This is what NFL fans need to know before the showdown

Can this past NFL weekend really be improved upon? All four games were only decided at the last second, after some dramatic twists and turns. So it's hard to imagine - but not impossible either. This is one of the reasons why the tension, anticipation and excitement ahead of the upcoming conference finals in the NFL are palpable in the USA.

The titles in the NFC and AFC – the two conferences of the best football league in the world – bring, in addition to an entry on the letterhead, entry into the Super Bowl on February 13th. And that's where all four teams ultimately want to go: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cinncinati Bengals, the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. Chiefs – Bengals (Sunday, 21 p.m.) Kansas City Chiefs: It's now routine for the Chiefs: The team around head coach Andy Reid and quarterback genius Patrick Mahomes is hosting the finals in the American Football Conference for the fourth time - something that has never happened before. The first time in 2019 there was a defeat against the New England Patriots, for whom Tom Brady was still playing quarterback at the time. In 2020, the team beat the Tennessee Titans and won the Super Bowl; last year the Buffalo Bills failed at the hands of the Chiefs, who then lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Brady in the Super Bowl. There is virtually no doubt in the NFL that the Chiefs can shape an era similar to what the Patriots did in the 2000s. This is a difficult outlook for all competitors in the AFC.

Cincinnati Bengals: Hardly anyone expected the Bengals – not in the main round and certainly not at this point in the playoffs. The team finished last in the AFC North for three years in a row. Also in the first year with young quarterback Joe Burrow. But in his second season, Burrow led his team to the division title and playoff victories against the Las Vegas Raiders and the number one seeded Tennessee Titans - the Bengals' first playoff victories since the 1990 season.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals are surprisingly in the Conference Finals. © APA/getty / Wesley Hitt

The Bengals have made good use of the NFL's system, which allows bad teams first access to the draft. After Burrow two years ago, management selected Ja'Marr Chase sixth before this season - the pass receiver is probably the most eye-catching newcomer at this position and, with Burrow, now represents the future of the team. Rams – 49ers (Monday, 0.30:XNUMX a.m.) Los Angeles Rams: Everything at the Rams is geared towards this Super Bowl in their own stadium. February 13, 2022 is above all else, and the team has also given up its medium-term future. Since 2016, the Rams have no longer had access to the first round in the draft because they traded them away in return for seasoned professionals - like they did for quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Detroit Lions before this season. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller in defense are the crème de la crème in the NFL; offensively, the signing of free transfer Odell Beckham Jr. was worth it. There is also the outstanding pass receiver Cooper Kupp. Small catch: On the last matchday of the main round, the team lost at home against the 49ers. The Rams have it Maximilian Pircher Incidentally, a South Tyrolean is also under contract, but he has not yet made it into the NFL squad.

The Los Angeles Rams are aiming for the Super Bowl at their home SoFi Stadium in the Inglewood district. © APA/getty / RONALD MARTINEZ

San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers have known how to win against the current Rams in Los Angeles since the last day of the main round. The team also prevailed in the playoffs against the favored Green Bay Packers. Nevertheless, there are also doubts this season about quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, with whom the team was in the Super Bowl in 2020 and lost there against the Chiefs. US media are discussing the question of whether the 49ers are successful because of Garoppolo - or despite the 30-year-old, who once learned from Tom Brady for years at the New England Patriots. He repeatedly allows himself to make mistakes that get the traditional team into trouble. Trey Lance, the designated successor, has already been in the squad since this season. Garoppolo knows that every game for the 49ers could be his last. That can probably also be the case in Los Angeles. But only in two weeks.

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This is what NFL fans need to know before the showdown

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