The NFL season is coming to a close. There are just three more games left on the schedule, and only four teams remain in the Super Bowl hunt.

At this point, it’s anyone’s game. All four teams remaining have a real shot at winning it all. It will all come down to who can execute the best when the lights are the brightest.

Both conference championship games could go either way, so I examined each of the four remaining teams and identified one key factor they must address to advance to the Super Bowl this year.

Denver Broncos: Pressure Drake Maye Consistently

The Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl hopes took a massive blow when Bo Nix broke his ankle on the second-to-last offensive play of the game against the Bills. But they’re still standing, and I don’t think their beating the New England Patriots is all that far-fetched.

The Broncos have one of the best and most efficient pass rushes the NFL has ever seen. They rank fifth all-time in total sacks in the regular season (68), and the only other team this century to record more is the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles. Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper and Co. are going to put pressure on Drake Maye, but they need to make sure it’s consistent all game long, because if it is, Maye is going to struggle.

During the regular season, Maye completed 72 percent of his passes when pressured. He was credited with eight turnover-worthy plays, which was about 3.2 percent of his throws when pressured. Through his first two postseason games, those numbers have gotten worse.

Through two games in the playoffs, Maye is completing 55.6 percent of his throws for 109 yards and one touchdown when pressured. He hasn’t thrown a pick yet, but he’s been credited with four turnover-worthy plays (18.2 percent). He’s also taken 10 sacks and has a pressure-to-sack rate of 45.5 percent, which is drastically higher than his 20.6 percent in the regular season.

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If the Broncos can put pressure on Maye consistently, the Patriots are going to struggle to score points. Denver might struggle too, but if they can keep this a low-scoring game, they could win it.

New England Patriots: Keep Being Aggressive Defensively

The obvious key for the Patriots would be to protect Drake Maye, but since we’ve already covered that in Denver’s key, I went for something different. If the Patriots want to advance to the Super Bowl, they need to keep being aggressive defensively.

What I mean by that is, they need to not play scared. When there’s a pass up for grabs, try to pick it off. When you have an opportunity to try to punch a ball out, go for it. They’ve been excellent at forcing turnovers all season (10th in the regular season with 1.3 per game), and it’s carried over to the postseason, which is why they’ve had so much success.

In their first two playoff games, they’ve forced a combined six turnovers, including five against Houston last week. I’m not saying they need to force 3+ again this week, but they’re going up against a very inexperienced quarterback who is going to be in way over his head. There are going to be opportunities to pick off a pass or two or force a strip sack, so they need to be ready to take advantage of them.

The more they can rattle Jarrett Stidham, the better. And there’s no better way to get under a quarterback’s skin than putting him under pressure and forcing turnovers.

Seattle Seahawks: Get Kenneth Walker Rolling Again

If you watched last week’s game, you’d have no idea Sam Darnold was battling through an oblique injury, and that’s because he hardly had to throw the football. He had 17 attempts, his second-lowest total of the entire season, 124 yards, his lowest total of the season, and one touchdown. Despite that, the Seahawks still put 41 points on the board. You know why? Kenneth Walker.

Kenneth Walker ran like his hair was on fire last week after Zach Charbonnet went out with a torn ACL. The former Michigan State star ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. The 49ers had absolutely no answer for him, and it allowed Darnold to take a backseat and not have to strain his injury even further. He only had to throw two passes over 20 yards downfield all game long.

That’s the key for them again this week. The Los Angeles Rams have a high-flying offense that’s capable of scoring a lot of points (which Seattle knows from experience). If they can get Walker rolling and control the clock, therefore keeping the ball out of Matthew Stafford’s hands, they can keep Darnold from having to do too much and potentially putting himself (and the football) in harm’s way.

It won’t be easy, though. The Rams have an extremely talented defense that finished the regular season 11th in rushing yards allowed per game. They’re going to try to make Darnold beat them with his arm, but Klint Kubiak needs to stay committed to the run.

Los Angeles Rams: Attack Seattle’s Secondary

The Seahawks have one of the best defenses in football, and their secondary just played a great game against the 49ers in the Divisional Round, but if the Rams are going to win this game, they need to attack the Seahawks’ secondary, just like they did in their first two meetings.

The Seahawks and Rams split their first two meetings, but Matthew Stafford was cooking them for seven of the eight (technically nine, including overtime) quarters they played. In two games, Stafford threw for 587 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions while leading the Rams to 29 points per game. They would’ve won both meetings if their offense didn’t stall out late in the second one, but that wasn’t all on Stafford. He’s been great against Seattle, and this is not the game to play scared.

The Rams have Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, who led the league in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, respectively, but they also have Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee, who will play a role in this game as well. They have plenty of weapons to attack this secondary, so there’s no reason Stafford can’t have a big game again.

If the Rams win this game, it’s going to be because of Stafford. The MVP frontrunner is going to need another career-defining performance if he wants a chance to capture his second Super Bowl in the last five years.