Getty Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs.
After a Saturday vacant of NFL playoff action, both Conference Championship games will take place on Sunday, January 30. First, Joe Burrow will lead the Cincinnati Bengals into Arrowhead for a showdown with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Next on the docket will be the NFC Championship game which showcases two divisional foes, as the San Francisco 49ers look to knock off the Los Angeles Rams for a third time this season.
Find out below all you need to know regarding Sunday’s games, from television scheduling to betting spreads and game previews.
AFC Championship: Joe Burrow Battles Patrick Mahomes
Cincinnati Bengals (12-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (14-5)
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Date: Sunday, January 30
Place: Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
Coverage: CBS or Paramount Plus
Spread: Kansas City Chiefs (-7)
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs roll into the Conference Championship weekend on the heels of one of the most exhilarating victories in recent memory. Kansas City dropped 42 points in an overtime thriller against Buffalo, marking the second-straight game this postseason they’ve scored 42 points. The offense has now averaged 37.3 points per game over their last seven games dating back to the regular season. So much for the narrative that the league had “figured out” Mahomes and the Chiefs offense.
With that said, if anyone is going to slow down the star quarterback, it might just be the Bengals who picked off Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill three times in the Divisional Round. Over their last three games, Cincinnati has held their opponents to an average of 17 points with none eclipsing 19 points. Still, the Bengals will go as far as Joe Burrow takes them.
Kansas City has now hit the over in seven of their last eight games and won 11 of their last 12 games. Their lone loss over the span? A 34-31 defeat to the Bengals back in Week 17 in which Joe Burrow scorched the Kansas City secondary to the tune of 446 yards passing and four touchdowns. Cincinnati is undefeated against the spread over their last six games.
NFC West Showdown
San Francisco 49ers (12-7) at Los Angeles Rams (14-5)
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Date: Sunday, January 30
Place: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Coverage: FOX
Spread: Los Angeles Rams (-3.5)
After 12 years in Detroit without a playoff win, Matthew Stafford is just one game away from punching a ticket to the Super Bowl. The only thing sitting between him and the big game is a San Francisco 49ers defense who limited Aaron Rodgers to 225 yards passing and zero touchdowns one week ago.
Still, the chances of Jimmy Garoppolo besting the former No. 1 pick in the box score is highly improbable. In two postseason games this year, Stafford has amassed 568 yards through the air and four touchdowns. As for Jimmy G, he’s averaged under 152 yards per game and thrown zero touchdowns over that same period.
Per usual, expect San Francisco to lean heavily on the run game. Rookie Elijah Mitchell has carried the football 44 times this postseason and averaged 88 rushing yards in the Niners’ two victories over the Rams this season. Do-it-all playmaker Deebo Samuel should also see a good share of usage after being removed from the injury report with a knee contusion.
The under has hit in six of San Francisco’s last seven games. Los Angeles is 6-2 against the spread over their last eight.