The Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills go into NFL Conference Championship weekend as respective underdogs; however, both teams are more than capable of pulling off upsets. With Jayden Daniels leading the Commanders and Josh Allen leading the Bills, they have respectable shots to knock off the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to reach Super Bowl LIX.
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5)
Keys to a Commanders upset over Philadelphia
Jayden Daniels- No more needs to be said. The rookie phenom quarterback has quite possibly pulled off the greatest rookie quarterback season in NFL history. The pending Offensive Rookie of the Year is one of six quarterbacks to make the conference championship game as a rookie. However, top three scoring defenses supported the other five quarterbacks who reached the game. The 18th-ranked scoring defense backs Daniels.
Daniels also ranks first this postseason in passer rating, passing yards per game, and yards per pass. He has lived up to the pressure of the postseason, helping lead the Commanders to wins past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.
Pressure Jalen Hurts
The Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback got banged up in the divisional round last weekend after falling the wrong way on a tackle. Hurts went to the medical tent shortly after the play; however, it was clear Hurts was not the same quarterback after he returned to the game. He struggled to move around, but the Los Angeles Rams were able to stay in the game because of it.
The Rams finished with six sacks and a safety on Hurts. So, it will be more important to put pressure on Hurts than it will be to stop Saquon Barkley from another big game, which sounds crazy, but the Commanders can’t afford both Barkley and Hurts to be playing well at the same time.
The passing attack for the Eagles has been anemic in the playoffs and most of the regular season, and the Commanders will need to keep it that way if they want a chance at an upset.
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5)
Keys to a Bills upset over the Chiefs
James Cook Josh Allen and the Bills run game will be crucial to controlling the time of possession and keeping the ball out of Patrick Mahomes hands. Against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, the Bills rushed for 147 yards, and in the wild-card round, they rushed for 210 against the Denver Broncos.
Anybody but Travis Kelce
The Bills must make sure anybody but Travis Kelce beats them on Sunday night. Kelce, who is among the greatest postseason skill position players in history, has a way of taking his game to the next level in the playoffs. Kelce has the most receptions in the postseason history with 172 and is second all-time in both yards and touchdowns with 2,020 and 20, respectively.
It is easier said than done, but the Bills will need to limit Kelce and make the other perimeter players beat them.
Both Commanders and Bills have already beaten their opponents.
Both the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills have each beaten their conference championship opponents in the regular season. The Commanders split the regular season matchup with Philadelphia, while Buffalo was the only team to beat the Chiefs in a game where all the Chiefs starters played.
Daniels led a game-winning drive against the Eagles in a 33-36 win in week 16. During that game, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts left the game with a concussion in the first quarter. Also, the Commanders were able to win that game despite turning the ball over five times.
Buffalo hosted the Chiefs and beat them 30-21 back in November. Allen was amazing in passing for 262 and rushing for 55 yards, totaling two touchdowns. That win was important in more ways than one for the Bills because they knew they’d have to go through Kansas City again in the playoffs, and grabbing that win over them in the regular season gave them the confidence to know they could do it again.
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