NFC Championship

Eminem Shelved A Potential Diss Track For Lions’ Coach Ben Johnson After Johnson Decided To Stay In Detroit

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Many a celebrity has felt the wrath of Eminem’s scathing pen, but it looks like the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will avoid such a fate — for now. The coach had potential offers to move up to a head coaching role for teams like the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders, but opted to stay in Detroit for the time being after the historically awful Motor City football club made a respectable push in the playoffs this season, taking it all the way to the NFC Championship, where they were narrowly defeated by the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday, 34-31.

Eminem expressed his relief at Johnson’s decision on Twitter, where he joked that he had been working on a diss track, which is presumably shelved for the time being. He also called back to his earlier joke about joining the team, which he’s supported with his star power for years. “Guess I should stop recording this diss track..!!” he wrote. “@ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!! We can’t break this team up ESPECIALLY since I’M on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Let’s run it back next year!!…I’m READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the super bowl!!”

The joke played on the media furor surrounding Em’s attendance at the recent NFC Championship, where he prematurely celebrated the Lions’ hefty halftime lead, gloating while flipping off the surrounding Niners fans. Unfortunately, his overconfidence came back to bite him right in the tuchus when the Lions fell apart in the second half, paving the way for San Franciso to stamp their tickets to the Super Bowl. It looks like the Lions will be running it back next year, and Em will have to pick a new target to poke (just as long as it isn’t Taylor Swift, for the love of God).

AFC & NFC Championship Games: Who Is Heading To The Super Bowl?

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Just four teams remain in the NFL playoffs. Some were expected to be here; others were more surprising. In the AFC, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs travel to the white-hot Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, the NFC sees the Detroit Lions attempt to make their first Super Bowl at the expense of the San Francisco 49ers. With both games scheduled for Sunday, HotNewHipHop has everything you need to know about the AFC & NFC Championship Games.

AFC: Chiefs @ Ravens

Chiefs
ORCHARD PARK, NY – JANUARY 21: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up prior to an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 21, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

When: January 28, 3:00 PM ET

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

Odds: Baltimore -4

The Chiefs enter their sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game under very different circumstances to the previous five. For one, they aren’t hosting. And secondly, they are doing so after winning less than 12 games in the regular season. While the Chiefs still rule the AFC West, they don’t look like the powerhouse team that has made two of the last three Super Bowls. It’s not that the Chiefs are worse, it’s simply that the rest of the conference is catching up.

And that’s where their hosts, the Ravens, come in. After beginning the season unsure if Lamar Jackson would actually play, the team stormed to the league’s best record. However, this marks new territory for the team. They appear in their first Conference Championship Game since 2012, the year they won the Super Bowl. But the newness cuts both ways. The Ravens will get to enjoy their home-field Conference Championship Game in franchise history.

Can Kansas City Slow Down Baltimore?

Ravens
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, JANUARY 20: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens starts to run in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium on January 20, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens defeated the Texans 34-10. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

The big question heading into this matchup will be whether the Chiefs can slow down Baltimore enough to let Patrick Mahomes ball out. Kansas City allowed the second-fewest yards per game during the regular season (289.8). However, their defense must contend with the league’s sixth-highest yardage team in Baltimore (370.4). There will be high expectations from the DT Chris Jones and CB Trent McDuffie, both All-Pro First Teamers for the Chiefs.

The key for Baltimore will be in the backfield. Unsurprisingly, given their prototypical dual-threat QB, Baltimore led the league in rushing yards per game this season (156.5). Conversely, the Chiefs allowed the 15th-most rushing yards during the regular season (113.2). If the Chiefs can’t stop the run, it’s going to be a long night for the red-and-white faithful.

Prediction: Ravens 20 – 17 Chiefs. Chiefs don’t allow the Ravens to ever run away with the game but just don’t have enough to neutralize the potency of Baltimore’s ground game.

NFC: Lions @ 49ers

49ers
SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 20: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes for a 39-yard touchdown during the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium on January 20, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

When: January 28, 6:30 PM PT

Where: Levi Stadium, Santa Clara

Odds: San Francisco -7.5

The 49ers were here a year ago, on the cusp of a Super Bowl appearance. However, a spate of injuries saw them steamrolled by the Eagles. They were here the year before that, when they were 15 minutes from the Super Bowl before allowing 13 fourth-quarter points to lose to the Rams. Now they stand 60 minutes from another Super Bowl, with a former Mr. Irrelevant at quarterback. The NFC has been weird this year, with no one emerging as a clear favorite. However, the Niners have been one of the conference’s better teams. They are an offensive juggernaut (four offensive all-pro first-teamers) and are ready to flex that moniker all the way to a Lombardi.

However, they will have to overcome this year’s scrappy underdog. In 2008, the Detroit Lions went 0-16. Since that infamous season, they have appeared in the playoffs just four times. And now they are one game away from their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. The last time the Lions were in this position, it was 1957 and they were playing for a chance to appear in the pre-Super Bowl NFL Championship. But head coach Dan Campbell, the epitome of “never give up, never surrender” has turned the Lions into a team that their fans can finally believe in.

Who Wins The Backfield Duel?

