National Football League

NFL championship weekend: McVay, Stafford among those 'Under Duress'

Updated Jan. 28, 2022 2:42 p.m. ET

We're just three games away from deciding an NFL champion for the 2021-22 season.

It's put-up or shut-up time for the four teams that remain, and the pressure to put up has never been higher. But only five men can comprise Chris Broussard's "Under Duress" list.

This is the quintuplet the "First Things First" host believes are facing the most pressure heading into the weekend.

Chris Broussard shares who's "Under Duress" for championship Sunday

Broussard reveals which players he thinks are facing the most pressure in this weekend's AFC and NFC championship games.

5. Kansas Chiefs DT Chris Jones

The outlook: Jones went without a sack and recorded just one tackle in K.C.'s thrilling overtime win over Buffalo last week. And as he struggled, Josh Allen ran roughshod on the Chiefs' defense, complementing a historic passing day with 68 yards on the ground. Joe Burrow doesn't possess the rushing capabilities that Allen does, but the Chiefs are all-too-familiar with the damage he can do with his arm when given a clean pocket. He passed for 446 yards and four TDs in Cincy's 34-31 win over K.C. on Jan. 2.

Broussard's thoughts: "Two summers ago, Jones went LeBron [James] when he said — not one, two, three, four — he said the Chiefs were going to win five Super Bowls. You better get moving on that, you need to win one this year if you're going to get six Super Bowls. There's no excuse, that offensive line for Cincinnati is beyond leaky. Nine sacks they allowed last week against Tennessee. You are the Chiefs' best sack man, you had two against Cincinnati in the regular-season matchup, get to the quarterback."

4. San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo

The outlook: Jimmy G was not the man most responsible for the Niners' divisional win over the Packers. In fact, the Niners were able to muster a win in spite of his blunders, which included an untimely INT in the red zone. San Francisco has been able to scrape together wins while using Garoppolo's assets periodically, but it's going to be more difficult to run comfortably given the massive presence of Aaron Donald inside. Jimmy G is going to have to take care of the football and make some big throws if S.F. is going to win.

Broussard's thoughts: "Jimmy Garoppolo is by far the worst quarterback remaining in the playoffs, so in a sense you could say he's playing with house money. He's not only playing to win his next game, he's playing for his next employer. We all know the plan is get rid of Jimmy G this offseason and go with Trey Lance, but what if he leads them to the Super Bowl, or wins it? Are you still moving on? But even if they do move on, one of those top teams out there that doesn't get Aaron Rodgers, will look at you like ‘that’s our guy.'"

3. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

The outlook: Mahomes made magic happen in K.C.'s overtime victory last Sunday. But the last time he played the Bengals, his team was unable to pull out a win. Mahomes was unstoppable last week: throwing for 378 yards on a 33-for-44 clip, and adding three TDs. Does he have more wizardry up his sleeve to vault his squad over the hump?

Broussard's thoughts: "He is the best quarterback in the league. He's coming off a historic performance. This is all about expectations. I said he's got GOAT potential. Nick [Wright], you said he's the best football player you've ever seen. Well, the best football player of all time can't follow up that tremendous game last week with an L. If he's the GOAT, he's got to win a bunch of Super Bowls."

2. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay

The outlook: Sean McVay has yet to win the big one. He's gotten incredibly close, dropping a Super Bowl outing against the Patriots in 2019, 13-3. But the widely heralded coach is now staring his best opportunity to return to the game right in the face. His opponent has gotten the better of him numerous times in recent matchups, though. He'll garner worlds of adulation if he can pull out a win on Sunday.

Broussard's thoughts: "Similar to Mahomes, he's the golden boy. But if you're the NFL's golden-boy coach, you can't be losing to another young coach every single time you face him, and Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco have McVay's number. He's beaten him six straight times, including twice this year. McVay has got to get over this hump if he wants to live up to the potential everybody thinks he has, and win that Super Bowl for the Rams."

1. Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford

The outlook: Opinions on Stafford tend to vary widely. Some people love him, while others think he's incapable of attaining a Super Bowl ring. Now, he has his biggest chance yet to silence his critics. Stafford has been prone to mistakes in the past, and though he's kept things together in this postseason, some believe he's still a turnover waiting to happen. He succumbed to the TO bug last time he played San Francisco, giving away two INTs in his team's 27-24 OT loss in the regular season's final game.

Broussard's thoughts: "Nick and [Kevin] Wildes, you can crown [Stafford] if you want, but I am not going to just yet. Yes, he's silenced the doubters as to whether or not he can play in big games. But he has not yet justified a trade in which you gave up a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback who got you to the Super Bowl, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick. You've got to get us to the big game my man, especially when you're facing an inferior quarterback. You've got the best defensive player of this generation, the best cornerback arguably in the league, arguably the best receivers, a nice, strong running game now, and a good coach. What's the excuse? This isn't Detroit anymore."