Conference championship winners and losers: Brock Purdy comes through, Ravens fall short
We now have the matchup for Super Bowl 58.
The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of Super Bowl 54 in Miami, when Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid toppled the Niners, 31-20.
In the AFC championship game, the Chiefs — despite punting five consecutive times in the second half before the final possession to bleed the clock to zero — took down the Baltimore Ravens to advance. For Mahomes, it’s his fourth appearance in the Super Bowl in his six seasons as a starting quarterback. Still, it was the work that the defense and coordinator Steve Spagnuolo did to stifle presumptive MVP Lamar Jackson that was the real difference in the game.
In the NFC championship game, the Detroit Lions couldn’t hold on to their 17-point lead at halftime and yielded 27 unanswered points, as the 49ers thwarted what was a magical run for the long-suffering franchise.
Here are the winners and losers from the NFL conference championship games.
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WINNERS
Brock Purdy on the move
Though he often gets disparaged for being a game manager, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy unlocked a new wrinkle in his game that helped propel the Niners in their comeback: mobility. Purdy ran the ball five times for 48 yards against the Lions, but, per Next Gen Stats, three of those were scrambles. He gained 52 yards and three first downs on those.
It was just rushing, either. As the Lions had to adapt to his aggressive approach with his legs, he also looked for targets to leak out into space downfield, where he moved the chains. It wasn’t the cleanest day from Purdy, but no one can criticize him for failing to make plays in the second half.
Travis Kelce
Things are going well for him. He’s thriving off the field and he remains a force on it, especially in the playoffs. Kelce was dominant against the Ravens, catching all 11 of his targets for 116 yards and a touchdown.
He broke all-time great Jerry Rice’s NFL record for most career receptions and tied Rice for most career postseason games with at least 100 receiving yards (eight).
Lions' third-down offense in the first half
At the half, the Lions had converted five of seven third-down attempts, but that wasn’t even the most impressive part. On its final offensive possession before halftime, Detroit converted third downs of 12, 18 and seven yards to march deep into the red zone. It wasn’t just that the Lions were converting them, it was how.
On the third-and-12, early in the drive, San Francisco was anticipating a pass and the Lions instead fed speedy rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs for an outside sprint to the marker. The Lions would fail to get the final third down conversion of the drive, but they did get an easy field goal out of it to take a 17-point lead into intermission.
Andy Reid’s first quarter coaching calls
This is why he’s one of the best to ever do it. Chiefs coach Andy Reid was calculated and confident in his decisions early in the first quarter. Namely, he trusted his defense to deliver a quick stop on the game’s opening drive after Kansas City won the coin toss and deferred. Then, he compounded the gains from that choice on the subsequent Chiefs series by going for it on fourth-and-2 from Baltimore’s 41-yard line. The play call wasn’t bad either; Mahomes took the shotgun snap, rolled to his right to get the Ravens defense off balance and found tight end Travis Kelce streaking across the middle of the field for 13 yards. The Chiefs would score, on a Kelce 19-yard grab, to take an early lead. In a close conference title game, in a hostile environment, these are the types of decisions that can win games.
And, considering that Kansas City kicked a field goal just before halftime only to receive the kickoff to start the third quarter, Reid’s decisions played out perfectly.
49ers defense after halftime
Whatever San Francisco said at the half, it worked. There were certainly Lions miscues that the Niners capitalized on, but San Francisco’s defense buckled down after it had been completely dominated in the first half. In the first four Detroit possessions of the second half, the 49ers got two turnovers on downs, forced and recovered a fumble and also forced a punt. In those first four possessions, as San Francisco’s offense was building a 10-poin lead, Detroit gained just 87 yards.
Patrick Mahomes
If it wasn’t already obvious, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ all-time greatness is undeniable. His numbers, at this stage in his career, are mind-bogglingly absurd.
He continues to excel on the biggest stages, gives his teams chances to win any time he’s on the field and he constantly elevates the players around him, even as they come and go.
Kyle Shanahan
Over his tenure with the 49ers, Shanahan has faced criticism for coaching teams that could not come from behind to win games. In the last two weeks, Shanahan’s 49ers have faced deficits heading into the fourth quarters. Against the Lions, they entered the third quarter down 17 but then proceeded to drop 27 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead.
