The tension in Foxborough was so thick you could basically carve it with a steak knife. Football in January hits different, especially when you’re looking at a bracket that’s already been blown wide open by Saturday’s chaos. If you spent your weekend glued to the couch, you saw two heavyweights punch their tickets to the conference championships while two others went home wondering where it all went wrong.
Honestly, the sunday football final scores from this Divisional Round didn't just tell us who won; they told us who actually has the grit to survive until February.
The Patriots Defense Suffocates Houston
Drake Maye is the name on everyone’s jerseys, but today was about that New England defense. They didn’t just beat the Houston Texans; they dismantled them. C.J. Stroud spent most of the afternoon looking for an exit strategy while Robert Spillane and the Pats’ front seven treated the Houston pocket like a mosh pit.
Final Score: New England Patriots 24, Houston Texans 10.
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It wasn’t flashy. New England didn't need to be. TreVeyon Henderson ground out the tough yards, finding the end zone twice and keeping the clock moving like a metronome. The Texans had their maiden road playoff win last week in Pittsburgh, but Gillette Stadium in the cold is a different beast entirely. Stroud was held to under 200 yards passing, a staggering stat considering how he’s been lighting up the league lately.
Caleb Williams and the Soldier Field Magic
If you’re a Chicago fan, you’ve waited fifteen years for a run like this. The atmosphere at Soldier Field was absolutely electric. People were calling it the most important game in the city since 2010, and kid, did the Bears deliver. They faced a Los Angeles Rams team that many experts—including the Vegas sharps—expected to walk away with a win.
Final Score: Chicago Bears 27, Los Angeles Rams 24.
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Caleb Williams didn't look like a rookie. Or a sophomore. He looked like a guy who’s been here a dozen times. Down by four with six minutes left, Williams orchestrated a 75-yard drive that culminated in a D’Andre Swift touchdown plunge. Sean McVay tried to dial up the late-game heroics with Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua, but the Bears' secondary held firm when it mattered most.
Why the Sunday Football Final Scores Matter for Next Week
The bracket is set. The dust has settled. We are looking at a collision course that few predicted back in August.
- The AFC Championship: New England will travel to Denver. The Broncos are coming off that wild 33-30 overtime win against Buffalo, but they’re doing it without Bo Nix, who’s out with a broken ankle. Jarrett Stidham vs. Drake Maye? That’s the matchup nobody had on their bingo card.
- The NFC Championship: The Bears are headed to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle is currently the betting favorite after that 41-6 absolute thumping of the 49ers on Saturday.
Lessons from the Field
Defense still wins championships. It’s a cliché because it’s true. Look at New England. They didn't have the most explosive offense on the field today, but they had the discipline. Houston turned the ball over three times. You can't do that in the Divisional Round and expect to book a flight to the next city.
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Experience is also overrated when you have raw talent like Caleb Williams. The Rams had the "been there, done that" advantage with Stafford, but Chicago had the hunger. That home-field advantage at Soldier Field is real, especially when the wind starts swirling off the lake and the crowd starts sensing a legacy-defining win.
The road to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara is getting narrow. Only four teams are left standing. If today's sunday football final scores proved anything, it’s that the regular season stats are officially garbage. It’s all about who can handle the pressure of the fourth quarter when the season is on the line.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Check the injury reports for the Denver Broncos early this week; the shift from Bo Nix to Jarrett Stidham will drastically move the betting lines for the AFC Championship.
- Secure your tickets or viewing plans for the NFC Championship early, as the Seattle vs. Chicago matchup is expected to be the highest-rated game of the year so far.
- Monitor weather forecasts for Denver and Seattle; both host cities are expecting freezing temperatures which will favor the power-running games of New England and Seattle.