49ers and Chiefs to meet again in the Super Bowl

Jim Reineking Paste BN

The matchup for Super Bowl 58 is set, and it's a rematch between two teams that squared off for the Lombardi Trophy four years ago.

While Sunday was a banner day for the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, it was a rough end to the season for the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions. As the Ravens continue to fall short of glory during the Lamar Jackson era, the Lions remain one of four teams that have never played in a Super Bowl.

AFC championship game: Kansas City Chiefs 17, Baltimore Ravens 10 — The Chiefs now are on the brink of history. Only seven teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls. Kansas City has a chance to join the Green Bay Packers (1966-67 seasons), Miami Dolphins (1972-73), Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-75, 1978-79), San Francisco 49ers (1988-89), Dallas Cowboys (1992-93), Denver Broncos (1997-98) and New England Patriots (2003-04) as the only repeat Super Bowl champions. The Ravens, meanwhile, came up short again, this one particularly humbling since it was the first time the team had ever hosted an AFC title game.

Travis Kelce had a conference championship for the ages, breaking one of Jerry Rice's playoff records while catching 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

NFC championship game: San Francisco 49ers 34, Detroit Lions 31 — Like the Chiefs, the 49ers can make a little history in Super Bowl 58. With five Super Bowl titles, the 49ers need a win to match the number of Lombardi Trophies won by the Patriots and Steelers (six apiece). This game was a tale of two halves, as the 49ers used a second-half comeback to rebound from getting dominated in the first half by the Lions, who enter the offseason still having not won a league championship since the Eisenhower administration.

The 49ers' 17-point comeback matched the largest come-from-behind win in an NFC championship game. Coincidentally, it tied San Francisco's comeback from the 2012 NFC title game.

It's so Detroit: First Super Bowl was in sight before epic meltdown

News and analysis from conference championship games

Winners and losers: While Brock Purdy and the 49ers found a way to win the NFC title game, the Ravens were undisciplined in the AFC championship.
32 things we learned: Historical implications for the Chiefs and 49ers heading into Super Bowl 58.
Chiefs' Super Bowl path looked much different than past runs: That the Chiefs made it to the sport's grandest stage, again, is not exactly a surprise. This time, they took the scenic route to Super Sunday.
'Pissed off' 49ers have gold rush in second half: Things were looking bleak for 49ers. Then they had a California gold rush in the second half.
'It just didn't work out': After passing on two long field goal attempts to go for it on fourth down − ultimately not converting − Lions coach Dan Campbell said he didn't regret those decisions.
Lamar Jackson can't hide his disappointment after stumbling against Chiefs: Jackson repeatedly described his mindset for the 2023 NFL season as "locked in." Unfortunately for the presumed league MVP, he’ll remain locked out of Super Bowl immortality – at least for another year.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce share celebratory kiss: The Chiefs tight end continues to win both on and off the field.

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