What teams are Steelers fans pulling for in the Conference Championship Games?

Jan 28, 2023 - 4:30 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season has come to an end. For Steelers fans, this means six and a half months until the team takes the field in the preseason for the 2023 season. While some fans may be done with football because their beloved Steelers came up just short of qualifying for the postseason, others, like myself, will still take in every bit of the NFL action they can get to try to shorten the offseason as much as possible.

For those of you who will be following the AFC and NFC Championship Games this weekend, which teams will you be pulling for in each game? Are you cheering for one team because you want them to win, or is it because you want their opponent to lose? Are you pulling for or against a former member of the Steelers currently on a team?

When it comes to the betting lines for the games, the following information is the current consensus spread this week as reported by DraftKings Sportsbook.

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San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday at 3:00 PM on FOX
Spread: PHI (-2.5)

San Francisco 49ers
Notable former Steeler: Ray-Ray McCloud

I spoke before about the 49ers being a team who could push their way all the way to championship as they won their final nine game of the season. With their win streak now at 11, they travel across the country to face the Eagles for the first time this season. Although Steelers fans might not want to see another team tie their Lombardi count at six, the 49ers haven’t won a Super Bowl since the 1994 season.

Philadelphia Eagles
Notable former Steeler: Javon Hargrave

Even though the Philadelphia Eagles are considered by some to be cross-state rivals, being in a different conference means their matchups against the Pittsburgh Steelers are few and far between. With Philly only having one Super Bowl win to their name, although they do have three NFL Championships, it’s not like they’re threatening the Steelers in terms of Lombardi trophies. I’m quite curious to see if Steelers fans look down on the green team from the wrong side of PA or if they will pull for their fellow Pennsylvanians.

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Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday at 6:30 PM on CBS
Spread: KAN (-1.5)

Cincinnati Bengals
Notable former Steeler: Mike Hilton

This is an interesting choice for Steelers fans. While most of those I speak to do not pull for division rivals in the postseason, others think that the division doing well only makes the AFC North look stronger. Either way, the Bengals have had the Chiefs’ number in recent years as they have defeated them in their last three matchups including the postseason. The last time the Bengals lost to the Chiefs was in Week 7 of 2018.

Kansas City Chiefs
Notable former Steeler: JuJu Smith-Schuster

There will be plenty of those in the Steelers’ Nation who will be pulling for the Chiefs simply because they don’t want to see the Bengals return to the Super Bowl. But are the Chiefs that much better of an option? With Patrick Mahomes dinged up and not playing at 100%, the Chiefs have a tougher task trying to avenge the last loss on their schedule which came in Cincinnati in Week 13. Plus, it’s difficult for someone to beat a playoff team four-stright times over the last two seasons. Perhaps the Chiefs will break the Bengals winning streak as they look to win their seventh-straight game of the season.

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So there are the four teams remaining who will play in the Conference Championships Games on Sunday. As a Steelers fan, which team are you pulling for in each matchup? Are you wanting one team to win, or is your choice based more on wanting another to lose?

Make sure you vote in the poll and give your thoughts in the comments below.