NFL picks for a Twilight Zone Conference Championship Round

That's a signpost up ahead. Your next stop: the Super Bowl!

I would never be decisive enough to make a list of the top five or 10 TV shows of all time, but if I were feeling ambitious enough to try, I know The Twilight Zone would be on there.

Yet for all its timeless episodes, and the ones that feel particularly relevant to today, not everything in The Twilight Zone library has aged perfectly. Take, for example, “The Mirror,” an episode in which Peter Falk (yes, Columbo) played a Fidel Castro-like character.

Despite its missteps, though, the moral of the story is still a good one. It boils down to the Nietzsche quote of “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.”

Six years ago, the up-and-coming Chiefs were on the verge of dethroning the Patriots, the NFL’s only modern-day dynasty. But the game went to overtime and Patrick Mahomes famously never got a chance to touch the ball as the Pats went on to the Super Bowl — which they also won, though it’d be for the last time in the Belichick-Brady era.

The Chiefs are now reaching the same status as the Patriots, even if they aren’t as villainous (Spygate, Deflategate, etc). They always win their division. They always play in, or at least play for, the Super Bowl. They seemingly get every call (even if the NFL is not really rigged in their favor).

For the average NFL fan, it’s pretty tiring! It is for players in the NFL too. We were finally free of the Patriots dynasty, only for another to come along and dominate our Januarys.

I still had hope last week before the Divisional Round began that some team would take down KC. The offense isn’t quite as prolific as in the past, and the 11-0 record in one-score games just doesn’t seem sustainable.

But something about the way every game unfolded left me with a sinking feeling. The Texans kept it close until another questionable penalty, and another unthinkable Mahomes-Kelce touchdown, put the nail in their coffin in the fourth quarter. The Lions’ injuries finally caught up to them. The Rams couldn’t handle the snow (or Saquon Barkley again). The Ravens couldn’t get out of their own way, just like every year at this time.

And that feeling was, like my Conference Championship Round picks reveal, that we are headed for the same Super Bowl matchup we got two years ago.

My picks, in case you couldn’t guess, are in bold below, along with the odds from DraftKings.

Commanders at Eagles (-6)

Bills at Chiefs (-1.5)

But my instincts aren’t always accurate — just look at my 1-3 record last week!

So, to avoid being a doomer, I will offer up a few reasons why the Bills and Commanders could pull off the upset on Sunday. Because they absolutely can, as Christian attests with his picks.

Conference Championship Round picks

Eagles over Commanders

Why I think the Eagles will win: Saquon Barkley and Philly’s defense have been on a tear — really for most of the season, but especially lately. And both can handle what Washington throws at them. Barkley rushed for more than 145 yards and two touchdowns in both meetings with the Commanders this season. And while Jayden Daniels has thrown just nine interceptions all year, one-third of them have come against the Eagles.

Why the Commanders can win: We know they can win as underdogs. They’ve done it twice this postseason on the road, which no other team has even done once. That’s given them a lot of momentum heading into a showdown with an opponent they know well. And if it comes down to quarterback play, Daniels has been completely unflappable while Jalen Hurts has been dealing with a knee injury — and the Washington defense will not take it easy on him, just like it didn’t last time.

Chiefs over Bills

Why I think the Chiefs will win: Because they’ve been here before, know how to win, and have devil magic on their side. You think I’m joking, but when Josh Allen — who has been great against Kansas City in the regular season and who has rarely turned the ball over this year — inexplicably coughs the ball up five times on Sunday, you’ll understand what I mean.

Why the Bills can win: They were the only team to beat the Chiefs and their starters this season. And the only time in the last 3.5 months that Buffalo has lost with its starters came in a two-point shootout with the Rams.

Allen didn’t do much last week in the win over the Ravens, but he also didn’t need to. And the way he didn’t try to force anything showed growth from him, the kind that he’ll need to bring with him to Arrowhead Stadium.

Yes, they’ve been here before and always fall short. But it just takes that one time to break through and change the narrative. Look at Peyton Manning in 2006, or the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, or Ryan Day this past week.

Maybe Allen and the Bills will be the ones to finally topple this budding dynasty — just, please, don’t become one if you do.