If you woke up today, January 15, 2026, and started scrolling through your phone looking for national football league scores for today, you probably noticed something a little annoying. The scoreboard is empty. There are no live tickers. No games are currently being played. Honestly, it’s that weird "lull" week in the postseason where the chaos of Wild Card Weekend has settled, and we're all just sitting around waiting for the Divisional Round to kick off.
The NFL is a beast of habit, but they don’t play on Thursdays during the playoffs. People always forget this. We’ve been conditioned by months of Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime to expect a game mid-week, but once the postseason hits, the league shifts its focus entirely to the weekend.
What happened to the Wild Card winners?
We just came off a weekend that was, quite frankly, absurd. If you missed the scores from a few days ago, you missed some history. The Houston Texans didn't just win; they absolutely dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Monday night. It was their first road playoff win in franchise history. That’s a long time coming for a team that has spent years trying to find its identity.
Then you have the Chicago Bears. Caleb Williams is looking like the real deal, leading a massive fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Green Bay Packers 31-27. Chicago scored 25 points in the final quarter. Twenty-five! That's the third-most in playoff history for a single quarter.
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Here is the quick rundown of how we got to where we are right now:
- The Buffalo Bills narrowly escaped Jacksonville with a 27-24 win.
- The San Francisco 49ers pulled off a 23-19 upset against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.
- The New England Patriots handled the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in a game that was mostly a defensive slugfest.
- The Los Angeles Rams outlasted the Carolina Panthers 34-31.
Looking ahead to the Divisional Round
Since there aren't any national football league scores for today, everyone is looking toward Saturday. The bracket is set. The No. 1 seeds—the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks—are finally coming off their bye weeks. They're rested, but history shows that sometimes "rested" just means "rusty."
On Saturday, January 17, the Buffalo Bills travel to Denver. The Broncos finished the season 14-3, and Empower Field is going to be loud. Later that night, it's an NFC West war. The 49ers head to Seattle. These two teams split their regular-season series, so this is basically the rubber match with a trip to the NFC Championship on the line.
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Sunday is just as heavy. The Houston Texans have to go to Foxborough to face the Patriots. New England’s defense has been suffocating, but Houston’s momentum is scary right now. Finally, the Rams visit the Bears. It’s the first time Chicago has hosted a divisional game in 15 years. Soldier Field is going to be a frozen madhouse.
Why the schedule gaps matter
The league spaces these games out for a reason. Ratings. It’s always about the ratings. But for the players, this gap between Monday night and Saturday is a recovery window. The 49ers, for instance, are playing on only five days' rest after their win over the Eagles. That’s a huge disadvantage when you’re facing a Seahawks team that hasn't played a snap of meaningful football in nearly two weeks.
Predicting these games is a nightmare because of that rest-vs-rust factor. Usually, the home team with the bye has a massive statistical edge, but this year felt different. The Wild Card round saw road teams and lower seeds playing with a chip on their shoulder.
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If you're looking for something to watch tonight instead of searching for national football league scores for today, you're mostly stuck with NBA or college hoops. The NFL won't return until Saturday afternoon.
Actionable next steps for fans
Stop checking the live scores today; they won't update. Instead, use this time to prep for the weekend. Check your local listings for Saturday's kickoff at 4:30 PM ET for Bills vs. Broncos on CBS. If you’re a betting person, keep an eye on the injury reports for the 49ers—that short week is likely going to impact their defensive rotation. Most importantly, clear your Sunday evening by 6:30 PM ET for the Rams and Bears; it's shaping up to be the game of the year.