AFC, NFC Championship previews, picks; Where will Bill Belichick land?

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🏆 Good morning to everyone but especially …

THE AFC, NFC CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

And then there were four. Conference championship weekend is here, and what a four it is: both No. 1 seeds, the defending champs and one of the best feel-good stories ever (and a very good team in its own right).

I’m absolutely stoked to be heading to Baltimore to cover Chiefs-Ravens, so let’s start there. Everyone is talking about the Patrick Mahomes–Lamar Jackson rivalry, but those guys don’t actually face one another on the field.

The defenses both quarterbacks face, though, are terrific. Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton have been two of my favorite players to watch this season, and they both make Tyler Sullivan’s most impactful players list; they’ll see plenty of Isiah Pacheco and Travis Kelce.

I think the Ravens are the better team, and they’ve dominated the league’s best this season. But even when the Chiefs were at their lowest, I said I’d never count out Mahomes. That’s one of countless reasons this game is going to be so much fun. Tyler’s pick is in, and he likes …

• Sullivan: “The Chiefs offense has started to click over the last few weeks, which is an encouraging sign for the franchise overall, but I don’t believe it’s going to help propel them to another Super Bowl appearance. Why? Because they haven’t faced a defense like the Ravens to this point. … The Ravens rank first in the league in points per game allowed (16.5), sacks (60) and takeaways (31). Ravens 28, Chiefs 20“

I think I’m leaning…