Ranking the eight teams left in NFL playoffs Bills-Chiefs showdown features two of leagues heavyweights

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Ranking the eight teams left in NFL playoffs Bills-Chiefs showdown features two of leagues heavyweights

We're days away from the NFL's best weekend of football, the divisional round of the playoffs. Eight teams remain in contention for Super Bowl LVI with four advancing to the conference championship game after this weekend. Those four teams will have to earn their conference championship game spots, as none of the teams left are an easy out.The and continue their recent rivalry in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game while the and meet in a rematch of the NFC Championship Game from two seasons ago. The were the surprise No. 1 seed in the AFC, but face an upstart team with a high-powered offense, while the defending champion get their anticipated rematch with the .All of these teams are good, which makes it difficult to rank the best of the best. These rankings are based on which teams have the best shot to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy three weeks from Sunday.The 49ers are a tough matchup for any team because of their physicality and their ability to make a Swi s Army knife in the offense. Samuel is the first player in NFL history with 1,300 receiving yards and 300 rushing yards in a season -- and had a season-high 10 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown in the wild card win over the . San Francisco is a dangerous team that averages 6.1 yards per play and has 67% red zone conversion rate -- both lead the NFL. The 49ers are 8-2 in their last 10 games, with the defense allowing just 18.0 points per game (fourth in the league). The much-maligned has won 77% of his games on the road, trailing only for the best win percentage on the road since the merger.The 49ers will be a tough out for the Packers this weekend, even as the No. 6 seed in the NFC, the lowest remaining seed in the playoffs. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks Erik Mccoy Jersey for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. How can a team with , , , and be ranked this low? This isn't an indictment of the Bengals, but how stacked the remaining playoff teams are. Cincinnati is 0-7 all time in road playoff games, but Burrow is 5-1 in his last six road games and is on a hot streak. Burrow has completed 75% of his pa ses with 11 touchdowns to zero interceptions and a 131.3 pa ser rating in his last four games, making the AFC North champions a tough out for any team they face in these playoffs. The Bengals have also taken 44 fewer penalties than their opponents this year -- the best in the league. The Bengals are 5-0 against AFC playoff teams this season, but not having is going to significantly hurt their defense. Cincinnati has gotten pre sure on 35% of their 478 snaps with Larry Ogunjobi on the field (second in NFL), and on just 26% of their 269 snaps with Ogunjobi off the field (30th in NFL). Burrow has also been sacked 53 times this year, the most in the league.This team needs their high-powered offense to produce against the Titans this weekend with the pa s rush taking a significant hit, but there's no reason to count out Cincinnati in this matchup Chris Olave Jersey . The Bengals have an offense to go to the Super Bowl, if that line can protect Burrow.The Rams are going to be a tough out for any team left in the NFC playoffs, especially as the champions of the NFC West, the best division in football this season. Los Angeles is 7-2 on the road with being arguably the best quarterback of the remaining signal callers against the blitz (72%, 17 touchdowns, one interception, 141.8 rating). That's significant facing a Buccaneers team that blitzes 36% of the time, second-most in the NFL. Los Angeles is 12-3 in the eastern time zone under Sean McVay (including 3-0 this year), averaging 29.0 points per game and allowing 19.1 points per game. Midseason acquisitions . and have made their impact, as Beckham has a receiving touchdown in six of his last eight games and Miller has a sack in five straight games.Regardle s of the Rams' talent, their defense is 15th in points allowed and 17th in yards allowed. Their third-down defense sits at 41.3%, 21st in the NFL. Los Angeles will be tested at Tampa Bay this weekend, a matchup where the Rams can prove they can play up to their talent level.The No. 1 seed in the AFC doesn't have a good history as the No. 1 seed. Both times the Titans were the No. 1 seed (2000 and 2008), they lost their first playoff game. Why is this Titans team different? Tenne see has eight wins against teams with a winning record and has used 91 different players this season -- both are NFL records. This is despite mi sing Albert Huggins Jersey for nine games, after he rushed for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first eight games. The Titans defense has also been scorching hot over the last five games, allowing just 12.8 points (second in NFL) and 3.2 yards per carry (also second in NFL). has seven pa s touchdowns to zero interceptions over the last three games.The Titans are expected to get Henry back for the postseason. They averaged 28.4 points per game with Henry in the lineup (21.3 without). , , and were the only trio of teammates with eight or more sacks this year, indicating Tenne see's pa s rush can get to Joe Burrow. If Henry doesn't get off to a slow start in his return, the Titans are going to be a dangerous team to beat at home this postseason.The defending Super Bowl champions are one of the best teams remaining in the playoff field. While the Buccaneers still have , the defense