After cleaning up in the divisional round, it’s time for the top four seeds to face off in this year’s conference championships. The highest-scoring teams in the league will meet in two rematches: the Saints, who delivered the Rams their first loss in the regular season, will get another chance to dominate in New Orleans, while the Patriots will attempt to defeat the Chiefs again, this time in Kansas City. The Ringer has all the action covered, so stay tuned for updates, analysis, and highlights from our staff.
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January 20, 2020
The 49ers Football Machine Was Built to Rule the NFC
San Francisco handed Green Bay an ass-kicking for the ages to earn its spot in Super Bowl LIV. The Niners’ outing is a testament to the vision of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan—and the players who executed it all season long.
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January 24, 2019
A Plea From a Saints Fan: Can Both Teams Lose in the Super Bowl?
Saints fans’ collective misery is manifesting itself on billboards and in lawsuits and petitions. But the anger over Sunday’s injustice is giving way to a more dreadful notion: That a potentially historic season was squandered or, worse, stolen.
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January 23, 2019
Conference Playoff Thoughts, Plus Tom Brady Stories With Tom Curran, Mike Giardi, and Drew Henson
Ryen Russillo discusses the Saints-Rams and Patriots-Chiefs thrillers, Tom Brady, and ‘The Bachelor’
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January 23, 2019
11 Solutions to Fix NFL Overtime Once and for All
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills offense didn’t touch the ball in the extra period of Sunday’s AFC divisional-round game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Is it time to reconsider how the NFL does overtime?
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January 22, 2019
Lombardi’s Conference Championship Reactions
Michael and Tate discuss the "No-Call in NOLA"
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January 22, 2019
“This Was Like Someone Had Stabbed You in the Back”: Scenes From New Orleans After the No-Call
Two years, two straight devastating Saints playoff losses. New Orleans’s reaction to Sunday’s stunner was different than it’d been a year earlier, all while embodying the qualities that set this NFL fan base apart.
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January 21, 2019
The Starting 11: The Chiefs’ Loss Was Heartbreaking, but the Saints’ Was Devastating
Kansas City had plenty of chances to win against the Patriots, and with Patrick Mahomes II under center, they’ll have plenty more. New Orleans and Drew Brees, though, face a much less certain future.
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January 21, 2019
A Blown Call in the NFC Championship Game Exposed the NFL’s Officiating Crisis
The fallout will affect the legacies of several players and coaches, and it shines a light on a problem the league has been negligent in addressing for far too long.
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January 21, 2019
Did Todd Gurley Lose His Job to a Street Free Agent?
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year was out-snapped and outplayed by C.J. Anderson in Sunday’s NFC championship game. He says it wasn’t because of his health, so what happened?
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January 21, 2019
Past Made Present: The Patriots Dynasty Still Owns the AFC
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick followed an all-too-familiar blueprint to outlast the Patrick Mahomes II–led Chiefs and earn another trip to the Super Bowl
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January 21, 2019
Worst Call Ever! Another Pats Miracle!
Plus, Cousin Sal’s new gambling rock bottom!
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January 21, 2019
The Controversial Conference Championships
Robert Mays and Kevin Clark break down the overtime wins by the Rams and Patriots, as well as the questionable calls that helped decide their outcomes
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January 21, 2019
The Winners and Losers From the NFL’s Conference Championship Games
Sunday had the best pair of title games possibly ever, but it still left us feeling a little cold thanks to the refs and the overtime rules. Plus, Fox spares us from a butt and Patrick Mahomes II finds a forever friend.
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January 21, 2019
The Plays That Explain the Conference Championships
Yes, the Saints got screwed—but L.A. was ready to capitalize. Plus: The Chiefs made a crucial error late, and Tom Brady couldn’t miss on third down.
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January 21, 2019
We Were Fools to Believe This Patriots Win Wasn’t Inevitable
All year long, we heard that the end was nigh for New England’s dynasty. But after the team knocked off the Chiefs in Sunday’s AFC title game, one thing is clear: This Patriots season lied to us.
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January 20, 2019
Patrick Mahomes II, Hero of the Season, Was No Match for a Coin Flip
The presumptive MVP matched Tom Brady’s heroics beat-for-beat in the second half of Sunday’s AFC title game, but his defense—and the overtime rules—prevented him from writing a storybook ending
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January 20, 2019
Greg the Leg Is a God, and the Other Unlikely Moments That Sent the Rams to the Super Bowl
Los Angeles is heading to Atlanta after an NFC championship game win that included a little bit of luck, some heroics from their kicker, and an already infamous no-call
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January 20, 2019
Ball Does Lie: The Saints Just Lost on the Worst Missed Call in NFL Playoff History
Nickell Robey-Coleman’s hit on New Orleans wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was as obvious a pass-interference penalty as you’ll see. But the flag never came, and the Saints will watch Super Bowl LIII from home.
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January 18, 2019
Drew Brees and Sean Payton Always Have an Answer
The Saints’ meticulously crafted passing game has become a break-in-case-of-emergency tool—one that New Orleans hopes will lead it to a win in the NFC championship game
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January 18, 2019
The Forgotten Innovators of the Chiefs’ Offensive Revolution
In 2008, the 2-14 Chiefs incorporated the spread into its offense, mostly out of necessity. Ten years later, they’re on the cusp of the Super Bowl, with the league’s most exciting and innovative offense.
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January 18, 2019
The Patriots’ Underdog Narrative Must Die
Tom Brady apparently entered these playoffs with a mission: convince the world that he’s Josh McCown
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January 18, 2019
Aaron Sorkin, a Potential Rams-Pats Sequel, and Kyrie’s Leadership
Plus, million-dollar NFL picks with Joe House
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January 18, 2019
Lombardi’s Conference Championship Preview
Breaking down this weekend’s championship games
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January 18, 2019
The Keys to the AFC and NFC Championship Games
Brady, Mahomes, Brees, and Goff—it’s easy to focus on the names of the quarterbacks playing for the chance to go to the Super Bowl. But the most important matchups happening Sunday are the chess matches happening between the men on the sidelines.
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January 17, 2019
A Closer Look at the Conference Championships
Plus, Mays and Clark get ready for the battle of this generation’s best coaches