Is the National Football League’s season going to end where it started?
When the season kicked off with their traditional Thursday night home opener hosted by the defending Super Bowl Champion the game was played in Kansas City between the Chiefs and Detroit Lions. That game was a close decision that went to the visitors, 21-20.
Now, after 18 regular season weeks and two postseason weeks, the two teams that opened the season are still left in the running for Super Bowl LVIII. Both are underdogs, the Lions are in San Francisco to meet the 49ers, and the Chiefs look to extend their defense of their Super Bowl LVII triumph when they visit Baltimore and do battle with the Ravens.
The 49ers are favored by seven points, the Ravens by three-and-one-half.
The 49ers were the top seed in the National Football Conference and the Ravens the top seed in the American Football Conference. Prior to 1975, the NFL predetermined which divisions had the home field advantage in the playoffs before the season began, but starting in 1975, home playoff games were determined by regular season records.
Fourteen times the two teams meeting in the Super Bowl were the top seeds from their conference. As for Super Bowl winners, a number one seed has won 26 times, a second seed 10 times, a third seed, fifth seed and sixth seed twice each. The fourth seed has produced six Super Bowl Champions.