(CNN) — Tremendous Bowl LVIII will characteristic a new dynasty facing off with an old one as the Kansas City Chiefs meet the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas on February 11 right after every single was victorious in Sunday’s NFL conference championship game titles.
The Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, are headed to the huge activity for the fourth time in five several years soon after downing the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC championship game on Sunday in Baltimore.
The five-time winner 49ers rallied from a 17-level halftime deficit in the NFC championship activity, scoring every time they experienced the ball in the second 50 percent – apart from at the close when they were striving to eliminate the clock. They arrived away with a 34-31 gain.
Here’s how the conference championships unfolded.
Chiefs hold off Ravens for another Super Bowl excursion
The Chiefs on Sunday had been in common territory, earning their sixth straight AFC title game overall look with quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the helm. Across that stretch, he’s racked up two Super Bowls titles, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and two league MVP awards. Unnecessary to say, the Mahomes period has been outlined by profitable when it matters most.
Mahomes faced intensive thoughts coming into the playoffs on regardless of whether he would be equipped to copy his earlier postseason performances now that he’d have to vacation absent from Arrowhead Stadium for online games. Mahomes has taken his team to the AFC championship activity or even further in every of his 6 seasons as a starter and – as wild as it seems – he experienced in no way played a street playoff sport till the Chiefs conquer the Costs in Buffalo last week.
Compounding the situation was the Chiefs struggled at situations this 12 months.
“It genuinely is distinctive. Just to do it with these fellas soon after what we have been as a result of all season extended, the fellas coming jointly, it truly is unique,” Mahomes explained at a postgame information conference. “I informed them, the job’s not done. Our job now is to get ready ourselves to participate in a very good soccer workforce in the Tremendous Bowl and check out to get that ring.”
Chiefs limited close Travis Kelce caught 11 passes – nine in the first 50 % – and had 1 touchdown as Kansas Metropolis dominated the time of possession fight, employing three extensive scoring drives and a rough protection.
The Chiefs opened the scoring with Mahomes hitting Kelce for 13 yards on fourth-and-2, trying to keep their to start with generate of the sport alive, then two performs afterwards combining with him for a 19-yard again-shoulder landing pass to make the rating 7- with 7:41 left in the 1st quarter.
The Ravens struck ideal back, with the team’s elusive quarterback Lamar Jackson discovering Zay Bouquets driving the defense for a 30-lawn scoring strike that tied the rating at 7-7 just minutes afterwards.
Kansas Town answered with a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Isiah Pacheco’s 2-property push into the stop zone gave the Chiefs two touchdowns in two prolonged drives.
The Chiefs shut the half with yet another extensive generate, with kicker Harrison Butker sending a 52-garden discipline intention by the uprights with eight seconds left in the next time period.
The Chiefs led at halftime 17-7, the to start with double-digit deficit of the period for the Ravens. Both defenses clamped down in the second half.
Kansas City’s offense remained lifeless for most of the remaining minutes, being pressured to punt for 5 consecutive belongings and retaining the Ravens mistake-susceptible offense inside putting length.
The only factors of the 2nd fifty percent came with 2:34 remaining in the activity when the Ravens kicker Justin Tucker kicked a 43-property industry goal.
Mahomes was 30 of 39 for 241 yards with one particular landing. His late fourth-quarter pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 32-garden completion all but sealed the victory for the Chiefs, who were also aided by two massive Ravens turnovers in the closing time period.
Jackson, the NFL MVP frontrunner, struggled for the Ravens until finally late in the 3rd quarter. He concluded the sport 20 of 37 for 241 yards, one touchdown and one particular interception. He also rushed 8 occasions for 54 yards and saved yet another interception by catching his have batted pass and turning it into a 13-yard achieve.
In the fourth quarter, the Ravens ended up stung by a crippling fumble and an interception in the Kansas City conclude zone.
Just when it appeared the Ravens would minimize the 10-level deficit, Bouquets, who caught a 54-yard move to get to the Chiefs 25-garden line previously in the travel, experienced the ball knocked from his hand as he dove toward the goal line, major to a turnover and a touchback.
The Ravens marched down the area on their next offensive possession, poised to slash into the Chiefs’ lead soon after achieving the Kansas Metropolis 25-lawn line, but Jackson’s throw into triple protection was intercepted in the end zone by Deon Bush.
“We experienced some possibilities out there,” Jackson instructed reporters. “Just bought to get edge of them. Just cannot change the ball above. Fumble, interception, stuff like that, gave them chances to place factors on the board and win the video game.
The superior-stakes matchup marked the initial time two NFL MVP quarterbacks below the age of 30 faced off in the playoffs, as well as the very first time Mahomes and Jackson met on the postseason phase.
49ers dominate second 50 percent to rally past Lions
The NFC title game was a tale of two halves, the very first owned by the guests trying to find their to start with journey to the Super Bowl.
The Lions rushed the ball for 148 yards in the 1st fifty percent and quarterback Jared Goff was 13 of 20 for 145 yards prior to intermission.
The Lions scored on 3 of the initial four possessions, working with Goff’s specific passing to established up hurrying touchdowns by Jameson Williams, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
They took a 17-point guide into the locker home after Michael Badgley kicked a 21-lawn field aim with just seconds remaining in the to start with 50 percent. It appeared like the crew that very last received a NFL title in the 1950s was likely to its initially-at any time Tremendous Bowl.
San Francisco jogging back Christian McCaffrey, the NFL’s foremost rusher during the frequent year, scored the 49ers only points just before halftime, powering in from 2 yards only a handful of minutes into the 2nd quarter.
The 49ers owned the next 50 percent, first erasing the deficit in 8 minutes in the third quarter, then in the fourth quarter using a 27-24 lead on a 33-yard field purpose by Jake Moody. Elijah Mitchell tacked on a 3-property touchdown run to seemingly ice the video game with about three minutes to go.
The Lions ended up in a position to go 75 yards in 13 plays to attract within just a field aim with a lot less than a moment to go.
But the 49ers recovered the onside kick and time ran out for the Lions.
This year will not be shortly forgotten by the Ford Area devoted. After a long time of missing the postseason fully, the Lions observed them selves in the conference championship for the initial time given that 1991.
The 49ers are 7-time individuals in the Super Bowl, winning 5 – four in the 1980s when quarterback Joe Montana, defensive back Ronnie Lott, large receiver Jerry Rice and defensive lineman Charles Haley ended up constructing Corridor of Fame professions.
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