Tag: NFC Championship

Kenny Pickett gets the last laugh? Ex-Steelers QB heads to Super Bowl

Former Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is headed to the Super Bowl with the Eagles, a chance at a ring after the Steelers traded him away.

When Kenny Pickett was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, many fans hoped the former Pitt Panther would lead the Steel City to its seventh Super Bowl championship.

Those dreams were completely dashed when he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason. While the Pittsburgh Steelers will look to make those dreams a reality with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields in 2025, Pickett will have the opportunity to play on football’s grandest stage before either of them with his new team.

The Eagles dominated the Commanders 55-23 in the 2024 NFC Championship Game, giving Pickett the chance to back up QB Jalen Hurts in Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The situation is arguably bittersweet. Pickett’s time in Pittsburgh ended before he could prove himself, but now he’s headed to Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles. If he walks away with a ring, it’ll be hard not to wonder if he got the last laugh after the Steelers’ first-round playoff exit in 2024.

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Bobby Wagner leads Commanders in tackles, as PHI leads 27-15 in first half

Bobby Wagner leads Commanders in tackles, as PHI leads 27-15 in first half

Former Seattle Seahawk legend Bobby Wagner is competing to get back to his third Super Bowl, but the odds seem to be against him. We are in halftime between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game, and Philly leads 27-12 at the intermission.

Wagner himself is doing all he can to help Washington’s struggling defense, which has had little effect against the Eagles’ dynamic offense. So far, the future Hall of Famer is leading the Commanders’ defense with five total tackles. Still, Wagner’s efforts have yielded little results, especially when it comes to Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley.

Barkley has run rampant over Washington, already at 85 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns… including one on his very first carry, and Philly’s first play from scrimmage. Unfortunately, Wagner could have been in a clear position to make a play on Barkley, but he got tangled up with his own defensive linemen.

The Eagles will get the ball to start the third quarter. Head coach Dan Quinn – Seattle’s former defensive coordinator during their own Super Bowl years – will need to come up with incredible half time adjustments to get back in the big game.

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NFL playoffs schedule and bracket for 2024-2025 season

Sunday’s NFL playoff schedule features the NFC championship and AFC championship games in a doubleheader.

The 2024 NFL playoffs continue this weekend with a pair of conference championship games. The AFC and NFC championship games will both be played on Sunday, Jan. 26.

The action will kick off on Sunday when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game at 3:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. MT) on Fox. That game will also be available to stream on FuboTV.

After that, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game at 6:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. MT) on CBS. The Chiefs-Bills game will be available to stream on on FuboTV and Paramount+.

Here’s a look at the NFL’s playoff bracket, courtesy of USA TODAY:

(USA TODAY Sports)

The winners of the conference title games will advance to face off in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Feb. 9 on Fox and FuboTV.

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Fantasy football injury report: NFL Conference Championships

Latest status of fantasy football weapons who are on the mend entering the Conference Championships.

This is a team-by-team review of any key fantasy football player injury news after this week’s practice activity and team statements. Only those players listed on the team’s official injury report will be addressed, unless the situation warrants further attention.

PLEASE NOTE: The NFL releases its final official injury report each Friday (approximately 5:30 p.m. ET). West Coast teams often report their injuries late and may not be included in the initial publication.

Conference Championships fantasy football injury report

This week’s key game-time decisions:

BUFFALO BILLS – Sunday

S Taylor Rapp (back, hip) has been ruled out. CB Christian Benford (concussion) is questionable. LT Dion Dawkins (illness), S Damar Hamlin (rib), CB Taron Johnson (neck, shoulder), TE Dalton Kincaid (knee), LB Matt Milano (biceps, hamstring), and DE Gregory Rousseau (finger) fully practiced Friday and have no injury designation.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – Sunday
QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle), RT Jawaan Taylor (knee), and CB Jaylen Watson (ankle) fully practiced Friday and have no injury label.

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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – Sunday
C Cam Jurgens (back) was upgraded to a limited participant on Friday and is questionable. WR A.J. Brown (knee, illness), TE Dallas Goedert (ankle), QB Jalen Hurts (knee), RT Lane Johnson (knee, rest), and CB Quinyon Mitchell (shoulder) fully practiced Friday and have no injury designation.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS – Sunday
OG Samuel Cosmi (knee) will not be available. DT Daron Payne (knee, finger) is questionable. C Tyler Biadasz (ankle), LT Brandon Coleman (shoulder), TE Zach Ertz (rib), RB Jeremy McNichols (hand), and WR Olamide Zaccheaus (hip) fully practiced Friday and avoided injury tags.

