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It’s almost the end of January, which means that for four NFL teams, the stakes are the highest and the Real Fans are calling out of work. The AFC and NFC Championships are here. 

All that stands between the last remaining teams and the Lombardi Trophy are their conference opponents. We have two games left. These matchups contain everything we hoped for: heavyweight quarterback duels, mastermind schemes, storybook endings, true grit. 

Here’s how the final four teams got here—the Chiefs, Ravens, Lions, and 49ers—and the biggest question that each face as they enter their last test before hopefully heading to Allegiant Stadium for Super Bowl LVIII. Because in America, you’re not a true champion until you’re “world” champion.

2024 AFC Championship

Kansas City Chiefs

No one is all that surprised to see Patrick Mahomes here in the AFC Championship game. Or Taylor Swift. 

Mahomes has started as quarterback for the Chiefs six years in a row. How many times have the Chiefs made the AFC Championship? Six years in a row. AFC fans hate admitting that they’re maybe a little impressed. 

Meanwhile, Swift’s dating some guy on the Chiefs. Most of America didn’t realize that there’s another kind of tight end until this past fall. The NFL is probably crossing its fingers that the Chiefs win this game, so the league can feature Swift attending the Super Bowl without actually having her perform in it. 

How They Got Here:

Star names and dynasties aside, the Chiefs got here by being the Chiefs, and by Patrick Mahomes being Patrick Mahomes. As usual Mahomes carried the entire offense on his back due to his superhero throws and some impromptu pep talks. 

The Chiefs didn’t quite look like themselves for most of a 11-6 season and suddenly pulled everything together when it mattered most. At one point, the AFC West was up for grabs. Competing with the Broncos for division crown is one thing, but… the Raiders? Really?

Despite Mahomes facing his first playoff game on the road, the Chiefs have been doing what they do best, which is find a way to win games. Maybe they’ve just been lucky so far—in the 2024 postseason, the Dolphins turned into popsicles in the freezing temps of Kansas City, and Buffalo’s facing another long offseason due to a missed field goal (apparently if you want to insult a Bills fan, just look them in the eye and say, “Wide right”). 

A true test awaits in Baltimore, where Lamar Jackson reigns supreme and a fearless defense looms.

The Big Question:

Big names and scrappiness have gotten the Chiefs by so far. How long can that really last? 

Baltimore Ravens

Somehow, the Ravens entered the playoffs as the NFL’s best team, but no one was talking about it. Maybe that’s because the Ravens don’t need celebrities in the stands or 70 points on the board to grab anyone’s attention. They just show up and win games. 

Lamar Jackson is flying high. He’s giving MVP-level quarterback play in his watch-what-you’re-missing-out-on season, but the one thing that’s alluded him so far is a Lombardi Trophy. Jackson is playing better than ever. Winning the Super Bowl this season might finally give the Ravens—and their excellent quarterback—the recognition they very much deserve. 

How They Got Here:

After a 13-4 season, which was not only the best record in the AFC but in the entire league, the Ravens are hosting the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland. They have that rare all-around quality that every team chases: a stellar offense and a stellar defense. 

Their biggest statement so far? Playing the 49ers on Christmas Day in a game that was thought to be a potential Super Bowl preview. The Ravens walked away from that meeting the unquestionable better team, winning 33-19 and totally shaming the 49ers, who were apparently still recovering from their Christmas Eve shenanigans. 

In the playoffs, the Ravens smoothly handled the Texans, smashing all upset potentials and any remaining doubts. C.J. Stroud? We don’t know him. 

They say the best teams are the ones that can hold their own against the greats. The Ravens are now facing arguably the current greatest in Patrick Mahomes. 

The Big Question:

Jackson vs. Mahomes is a heavyweight match. Can Jackson get past the guy he doesn’t like to compete with to achieve a fairytale ending to his MVP season? 

2024 NFC Championship

Detroit Lions

The Lions are one win away from playing in the Super Bowl. We’re either living in an alternate reality or stuck in the 90s. 

But maybe the Lions just that good? Even if the Lions don’t make it past the 49ers, this season won’t be forgotten. The team won the NFC North for the first time in 30 years and won their first postseason game since 1991, shooting across the stars from perennial loser to the boys in blue that you should know and be talking about.

Some Lions fans have been waiting their entire lives to see their team this successful. So making it this far is pretty special, but the Lions still have a few things to prove. 

How They Got Here:

Head coach Dan Campbell got things started with his talk about biting kneecaps during his introductory press conference, and the Lions players have taken it from there. 

After a 12-5 season, the Lions have made it to the NFC Championship game. It’s all thanks to a surprisingly good draft class, a 2021 trade that turned out really well, and old-school grit. Rookies like Sam LaPorta and Adrian Hutchinson have made their presence known. Jared Goff is good enough for Detroit. The team is vibing, and it might just vibe all the way to Allegiant Stadium on February 11th. 

But they face the 49ers in Santa Clara, where Goff, a California native, is making a kind of homecoming and Campbell is squaring off against Kyle Shanahan. It’s Golden State mastermind versus blue-collar spunk. We’ll see if it’s possible for the Lions to grit their way past Shanahan’s game plan.

The Big Question:

Can the Lions bite their way to the Super Bowl? 

San Francisco 49ers

Simply put, the 49ers have excellence all around. What more can a team ask for? 

They have a great coach. A competent quarterback. The roster’s completely stacked with players like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa. That’s more names listed for one team than the rest of this article combined. 

The 49ers have shown up this season and are fully expected to go all the way. A major doubt? The hovering question as to whether Brock Purdy is actually a great quarterback or simply a game manager following the mastermind schemes and skills of everyone surrounding him.

Maybe in the end it’s not even a debate, because no matter what, Purdy has been fitting into Shanahan’s formula successfully enough that the 49ers are looking to make a short plane ride to Nevada for the Super Bowl.

How They Got Here:

The 49ers are one of the few teams of this past season whose potential and greatness held through the entire 18 weeks. They were a top team to beat from week one onward—surviving a three-game losing streak and injuries to major players.

A floating theory was that the 49ers only could win if they were ahead and never could make a comeback from behind. In the playoffs, the team defied that conspiracy theory—they won a rainy game against the formidable Packers in order to host the NFC Championship, where they’re heavily favored against the Lions. 

A wild stat? Every single quarterback who played in this past divisional round was a former first-round pick—except for Purdy, who was the dead-last pick in the seventh round of his draft, otherwise known as Mr. Irrelevant. In this NFC title game, it’ll be a former #1 pick versus a #259th pick between the two quarterbacks. If anyone can make Mr. Irrelevant successful, Kyle Shanahan can. 

But the 49ers have been here before. They were in the championship a year ago, when Purdy unfortunately suffered an elbow injury that knocked him out of the game. Then the team’s backup quarterback suffered a concussion, and inevitably the 49ers lost—a devastating and unfair experience, but, here they are a year later with another chance. The 49ers definitely deserve it. 

The Big Question:

Will Brock Purdy’s elbow stay intact until Super Bowl LVIII?