Final 4 NFL playoff groups, ranked by who’s most definitely to win Super Bowl

The NFL is all the way down to the ultimate 4.

With the Divisional Round behind us, we now know what 4 groups nonetheless have an opportunity to make it to Super Bowl LVII. On the AFC aspect of issues, a rematch of final 12 months’s AFC Championship Game is on faucet because the Cincinnati Bengals will return to Arrowhead Stadium to tackle the Kansas City Chiefs.

Over within the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles superior to the NFC Championship Game after defeating the New York Giants, and they’ll host the San Francisco 49ers, who outlasted the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Did this weekend change our pondering right here at SB Nation? Well, maybe a proper ankle damage did…

Here is how we view the ultimate 4 groups, as voted on by our workers.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles earned the highest seed within the NFC with their play throughout the common season.

And on Saturday night time, they reminded the soccer world simply how good they are often.

Coming off the bye week, the Eagles throttled the New York Giants by a last rating of 38-7, advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the primary time since their run to Super Bowl LII. Quarterback Jalen Hurts shrugged off his lingering shoulder damage, finishing 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including one other 34 speeding yards and a landing within the victory. But one other participant who had been coping with an damage, proper sort out Lane Johnson, appeared strong within the win as effectively. Johnson suffered a torn adductor muscle on Christmas Eve, however shrugged off surgical procedure so he may return for the playoffs.

Then there was the Eagles’ protection, which slowed down the New York offense, sacked Daniel Jones 5 occasions and compelled an interception within the victory.

It was the form of full efficiency that had many pondering earlier within the 12 months that the Eagles would certainly be the workforce to beat within the NFC. The damage to Hurts had some questioning if the trail to the Super Bowl would run by a metropolis apart from Philadelphia, however the workforce we noticed on Saturday night time definitely appears like a workforce that might make a really deep run.

The subsequent step, nevertheless? Figuring out Brock Purdy.

— Mark Schofield

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images

Patrick Mahomes now has essentially the most scrutinized proper ankle within the NFL, if not past.

The Kansas City Chiefs superior to the AFC Championship Game with a 27-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the story for the following week would be the well being of their quarterback. Mahomes suffered a proper ankle damage early towards the Jaguars, and missed the remainder of the primary half on Saturday afternoon. He returned to the sport — throwing a landing move on only one leg — and completed the day having accomplished 22 of 30 passes for 195 and a pair of scores.

X-rays carried out at halftime have been unfavourable, however Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Saturday night time that the quarterback suffered a excessive ankle sprain.

Given how Mahomes fought to stay within the recreation, and returned to the sector after halftime, it’s onerous to think about that he could be out for Sunday. And his head coach appeared to agree after the sport: “He’s a tough kid,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid mentioned after the sport. “So, he wanted to be in there. He wanted to be competing. It’s a tribute to him and his competitiveness. However, you got to make sure he’s physically OK where he can protect himself. If he can’t then he can’t play, and we have to go to the next guy. But he’s a tough nut. I tell you, he’s competitive. He’s very, very competitive.”

But how would possibly Mahomes take care of per week?

How the damage impacts him, and the Kansas City offense, is a large difficulty to trace over the approaching days.

So too would be the query of how the Chiefs will fare towards the Cincinnati Bengals. Mahomes and firm have misplaced three-straight to the Bengals, together with final 12 months’s AFC Championship Game.

— Mark Schofield

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

Following the Bengals’ 27-10 victory over the Bills, quarterback Joe Burrow was requested concerning the NFL’s plans to host a possible AFC Championship recreation at a impartial web site between the Chiefs and Bills and the way that matter motivated him and his workforce heading into the divisional spherical.

The third-year passer solely wanted 4 phrases to articulate his ideas: “Better send those refunds.”

After a posting a 2-3 document by the primary 5 weeks of the season, many believed the Bengals have been headed for some type of a Super Bowl hangover. But finally, Cincinnati would go on to win 10 of their subsequent 11 video games and end the 12 months 12-4 en path to snatching the AFC North crown.

Now, they’re the winners of two playoff video games and are headed for his or her second consecutive AFC championship recreation the place they’ll journey to Kansas City to face the Chiefs for a rematch of final 12 months’s title tilt.

While the high-octane offense has been the calling card of the Bengals over the previous two seasons, don’t sleep on defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and the unbelievable job he’s carried out constructing his unit into a gaggle worthy of complementing the elite group on the opposite aspect of the ball.

— Michael Peterson

4. San Francisco 49ers

Full disclosure: I voted the 49ers at No. 1.

Why? This workforce is stacked.

At the start of the playoffs, I predicted the playoffs in my thoughts and I had the 49ers beating Kansas City within the Super Bowl. The first two rounds of the playoffs, San Francisco wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, did nothing to sway my thoughts.

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

The greatest motive is that rookie Brock Purdy continues to point out he’s a profit and never a determent to the 49ers. He’s not excellent, however the child is a good match for this workforce.

So, quarterback isn’t a difficulty in San Francisco. Combine that with a humiliation of offensive weapons, a robust offensive line and a well timed, relentless protection and there may be nothing to not like about this workforce’s possibilities of successful its sixth Super Bowl in workforce historical past and first in 28 years.

Yes, the NFL’s Final Four is stacked, however don’t low cost this workforce.

— Bill Williamson