NFL Championship Sunday is nearing. Four teams battling for two spots in Super Bowl LVI.
The slate starts with the upstart Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. A win for the Chiefs would send them to their third consecutive Super Bowl.
Over in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers are looking to make their second big time in three seasons when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Southern California.
All of the talk here has surrounded quarterback play. Joe Burrow looking to etch his name in NFL lore for Cincinnati. Jimmy Garoppolo attempting to prove he can be a franchise guy. Matthew Stafford turning years of losing in Detroit into a Super Bowl appearance.
But as we look at the top-10 players set to take to the field for Championship Sunday, only one quarterback makes the lsit. Here’s a look at the rest.
Related: NFL Championship Sunday schedule and fantasy picks
10. Ja’Marr Chase, wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase stats: 81 receptions, 1,455 yards, 13 TD, 63.3% catch rate
You see the numbers. Chase legitimately had the greatest rookie season for a wide receiver, including Hall of Famer Randy Moss. That’s not hyperbole. Statistically, it was an awe-inspiring performance from the former LSU standout with his teammate from the Tigers, Joe Burrow, tossing him the rock.
Heading into the AFC Championship Game against Kansas City, the 21-year-old Chase has picked it up even more. In his first two playoff games, the first-year player has compiled a combined 14 catches for 225 yards. In doing so, he became the first rookie in NFL history to tally multiple 100-yard games in the playoffs. Burrow and Co. will need him to perform at this level Sunday if the Bengals are going to earn a shocking trip to the Super Bowl.
9. Jalen Ramsey, cornerback, Los Angeles Rams
Jalen Ramsey stats: 62 tackles (15 solo), 16 passes defended, four interceptions
Interestingly enough, Ramsey is coming off one of his worst performances of the season in Los Angeles’ NFC Divisional Playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback allowed Mike Evans to catch 5-of-9 targets for 97 yards with a touchdown.
This can’t discount what the boisterous Ramsey did during the regular season for the Rams. He gave up a mere 59.2% catch rate and 71.1 quarterback rating when targeted. Opposing wide receivers averaged 6.4 yards per target against him. With 49ers star Deebo Samuel looking to make an impact of his own in the NFC Championship Game, Ramsey will be tested big time.
Related: Power ranking NFL Playoff defenses
8. Tyreek Hill, wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
Tyreek Hill stats: 111 receptions, 1,239 yards, 9 TD, 70% catch rate
During Kansas City’s awe-inspiring overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoffs, Hill went off big time. It came against the No. 1-ranked defense during the regular season and helped etched his name in NFL lore. Hill caught 11-of-13 passes for 150 yards, including a huge go-ahead 64-yard catch and run with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter.
With that said, Hill has been a tad inconsistent this season. Of the 19 games he’s played this season, playoffs included, the six-time Pro Bowler has recorded 40 yards or less six times. Even with the Chiefs as big-time favorites at home against Cincinnati, they’ll need more of the version we saw from Hill last week than those previous iterations.
7. Deebo Samuel, wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel stats: 77 receptions, 1,405 yards, 365 rushing yards, 14 TD, 64% catch rate
How good has Samuel been this season? The third-year weapon from Southern California is now a mere 43 total yards away from passing Jerry Rice on the 49ers’ single-season list for most yards from scrimmage. This kid also came to play in the NFC Divisional Playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, recording a first down on 3rd-and-8 to set up Robbie Gould’s game-winning kick as time expired.
In two regular-season games against the Rams, Samuel recorded 273 total yards and three touchdowns while averaging 12.4 yards per touch. The NFL’s leader in yards per catch (18.2) during the regular season, Samuel will once again need to come up big Sunday if San Francisco is going to punch its ticket to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
Related: 49ers at Rams bold predictions
6. Travis Kelce, tight end, Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce stats: 92 receptions, 1,125 yards, 9 TD, 69% catch rate
Patrick Mahomes will rightfully get most of the credit for leading Kansas City to a comeback win over the Bills last week. However, he wouldn’t have been able to do it without Kelce in the mix. The game’s best receiving tight end caught the game-winning pass in overtime, leading Kansas City to within one win of its third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
During the regular season, Kelce posted career highs in yards after the catch average (6.1) and averaged 8.4 yards per target. Given Cincinnati’s elite-level safety play, Kelce might have a hard time dominating in this one. But expect him to make an impact throughout the game. He’s just too good.
5. Nick Bosa, EDGE, San Francisco 49ers
Nick Bosa stats: 52 tackles, 32 quarterback hits, 21 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, four forced fumbles
Returning from a concussion he suffered in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs, Bosa absolutely dominated an injury-plagued Packers offensive line last week. The former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year recorded two sacks, two quarterback hits and an absolutely huge forced fumble.
If you needed any further indication of just how Bosa plays in big games, there’s no reason to look beyond the eight quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles he’s recorded in five career playoff games. Oh, and the 49ers are 4-1 in those five games. Just some food for thought.
Related: Bengals at Chiefs bold predictions
4. Cooper Kupp, wide receiver, Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp stats: 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, 16 TD, 76% catch rate
Historic. That’s the best way to describe what we saw from the underrated Kupp during an otherworldly regular-season performance. The Eastern Washington product led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He also caught a resounding 76% of the passes thrown in his direction from Matthew Stafford.
Fresh off an absolutely huge 183-yard outing against Tampa Bay last round, Kupp will take on the division-rival 49ers for a third time this season. In his previous two outings against the elite-level defense, Kupp caught 18-of-20 passes for 240 yards. A similar performance could lead to thes Rams hosting Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium next month.
3. Trent Williams, offensive tackle, San Francisco 49ers
It’s still absolutely mind-boggling to realize that San Francisco was able to acquire Williams from the Washington Football Team ahead of the 2020 season for two mid-round picks. Talk about the steal of the century. The best left tackle in the NFL today and perhaps the best at this position since Larry Allen was in his prime, Williams just continues to dominate.
Per Pro Football Focus, the nine-time Pro Bowl performer has allowed all of one sack in his past 735 pass-blocking snaps. One. He also graded out as the best player in single-season history according to the website. The issue here for San Francisco is Williams’ questionable status after he suffered a sprained ankle in last week’s win over the Packers. If he can’t go, the 49ers are going to be in trouble.
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2. Aaron Donald, defensive tackle, Los Angeles Rams
Aaron Donald stats: 84 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles
A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Donald did not start out this season too hot. In fact, the 30-year-old defensive tackle recorded just 3.5 sacks in his first seven games. It’s been vintage Aaron Donald ever since with the eight-time Pro Bowler having registered 14 sacks over the past 13 games.
What makes Donald so darn elite is his ability to get to the quarterback on a consistent basis without even putting up the sack numbers. The former Pittsburgh Panthers star has registered 118 quarterback hits in his past 65 regular-season games. The only question here is Donald’s performances in two outings against San Francisco during the regular year (one quarterback hit, zero sacks).
1. Patrick Mahomes, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes stats: 66% completion, 4,839 yards, 37 TD, 13 INT, 98.5 rating
Some struggles earlier this season have given in to Mahomes playing the best football of his career. That’s absolutely insane given he’s already a Super Bowl MVP and regular season NFL MVP. But what we’ve seen recently from the 26-year-old signal caller defies logic.
In two playoff games this season, Mahomes has completed 63-of-83 passes for 782 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. Expanding that back to Week 10 of the regular season, Mahomes has thrown 25 touchdowns compared to four interceptions. He’s playing completely out of his mind right now, and is the best player taking to the field for NFL Championship Sunday. It’s that simple.