Neil Reynolds
American Football Expert & Columnist
Conference Championship Predictions: Bengals, Chiefs, 49ers, Rams? Who will progress to Super Bowl LVI?
Join Neil and Jeff for Conference Championship Sunday in the NFL playoffs, with both games - Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams - live on Sky Sports NFL from 7pm, Sunday
Last Updated: 31/01/22 3:28pm
Who out of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs will represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVI? And which of the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will progress from the NFC? Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold make their Conference Championship picks...
As well as hosting Inside The Huddle on Sky Sports NFL every Tuesday at 9pm, Neil and Jeff release a weekly audio edition of ITH every Wednesday in which they make their game picks.
Click on the link below to listen to this week's ITH podcast, and read on to see Neil and Jeff's Conference Championship predictions...
Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL, 8pm
NEIL PICKS: Chiefs
"If you look at the odds and listen to the chatter around this game in the build-up to it, people seem to have forgotten that the Bengals beat the Chiefs as recently as Week 17 - and Joe Burrow had over 400 yards passing and four touchdowns, with Ja'Marr Chase grabbing three of those to go with 266 yards receiving!
"I really like Cincinnati, they certainly have a shot and should be getting more respect than they have been in recent days. They are brilliantly led by Joe Burrow, and they take on the image of their quarterback - they will be confident and not back down.
"But, these Chiefs, they are like a dragon that is just so hard to slay. When a team is trailing with 13 seconds left, that is game over for probably 30 out of the 32 teams in the NFL (I'd give Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills a chance too), but Kansas City went and won the game.
"This could be a really high-scoring affair. But I'm taking the Chiefs again at home."
JEFF PICKS: Chiefs
"You're talking about probably the best quarterback in the league right now if it came down to one drive. What Patrick Mahomes has shown us is he will find a way to win any football game, and the way the Chiefs use their talent on offense is nothing short of genius.
"There are weaknesses in this Kansas City defense, and we saw that against Buffalo. They couldn't get a turnover and they gave up four touchdown passes to one guy (Gabriel Davis), but they do at least have some good pass rushers.
"Cincinnati are playing with house money here and they could be scary but, at the end of the day, I'm going to take Kansas City to reach a third-straight Super Bowl."
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL, 11.30pm
NEIL PICKS: Rams
"The 49ers have won their last six in a row against the Rams, so why do I feel like Los Angeles are going to win this one?
"I feel like when LA's superstars play to their full potential they are capable of blowing teams out. They were doing that last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in Week 18 against San Francisco, but they just lack that killer instinct sometimes.
"I trust the superstars of the Rams more than the 49ers, who are having to manage games around their quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo - and that's tough to do once you reach the final four. I just don't trust him; out of his five playoff appearances, Jimmy G has returned a quarterback rating of below 80 in four of them.
"It's a really tough one because I love so many aspects of this 49ers team, but I'm backing the Rams."
JEFF PICKS: Rams
"This is going to be a test of just how hard the Rams' chin is, as the 49ers are going to make this a physical game - that's how they've won six in a row against them.
"But, also, like you said, this is playoff football - the Conference Championship round - and it comes down to quarterback play. It's not even close between Garoppolo and Matthew Stafford, in my opinion.
"That said, Stafford needs to play a clean game, because if he throws a couple of interceptions (he has thrown two in each of their prior meetings this season), the 49ers will take full advantage of that.
"San Francisco are well coached and play complimentary football, but I'm taking the Rams too because I don't know how they are going to cover all of LA's weapons - Odell Beckham Jr, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Tyler Higbee."
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