What must 4 remaining teams do to reach Super Bowl in Las Vegas?

By Adam Hill

Las Vegas Review-Journal

11 months ago

Allegiant Stadium is seen dressed up for the Super Bowl, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. Super Bowl LVIII will be played at Allegiant Stadium, on Sunday, February 11, 2024. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye

FILE – San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. Purdy will start for the 49ers against the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship game Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

FILE – Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) celebrates after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Detroit. Goff will start for the Lions against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game Sunday, Jan. 28. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File)

FILE – Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) scrambles for yardage against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. Lamar Jackson is a finalist for The Associated Press 2023 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 8.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE – Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) plays during the first half of an AFC divisional playoff NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Baltimore. Jackson will start for the Ravens against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game Sunday, Jan. 28. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts during the second half of an NFL AFC division playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. Mahomes will start for the Chiefs against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game Sunday, Jan. 28. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)

Years of fighting for the NFL’s acceptance, months of planning and 20 weeks of football has all led up to this.

Las Vegas will host the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium. And the city will learn Sunday which teams will compete in the game.

Four teams are still alive fighting for the two spots in the coveted contest. Here’s a look at what each must do to punch its ticket to Las Vegas:

AFC

Baltimore Ravens (13-4 regular-season record, -210 odds to win the AFC at Caesars Sportsbook, +175 odds to win the Super Bowl): The Ravens advance to the Super Bowl if they win one more home game. It sounds like a simple task but many of their players, including presumptive MVP Lamar Jackson, are trying to do so for the first time. Baltimore should have an excited home crowd behind it since this will be the first conference championship game in the city since 1971. The Ravens don’t need to do anything special to win. Their offense is devastating behind Jackson and their defense is one of the most disruptive in the league.

Kansas City Chiefs (11-6, +175, +440): Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has no receivers. The offensive line stinks. Tight end Travis Kelce is past his prime and distracted by his superstar girlfriend. Coach Andy Reid is getting old. Did we forget anything? All those critiques were lobbed at the Chiefs this season and yet they’re one win away from their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years. Mahomes is just that good. The Ravens can be vulnerable against the run, but the Chiefs will likely put the fate of their season in the hands of their superstar quarterback. That tends to be a good idea.

NFC

San Francisco 49ers (12-5 regular-season record, -365 odds to win the NFC at Caesars Sportsbook, +140 to win the Super Bowl): The 49ers’ 24-21 win against the Packers last week wasn’t pretty, but all that matters is they advanced. The best news for San Francisco is wide receiver Deebo Samuel is cleared to play despite suffering a shoulder injury last week. How much does he matter? The 49ers average 7.1 yards per play when he’s on the field and 5.7 when he is not. San Francisco is a huge favorite to move on. The 49ers season would likely be considered a disappointment if it doesn’t end in Las Vegas.

Detroit Lions (12-5,+285, +800): There’s no doubt about which remaining team is the Cinderella of the group. Detroit has never played in a Super Bowl and hasn’t even reached a conference championship game since 1992. The Lions are playing with house money at this point, which could make them dangerous. Coach Dan Campbell has proven time and again he’s one of the most aggressive coaches in the NFL, so expect him to pull out all the stops Sunday. The Lions have a chance to pull off the upset if Campbell stays true to himself and quarterback Jared Goff distributes the ball well.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.