And then there were four. After an intense divisional round that saw three one score games, we are left with the Lions and 49ers in the NFC, and the Chiefs and Ravens in the AFC. Conference Championship Sunday has seen its fair share of classics over the years and hopefully this is yet another one of those Sundays. Let’s get into the preview and picks!

Last Week’s Picks Record: 3-1

Overall Playoff Picks Record: 7-3

3 Detroit Lions at 1 San Francisco 49ers

The Line: 49ers -7

The Preview: The fairy tale story of the Detroit Lions rolls into Santa Clara to battle the top seeded 49ers. Detroit handled their business last week against the Buccaneers at home as they pulled away in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile San Francisco was fortunate to escape an upset loss at the hands of the young Packers Saturday night. One of the big keys in this contest will be the health of Niners wide receiver Deebo Samuel who got banged up early in their divisional round game and never returned. If Samuel cannot go or is operating at less than 100% this Niners offense just isn’t the same, something we saw last week, though they will have time to gameplan around his absence unlike last week.

The weather could also be a factor in this one as both quarterbacks seem to struggle in adverse conditions, this was highlighted last week as Brock Purdy struggled to throw the wet ball while Jared Goff’s record outdoors is less than stellar. Assuming the presently good conditions hold, expect points in this one as no one has been able to stop the Lions and San Francisco can be a dominant offensive unit. Despite the touchdown spread, the Lions have a chance in this one, especially if it becomes a shootout.

The Pick: Lions 31 49ers 38

3 Kansas City Chiefs at 1 Baltimore Ravens

The Line: Ravens -3.5

The Preview: After Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs disposed of his rival Josh Allen last week, he prepares to do battle with another QB peer of his, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. These two have played some epic games before, but never in the playoffs, so this has the chance to be a treat head-to-head. The Ravens come into this one after handedly beating the Texans at home, in a game that was a tale of two halves for Lamar Jackson as number eight turned it on late, particularly using his legs. The Chiefs defense will need to be sharp to corral Lamar, because if he gets loose and creates on the fly, he could give the Chiefs fits.

The Chiefs beat Buffalo through another big-time game from Mahomes and surprising return to form for Travis Kelce (with the help of Bills mistakes). Number 87 summoned his best self for the matchup in Orchard Park and it made all the difference in the world for an offense that has scuffled all year. Kelce’s play coupled with a strong Chiefs running game allowed KC to dictate tempo and enforce their will at times on offense. The key for the Ravens defense will be to force turnovers, something the Bills did last week as the Chiefs were rather sloppy in the game. This should be a physical and intense contest and I expect it to come down to the wire as an all-time great QB (Mahomes) battles a loaded roster (Baltimore).

The Pick: Chiefs 24 Ravens 28

Let me know your picks for this week’s playoff games and stay tuned for more content coming this week! You can find me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. We’ll be back with more soon!