It’s the hardest game in the NFL to play because of how close it is to football’s ultimate prize. Winning the Super Bowl is never easy, but a losing team can at least take consolation in claiming its conference championship and making an appearance in the big game.

Falling short in the conference title game, however, leads to the one thing no team wants to face: being forgotten. Few teams know that as well as the Detroit Lions, who are one of just three teams to never make an appearance in the Super Bowl. The Lions haven’t been to this level since 1991, and almost nobody remembers that Lions team even though it was one win away from playing for a Super Bowl.

So there’s plenty of pressure on the Lions, as well as the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens this week. Two will forever be remembered as Super Bowl participants, two will be cast aside by history. Here’s a look at each matchup.

SCIENCE SNIPPETS: John Dzielski, an engineering professor, developed a comprehensive mathematical model to understand the motion of a spinning American football. Inspired by a flawed New York Times article, his study corrects previous misconceptions and extensively builds upon William J. Rae's initial study. Dzielski's model integrates aerodynamic effects like drag, lift, and Magnus force, using differential equations. It also accounts for Earth's rotation and the football's orientation using Euler angles. Dzielski compares the football's behavior to a gyroscope, explaining the aerodynamic torque's impact on its motion, leading to a characteristic wobble, nose orientation, and lateral drift. This research enhances the understanding of the physics behind a football's spiral, crucial for analyzing its flight but not directly aiding in improving quarterback skills. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

AFC Championship: Kansas City vs. Baltimore

Betting on Patrick Mahomes in the postseason has been about as safe a move as a person could make. In his career, Mahomes is 13-3 all-time in the playoffs, having only lost to the Patriots twice and the Bengals once.

However, he’s never faced Baltimore in the postseason, and up until last week, he hadn’t seen a road game in the playoffs. Mahomes handled the first playoff road test of his career well last time out, but Baltimore is another matter. The Ravens boast the strongest defense in the NFL, and they’ve shown how difficult it is to adjust to them over the course of the season.

When the Ravens played inside their division, they had a modest 3-3 record. Outside the AFC North, they went 12-1, as they teed off on teams who don’t see them regularly and weren’t ready to handle their physical nature. Both the Lions and the 49ers know first-hand how difficult it is to play the Ravens when you’re not used to what they do, as both took a double-digit loss against Baltimore. Kansas City hasn’t seen the Ravens since 2021, and the Chiefs aren’t as good as those past championship teams were.

Baltimore should carry the day in its first home AFC title game since the days of the old Colts.

NFC Championship: Detroit vs. San Francisco

As Deebo Samuel goes, do the 49ers go along with him? San Francisco’s offense is almost a yard and a half worse per play without Samuel on the field, and the team looked confused without him on the field last week against Green Bay. The 49ers also need him on the field to attack the Lions’ biggest weakness, which is the deep ball. Samuel’s questionable for this game, and his status will go a long way toward deciding the game.

So will the 49ers’ ability to get pressure on Jared Goff. The Lions have kept Goff upright against some blitz-happy opponents so far, and the 49ers’ pass rush didn’t have a great day last week against the Packers. If Goff gets the kind of time Jordan Love did, the Lions have a big edge.

An interesting wrinkle: the last time the Lions won an NFL/NFC championship in 1957, San Francisco was the opponent. With Goff coming back to the Bay Area, the Lions’ story seems to have the potential for a perfect ending.

With Samuel a question mark, Detroit has the answers to reach its first Super Bowl.

WORDS: Dan Angell.