will be the unit getting Tampa Bay back to the NFC Championship Game. The return of , , and helped the defense shut out the through three quarters as Barrett had an interception and and Pierre-Paul had two pre sures. The Buccaneers are 8-1 in their last nine games and have scored 30 points in all five playoff games with Brady at quarterback, as they have yet to lose a playoff game with Brady. Tampa Bay is averaging 30.1 points (second in NFL), 402.8 yards (first), converting 46% of third downs (third) and scoring touchdowns on 66% of their red zone opportunities (second).While Tampa Bay has allowed the fewest pre sures in the league (158) and has the most pre sures (272), the po sible lo s of (he's in a walking boot but could still po sibly play Sunday) would be ma sive. Brady will have to get rid of the ball quick again and rely on return to curtail a Rams defense that likes to get after the quarterback.The Bills are a Super Bowl contender, which is expected when a team finished third in the league in points per game (28.4), fifth in yards per game (381.9), first in points allowed per game (17.0) and first in yards allowed per game (272.8). Buffalo is the first team in NFL history to record zero punts, turnovers or field goal attempts in a game (regular season or playoffs) and the first team in league history to score a touchdown on the first seven drives of a playoff game, as they did against the last week. After starting the year 7-6, the Bills have won five straight and have outscored their opponents by 18 points per game. They're the eighth team since the 1970 merger to win 12 games by 12-plus points (each of previous seven teams won Super Bowl). When the Bills win, they win big.Buffalo is good enough to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but they are 0-6 this season when the game is decided by fewer than 12 points. They also have to face a Chiefs team that is 6-1 with Patrick Mahomes starting at quarterback at Arrowhead Stadium. Mahomes has 20 pa s touchdowns to one interception in seven career home playoff games.The Bills did beat the Chiefs this season in convincing fashion. Both Kansas City and Buffalo are different teams than when they met in Week 5, making this Archie Manning Jersey showdown between the AFC powers the game of the year in the NFL. The top seed in the NFC comes out of their well-deserved bye week looking to make their third straight NFC Championship Game appearance. Green Bay is the first team in NFL history to win 13-plus games in three straight seasons and is potentially getting linebacker , cornerback , wide receiver , and tackles and back for the playoffs. The Packers are also 8-0 at home this year, the only undefeated team at home in the league. is red hot heading into the playoffs, throwing 20 touchdowns to zero interceptions over his last seven games. The Packers are averaging 33.4 points per game during that stretch. Rodgers is in the midst of another MVP season, completing 69% of his pa ses (third in NFL) a touchdown to interception ratio of 37-4 (first) and 111.9 pa ser rating (first). The Packers will always have an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl with Rodgers and head coach Matt LaFleur, who has won 39 games over his first three seasons -- the most in NFL history. , , and are the only trio in the NFL to each have 55 pre sures on the year, but the Packers weakne s is in the run defense. Green Bay allows 4.7 yards per carry this year (30th in the NFL), and face a San Francisco team that has a physical running game and the best zone-run scheme in the league. If Green Bay can stop the run this weekend, the Packers will be going back to the NFC Championship Game. This is the Packers' best chance to go to the Super Bowl with Rodgers playing at a level on par with his MVP season and a more talented roster surrounding him.The Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes combination is arguably the best in the NFL, especially come postseason. The Chiefs have been to the AFC Championship Game three straight seasons and the Super Bowl two straight years. Kansas City is battle tested for the big games, especially at Arrowhead Stadium (their only playoff lo s at home under Mahomes was an overtime lo s in which Mahomes never touched the ball in OT).Until the Reid-Mahomes combination is taken down in the AFC, Kansas City Jeff Heath Jersey is the favorite to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs are 10-1 since starting the year 3-4 and have allowed a league-low 16.4 points per game in that span, emerging into the team that has controlled the conference over the last few years. Mahomes is incredible at home in the postseason, throwing 20 touchdowns to one interception while completing 67.9% of his pa ses and averaging 310.3 pa sing yards per game. He has the highest postseason pa ser rating in NFL history (105.1), having two of the most dynamic weapons in and . Kelce is coming off his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game in the postseason (tied for the longest in NFL history) and seventh overall, trailing only Jerry Rice for the most in NFL history (eight). All three of Kansas City's offensive stalwarts are prime performers in the postseason, making the Chiefs even more dangerous.The Chiefs' pa sing game will need to be at their best to beat a Bills pa s defense that's first in pa s yards allowed and have allowed the fewest pa s touchdowns in the league. Kansas City will also need to shine again, especially against a Bills run defense that has allowed the sixth-most rush touchdowns in the league. Kansas City has all the pieces in place to go to the Super Bowl again.
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