What a weekend. Seriously. If you’ve been keeping track of the nfl playoff games today scores, you know the "script" just got tossed into a paper shredder. We came into Sunday expecting a battle of the titans, and while we got plenty of drama, the real story is the carnage left behind in the AFC and NFC brackets.
Football in January is supposed to be about grit. It's supposed to be about the big names stepping up. But today? Today was about survival. Between the snow in Chicago and the massive injury news coming out of Denver, the road to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara just got a whole lot weirder.
The Scoreboard: Who’s Moving On and Who’s Going Home?
Let’s get the numbers out of the way first because that’s why you’re here. We are officially through the Divisional Round, and the Final Four is set.
AFC Divisional Round Results
On Saturday, the Denver Broncos barely escaped with a 33-30 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills. It was a classic Josh Allen vs. the world scenario, but the Bills couldn't close the door. However, that victory came at a massive cost.
Then we had the Sunday matinee: Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots. This was the Drake Maye show. The Patriots' young signal-caller looked every bit the MVP contender, leading New England to a clinical victory at Gillette Stadium. The Texans' historic run—which included their first-ever road playoff win last week—finally hit a wall against that Belichick-influenced defense.
NFC Divisional Round Results
Saturday night was a bloodbath. The Seattle Seahawks absolutely dismantled the San Francisco 49ers with a 41-6 final score. I don’t think anyone saw a 35-point margin coming, especially in a rivalry game. Kenneth Walker III was a human cheat code, racking up three touchdowns.
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The late-night finale today featured the Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears. Soldier Field was a mess—18 degrees with snow showers. It was "old school" football in the worst way possible. Caleb Williams and the Bears were trying to keep the magic alive after that 18-point comeback against Green Bay last week, but Sean McVay’s Rams are a different beast in January.
The Bo Nix Disaster: A Bittersweet Win for Denver
You have to feel for Denver. They won. They're heading to the AFC Championship. But they're doing it without their leader.
Head coach Sean Payton confirmed the nightmare today: Bo Nix is out for the season with a broken ankle that requires surgery. It happened late in that overtime thriller against Buffalo. Nix was the engine of that offense, and watching him go down after such a gutsy performance—including that 26-yard strike to Marvin Mims Jr.—is a tough pill for Broncos Country to swallow.
Now, the season rests on the shoulders of Jarrett Stidham. Look, Stidham has been in the league for six years. He backed up Tom Brady. He knows the system. But he didn't throw a single pass during the 2025 regular season. Asking him to step into a conference championship game against the Patriots is a tall order.
Seattle is Looking Unstoppable (No, Seriously)
If you didn't watch the Seahawks-49ers game, the score 41-6 tells most of the story, but not all of it. Rashid Shaheed opened the game with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. From that moment on, San Francisco looked like they wanted to be anywhere else but Lumen Field.
Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his life. Despite an oblique injury that had him limited in practice, he managed the game perfectly. He completed 12 of 17 passes, but he didn't need to do much else because the Seattle defense forced three turnovers.
The most telling stat? The 49ers, a team known for their offensive creativity, didn't find the end zone once. Not once. Mike Macdonald has that defense playing at a level we haven't seen in Seattle since the Legion of Boom days.
Chicago’s "Monsters of the Midway" Moment
The atmosphere at Soldier Field today was electric, despite the sub-zero wind chill. The Bears haven't been this deep in the playoffs since 2010. Caleb Williams has definitely changed the culture in Chicago, but the Divisional Round is a different level of pressure.
The Rams came in as 4-point favorites, mostly because of their experience. Matthew Stafford has seen every coverage imaginable, and even in the snow, he was finding Cooper Kupp on those intermediate routes that move the chains.
For the Bears, this season was a massive success regardless of the today's outcome. They beat the Packers in a playoff game—which is basically a Super Bowl for North Side fans—and they finally have "The Guy" at quarterback. But the gap between a "good young team" and a "Super Bowl contender" showed up in the second half today.
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Looking Ahead: The Conference Championship Matchups
The bracket is finally set for Sunday, January 25. Here is what the final path to the Super Bowl looks like:
- AFC Championship: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (3:05 p.m. ET on CBS)
- NFC Championship: Rams/Bears winner at Seattle Seahawks (6:40 p.m. ET on FOX)
The big question now is the line for that AFC game. Normally, the #1 seed Broncos would be heavy favorites at home, but with Nix out and Stidham in, expect the Vegas oddsmakers to move this significantly toward Drake Maye and the Patriots.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a bettor or just a die-hard fan trying to map out next weekend, here are the three things you need to track over the next 48 hours:
- Monitor the Broncos' QB Room: Watch for any veteran signings. While Stidham is the guy, Denver might bring in a "break glass in case of emergency" veteran by Tuesday.
- Check the Seattle Injury Report: Sam Darnold’s oblique injury didn't stop him today, but those things can tighten up. If he’s limited in practice this week, it changes the dynamic of the NFC Championship.
- Weather Reports for the Pacific Northwest: The road to the Super Bowl goes through Seattle. If it's raining sideways at Lumen Field next Sunday, the Seahawks' run game becomes even more lethal.
The 2026 playoffs are proving that seeding matters, but health matters more. We’re down to the final four teams, and honestly, at this point, any of them could be lifting the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara next month.