On this date: Seahawks win the NFC for the first time

On this date: Seahawks win the NFC for the first time

Today is a special day in Seattle Seahawks history. On this day, 19 years ago, the Seahawks claimed their first NFC Championship, and punched their ticket to their first Super Bowl ever. Finally, after 30 seasons of existence, the Seahawks reaped the rewards of conference supremacy and had an opportunity to play for a Lombardi.

The 2005 campaign will always be a special one, as Seattle won 13 games for the first time ever and went into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The road to Super Bowl XL went through the Emerald City, and the 12th Man showed the world what a fortress Lumen Field (called Qwest Field in those days!) could be.

As the recently-crowned American Idol winner Carrie Underwood finished her rendition of the National Anthem, it was on between the Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers. Carolina was attempting to earn their second conference championship in three season, but their efforts were quickly extinguished in Seattle.

The Seahawks built up a 20-7 halftime lead behind the arm of Matt Hasselbeck and the legs of league MVP Shaun Alexander. Eventually, the game was put out of reach once Alexander had his second rushing touchdown to give Seattle a 34-7 lead late in the fourth. A garbage time touchdown from the Panthers did little to ease the pain of a blowout loss, as the Seahawks ended with their 34-14 victory.

Hasselbeck was an efficient 20-of-28 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, while Alexander bullied his way to 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns as well.

Sadly, the Seahawks would have to wait eight more years to win their first Lombardi, as highly suspect officiating cost them in Super Bowl XL. Still, this was a building block the franchise needed and finally achieved. There are still teams in this league who remain searching for their first conference championship, and on this day 19 years ago, the Seahawks triumphantly removed themselves from that list.

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Seahawks spared from watching another rival in NFCCG, as Rams lose to Eagles

Seahawks spared from watching another rival in NFCCG, as Rams lose to Eagles

For the last three years, the Seattle Seahawks and the 12th Man have had to suffer through watching a divisional rival compete for conference supremacy in the NFC Championship. Starting in 2021, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams duked it out before the Rams eventually claimed a conference title, then eventually a Lombardi two weeks later. The 49ers would go on to play in the next two NFC Championship games, even winning last year.

Now, mercifully, this streak has ended with the Los Angeles Rams falling 28-22 in the Divisional Round against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams did make it a fight, and threatened to continue this streak late. Philly and LA were tied at 13-13 early in the third quarter, and it was only a 16-15 Eagles lead going into the fourth.

Philadelphia did manage to create some separation between them and the Rams midway through the fourth, building a 28-15 lead, but it was not enough to put a pesky Rams squad away. LA pulled within 28-22 and forced the Eagles to go three-and-out.

The Rams marched 65 yards in only 10 plays to get all the way to Philadelphia’s 13-yard line, threatening to steal a win away from the Eagles. Fortunately, defensive lineman Jalen Carter (a player the 12th Man desperately wanted Seattle to draft before the Seahawks took Devon Witherspoon) sacked Matthew Stafford, and on the next play Stafford’s pass on fourth down fell incomplete icing the Rams’ defeat.

Now, the 12th Man can breathe easy next weekend during the conference championships, as no hated rivals will be on the verge of representing the conference in the Super Bowl this year.

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On this day: Seahawks defeat 49ers in NFC Championship

On this day: Seahawks defeat 49ers in NFC Championship

We at Seahawks Wire would not be doing our jobs properly if we did not acknowledge one of the holy days in Seahawks history: on this day, Seattle defeated the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 in the 2013 NFC Championship!

It was the culmination of the heated and bitter rivalry, not just between the Hawks and Niners, but between head coaches Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. Both teams had been made in mirror images of one another. Suffocating defense. Brutal rushing attacks. Dynamic dual threat quarterbacks. Eccentric leadership at the top.

There was no path to the Super Bowl for the Seahawks that did not include the 49ers. Everyone felt this to be the case. When these teams were slated to face off against one another, it was the expectation. A true clash of the titans for the right to play for a Lombardi.

Given the shellacking Seattle put on the Denver Broncos two weeks later in Super Bowl XLVIII, this NFC Championship was the true final showdown of the season. The biggest moments of this game will live forever in Seahawks lore. Marshawn Lynch’s touchdown to tie the game. Jermaine Kearse’s go-head touchdown on 4th down. And of course, Richard Sherman’s game-sealing tipped pass to eventual Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith.

