Snow in Foxborough and a heart-stopping overtime thriller in the Windy City. Honestly, if you didn't have your eyes glued to the TV this Sunday, January 18, 2026, you missed a chaotic chapter of NFL history. The Divisional Round just wrapped up, and we finally know who is heading to the Conference Championships.
The bracket is set. The favorites were tested. Some survived by the skin of their teeth, while others got absolutely bullied.
What Are the Scores in the NFL Games Today?
The Sunday slate featured two massive matchups that lived up to the hype, though for very different reasons. In the early window, the New England Patriots took care of business at home against the Houston Texans. Later that night, the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears went to war in a game that needed extra time to decide a winner.
New England Patriots 28, Houston Texans 16
This wasn't exactly a masterpiece of modern football. It was messy. It was wet. Drake Maye, in only his second season, looked every bit like the future of the franchise, but he also fumbled four times. Luckily for him, C.J. Stroud had a nightmare afternoon, tossing four interceptions. Marcus Jones even took one of those back for a 26-yard pick-six that basically broke the Texans' spirit. New England is now officially heading to Denver to face the Broncos for the AFC title.
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Los Angeles Rams 20, Chicago Bears 17 (OT)
If the early game was a defensive slugfest, this was a rollercoaster. Caleb Williams heaved a prayer to Cole Kmet with 18 seconds left in regulation to force overtime—a 51-yard air-travel bomb that silenced the critics for a moment. But in OT, the "Thiccer Kicker" Harrison Mevis nailed a 42-yard field goal to send the Rams to the NFC Championship. Matthew Stafford just keeps finding ways to win these close ones.
Looking Back at Saturday’s Blowouts
To understand the full scope of the weekend, you have to look at what happened yesterday. While Sunday was about close calls and sloppy weather, Saturday was about absolute dominance and overtime drama of a different flavor.
- Denver Broncos 33, Buffalo Bills 30 (OT): A classic. Denver managed to outlast Josh Allen in a high-altitude shootout that set the stage for next week's AFC Championship Game at Mile High.
- Seattle Seahawks 41, San Francisco 49ers 6: This wasn't even a game; it was a crime scene. Sam Darnold led a Seahawks team that looked unstoppable, holding the Niners without a single touchdown.
The Turnovers That Defined Sunday
We have to talk about the New England game for a second. It's rare to see a team win while fumbling as much as the Patriots did. They finished with three total turnovers and several more "oh no" moments where the ball was on the turf.
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But C.J. Stroud’s performance was the real story. After a shaky Wild Card win against Pittsburgh, he just couldn't find his rhythm in the Foxborough rain. Four interceptions in a single playoff game is a death sentence. The Patriots' defense, led by Marcus Jones and rookie safety Craig Woodson, simply baited him into mistakes all afternoon.
Why Today’s Results Change the Super Bowl Conversation
People were ready to crown the Texans as the next AFC powerhouse. That's on hold now. New England has proven they don't need to play perfect football to win; they just need to be more disciplined than the person across from them.
The Rams, meanwhile, are the ultimate "zombie" team. You think they’re dead, and then Matthew Stafford completes a 16-yarder to Puka Nacua to set up a game-winning kick. They’re veteran-heavy and battle-tested. Heading into Seattle next week won't scare them, even after the Seahawks put 41 points on the board against San Francisco.
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Next Week's Schedule: The Conference Championships
With today's results finalized, we have two incredible matchups on deck for Sunday, January 25, 2026.
- AFC Championship: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (3:05 p.m. ET on CBS).
- NFC Championship: Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (6:40 p.m. ET on FOX).
Denver will host the AFC game as the top seed, while Seattle earns the home-field advantage in the NFC after their dismantling of the 49ers. It's basically a collision course of the league's most efficient defenses and some of the most opportunistic offenses we've seen in years.
How to Prepare for the Championship Games
If you're planning your weekend around these games, keep an eye on the injury reports coming out of the Rams-Bears game. Matthew Stafford took four sacks and looked a bit slow getting up toward the end of overtime.
Also, watch the weather in Denver. The Patriots just won in the snow, but the thin air at Empower Field is a different beast entirely. Drake Maye’s ability to protect the football will be the single most important factor if New England wants to make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time in the post-Brady era.
Start checking the betting lines early Monday morning. Seattle is likely to open as a significant favorite over the Rams given their recent 35-point margin of victory, but never count out a Stafford-led offense in a dome-like atmosphere, even if Lumen Field is anything but quiet.