The stage is set for Super Bowl 54 as the San Francisco 49ers from the NFC and Kansas City Chiefs from the AFC will battle in Miami for the Lombardi Trophy.
Coming into Sunday, there were four teams still alive in the 2020 NFL Playoffs. The winners on Sunday would advance to Super Bowl LIV in Miami and keep the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy alive. And when it was all said and done, it was the San Francisco 49ers emerging from the NFC and the Kansas City Chiefs coming out of the AFC as they’re set to meet in the Big Game.
The conference championships began in the AFC as the No. 2-seeded Chiefs welcomed the underdog Tennessee Titans, a team that had already knocked off the Nos. 1 and 3 seeds in the conference off to get to this point, to Arrowhead Stadium. And early on, things looked a bit dicey for Andy Reid‘s club.
Thanks to a strong opening drive and a Derrick Henry touchdown run, the Titans jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. And though Patrick Mahomes found Tyreek Hill to make it 10-7, Tennessee answered with a trick play touchdown pass to offensive tackle Dennis Kelly.
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Not to be denied, however, the Chiefs offense again showed their explosive nature as Hill scored once more in the second quarter before Mahomes took off down the sideline just before halftime to go into the locker room up 21-17. After a scoreless third quarter, Kansas City got two big drives to take an 18-point lead and cruise to the 35-24 victory and a Super Bowl berth.
That game was followed up by one that was almost never in doubt. The No. 1-seeded 49ers hosted the No. 2-seeded Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game and everything came up in favor of the home team from the jump. After trading punts, the Niners scored on five straight drives while holding Green Bay scoreless (and forcing two turnovers) to take a 27-0 lead into halftime on the legs of a monster night from Raheem Mostert.
While Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones tried their best to make things interesting in the second half, Mostert and some timely plays from Jimmy Garoppolo, who only needed to throw eight passes on the night, allowed San Francisco to maintain control. A Richard Sherman interception late in the fourth quarter sealed the victory.
Now there is only one game left in the season. In two weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for Super Bowl LIV. And considering how dominant these teams have been at their best, it’s hard to ask for a better matchup for the Big Game.