It’s conference championship weekend, and a trio of former Pitt stars is still in the hunt to make it to the biggest game of them all: Super Bowl LVII.
If the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles win their respective matchups, it will be the second Super Bowl in a row where former Pitt stars face off against one another — and the second straight appearance for Tyler Boyd.
So, let’s take a look at Sunday’s slate of matchups.
NFC Championship: No. 2 San Francisco 49ers at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles
Kickoff: Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. on Fox
Who to watch: Philadelphia Eagles’ Avonte Maddox
It’s a battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the NFC, and it’s a matchup that truly does feel like the best against the best.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ dominant rushing attack — and the explosive one-two punch of A.J. Brown — will face off against Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy and his own cast of dominant offensive linemen, a star running back in Christian McCaffrey and elite passing game weapons in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.
And there are perhaps the two toughest defenses in the NFL in action, too.
Avonte Maddox has had an injury-riddled 2022 campaign, but he’s been effective when in action as a key nickel cornerback in the Eagle’s secondary, and he’s expected to play Sunday.
AFC Championship: No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs
Kickoff: Sunday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. on CBS
Who to watch: Cincinnati Bengals’ Tyler Boyd and Cal Adomitis
In another matchup that feels like it’s two of the best squaring off, the 2023 AFC championship will be a repeat of the 2022 AFC championship game that went into overtime — and saw Joe Burrow and the Bengals advance to the Super Bowl.
Burrow and Patrick Mahomes will face off in a battle of perhaps the two hottest quarterbacks in the league, with both leading high-scoring offenses, in what should be another classic.
Boyd hasn’t put up gaudy numbers this postseason, just four catches for 49 yards over the last two games, but he’s still an utterly reliable option for Burrow in the passing game.
And after the Bengals’ big win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round last weekend, Cal Adomitis was awarded the game ball for his work in the wind and snow, helping the Bengals to a key win.
Both will be relied upon in a key matchup against the Chiefs.
