The championship round of playoff games will have a lofty bar to clear to top last weekend’s slate of games.
The NFL’s divisional round featured each of its four games ending in a walk-off score, with the Bengals, 49ers and Rams each winning via a field goal and the Chiefs walking off the Bills in overtime on a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce.
But this weekend’s slate of games, which will decide the two teams headed to the Super Bowl, are sure to continue delivering on what has already been a thrilling postseason. Cincinnati and Kansas City square off in the AFC Championship in a battle of two of the game’s highest powered offenses, led by a pair of dynamic young quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and Mahomes. In the NFC, the 49ers and Rams ended the regular season in an overtime battle, and should pick up where they left off in Los Angeles and give fans another exciting NFC West matchup.
Sporting News has you covered with all the information you need to know to watch the AFC and NFC championship games on Sunday.
MORE: Watch NFL playoff games live with fuboTV (free trial)
What time are the NFL playoff games today?
Game 1
- Date: Jan. 30, 2022
- Matchup: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
- Start time: 3 p.m. ET
Game 2
- Date: Jan. 30, 2022
- Matchup: Rams vs. 49ers
- Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
- Start time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Sunday’s championship matchups begins with what should be yet another high-scoring affair in Kansas City.
The Chiefs and Bengals ranked fourth (4,791) and seventh (4,403) in team passing yards in 2021 and each ranked in the top 10 in scoring. Even beyond the quarterbacks, both teams offer some of the game’s most electric offensive weapons, with Kansas City boasting Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce and Cincinnati countering with Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
The two teams last faced off against one another in Cincinnati in Week 17. The Bengals came back from a 28-17 halftime deficit to beat Kansas City 34-31 and claim the AFC North title, with Chase having an explosive game with 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Burrow passed for 446 yards and four scores.
The NFC West clash wraps up the day of title games and will send one of the NFC’s most recent representatives back to the Super Bowl.
San Francisco has been riding high in the series against Los Angeles as of late as it has won each of the past six games. During the 2021 regular season, the 49ers beat the Rams 31-10 in San Francisco in Week 10 before edging out Los Angeles 27-24 in overtime in Week 18 to clinch a playoff spot.
The Rams come into the game led by Matthew Stafford and one of the league’s best passing attacks. Los Angeles ranked fifth in total passing yards (4,642) and second in passing touchdowns (41), while the 49ers were more adept at picking up yards on the ground, rushing for 2,166 yards, seventh-most in the NFL. Both defenses finished the regular season among the top in the NFL, with the 49ers having allowed the third-fewest total yards (5,270) and sixth-fewest passing yards (3,510), while the Rams allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards (1,754) and ninth-fewest yards per play (5.2).
What channel are NFL games on?
Chiefs vs. Bengals
The AFC Championship will feature CBS’ primary broadcast group with Jim Nance and Tony Romo up in the booth, while Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn will be reporting from the sideline.
Rams vs. 49ers
Fox will be handling broadcast duties for the NFC Championship with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman providing commentary and analysis. Erin Andrews will be reporting from the sideline.
NFL live streams for playoffs
Both CBS and Fox will have alternate options to stream the matchups beyond the traditional cable route for prospective viewers.
CBS carries its games on Paramount Plus, while Fox will have its game available to watch on the Fox Sports app.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| Fox Sports Live | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| Paramount Plus | No | No | $4.99/month | Yes |
| Amazon Prime Video | No | No | $8.99/month | No |
| NBC Sports | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| ESPN.com/ESPN App | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| NFL App | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| Yahoo! Sports App | No | Yes | – | – |
| fuboTV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
| AT&T TV Now | No | No | $69.99/month | Yes |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | No | $35/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
NFL playoff schedule 2022
Wild-card round
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Bengals 26, Raiders 19 | 4:35 p.m. ET | NBC | Peacock, fuboTV |
| Bills 47, Patriots 17 | 8:15 p.m. ET | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Buccaneers 31, Eagles 15 | 1:05 p.m. ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| 49ers 23, Cowboys 17 | 4:40 p.m. ET | CBS, Nickelodeon | Paramount+, Amazon Prime, fuboTV |
| Chiefs 42, Steelers 21 | 8:15 p.m. ET | NBC | Peacock, fuboTV |
Monday, Jan. 17
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Rams 34, Cardinals 11 | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | ESPN App, fuboTV |
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 22
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Bengals 19, Titans 16 | 4:35 p.m. ET | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV |
| 49ers 13, Packers 10 | 8:15 p.m. ET | Fox | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 23
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Rams 30, Buccaneers 27 | 3:05 p.m. ET | NBC | Peacock, fuboTV |
| Chiefs 42, Bills 36 | 6:40 p.m. ET | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV |
Conference championships
Sunday, Jan. 30
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Chiefs vs. Bengals | 3:05 p.m. ET | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV |
| Rams vs. 49ers | 6:40 p.m. ET | Fox | Fox Sports app, fuboTV |
Super Bowl 56
Sunday, Feb. 13
| Matchup | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Super Bowl 56 | 6:30 p.m. ET | NBC | NBC Sports app, fuboTV |