Prisco's NFL conference championship picks, plus Kliff Kingsbury drawing interest for OC jobs

Here's everything you need to know about the NFL for Jan. 24

By Cody Benjamin

Jan 24, 2024 at 1:00 pm ET • 4 min read

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Hello, everyone. Can you believe we're just four days away from learning which teams will go head to head in Super Bowl LVIII? John Breech is taking the day off in preparation for a possible Ravens victory, so you've got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver the latest.

This is the Pick Six newsletter. Now let's get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you're signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don't want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)

We've got Prisco's championship picks, coaching news, bold predictions for the title games and much more:

1. Today's show: Bold predictions for AFC, NFC title games

Pete Prisco and John Breech joined Will Brinson on the latest "Pick Six NFL Podcast" to offer bold predictions for Sunday's AFC and NFC championships, in which the Chiefs, 49ers, Lions and Ravens will all vie for a spot in Super Bowl LVIII. Some highlights:

Prisco likes Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco to eclipse 100 rushing yards against the Ravens' elite defense: "You have to beat them on the ground to open up the air," he said. "Andy Reid's gonna take his shots off the ground."
Breech wonders if the 49ers will lean even more on the run game against Detroit, despite the Lions' iffy secondary, mirroring the days of Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback: "Does Kyle Shanahan trust Brock Purdy enough to hand him the ball?"
San Francisco is poised to move the ball against the Lions no matter who's healthy, Prisco argues, but he also foresees a "crazy" shootout: "I think the way Ben Johnson calls a game, he's not gonna be conservative, he's gonna go down swinging."

Catch the full episode (and subscribe for all kinds of daily NFL talk) right here.

2. Prisco's picks: Chiefs, 49ers earn Super Bowl rematch

Pete Prisco has predicted every game of the 2023 NFL season. Now he's back with picks for the conference championships, and boy are these close, with Prisco forecasting a combined five-point margin of victory for Sunday's winners:

Chiefs 28, Ravens 26: The Chiefs won a tough road game at Buffalo on Sunday, but the defense had some issues with the Buffalo run game. If that's a problem against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, it will be a long day. ... As for Mahomes, he will be facing a defense that throws a lot of looks at a quarterback. But he's seen them all -- and had success against them all. I think he will be patient here as the Chiefs run it and he takes his shots off the run.
49ers 34, Lions 31: I think the key to beating the 49ers is to block them up front and take shots at a so-so secondary. That's what the Packers did last week, which is what the Lions will do in this one. They have to stay out of third-and-long situations, which means throwing on early downs, which coordinator Ben Johnson loves to do. The problem is the Lions have issues on defense, especially at corner. This has all the makings of a shootout. I think Jared Goff will play well for the Lions, but in the end it will be the 49ers heading to the Super Bowl.

3. Coaching carousel: Joe Barry out, Kliff Kingsbury interviewing

Here's the latest from the 2024 hiring cycle:

Packers fire Joe Barry: The maligned defensive coordinator spent three years at his post in Green Bay
Kliff Kingsbury drawing interest: The Eagles and Steelers are eyeing the ex-Cardinals coach as a potential coordinator
Rams' Zac Robinson an OC candidate: Both the Raiders and Steelers have interest in the passing game assistant
Raiders tab Tom Telesco as new GM: He spent the previous 11 years in the same role for the rival Chargers

4. Key injuries, players, bets for conference championships

Before you know it, the AFC and NFC championships will be kicking off, giving us our final two NFL games until the Super Bowl. Here's some important preview material to get you primed for the big matchups:

Injury tracker: Star weapons Deebo Samuel (49ers) and Mark Andrews (Ravens) are in wait-and-see mode
Five most important players in NFC title game: Samuel's status looms large over San Francisco's all-star lineup
Five most important players in AFC title game: The Ravens defense takes center stage here
SportsLine's best bets: Jason La Canfora dives into prop wagers and early picks for the AFC and NFC finales

5. All-Rookie Team: Rams lead NFL with four players

The Rams are no longer in the playoffs, but the fact they made it at all speaks to the unexpected talent showcased across Sean McVay's lineup this year. Los Angeles leads all NFL teams with four different players named to the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie Team, including star wide receiver Puka Nacua, who set a rookie record for most yards in 2023. Here's a look at some other notable first-year players to crack the honorary list:

QB -- C.J. Stroud (Texans)
RB -- Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), Bijan Robinson (Falcons)
WR -- Jordan Addison (Vikings), Puka Nacua (Rams)
TE -- Sam LaPorta (Lions)

6. Mock draft: Three QBs start first round, Fields to Raiders

Chris Trapasso is looking ahead to the 2024 offseason with another first-round projection for the draft. This time, he's got the Bears sending QB Justin Fields to the Raiders in advance of a signal-caller reset with the No. 1 overall pick. Here's his top five: