The AFC and NFC divisional playoffs are concluded, leaving just the remaining teams standing in the conference championship games heading of Super Bowl 58.
Congratulations to San Francisco, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Detroit for making it this far. The 49ers and Chiefs were also here last year, with one losing and the other winning Super Bowl 57. The Ravens and Lions are minor surprises to be in this position compared to other teams in either conference, but they have shown themselves playoff-worthy with excellent coaching and skill.
Here’s one final Sporting News NFL power rankings for the postseason with a twist: the remaining teams are ranked in order of genuine likelihood to win it all vs. their revised betting odds to win Super Bowl 58.
1. Offense, offense, offense. Brock Purdy’s most healthy offensive skill star help has come from Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle. If Purdy can get Deebo Samuel (shoulder) back from the injury that forced him out of the divisional playoffs, the 49ers will be nearly unbeatable when Purdy is confident and on point, throwing to those weapons all over the field.
The 49ers can then simply convert to pressuring McCaffrey heavily when the matchup calls for it, relieving pressure on Purdy. The 49ers occasionally appear to almost stop themselves by becoming too nice, or Purdy makes mistakes when a pass rush gets to him.
2. Defensive front seven. The 49ers’ ideal scenario is to get to the quarterback with a front-four pass rush led by Nick Bosa from the edge. This allows them to retain seven backs in coverage, including the rangy linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
They have the ability to dominate a game if they command the terms against any offensive line, running game, or short passing attack. When they eat their nutritious beef inside and lick their chops in pursuit of quarterbacks’ it’s difficult to break that up
3. Their previous playoff disappointment. The 49ers understand how disheartening it is to have only one recent Super Bowl appearance — a loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54 — given how successful the Kyle Shanahan era has been both offensively and defensively. There’s a sense that they’re overdue to win the Lombardi Trophy with this squad, ending their 28-year title drought. After last year’s injury disaster against the Eagles, the 49ers were motivated and focused on returning to the title game, and they still have a few games to go until their goal is met.
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