For the NFL fan, the divisional round might be the best weekend of the year. Eight teams, all of them contenders. Four games, all of them consequential — superstar plays, signature moments and season-ending stakes.
The NFL divisional round whittled the field down to four teams — the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams.
The weekend started in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, when the sixth-seeded Bills and top-seeded Broncos kicked off in Denver.
The first half was tense, and the score remained tight — until the Broncos scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds of the second quarter, opening up a 20-10 lead.
The second half began the same way the first ended: a Josh Allen fumble that the Broncos turned into three points, putting the Bills down 23-10.
Allen remained calm despite his turnovers and led the Bills to 17 unanswered points and a four-point lead in the fourth quarter.
A Bo Nix-to-Marvin Mims touchdown for the Broncos and a last-second Bills field goal tied the score at 30 apiece and sent the game to overtime — where a defensive stop and a long, penalty-aided drive that culminated in a short field goal gave the Broncos the win.
Superstar Bills quarterback Josh Allen faces yet another disappointing playoff elimination, and this time, the blame falls partially on his shoulders.
The excitement was quickly mitigated for Broncos fans, as it was reported moments after the game that Nix, Denver’s emerging star quarterback, broke his ankle on one of the final plays. Nix will miss the remainder of the playoffs.
The chaos seamlessly carried over into the Saturday night game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, as Seattle’s Rashid Shaheed took the opening kick 95 yards for a touchdown.
Seattle, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, looked the part in extending its lead to 17-0 by the end of the first quarter, going into halftime with a 24-6 lead and pitching a second-half shutout to win 41-6.
The Seahawks’ division rival and sixth-seeded 49ers couldn’t get much going, as San Francisco fell flat in the loss. Injuries derailed the 49ers, but Seattle ultimately executed its game plan to a T and would have proved a near-impossible task for any team.
Sunday action kicked off in Massachusetts, where the five-seed Houston Texans faced the two-seed New England Patriots.
The game was a defensive masterclass, with the two defenses combining for six takeaways in the first half alone — Houston’s C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions, and New England’s Drake Maye lost one fumble and threw a pick on a Hail Mary to end the half.
While both defenses shined all game long, the Patriots were able to capitalize on the glimpses of imperfection the Texans’ defense showed, while the Texans’ offense sputtered out completely, giving New England a 28-16 win.
The final bout of the divisional round kicked off Sunday at 6 p.m. in Chicago’s Soldier Field, with the five-seed Los Angeles Rams visiting the Chicago Bears.
In a slow but tense back-and-forth, the first half ended tied 10-10, with touchdowns by L.A.’s Kyren Williams and Chicago’s DJ Moore.
Williams’ second TD of the day gave the Rams a 17-10 lead with 8:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.
With 17 seconds left, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams retreated almost 30 yards backward before heaving a touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet to send the game to overtime.
A quick stop by the Bears’ defense only amounted to a Caleb Williams interception — and the Rams’ offense in turn drove into field-goal range and secured the win with a 42-yarder.
The Broncos, Seahawks, Patriots and Rams are each one game away from punching their ticket to the biggest stage in American sports: the Super Bowl.
In the AFC Championship, the Patriots will head to Denver to play the Jarrett Stidham-led Broncos.
Stidham has only started a handful of NFL games, and he hasn’t taken a snap since 2023, so the dominant Patriots defense will present a tall task for the Broncos and their backup quarterback.
Maye will also face one of the NFL’s top defenses, and for the second consecutive week he’ll have to find a way to take advantage of rare opportunities to come out on top.
The Seahawks and Rams will face off for the third time this season, this time for the NFC title.
The Rams are one of the most complete teams in the NFL, and the Seahawks are a buzzsaw when Darnold is hot, making the NFC title game a must-watch.
While the 2026 NFL playoffs have already provided fans with a buffet of wild moments, the chaos is just beginning.
Does backup Bronco Jarrett Stidham have some tricks up his sleeve? Are the Patriots on their way to another dynasty, less than a decade after commencing the post–Tom Brady era? Can Sam Darnold continue to play at a high level, or will the clock strike midnight on Seattle’s Cinderella story? Can Matt Stafford firmly cement his Hall of Fame case with a second Super Bowl ring?
In the NFL, there’s only one path to any level of certainty: play the games.