The match-up for Super Bowl LVIII is set, with the Kansas City Chiefs to take on the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas for American football's ultimate prize. 

The Chiefs beat Baltimore 17-10 while the 49ers scored an epic 34-31 comeback win over Detroit and both conference championship games had their fair share of brilliance and blunders so here are five quick hits for the penultimate round of the NFL playoffs. 

1. Travis (Taylor's Version) Kelce winds back the clock

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's relationship has been a cultural phenomenon this season, with Swift quickly becoming the most famous NFL fan in the world. She was once again on hand to watch Kelce as the Chiefs' tight end had one of his best games of the year.

It's been a slower year for Kelce – he has had his fewest yards and touchdowns since 2016 – but the 34-year-old, like so many of his Chiefs teammates, knows how to save his best performances for the biggest stage. Kelce, who is still Patrick Mahomes's most trusted receiver, finished with 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown in a vintage display.

In doing so, he broke Jerry Rice's longstanding record for most playoff receptions. And if the Chiefs are to capture their third Super Bowl in five years, Kelce will form a big part of the game plan. It remains to be seen if Swift will make it to the game in Las Vegas though — she has a concert scheduled in Tokyo the night before the decider and her Australian tour starts just five days later.

2. L'Jarius Sneed makes the second effort

When a team makes four Super Bowls in five years it can be difficult to tell them all apart but this Chiefs team is constructed a little differently than the others. Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the league and is fast approaching legendary status, if he isn't there already, but this version of the Chiefs is powered more by diesel than rocket fuel.

With a dearth of options at receiver, the Chiefs have focused on building a strong defensive unit and relying on their experience to win as many of the little moments in a game as possible. This is a team that understands what it takes to win and how to make a second effort when it counts. At no time was that more apparent than during the Chiefs defensive back L'Jarius Sneed's forced fumble.

With Ravens receiver Zay Jones looking bound for a touchdown that would have narrowed the score to 17-14, Sneed punched the ball out at almost the last possible moment for a key turnover that gave the Chiefs a momentum they never surrendered. It was part of a horror passage for Jones, who had been penalised for taunting earlier in the drive before cutting his hand when he slammed a table in frustration on the sideline.

3. Detroit Rock City 

Some teams have a bad year. Until this season, Detroit had had a bad century. The Lions were the only team to play every season of the Super Bowl era without making an appearance in the big one, let alone bringing a Lombardi trophy back to the motor city. Their last championship came way back in 1957, which means it was closer to the end of the 19th century than to today. 

It shouldn't be a surprise then that the Lions faithful — and given the decades of losing they've endured they really are the faithful  — have reacted the way they have through this playoff run. 

The scenes at Ford Field, where thousands of fans packed into the stands to watch their side on the big screen, said it all. Detroit is a city that has been searching for a team to believe in for a very, very long time. And for the first half they had it as the Lions raced to a 24-7 lead. 

Even accounting for the collapse, this is still the best season many Detroit fans have ever seen — the last time the Lions made an NFC Championship game was almost three decades ago — but coming so close, even as they went down swinging after a late rally led by quarterback Jared Goff, will only make it hurt all the more. 

4. Purdy silences the doubters

Brock Purdy is one of the unlikeliest stars in the NFL. The 49ers quarterback was the very last player taken in the 2022 NFL draft. He became the team's starter due to a series of injuries last season only to look right at home operating Mike Shanahan's high-octane offence. 

But because Purdy comes from a less than stellar pedigree and because quarterback is the most scrutinised position in all of sport, every 49ers win and loss is a referendum on whether Purdy can bring a Super Bowl title back to the Bay Area. 

At half-time of the NFC Championship game, things were looking rough. The 49ers were down 24-7 and the Lions were giving a masterclass in tough, physical football. 

It took a little luck to get going. Purdy's deep ball to Brandon Aiyuk took a fortunate deflection off a Lions defensive back. But once Purdy found his groove, everything else fell into place. 

Purdy found his mojo, leading a riotous comeback to send the 49ers to Las Vegas in a terrific display of composure and execution from the pocket. He finished with 267 passing yards, a touchdown and five carries for 48 yards, and in leading the remarkable comeback made sure those who doubted him had to eat their words. 

5. Super Bowl rematch

There's a good reason this Super Bowl feels familiar. The two teams clashed in Super Bowl LIV back in 2020 in Miami. The Chiefs triumphed 31-20 that day, giving coach Andy Reid and Mahomes their first championships.