What was most impressive was how inevitable it seemed. Despite looking lost on offense, once the 49ers caught a few breaks, they also found their rhythm and returned to their strengths: power rushing with Christian McCaffrey, crossing routes to speedy receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and efficient, turnover-free football from quarterback Brock Purdy. It’s no surprise the Niners scored on the first five drives of the second half.
LOSERS
Todd Monken’s inability to adjust
This season, among players with at least 250 passing attempts, Lamar Jackson ranked sixth in average time to throw at 2.95 seconds. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up a consistent amount of pressure all game long. And if Baltimore offensive coordinator wasn’t expecting that, he at least should’ve done a far better job of adjusting. Monken continued to call seven-step drops and plays that took too long to develop, allowing Kansas City’s pass rush to disrupt the timing of Baltimore’s passing attack.
Not only that, but Monken also didn’t see that Kansas City’s secondary was too tight down the field. Making matters worse, Monken completely abandoned the rushing game, which was Baltimore’s strength all season long.
The Lions' fourth-down calls
This is when being aggressive backfires. The Lions went for it on fourth downs 40 times this season, second-most in the league. It is part of their identity. But it also makes sense to be aggressive with calculation and restraint. Midway through the third quarter, coach Dan Campbell rejected a 45-yard field goal that would’ve given the Lions a 17-point lead and instead opted to go for a pass play on fourth-and-2. It did not work, then the Niners got the break of a wild, 51-yard Brandon Aiyuk reception that set up a touchdown. The 49ers would go on to tie the game after just four minutes of game time after the failed conversion.
Then, midway through the fourth, the Lions had the chance to tie the game with what would’ve been a 47-yard attempt. Campbell again decided to go for it and again Detroit failed to convert. Kicker Michael Badgley still would’ve had to do his part on both kicks, but leaving six potential points off the board was utterly debilitating.
Ravens drop early game ball control edge
Kansas City knew the best defense against Lamar Jackson was, simply, to keep him off the field. The Chiefs, on both offense and defense, did their part. Midway through the second quarter, both teams had recorded three offensive possessions.
In that span, the Chiefs led in time of possession (17:55 to 5:47), offensive plays (33 to 13), total yards (176 to 86), third down conversions (five-of-seven to one-of-three), trips to the red zone (three, with two conversions, to none), first downs (13 to four) and — most importantly — points (14 to 7).
By the time halftime rolled around, Baltimore was actually losing the TOP battle 20:39 to 9:21.
Lions' meltdown
It was an absolute masterclass from Ben Johnson, the Lions' offensive coordinator in the first half. San Francisco was the NFL’s third-ranked rushing defense this season, allowing merely 89.7 yards per game. Johnson dialed up a scheme that obliterated that mark, totaling 148 rushing yards through two quarters.
In the second half, they ran for just 34. But it wasn’t simply that Johnson went away from what was working, it was that Detroit’s players lost their focus. The fumble by rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the middle of the third quarter gave San Francisco such a short field and completely swung momentum. Many of quarterback Jared Goff’s passes in the second half were simple misses. Receivers dropped passes. It was everything needed for a young team to melt down.
Undisciplined Ravens weren’t ready
Against a team like the Chiefs, you simply cannot give things away. The Ravens did just that late in the first half. A pair of personal foul penalties — an unnecessary roughness on linebacker Kyle Van Noy and roughing the passer on defensive tackle Travis Jones — gifted the Chiefs 30 yards on their final offensive series right before halftime. The Chiefs did have consecutive offensive holdings later in the drive, but Kansas City still managed to get in field goal range and Harrison Butker converted the 52-yard field goal to take a 10-point lead into halftime.
It continued into the second half, with Zay Flowers and a taunting play, carelessness with the football and even more penalties. Baltimore lost the turnover battle 3-0 and had eight penalties enforced for 95 yards (compared to three for 30 for Kansas City).
Zay Flowers
It started when Flowers hauled in a 54-yard pass near the end of the third quarter to flip the field and put the Ravens in the red zone. He immediately drew a taunting penalty by standing over Chiefs corner L’Jarius Sneed. Four plays later, Flowers appeared to be making up for it, catching a pass and then lunging for the end zone. But it was Sneed, the player he taunted, who punched the ball out just before it crossed the plane. The Chiefs recovered in the end zone and were granted possession with a touchback.
Flowers then reportedly cut his left hand on the sideline when he slammed it onto the bench, requiring medical attention. He caught five passes for 115 yards with a score and was Baltimore’s best offensive weapon all day long. But that alone doesn’t constitute a complete performance; it also takes composure.