The Seahawks claimed their second conference championship in franchise history, then would follow it up with their first Lombardi trophy. But there would be no ring without this game, and because of this, we must forever pay tribute to one of the greatest moments in Seattle sports to date.

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Former Seahawks punter Jon Ryan to raise 12th Man Flag

Former Seahawks punter Jon Ryan to raise 12th Man Flag

The most hallowed pregame tradition in the NFL is the raising of the 12th Man Flag in the south end zone at Lumen Field. Seattle sports legends, celebrities and hometown heroes have all shared in this distinct honor, but on Sunday night, the responsibility now falls to former Seahawks punter Jon Ryan.

From 2008-2017, Jon Ryan became a Seattle cult classic as one of the best punters in the NFL. However, there is one reason above all else why Ryan gets the honors tonight against the Packers: it was his trick touchdown pass in the 2014 NFC Championship that helped fuel the Seahawks’ unlikely comeback.

The Seahawks were trailing 16-0 late in the third quarter. The already slim hopes at clawing their way back into the game were fading quickly as Russell Wilson’s pass on third down fell incomplete. Seattle lined up for a field goal just to get on the board, when in fact it was Ryan who found rookie tackle Garry Gilliam for the touchdown.

Ryan’s touchdown fueled the unlikely comeback, as Seattle prevailed 28-22 in overtime to return to the Super Bowl. I know for a fact the 12th Man has not forgotten Ryan’s heroics.

The stars could be aligning a bit for the Seahawks. They are home against the Packers, in their first prime time Sunday night game in front of a crowd since 2019, and they have Jon Ryan lifting the 12th Man Flag on the 40th anniversary of No. 12 being retired.

Folks all over the Pacific Northwest better hear the roar of the 12’s tonight.

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Throwback Thursday: Wild stat that only applies to the Seahawks

Throwback Thursday: Wild stat that only applies to the Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have been around since the 1976 season. When they entered into the league, they were initially in the NFC, and that conference has been their home from 2002 until present day. But from 1977-2001, the Seahawks were an AFC team, and many older fans still surely think of them as such. At least in the back of their minds.

Seattle is not the only team to flip flop conferences, but they are the only team to have achieved something truly unique. The Seahawks are the only franchise in NFL history to have played in both an NFC and AFC Championship game.

Fans today are intimately familiar with the fact Seattle has been to three Super Bowls since the 2005 season, their only appearances to date. Of course, in order to reach the Super Bowl, a team obviously needs to win their conference championship. The Seahawks as a franchise are 3-0 in the NFC title game.

However, their time competing for a spot atop the conference did not begin in the 2005 season. When Seattle first earned a playoff berth during the 1983 season, they took their opportunity and ran with it. Chuck Knox’ team defeated rookie John Elway’s Broncos 31-7 in the Wild Card round, then upset Dan Marino’s Dolphins on the road in the Divisional. Those wins earned them a spot in the AFC Championship.

Unfortunately, that was the end of the road for the Seahawks that year, as the Los Angeles Raiders trounced Seattle 30-14 in another AFC West showdown. While the Seahawks were unable to advance to their first Super Bowl then, their mere appearance in the AFC title game would prove to help the franchise make history.

History that might not ever be replicated.

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Why 49ers were worried about facing Buccaneers in NFC championship game

Kyle Shanahan: Big Baker Mayfield guy.

The San Francisco 49ers punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVIII with a thrilling NFC championship game victory over the Detroit Lions.

While the Lions’ sensational first-half performance forced a dramatic comeback by the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, Detroit nearly didn’t get out of the divisional playoffs after an eight-point victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters he wasn’t excited about the prospect of facing the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“I think Baker is a stud,” Shanahan said. “I think last year, I thought he was at the top of his game last year playing real well and this year I think he’s the same, if not better. I think he’s one of the main reasons I think they were a couple plays away from playing us in the NFC Championship last year. We were worried, real worried about him going into that game. He just got hotter as the whole year went. And he’s playing at such a high level right now.”

The 49ers saw Mayfield up close in Week 11 last season. He completed 29-of-45 throws for 246 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 27-14 San Francisco victory at Levi’s Stadium. The numbers weren’t great, but he made some sensational throws in that game that helped paint a picture of what he might be capable of in a better offense.

This year, Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Liam Coen has gotten the most out of Mayfield. Even without his top two wide receivers, Mayfield managed to go into Kansas City in Week 9 and go 23-of-31 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Shanahan was worried about facing Mayfield in January, but now in Week 10 the 49ers will have to face him with their chances of playing next January hanging in the balance.

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