The third week of the playoffs (Conference Championship) was held on Sun, Jan. 29. This is a big week for all football fans since the winners of these games will face off in the Superbowl. Both games were very intense, following multiple injuries on every team. 

San Francisco at Philadelphia:

The San Francisco 49ers vs the Philadelphia Eagles game started slowly, taking around six minutes for any points to be scored. Philadelphia got a touchdown with tight end Miles Sanders rushing the ball 6-yards into the endzone. This quarter became very eventful when quarterback Brock Purdy got injured (later ruled as a torn UCL) and had to leave the game to get checked out, but Josh Johnson filled in for him. 

The second quarter was very eventful for both teams later in the quarter. With seven minutes into the quarter, the 49ers scored a touchdown when running back Christian McCaffrey ran 23-yards. TE Sanders got the ball and ran 13-yards for another touchdown for the Eagles. Philadelphia running back Boston Scott rushed the ball 10-yards with 12 seconds to go, ending the half 21-7 Eagles. 

The third quarter wasn’t too eventful game-wise. The main focus was on fill-in QB Johnson getting hurt (later ruled a concussion). Johnson was already San Francisco’s 4th fill-in quarterback, the 49ers so they had a few minutes where they scrambled until Purdy, injured in the first quarter, returned while fighting through his injury. Due to the issue, he mainly decided to run the ball or have short passes. With around 43 seconds left, The Eagles have the ball and Quarterback Jalen Hurts ran up 1-yard for a touchdown. 

Quarter four is stressful for 49ers fans, with having to gain 3 successful touchdowns to catch up to the Eagles, but in the end unsuccessful. Philadelphia gained a 31-yard field goal, and an opportunity opened up for San Francisco, but a fight broke out between the teams, with the ejection of two players from both sides. This results in penalties for both teams and takes up much time for the quarter, and the 49ers lose their chance. This ends the game 31-7 with the Eagles heading to the Superbowl.

Cincinnati at Kansas City:

The Cincinnati Bengals vs the Kansas City Chiefs game held many sacks to quarterback Joe Burrow. Sacking him helped the Chiefs score a 43-yard field goal, which was the first few points of the game. The Chiefs scored a touchdown but was overturned with a holding penalty call. The call was around the end of the 1st quarter, which made them get to a 4th down. 

Quarter two began with an immediate 24-yard field goal, following the Kansas 4th down. Later on, the Bengals kicked a 30-yard field goal. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw 14-yards to Tight end Travis Kelce and scored a Chiefs touchdown. The half ended with a very last-second 23-yard field kick by the Bengals, ending the half 13-6, with Kansas City in the lead. 

Quarter three begins with a touchdown, Joe Burrow passes 27-yards down to wide receiver Tee Higgins, which then tied up the intense game. Kansas City then scored another touchdown, with Mahomes’ pass 19-yards down to Wide Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Chiefs near the end of the third quarter lead, but with around one minute left, Mahomes went for a pass and the ball slipped out of his hand which was ruled a fumble.

Quarter four quickly started with a Bengals touchdown, where running back Samaje Perine ran the ball 2-yards into the endzone, which tied up the game. It became a very close game in the end, tempting a potential overtime scenario. Mahomes goes running near the last few seconds of the game but gets pressured out of bounds. However, this isn’t the end. The referee called a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Bengals, which gave the Chiefs 15-yards closer to the end zone. With little time left, they went for a kick. The Kansas City kicker made the 45-yards and won 23-20. 

Conclusion:

These games were very intense to watch. Superbowl 57 will be having both AFC and NFC number one seeds face off in the match. Both quarterbacks have some form of injury to themselves and other teammates. Also, both teams have a Kelce brother in their offense, so it will be an intense matchup on Sun, Feb 12. Be sure to look out for the recap of Super Bowl 57.