After 20 weeks, the NFL's conference championship games are here and there's some good storylines coming in to Sunday.
The AFC title game will feature a rematch of last seasons game between Kansas City and Cincinnati. So fans will get another chapter in the Mahomes vs. Burrow series.
While Cincinnati has won the last two games, they won them by three points each time. So these two teams were fairly even and could mean this game is very much a toss up.
Then add into the equation that the game will be in Kansas City, whose crowd is a much more raucous one than the Bills if you take out the table breaking.
But there are two storylines that cannot be overlooked going into Sunday.
The first is the play of Burrow, who's play has picked up in recent weeks.
He made things look effortless last week as he picked apart a Bills defense, especially when he began the game completing 9 straight passes and two touchdowns on their first two possessions en route to a convincing win.
The second storyline is a big one: How healthy will Mahomes be?
Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in last Sunday's win over Jacksonville. He left the game to be evaluated but did return for the second half.
So there's no question as to if he's playing this week, it's a matter of how effective he will be. His ability to move in the pocket and scramble against a Bengals pass rush will be one of the biggest factors in the outcome of the title game.
On the NFC side, things are just as intriguing.
The storyline for the Philadelphia Eagles will be hoping for some of the same magic they had when they won the Super Bowl in 2017. Which could be much more possible this time with Jalen Hurts taking snaps for the Eagles.
Hurts, the highly-touted first round draft pick, has been a dominant force all season. Even though he missed a few weeks due to a injury, Hurts' is currently 14-1 as the starter.
His ability to use his legs will be a challenge for a 49ers defense that hasn't faced a quarterback of this caliber since facing Kansas City in October.
The Eagles have plenty of speed and a physical offensive line that allows them to either run or throw. So they're going to be difficult to defend.
For San Francisco, they have by-far the best storyline in Brock Purdy, a third string quarterback who is playing at a high level.
He's been calm and collective since being forced into action for the injured Jimmy Garappolo, going 7-0 as a starter. Purdy owns the second-most wins to start a career, only trailing Ben Roethlisberger's 13 wins.
However this may be Purdy's biggest test to date as the Eagles have one of the most relentless pass rushes in the league. So the pressure will be turned up a notch or two.
But Purdy has a physical offensive line and two workhorses in Christian McCaffery and Elijah Mitchell to carry the rock. And luckitly for Purdy, the Eagles have struggled to stop the run for most of the season. Which could take some of the pressure off his shoulders.
So there's no doubt the game is going to be a physical one.
But in the end, it's going to come down to the playmakers making plays and considering how many of them there are on the field, we might be in for some fun action on Sunday.
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