This past Sunday, January 26, the NFL conference championships were held to determine who plays in the Super Bowl. The final four teams consisted of the Philadelphia Eagles (NFC), Washington Commanders (NFC), Kansas City Chiefs (AFC), and the Buffalo Bills (AFC). All of these teams consist of many talented players and coaches, who all had good performances this past weekend.
In the NFC championship, held between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, the Eagles put on a impressive running and passing performance led by Saquon Barkley and AJ Brown. Barkley put on another impressive performance with 118 yards on 15 carries, along with a hat trick 3 touchdowns, while AJ Brown had a solid 6 receptions for 96 yards with 1 touchdown, leading the Eagles to a runaway 55-23 victory at home.
On the other hand, the AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and Bills was much closer, ending in a Kansas City win 32-29. Xavier Worthy led the team in yards, with 6 receptions for 85 yards and 1 touchdown. Kareem Hunt also gave his fair share with 64 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown. This game was full of questionable calls, making many fans upset about the final result.
When asked about how they felt about the Chiefs Game, Timpview Student Teo Oscarson said, “the game was completely rigged…there was one play where they threw a flag, and there ended up being no penalty called.” Teo believes that the referees had a large impact on the results of this game, and that they have been favoring the Chiefs all season. Then, when Teo was asked about who he was cheering for in the super bowl, he said “I don’t want to be cheering for Philadelphia, but like, I have no choice.” Many fans have taken this point of view, not wanting Mahomes and Kelce to complete the first ever 3-peat.
When asked about his feelings about the game, sophomore Todd Swenson stated that it was, “super frustrating to say the least… I saw something after that said the Chiefs were only getting 19% of penalties in their games.” Todd and Teo both agree that the referees and penalties seem to help the Chiefs, because of this, they will be rooting against them in the upcoming Super Bowl.
The big game between the Chiefs and Eagles will be a rematch from Super Bowl 57, which was on February 12, 2023. The Chiefs pulled out the win in that game two years ago, 38-35. They will look for their Super Bowl 3-peat on February 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
