NFL Conference Championship Schedule: When and Where to Watch the Commanders/Eagles and Bills/Chiefs Games

We have reached the penultimate games of the NFL season. Only four teams remain, with one No. 1 seed, both No. 2 seeds, and the surprise Washington Commanders, who started at No. 6 in the NFC.

Let’s look at Sunday’s schedule for the conference championship games, where you can watch each contest, and how each team might be able to pull out a victory and head to the big game.

NFC Championship Game – Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles

Time/Where to Watch: 3 p.m. EST on FOX

How Washington Can Win

Jayden Daniels. It seems that simple at times, as the rookie sensation has looked unflappable in the biggest games. Daniels has combined to complete nearly 70% of his passes in the playoffs while gaining 567 yards on 8.6 yards per attempt. That also comes with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Add in 87 rushing yards, and no one this side of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson has been more responsible for their team’s success than Daniels. The team did suffer a significant loss when guard Sam Cosmi went down with an injury that will cost him the rest of this season and probably the beginning of next.

Washington has built a strong ecosystem around Daniels, starting with the offensive line. ESPN measured the Commanders as the ninth-best pass blocking team and second-best run blocking team during the regular season. Cosmi was the fifth-best run blocking guard by those same measures.

Things will look different without him, especially against a strong Philadelphia defense. The Eagles might have the best D in the league. The interior defensive line, led by Jalen Carter, is ferocious in both the pass and run game. The same ESPN measure saw the Eagles as the eighth-best pass rushing team and third-best run stop defense.

Washington will be the underdogs and need big plays to win. That was the case last week against the Lions, and it worked out just fine. The Commanders can win this game.

How Philadelphia Can Win

If Washington is the underdog, that means Philadelphia is favored (that’s high-level analysis). The Eagles need to simply come out and play their game, and they will be right there at the end. The talent level is better than Washington, so the Eagles can control the game if they don’t make mistakes.

They also have the star power to match up with the Commanders if Daniels does put on a Superman show. Saquon Barkley ran for over 2,000 yards during the season and has 324 rushing yards in the first two playoff games. He’s the non-QB MVP this year. Add in Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and a bunch of other names, and the Eagles can compete with anyone.

The defense slowing down Daniels will be the biggest factor. Anything can happen when you’re making your offense score every time. Detroit ended up throwing four interceptions, and it doomed them even though they scored 31 points. Philly’s D will be their most important unit.

Previous Matchups This Year

The teams split their regular season games, though the first one might be more telling. When they met in Week 11 in Philadelphia, the Eagles won 26-18 in a game they trailed until the fourth quarter. Daniels was held to just 191 passing yards on 6.0 per attempt and 18 rushing yards.

The Eagles were better on offense: Hurts threw for 7.9 yards per attempt, and Barkley ran for 146 yards. It was a close game, but Philly did what was needed to win at home (where they will play this week).

When they met in Washington in Week 16, Hurts was injured in the first quarter and missed the rest of the game (and the next two weeks). They were up 14-0 halfway through the first with Kenny Pickett in the game, but the Commanders kept up and eventually scored a touchdown with six seconds left to win.

Without Hurts most of the game, I can’t take as much of a lesson from this meeting. Pickett is clearly several levels below the starter, and even though the team scored 33 points, it’s different without their top guy.

Philadelphia has the advantage in this one (they are five-point favorites at open), but Washington has the talent and the quarterback to pull off another upset.

AFC Championship Game – Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

Time/Where to Watch: 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS/Paramount+

How Buffalo Can Win

They have one of the MVPs of the season (along with Lamar Jackson; whoever wins the award will be deserving, but so will the runner-up). Josh Allen is the driving force behind this team, both in the passing game and the running game. While their running backs are also good, Allen is the guy who gets the ball in crunch time.

Their defense was a little better than average in most facets, good enough to win games, especially considering the offense. With Kansas City failing to excel offensively (we’ll talk more about that in a minute), the Bills are good enough defensively to make things really tough on the two-time defending champs.

How Kansas City Can Win

They were the top team in the AFC this year and took care of business in their first playoff game; their standard is pretty clear.

From a game perspective, Kansas City’s defense will have to continue to play well, something they have done all season, even if they aren’t as stout as in 2023. They allowed the fourth-fewest points during the season and were in the top 12 in least yards per pass attempt and rush attempt allowed.

The offense wasn’t as spectacular. The Chiefs only scored 30 points twice during the season and once took a touchdown in overtime to get there. It might not be enough against a team like Buffalo to put up minimal points unless the defense can really clamp down on a top-line offense.

KC has only lost one competitive game all season, so they can obviously win, but many people are going to be looking at Buffalo as the favorite.

Previous Matchup This Year

Buffalo won 30-21 when these teams played in Week 11, the only game the Chiefs lost until a meaningless Week 18. After the Bills took an early lead, the teams jostled back and forth until halftime. Buffalo got a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter then answered a Kansas City touchdown with a score of their own to put the game away.

Mahomes labored through the game, averaging just 5.9 yards per attempt on the way to 196 with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The running game was OK, but the Chiefs threw twice as much as they ran the ball while trailing.

Allen had a middling game of his own, throwing for 262 yards but taking 40 attempts to get there (an average of 6.6). He gave his team a boost with his legs, though, leading the Bills with 55 yards and scoring a touchdown. It was the Allen show on the way to victory.

Kansas City is favored by 1.5 points to open, meaning Buffalo is seen as a little bit better team (with the Chiefs getting the advantage from playing at home). There will be plenty of chatter about the Bills pulling off the upset, but nothing will be easy in KC.

Super Bowl Information

Sunday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. EST in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game will be broadcast on FOX.