6 winners and 2 losers from the AFC and NFC Championships

There is no more appropriate ending to the wildest, least-predictable NFL season in recent memory ending with two No. 4 seeds competing for the Super Bowl.

It’s tough to imagine the last time I was this genuinely excited for a Super Bowl that didn’t involve my own team. There’s always the passive excitement of the big game, a lingering appreciation for good football that permeates a matchup — but there’s something that just feels different this year. In part that’s because of the storylines that make Bengals vs. Rams so compelling.

We have this tale of the phenom built on youth and confidence, slaying the AFC’s most dominant team in recent memory. Cincinnati is full of moxie, and no matter how many people counted them out in their path to this point, they didn’t care. While the Joe Burrow offense complete with some of the best young weapons in the NFL is the focal point, it’s the Bengals’ defense that’s been a huge difference maker in the playoffs.

A fairly middling unit during the regular season, this took a turn as they stepped up when the playoffs started and have become a really scary unit. This really showed itself by holding the Chiefs to 24 points and flustering Patrick Mahomes on numerous times Sunday. When you keep in mind how heralded the Bills defense was in comparison, but completely folded against Kansas City, there’s no doubt the Bengals belong. They heard the jokes about kicking them out of the playoffs so we could get Chiefs vs. Bills 2.0, and instead decided to just kick down the door and win the AFC themselves.

Cincinnati is such an exciting young team that has gone through the most remarkable two year transformation I can ever think of. It’s impossible not to pull for them.

The Rams are diametrically opposed to the Bengals when it comes to team building. This is an organization who experienced a Super Bowl disappointment, saw that its window was closing unless they took action, and swung for the fences. In the mold of Tampa Bay a year ago, Los Angeles went all-in on winning immediately — trading for Matthew Stafford, and adding more players during the season.

Obviously, this all paid off. Similar to the Bengals, we saw everything come together for them against the 49ers. The Rams’ defense was a known dominant quantity, but Stafford unlocked so much of the offense that finally it all came together. Cooper Kupp goes without saying, he became the best wide receiver in the league this year — but beyond that there’s Odell Beckham Jr. finding a new life, and it’s all managed to mitigate some of the team’s core issues, like not having a reliable running game, or coping with the injury to Robert Woods.

The Rams are so compelling in their own right because of guys like Stafford and Beckham Jr, who deserve Super Bowl rings, but winning the Lombardi has eluded them. It’s impossible not to pull for them.

Yes, that’s the paradox of this. I love both these teams. I want both of them to win, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this way about a Super Bowl.

Winner: Tee Higgins

I feel bad for Tee Higgins. He’s been absolutely phenomenal this season, and completely overlooked because of the narrative fun of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Keep in mind: Higgins had over 1,000 yards receiving this season too, but with none of the fanfare.

On Sunday it was Higgins’ time to shine, and while the Chiefs worked to bracket Chase, he became the most critical receiver on the field. Every drive it was Higgins who was extending the play, picking up hard yards, and willingly go over the middle on third down.

It was a huge opportunity to shine, and he did.

Loser: Patrick Mahomes’ last five throws

I don’t really want to go all-in on Mahomes, because for the first half he played an incredible game. However, I was absolutely floored to see how his brain fell out at the close of that game. So much of what propelled the Chiefs past the Bills was this sense that Mahomes is unflappable, but I don’t know whether it was surprise from the Bengals, or the comeback — but he just looked lost.

When it mattered the most, Mahomes faltered. The Bengals took the Chiefs into deep water, and there was no recovering.

Winner: Cooper Kupp

This is a big receiver week, and that really just sells where the league is at right now. Kupp was the single more important player on the field in the NFC Championship, obliterating a brutal 49ers pass defense for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

There’s a reason he’s mentioned as a possible MVP, and I’d wager this game and last weeks against the Buccaneers are the first occasions most people have realized just how good he is.

Winner: Deebo Samuel

Back to the WR well. Even in defeat, Deebo Samuel was a beast. There is nothing more he could have done on offense to try and pull that out for the 49ers, and he deserves massive credit.

Honestly, one of the biggest shames of this weekend is that we won’t get to see Samuel play again until next season — because he has been an absolute joy to watch.

Loser: Jimmy Garoppolo

There’s no doubt that the NFC Championship was lost for the 49ers when the game came down to asking Garoppolo to make plays.

The truth is, he’s just not equipped to be a game-winner. It’s that simple. I know he’s a beloved figure in that locker room, but it doesn’t mean he’s an elite QB that can lead a team to a Super Bowl. Being a solid NFL QB that’s still better than 10-12 starters right now is fine enough, I just think that like the Rams learned with Jared Goff, he’s just not the kind of guy who can get you over the hump.

Winner: All of us

There is no doubt that we witnessed the most incredible roller coaster ride the NFL Playoffs has ever offered. Every game was close, it all came down to the wire, and it was just so much damn fun. We can only hope the Super Bowl can come close to matching the Divisional and Conference Championship rounds.