We’re down to just eight NFL teams in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.
This week’s Divisional Round will see the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers make their 2024 playoff debuts. They’re the clear favorites to make it to Super Bowl LVIII, but can a team like the Detroit Lions or Buffalo Bills play spoiler to that potential matchup in the NFL’s final game?
Or will we see Patrick Mahomes lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a third title in five years?
With still a quarter of the NFL’s 32 teams still alive, there’s a variety of possible Super Bowl matchups we could see. Which ones would bring the most excitement?
Here’s a look at the best Super Bowl LVIII matchups still in play.
Honorable Mentions
Chiefs vs. Bucs: This gets a shoutout since they both played each other in Super Bowl LVI, though it would be missing big names like Tyreek Hill, Rob Gronkowski, and that Tom Brady fellow.
Ravens vs. Lions: While this looks like a good game on paper, it’s hard to forget the Ravens dismantling Detroit 38-6 in Week 7, which takes a bit of luster away from this potential matchup.
Texans vs. Bucs: The Texans have never been to a Super Bowl, while the Bucs would be the first No. 7 seed in playoff history to make the Super Bowl, though that’s only been a possibility since 2020. And the Bucs just won it all in Super Bowl LVI when Brady was still around.
No. 5: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions
What better way to cap off the 2023 NFL season than with a rematch of a game that ushered it in?
On Opening Night, it was the Chiefs who hung their latest Super Bowl banner, but it was the Lions who came away with a stunning 21-20 upset, setting the tone for what would be the franchise’s best season since 1991 (and maybe ever, depending on how it ends).
This would also have the potential for major fireworks since the Lions sport the fifth-best scoring offense but the 10th-worst scoring defense.
Plus, these teams frequently play in one-score games. The Chiefs had 11 games decided by one score this season, while the Lions had eight — nine if you count their 24-23 Wild Card win over the Rams.
There’s also a bit of a David and Goliath aspect in terms of where the..