Two rounds of the 2018 NFL playoffs are in the books, and only four teams remain. Now we're previewing Sunday's conference championship game slate with a rundown for both matchups from Dan Graziano, score predictions and injury updates from our NFL Nation reporters, and Football Power Index projections from ESPN Stats & Information.
FPI win projection: NO, 63.2 percent. Expect offensive fireworks with the No. 2 (Rams) and No. 3 (Saints) offenses in terms of efficiency this season, according to FPI. Though the Rams did rank sixth in defensive efficiency on the road, it will be a tough task against the Saints, who ranked second in offensive efficiency at home (85.0), led by Brees' league-leading 89.7 Total QBR in home games this season.
Fox, Bruschi like the Saints at home.
John Fox and Tedy Bruschi explain that the Saints' running game and Michael Thomas will play key roles in New Orleans' quest to reach the Super Bowl.
Injury update: The Rams have a clean bill of health. But the Saints will be without defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (torn Achilles in last Sunday's win), a big blow to the New Orleans defense. The only other players in limbo this weekend are Keith Kirkwood (calf) and Benjamin Watson (illness), both of whom missed practice Wednesday and Thursday for the Saints.
FPI win projection: KC, 66.8 percent. This game features the top two offenses in the AFC in terms of efficiency, according to FPI, with the Chiefs ranking first in the NFL and the Patriots fourth overall. The Patriots are the only remaining team in the final four that ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency this season, finishing eighth, but most of that was due to success at home, as they finished 23rd in defensive efficiency on the road. As a result, the Chiefs are the favorite at home, where they posted the highest offensive efficiency in the league this season (86.6) and the sixth-highest by any team since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2008.
Injury update: The Patriots have no players on their injury report after removing defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (ankle) on Thursday. As for the Chiefs, Eric Berry has a good chance of playing Sunday after participation in both of the week's practice sessions so far. Asked how Berry looked in those practices, Reid said, "He looked good out there. I see him out there looking like Eric Berry."