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Santiago Leon and Ray Madden recap 2024 NFL Championship Sunday.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Dan Madden – @danimal2478
Ravens 10 Chiefs 17
Mahomes threw a touchdown pass to Kelce in the first quarter, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco ran for another, and the Chiefs beat NFL MVP favorite Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 to win the AFC championship game on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Mahomes finished 30-of-39 for 241 yards with a touchdown, finding his favorite target in Kelce, who finished with 11 catches for 116 yards to break Jerry Rice’s record for catches in postseason history. Pacheco added 68 yards rushing for the Chiefs.
Jackson threw an interception in the fourth quarter — one series after rookie receiver Zay Flowers was penalized for taunting after a catch inside the 10-yard line and fumbled at the goal line for a crucial turnover.
Jackson finished 20-of-37 for 272 yards passing with a touchdown and interception, and rushed the ball eight times for 54 yards for Baltimore. Flowers led the Ravens with 115 yards on five catches.
Here are some highlights from the game:
- In the first quarter, Mahomes throws a touchdown to Kelce
- Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco runs for a touchdown
- The Chiefs take a 17-7 halftime lead
- The Chiefs have 16 first downs to the Ravens’ five
- Mahomes goes 20-of-25 for 161 yards and a touchdown pass
- The Chiefs rack up 221 total yards of offense in the first 30 minutes
- The Ravens have three turnovers, including two in the red zone, and commit eight penalties for 95 yards
- The Chiefs have no turnovers and just three penalties for 30 yards
Baltimore averaged a league-leading 156.5 rushing yards per game during the regular season before grinding up the Houston Texans for 229 more in a divisional-round blowout. But the Chiefs clamped down, rarely giving the Ravens openings while building a lead that forced their offense to become largely one-dimensional. Baltimore finished with 81 yards, the only time the AFC North champs failed to surpass 100 all season.
Jarius Sneed, one of the league’s rising defensive backs, popped the ball loose right before Flowers could break the plane, resulting in a touchback and Kansas City possession.
Lamar Jackson forced a ball into the end zone while trying to pass his team back into contention, but it was picked off by S Deon Bush.
Chiefs were holding the ball for more than 37 minutes.
Lamara pass/catch
Lions 31 49ers 34
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC Championship Game on January 28, 2024. T
. The 49ers scored 17 points in the third quarter to tie the game, and then pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Here are some highlights from the game:
- Brock Purdy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown
- Christian McCaffrey scored two touchdowns
- The 49ers rallied from 17 points down at halftime
- Purdy becomes the third youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl
Brandon Aiyuk delivered with an improbable catch that helped save San Francisco’s season.
Purdy’s 51-yard pass that deflected off a defender’s facemask into Aiyuk’s hands helped the Niners rally from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 on Sunday and reach the Super Bowl.
The 49ers (14-5) scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the third quarter to tie the NFC championship game and then pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a rematch against Kansas City after losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl four years ago.
San Francisco mounted the fourth comeback ever from 17 points down or more in a conference title game thanks to some big plays by Purdy and bad mistakes from the Lions (14-6), including two failed fourth downs in field-goal range. Detroit fell short of reaching the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Purdy finished with 267 yards passing and a touchdown, along with 48 yards rushing thanks to a pair of 21-yard scrambles. Now the last pick of the 2022 draft will be starting in the Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.