Lions
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 14: David Montgomery #5 of the Detroit Lions runs the ball during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs at Ford Field on January 14, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The running game will absolutely define the NFC Championship. The 49ers have the league’s best running back in Christian McCaffery. McCaffery rushed for 1459 yards, nearly 300 more yards than the next best back in the league (Derrick Henry). However, the Lions have an elite backfield of their own. The two-pronged attack in Detroit begins with fifth-year back David Montgomery. After signing with the Lions ahead of the 2023 season, Montgomery rewarded the team with his first 1000-yard season since 2020. However, Montgomery isn’t alone. Many people questioned Detroit’s decision to take Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall in the 2023 draft, especially after trading back from 6th overall. Well, Gibbs rushed for 945 yards in the regular season.

However, it’s not just about the run game for these two teams, it’s also about their run defense. The Lions and Niners are second and third respectively in run defense this season, with 0.9 yards per game separating them. Teams have simply not been able to drive out of the backfield against either team. This becomes a fascinating dynamic, however, when the opponent is someone with as prolific a run game as these two teams have. This means that whoever finds the edge in the backfield will hold the keys to this matchup.

Prediction: 49ers 30 – 23 Lions. This will likely be the game of the season. However, as much as the Lions deserve to be here and will keep it close, the Niners’ overwhelming offense gives them the edge here.

AFC/NFC Championship Games: Who Wins?

However, let us know what you think! Is Kansas City headed to yet another Super Bowl? Do the Lions find a way to beat San Francisco? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

The post AFC & NFC Championship Games: Who Is Heading To The Super Bowl? appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Lil Uzi Vert Walked Out With The Philadelphia Eagles To Kick Off Their Victorious NFC Championship Game

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A Philly hometown hero joined the Philadelphia Eagles as they walked out into the stadium yesterday (January 29): Kicking off the NFC Championship game in which the Eagles took on the San Francisco 49ers, Lil Uzi Vert walked out with the Eagles as their hit single “Just Wanna Rock” played throughout.

Perhaps Uzi proved to be a good luck charm for the Eagles, as they ended up beating the 49ers 31 to 7. Next month, the Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII. That game will take place on Sunday, February 12, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game will broadcast live on Fox at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Uzi has always held their hometown close to their heart. Last year, during an interview with Jazzy’s World, they said that without Philly, there would be no Uzi: “I was always around a very different crowd, very diverse. […] It just made me who I am today and I really took from it. If it wasn’t for Philly, I wouldn’t be Uzi.”

Check out the clips of Uzi’s NFC Championship walkout with the Eagles above.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Meek Mill Freestyles Over “Hit ‘Em Up” After Eagles Win NFC Championship

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Meek Mill had bars for the 49ers after the Eagles won the NFC Championship on Sunday night.

The excitement is real in Philadelphia now that the Eagles have secured their place in the Super Bowl. Many of the city’s most prominent figures, such as Kevin Hart and Lil Uzi Vert, were in attendance. Uzi actually walked the Eagles onto the field ahead of the big game. 

PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 03: Meek Mill pumps up the crowd prior to Game 5 of the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, November 3, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

However, Meek Mill may have been more inspired by the win. Though the Dreams & Nightmares intro rang out across the city, Meek dished more bars to the 49ers and their fans. This time, Meek hit the ‘Gram where he dropped some bars over 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up.” “Make one of these LOL. We bombing on folks lol let’s go Eagles,” he captioned the post. 

“First off, fuck your clique and the team you claim/ Northside, Southside, it’s a Eagles game/ Y’all claim to keep it playa but pat your back/ Plus the other quarterback couldn’t even pass it back,” he raps.

In addition to his freestyle, Meek Mill was in a  celebratory mood and offered to perform at a club for free.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 17: Meek Mill attends Cardi B Hosts Fashion Night Out on September 17, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)

“I will host a free party tonight and perform intro lol somebody open a club up,” he tweeted. 

The Philadelphia Eagles will now face off against the Kansas City Chiefs for ​​the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 14th. 

Shannon Sharpe Predicts NFL Championship Weekend

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Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless have had a ton of great debates involving the NFL so far this season. Overall, there have been a lot of narratives to go around. Now, however, we have reached the end of the season as four teams remain in the playoffs.

Those teams are the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers. These are four teams who were dominant this year, and they definitely deserve to be where they are. Now, they will battle it out for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Football legend Shannon Sharpe attends the First Entertainment x Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis Partnership Launch Event at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on March 4, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for First Entertainment)

Shannon Sharpe Makes His Picks

During Undisputed today, Shannon Sharpe made his predictions as to who he thinks will make the Super Bowl. Firstly, Sharpe predicted the AFC Championship game. Below, you can see that he took the Bengals.

“As bad as I want to pick Mahomes at home, the Bengals have the better football team,” he said.

Secondly, Sharpe gave his take on the NFC Championship game. Below, he gave his case for why the 49ers will eventually win the game. However, he did note that it will be a very close one.

“This game is really evenly matched. The 49ers will come up with a gameplan to neutralize Jalen Hurts’ legs and win a close one, 23-20,” Sharpe explained.

These games are very hard to predict, although Sharpe gave some good reasoning here. A Bengals-49ers Super Bowl would be a ton of fun, however, it still remains to be seen if Brock Purdy can get it done this late in the season.

Give us your predictions, in the comments section down below. Do you agree with Sharpe, or is he way off? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from the sports world.

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