With just a couple of weeks until Super Bowl LVI, the NFL will find out who will be playing in the big game after this weekend’s games.
While the focus has been on the upcoming games, there has been plenty of news circulating throughout the NFL. Let’s take a look at the upcoming conference championship games as well the other big news from around the league.
AFC Features High-Flying Offenses
Two of the NFL’s best offenses will square off Sunday in the AFC Championship as the No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals take on the No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs currently rank fourth in the NFL in scoring, averaging 29.7 points per game. The Bengals rank eighth averaging 26.6 points per game.
In the divisional round, these two teams combined for 61 points as the Chiefs beat the Bills 42-36, while the Bengals took down Tennessee 19-16.
The Chiefs are the favorites playing at home. They are -355 to win while the Bengals’ moneyline is +285. The spread features Cincinnati +7.5.
NFC Championship Features Familiar Foes
The NFC West was loaded this season, and the fact that two teams from the division will square off Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line perfectly illustrates the competitiveness of the division.
Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Rams in L.A. This season, the 49ers swept the regular-season series with the Rams, but head coach Sean McVay is hoping that the third time’s the charm for his Rams.
The betting line favors the Rams as they are -176 to win while the 49ers sit at +148. The spread features San Francisco +3.5.
Coaching Carousel Starting To Take Shape
While several teams are still in the process of determining their next head coaches, two teams made their decisions on Thursday.
After choosing former Chiefs’ assistant director of player personnel Ryan Poles as their general manager on Tuesday, the Bears have made their decision on their new head coach.
The Bears have hired former Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as the 17th head coach in team history. The 51-year-old Eberflus will be getting his first crack at being a head coach, replacing the departing Matt Nagy.
As one of the other finalists for the Bears’ position, Dan Quinn has opted not to pursue other head coaching opportunities as he announced he is returning to Dallas to again be their defensive coordinator.
The other position filled Thursday was the head coaching vacancy in Denver. After letting previous head coach Vic Fangio go, the Broncos have tabbed former Packers’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach.
Interestingly, this has opened significant speculation that if Aaron Rodgers were to leave Green Bay, Denver would certainly be a destination that he would be interested in.
Sean Payton Leaving Saints
On a separate head coaching note, the New Orleans Saints all of a sudden have a vacancy with their head coach position. On Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network broke the news that Payton told the Saints that he was “stepping away” from coaching.
There is speculation that Payton could be heading to the broadcasting booth, but his immediate future is not entirely clear at the time.
Early indications are that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen could be a strong candidate to replace Payton in New Orleans.
Roethlisberger Officially Retiring
In a move that seemed inevitable, Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Thursday.
As part of the Steelers’ organization for all 18 of his years in the NFL, Roethlisberger seems like a surefire Hall of Famer after winning two Super Bowls, being a Pro Bowler six times, and winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2004.
In total, Roethlisberger threw for 64,088 yards 418 touchdowns and finished with a 165-81-1 record over 249 games (247 starts).
This season, the 39-year-old got the Steelers to the playoffs, but they were unable to get by the Kansas City Chiefs. During the regular season, he threw for 3,740 yards, 22 touchdowns, and ten interceptions.
