Who plays in the NFL this weekend? - January 24th, 2021
It's Conference Championship weekend in the NFL, and four teams are hoping to leap the last hurdle toward the Super Bowl.
After last week's Divisional Championship games, just two teams in the National Football Conference and two in the American Football Conference remain in play.
Sunday's slate will cut two more out of that equation, leaving just two to compete for the NFL's ultimate prize: the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
NFC title game: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Green Bay Packers | NFL Conference Championships
In Sunday's NFC championship game, Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-5) will face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (14-3) at 3:05 p.m. EST in a battle of this generation's best quarterbacks.
Brady has helped lead a resurgence in just his first season with Tampa Bay. If the Bucs beat the Packers on Sunday, the win would send Brady to the Super Bowl for the 10th time in his legendary career.
Meanwhile, in what may be one of Rodgers' last seasons with the Packers, his stellar play has the franchise hoping for its first trip to the Super Bowl since 2011.
Rodgers is many analysts' favorite to win this season's NFL MVP award, and coach Matt LaFleur's offense is simply astounding. That combination is no easy task to defeat.
Compounding the game's intrigue is the fact that this may be the last time the two quarterbacks battle in such a meaningful game, as both aren't expected to play in the NFL much longer.
Also Read: How much is Aaron Rodgers’ Net Worth?
AFC title game: Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs | NFL Conference Championships
For the AFC Championship game, the Buffalo Bills (15-3) will square off with the Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) at 6:40 p.m. EST.
While the NFC title game will be a matchup between two veteran signal-callers, the AFC's will feature two of the league's younger stars.
Gunslinger Josh Allen, along with coach Sean McDermott, has led the Bills to its best season in recent history, with a chance for the franchise to make its first Super Bowl appearance since 1994.
Patrick Mahomes, arguably the league's most popular and exciting quarterback, will play Sunday for the Chiefs after being in concussion protocol. With Mahomes at the helm, coach Andy Reid's offense is one of the best in the game's modern era.
There's a ton of pressure on both young quarterbacks to further solidify themselves as the league's best so early in their careers. Games like Sunday's are ripe with such opportunity.