There’s only one “Championship Sunday” a year and this season, it’s set to commence on January 24 when the stakes can’t get any bigger. On this day, the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will do battle in the AFC title game, while the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals will collide in the NFC version, with both contests featuring a berth on the line to play in this year’s monumental Super Bowl 50. This is annually the final stop before The Big Game, and thus, it’s no wonder NFL Championship Game tickets are hitting their absolute peak en route to Sunday.
While all four teams involved earned both No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in their respective conference, it’s hard to argue against the fact that the clear-cut main event will be the AFC Championship Game, given the two quarterbacks who will be under center.
Of course, that’s referring to the long-standing and historic rivalry between two of the all-time greats at their position, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Considering where both veteran icons are at within their brilliant careers, this could be the last meaningful meeting between the two future Hall-of-Famers, with both competing for the right to participate in a Super Bowl. More likely than not, this is the final time both Brady and Manning will share a huge stage opposite one another with so much at stake. Fortunately, for out-of-town fans wanting to catch this historic encounter in person, a trip can be booked with ease thanks to cheap Denver flights from Hipmunk.com. Not only that, Hipmunk also sports affordable Denver hotels for those wanting to soak it all in. After all, this game could potentially mark the end of a long era.
And even outside the quarterback matchup, there are still plenty of storylines abound in the upcoming tilt between the Patriots and Broncos. Can New England become the first team since well, themselves, to repeat as Super Bowl champs? They were the last franchise to accomplish this difficult feat, winning it all in 2003 and 2004. Before them, the last team to do it was, ironically, the Broncos, who pulled off this incredible accomplishment in 1997 and 1998, led by John Elway.
Speaking of Elway, he’s the main architect of the Broncos and that’s another big storyline heading into the AFC title game. Can he finally nab Denver’s first world championship since his playing days? He brought Manning to the Broncos back in 2012 with one mission in mind: to conquer the football world, and while they’ve come close multiple times, the fact remains they haven’t fully accomplished that main goal. With Manning’s time winding down, the window is clearly closing on the Broncos, making this confrontation all the more important.
The Panthers and Cardinals will gladly be sharing that aforementioned big stage, each seeking their first-ever Super Bowl victory. Carolina might seemingly be the favorite of all four teams remaining, much in thanks to the incredible play of superstar quarterback Cam Newton, as his club finished with the best record in football this season at 15-1 — just narrowly missing out of the ultra-rare perfect season in Week 16 when they were defeated by Matt Ryan and the division rival Atlanta Falcons. Even without top wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who was lost for the year in training camp thanks to a major injury, the Panthers offense has been solid, with a suffocating defense that has had its way against just about every opponent over the course of the campaign.
Arizona is no slouch, obviously, and if someone can match Carolina’s skillset on defense, it’s the Cardinals, who feature a variety of All-Pro caliber players throughout their defensive unit, including arguably the best cornerback in the NFC, Patrick Peterson. Offensively, they’re talented, too, and apparently deep, as just like the Panthers, they’ve been able to sustain a number of considerable injuries, such as losing starting running back Chris Johnson. Carson Palmer leads this group as the team’s quarterback, and after an impressive season that led him to his first career playoff win just last week, the former No. 1 overall pick will be trying to get to his first Super Bowl.
All in all, it’s going to be an immensely fun Championship Sunday on tap. It’s amongst the four highest-seeded teams that began the postseason, but which two will move on to compete in the long-anticipated Super Bowl 50? The stakes can’t possibly be any higher and the storylines can’t be any bigger. One matchup features two of the greatest quarterbacks in history, while the other boasts two truly emerging powerhouse franchises that have been knocking on the door for some time now. One thing’s for sure, it will be a Championship Sunday to remember.
