Chris Howcroft
- Jan 22, 2021
- 3 min read

"The Final Sunday of January: Championship Sunday"

We have a table breaking mafia. We have a kingdom led by Mahomes. The cheeseheads led by the King of the North and perhaps the greatest of all-time rallying the pirates in the south. Four teams looking to claim their spot for Super Bowl 55 in February. Championship Sunday should give us two excellent matchups to see who wins the AFC and NFC championship and goes on to the Super Bowl (as a Jags fan I can only dream of that…for now).

NFC Championship Game

3:05 p.m. on FOX

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers

It’s obvious between the crew there will be some bias takes considering 2/5 of the crew are Packers fans. As someone that is not a fan of either I’m looking forward to this game more than the AFC championship game. Two legendary QBs in Rodgers and Brady and nothing like a little revenge game. If you recall during their first matchup during the regular season, the Packers jumped out to a 10-0 lead and then the Bucs went off and ended up winning 38-10. Kevin and Jason haven’t forgotten and you know damn well the Packers haven’t.

I think the Packers are the hottest team in the league right now. They are riding a seven game winning streak heading into this game and you can truly say Rodgers is having a MVP season. The top offense in the league dropped 30 on the top defense for the Rams last week. The Bucs ended their season on a four game winning streak and knocked out Washington in the Wild Card round and upset the Saints in the Divisional round and sending Drew Brees into retirement. I’m predicting this game will be much better than their first meeting as both defenses are playing well but it’s tough to bet against these QBs. Rodgers v Brady at Lambeau. The matchup we all wanted to see out of the NFC. I think the Packers take this and head to Super Bowl 55.

Predictions from the crew:

Chris: 34-31 PACKERS

Jason: 41-27 PACKERS

Kevin: 31-21 PACKERS

Chase: 38-30 PACKERS

Jose: 38-35 PACKERS

(I guess the entire crew is saying Go Pack Go? Also remember jamming out to this song during the Packers last visit to the SB at Kevin's home tailgates)

AFC Championship Game

6:40 p.m. on CBS

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs

This matchup should also be a good one but this one has a serious variable. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs QB) was injured during last week’s game against the Browns and has been going through concussion protocol all week. As of this writing, he is limited in practice and still going through the protocol. The game changes dramatically if Mahomes is out and the Chiefs would have to rely on former Jags great Chad Henne to take them to the Super Bowl. Henne does have weapons around him but nothing like if Mahoms was leading the offense. The Chiefs finished the regular season with the best record in the league at 14-2 and had a good fight with the Browns in the Divisional round.

I have always joked for years about the Bills Mafia and I got to see them in person back in 2018 during the Jags playoff game. I’ve never seen so many grown people willing diving through tables. It was a sight to see. Honestly, I would love to see a game in person and tailgate with all those fanatics. The Bills lost 26-17 to the Chiefs during the regular season but they are currently on an 8 game winning streak after knocking the Colts and Ravens out of the playoffs. We all know it comes down to if Mahomes is playing. We all do want the Mahomes v Allen rematch in the AFC Championship. I still think it will be a good game either way and I’m taking the upset. #BillsMafia is heading to the Super Bowl!