL saw what was arguably one of the greatest rounds in playoff history. All four divisional round games ended on the final play and three by game winning field goals. 

In the AFC, the Bengals knocked off the one seeded Tennessee Titans in an upset as kicker Evan McPherson hit a 52 yard field goal clinching the Bengals first ever postseason road win. On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in overtime in what was one of the best games in history. No team deserved to lose that game and the rivalry forming between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen has striking similarities between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning last decade. 

The San Francisco 49ers marched into Green Bay and sent the one seeded Packers home off of a Roubie Gold game winning field goal. They not only made the NFC Championship for the fifth time since 2011, but also sent Aaron Rodgers into another rough off-season. On Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa despite losing four fumbles in what turned into a crazy game late. The Rams now have a date against their division rival the 49ers at home for the NFC Championship. 

As we near the second to final weekend of football, it is time to predict who will be playing for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles on February 13th. 

Beginning with the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals will be a matchup of elite offenses with playmakers on both teams. 

The Bengals beat the Chiefs in week 17 at home 34-31 but both teams are starting from scratch in this game. The Bengals have been a really good and young team this season after going 4-11 last season to winning their division and making the AFC Championship for the first time since 1989. Quarterback Joe Burrow has arguably solidified himself as a top five quarterback in the league and rookie Ja’Marr Chase has lived up to his high expectations as one of the most electric receivers in the league. 

This is no easy matchup for them though, as the Chiefs are now in the fourth straight AFC title game. The Chiefs found themselves rolling late in the season winning eight straight games and after beating the Bills in the divisional round, they proved the AFC still runs through them. 

In the end, however, I think the Chiefs will beat the Bengals and advance to their third straight Super Bowl.  

In the NFC title game, the Los Angeles Rams are set to host the San Francisco 49ers. Being in the same division, this is the third time these two teams will face off as the 49ers swept the Rams this season winning both at home and on the road. 

The 49ers defense has been on a roll in the playoffs with two takeaways, ten sacks and two blocked kicks in the first two rounds of the playoffs. This week they face a top level offense led by Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp. 

Instead of the defense, the main question heading into this game is can the 49ers escape another mediocre game by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with the defense playing electric, or will the offense have to step up ? Garoppolo has played relatively well while making some questionable plays in the last two weeks, but Aaron Donald and the Rams defense pose the toughest test yet for the 49ers in the postseason. 

On the other side, the Rams went all in this season trading for three time first-team All Pro linebacker Von Miller and signing receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Another focal point of their offense has been receiver Cooper Kupp who led the league in yards, touchdowns, and receptions making him only the fourth player in NFL history to do that in a single season. If they win, the Rams would also stay home for the Super Bowl, as SoFi Stadium is hosting the end game. 

I believe the Rams defense will be too much for the 49ers offense to overcome and they will score enough points to defeat the 49ers, claiming their throne upon the NFC. 

Both games this weekend could go either way with elite talent on each squad, but a Super Bowl LVI (56) matchup between the Rams and Chiefs is my choice and could end up being one of the most exciting Super Bowl’s in recent memory. 

Don’t miss the AFC and NFC Conference Championship games this Sunday with the Chiefs and Bengals at 3:00 EST on CBS and the Rams and 49ers at 6:30 EST on FOX. 

I have gone 1-3 predicting the championship games the last two years, let’s see if I can even it up at 3-3 after this weekend.