Who will go to the Super Bowl? Here are our predictions and 10 stories to watch in the NFL Conference Finals

Sinking into the abyss of ridicule for decades, the Detroit Lions are just one small victory away from a first appearance in the Super Bowl. The inveterate losers that they were are simply snatching the title of America’s new team.

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No hard feelings, Cowboys fans, but your team absolutely no longer deserves this self-proclaimed title for a long time. Whether they win or lose their duel against the 49ers in the National Conference final on Sunday night, the Lions will emerge from this season as the people’s champions.

Do you think I’m exaggerating? Not at all, supporting figures apart from that! A poll conducted even before their victory in the second round of the playoffs last week by betonline.com revealed that the Lions were the favorite team in 27 American states.

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The 49ers came in a close second with support from seven states, while the others were lost in the mist.

It’s hard not to fall under the spell of a club which is in its first conference final in 32 years and which has suffered martyrdom, with 17 losing seasons since the turn of the 2000s.

• Listen to the sports discussion hosted by Mario Dumont with Stéphane Cadorette and Jean-François Baril via QUB :

Their current head coach, Dan Campbell, knows something about that. He played for the Lions as a tight end in 2008, in what is considered one of the worst years of professional sports infamy, when the team posted a historically laughable record of zero wins and 16 defeats.

Here he is very close to the top of the mountain and no one can savor this euphoria more, he who first had to wade in the sewers before rising from the dead.

And the winner will be?

The Lions are undoubtedly the most sympathetic and inspiring story of the season in the NFL, but their magical journey certainly does not guarantee them victory.

Realistically, the 49ers are better equipped and their defense will make the difference, with an outstanding group of linebackers and a front that will force Jared Goff to make a few blunders.

The hope for the Lions lies in the fact that they excel against the ground game. If they manage to bottle up carrier Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy will have to show that last week’s difficult match in the rain was just a passing incident.

The Lions enjoy a powerful emotional boost, but the adrenaline risks falling away from the fervor of Detroit. It would be far from being an admission of failure if that is the case and whatever happens, they are no longer the good old Lions.

A shock in Baltimore

As for the American conference final, I will dare to commit the cardinal sin by betting against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Yes, this same Mahomes who is always sublime in the playoffs. The Chiefs quarterback boasts 38 touchdown passes in playoff games, in just five years and counting. For comparison, all Ravens quarterbacks, in their 28-year history, total only 37.

This same Mahomes has the gift of destroying the Ravens. In four games against them, he completed 71.8% of his passes, for 1,479 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. I reread these figures, I think back to my prediction and a deep desire to take refuge in my mother’s arms invades me…

Before I change my mind, I’ll trust that the Ravens have lied to me before. They are uncompromising this season against the best teams. Their record with Lamar Jackson as starter is 6-3 this season against teams who had a playoff berth. Their six victories were achieved by an average margin of 25.7 points. As Mario Lemieux would say, it’s something…

Defensively, the Chiefs are excellent. But the Ravens are extraordinary. Their defense was the first in league history to finish first in points allowed (16.5 per game), sacks (60) and turnovers caused (31).

That’s it, I’m convinced. I think…

MY PREDICTIONS

• Chiefs 23 Ravens 27 (Sunday, 3 p.m.)
• Lions 16 49ers 23 (Sunday, 6:30 p.m.)

LAST WEEK 2 in 4 (50%)

TOTAL THIS SEASON: 179 in 282 (63.5%)

10 STORIES TO WATCH

Featured young roosters

In a scenario that resembles that of last year, the four quarterbacks in action, Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Jared Goff (Lions) and Brock Purdy (49ers), are under 30 years old . This is only the second time that this has happened two years in a row and the first since 2003 and 2004. It is the eighth time in 54 years that the four pivots are not thirty years old.

Kelce near record

No, Travis Kelce isn’t just talked about because of his romance with Taylor Swift! The veteran Chiefs tight end has, so far, 145 receptions in 20 playoff games. He is only seven catches away from breaking the record of 151, held by the immortal Jerry Rice, who accomplished the feat in 29 games with the 49ers and Raiders.

The return of Mark Andrews

Speaking of star tight end, Mark Andrews will finally experience his return to the game. He has long been a central element of the Ravens’ offense and we thought his season was over when he injured his ankle on November 16. He participated in all practices this week and has six touchdowns in 10 games this fall.

Two excellent players

It’s not every year that a conference final features two quarterbacks who have won the NFL Most Valuable Player award. Patrick Mahomes received the honor in 2018 and 2022, while his opposite number, Lamar Jackson, received it in 2019 and could receive it this year. This is the first time that two “MVPs” under 30 face each other in the playoffs.

The student facing the teacher

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s first NFL job was with the Eagles under Andy Reid. For nine seasons, they were side by side, until Harbaugh was hired by the Ravens. “There were a lot of good coaches on that team and Andy taught us so much,” Harbaugh reflected this week.

And eight for the 49ers?

If the 49ers win over the Lions, it would be their eighth appearance in the Super Bowl. They would thus become the fifth franchise to be able to say the same, with those of the Patriots (11 appearances), the Steelers, the Broncos and the Cowboys, who each have eight. This is a 19^e attendance in the conference finals for the Niners, a league record.

Goff aims for rare double

The Lions are trying to get their first ticket in their history to the Super Bowl and if that is the case, Jared Goff will enter an exclusive club. Indeed, he is trying to become the fifth quarterback to reach the ultimate game with two different teams, he who had succeeded with the Rams. The others are Tom Brady (Patriots and Buccaneers), Peyton Manning (Colts and Broncos), Kurt Warner (Rams and Cardinals) and Craig Morton (Cowboys and Broncos).

Mahomes on fire!

Patrick Mahomes is 13-3 in his career in the playoffs and 14^e victory would put him tied for third in history with Terry Bradshaw, John Elway and Peyton Manning. Only Joe Montana (16) and Tom Brady (35) say better. At 28 years and 133 days old, Mahomes would also become the youngest quarterback to claim four conference finals victories. Brady achieved the feat at 30 years and 170 days old.

A crazy sequence

The Chiefs are on a mission to get to the Super Bowl. For them, it would be their fourth appearance in five years, something only two other teams have achieved before them. The Patriots were the most recent to do so, in 2014, then from 2016 to 2018. Previously, the Bills achieved it from 1990 to 1993.

Quite a contrast!

While the 49ers and Chiefs have made the conference finals in recent years, it’s brand new for the Ravens and Lions. The Ravens haven’t been a Conference USA runner-up since 2013 and this will be the first home appearance in team history. The Lions haven’t reached this stage of the season since January 1992.