We used Madden 24 to simulate the NFL Conference Championship games for both conferences. From Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson for the first time in the playoffs, to Dan Campbell vs Kyle Shanahan, this week holds some interesting matchups. Last week, Madden 24 went 3-1 in its predictions, only incorrectly guessing the Chiefs-Bills game. However, will Madden accurately predict both games this weekend? Let's find out in these Madden Predictions.
Madden 24 Simulates NFL Conference Championship Games – Predictions For All Games
For a spot in Super Bowl LVIII. #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/DZ4QM6QASk
— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2024
In this series, we run 15-minute quarters on All-Madden difficulty and use the latest injury reports. Additionally, we added Lions' newly acquired TE Zach Ertz to the roster. However, we made the controversial call to put Deebo Samuel in the game, considering he's a 50/50 shot to play. Since we expect him to be a game-time injury decision, we opted to play him considering the game's importance.
Madden 24 Simulates – AFC Championship Game – Chiefs 48 – Ravens 40
| TEAM | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | FINAL |
| Chiefs | 10 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 48 |
| Ravens | 0 | 17 | 3 | 20 | 40 |
*Indicates time-stamp in video, not in actual quarter
For the first time ever, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson faced off in the playoffs. The match ended up as one would expect, with both offenses exploding. However, despite winning the game, Kansas City allowed multiple opportunities for Baltimore to take the AFC Crown.
Firstly, Kansas City started the game strong, thanks to a controversial touchdown reception from Isaiah Pacheco (*7:11). Furthermore, after a missed FG When Baltimore missed a 57-yard field goal in rainy conditions, Harrison Butker responded with one of his own.
However, the Ravens quickly picked back up, thanks to a quick touchdown from Gus Edwards for 13 yards (24:50). But when things seemed on the up, the Chiefs were there to remind them otherwise. Pacheco scored another touchdown (31:45), putting the Chiefs up 17-7.
Baltimore drove down the field, but a sudden injury to Lamar Jackson saw Tyler Huntley step on the field. Overall, Baltimore missed their 4th down conversion at the goal line (39:14), giving the Chiefs another opportunity to score. This time, Marques-Valdez Scantling scored an electric 82-yard TD reception (40:43). After the Extra Point, the score was 24-7.
However, Tyler Huntley awakened the dog within, and helped the Ravens score 10 unanswered points. He scored a touchdown with 38 seconds remaining in the half (45:55). Although Lamar later returned, Huntley finished the day 6-for-9, 87 yards, and 1 TD. Additionally, two of his passes came from drops that were easy catches.
The Chiefs could have ran the clock out but opted to throw two times before running it. The Ravens used one of their two remaining timeouts and with just 20 seconds picked up another score (49:16 for drive). Thanks to a facemask call, Baltimore made it 24-17 at half.
However, the Chiefs picked back up in the second half, scoring another 24 points with ease. Despite forcing two punts in a row, Baltimore only mustered up a field goal, making it 24-20 (1:05:-07). However, after a long drive, the Chiefs took a 31-20 lead.
The game continued to move back and forth, with Baltimore almost catching up (1:16:17). But no matter how much they scored, KC kept responding. Overall, Kansas City pulled through with a 48-40 victory. Overall, Patrick Mahomes ended the day with a monstrous stat line (31/44, 459 yards, 4 TD). Lamar Jackson played fine (23/33, 349 yards, 2 TDs), but threw an interception that put the Ravens in a bad spot.
Lastly, we wonder what would've happened if Tyler Huntley played a full game. He played pretty well in the two drives he appeared in. Overall, it seemed when Lamar was on the field, the Ravens' offense became more predictable with more read option and RPO plays. Nevertheless, the MVP candidate doesn't just get benched like that.
With the win, Patrick Mahomes moves to his fourth ever Super Bowl.
Madden 24 Simulates – NFC Championship Game – Lions 31 – 49ers 38
| TEAM | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | FINAL |
| Lions | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| 49ers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 38 |
The Lions-49ers Championship game looked a lot closer than it actually was. However, Detroit almost made a nasty comeback that saw them overcome the No. 1 seeded team. Nevertheless, two San Fran touchdowns (9:09 & 17:21) saw them take a 14-0 lead at the end of the first.
Jared Goff (who threw 2 costly interceptions) finally found some rhythm, but only managed a field goal drive (22:18). Thanks to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who made a bunch of short catches throughout the game, the Lions offense moved pretty well down the field. We also need to mention David Montgomery, who helped things chug along.
Finally, the Lions pulled off a stop, forcing the 49ers to punt. When Detroit received the ball, they finally earned their first touchdown of the game (32:17). A quick 2-yard TD pass to St. Brown saw the Lions down only 10-14. However, Deebo Samuel quickly shot down all hope with a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD (33:33). We honestly thought this was the end for Detroit.
However, the Lions kept pushing, even managing to stop another score by preventing Christian McCaffrey from converting a 4th down. Goff and the Lions failed to score, with the half ending 21-10. Nevertheless, Goff found the endzone early in the second half, with a bomb to Sam LaPorta (51:21). However, they failed to convert the 2-pt conversion.
The 49ers once again failed to do anything with the offense, and the Lions capitalized with another touchdown (1:01:16) thanks to David Montgomery. Newly acquired TE Zach Ertz converted the 2-pt conversion, putting the Lions up 24-21.
However, starting from 1:15:15 and beyond, San Fransisco proceeded to go on a scoring rampage. 17 unanswered points saw the 49ers take a 38-24 lead. At 1:22:19, the 49ers tacked on another score, both of which were scored by Deebo Samuel, by the way. The Lions managed to tack on another touchdown in garbage time. However, it was too little, too late.
Overall, Goff ended the day 35/45, 403 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Purdy ended the game 26/35, 307 yards, and three touchdowns. Overall, Mr. Irrelevant played a clean game of football. Additionally, both David Montgomery and Christian McCaffrey ran a combined 51 times for 131 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Madden doesn't know that the Lions use both Monty and Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield.
With the win, we'll see a Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl rematch, which just occurred during the 2019-2020 season. Kansas City won that affair 31-20, but both teams look completely different now. Brock Purdy hopes to help his team win their first Super Bowl since 1994. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs enter their third Super Bowl in six years. Overall, it should make for an exciting matchup.
However, we should note the outcome could change if Deebo Samuel doesn't play this weekend. In the simulation, he ended the day with three total touchdowns. We wonder just how much his absence could impact a powerful 49ers offense.
Lastly we can't help but feel sad that the Lions and Ravens didn't make it. While we congratulate the 49ers and Chiefs, we loved seeing Jackson play at an MVP level. Additionally, HC Dan Campbell makes this Lions team seem more passionate and he breathes life into every player. Overall, we hope to see more success from these teams in the future.
But who knows? Anyone can win, and these are just simulations after all.
That wraps up our Penultimate episode of the Madden 24 Simulates series. We look forward to seeing another exciting week of NFL matchups. However, we hope to see less Taylor Swift any time a Chiefs player makes a big play. We might just need Lamar Jackson to save us from such a fate.
Jokes aside, we honestly wonder to see what happens. Will Deebo and Sam LaPortal be healthy? Will we potentially see the return of Mark Andrews and Marlon Humphrey this postseason? Only time will tell. We hope you enjoy watching the Madden predictions above!
For more gaming, Madden Predictions, and NFL news, visit ClutchPoints.
Follow Us
Subscribe