2026 NFL Conference Championship Round Preview

January 23, 2026

by Steve Thomas

Welcome to Conference Championship weekend, everyone!  This year, Washington repeats it appearance in the NFC championship ga the Seahawks and the Rams battle it out for the NFC, and the Broncos and Patriots are still standing for the AFC after the officiating team blew the crucial catch / interception call last weekend to improperly gift the Broncos the win over the Bills.  Yes, I’m right about that.  Our game previews are below.

Playoff Seedings

AFC

1. Denver Broncos (14 – 3; 1st, AFC West; homefield advantage and bye)
2. New England Patriots (14 – 3; 1st, AFC East)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (13 – 4; 1st, AFC South)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (10 – 7; 1st, AFC North)
5. Houston Texans (12 – 5; 2nd, AFC South)
6. Buffalo Bills (12 – 5; 2nd, AFC East)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (11 – 6; 2nd, AFC West)

NFC

1. Seattle Seahawks (14 – 3; 1st, NFC West; homefield advantage and bye)
2. Chicago Bears (11 – 6; 1st, NFC North)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11 – 6; 1st, NFC East)
4. Carolina Panthers (8 – 9, 1st, NFC South)
5. Los Angeles Rams (12 – 5; 2nd, NFC West)
6. San Francisco 49ers (12 – 5; 3rd, NFC West)
7. Green Bay Packers (9 – 7 – 1; 2nd, NFC North)

2026 NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:

Championship Weekend

Sunday, Jan. 25

3:00 p.m. ET – New England Patriots (#2) at Denver Broncos (#1) (CBS, Paramount+)

6:30 p.m. ET – Los Angeles Rams (#5) at Seattle Seahawks (#1) (FOX)

Super Bowl LX

Sunday, Feb. 8

6:30 p.m. ET, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California (NBC, Telemundo, Peacock)

Halftime Show – another rapper half the country doesn’t want to watch, because the NFL doesn’t understand people sometimes want something besides R&B or rap #fire Jay-Z  Bad Bunny

Game Previews

New England Patriots (#2) at Denver Broncos (#1)

Early line: Patriots, -5.5

On offense, the Broncos scored 401 points this season, which is ranked 14th.  Quarterback Bo Nix completed 388 of 612 pass attempts, for a 63.4% completion percentage, 3931 yards, and 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 87.8.  However, Nix broke a bone in his ankle on the second to last play of the Broncos’ divisional round game against the Bills and is out for the remainder of the playoffs.  Consequently, backup Jarrett Stidham will start for the remainder of the playoffs.  Stidham has been in the NFL since 2019, but has only started 4 games.  In his career, he has completed 117 of 197 passes, a 59.4% completion percentage, for 1422 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, for a quarterback rating of 78.3.  As a team, Denver rushed for an average of 4.4 yards per carry, which was tied for 15th in the NFL.  On defense, the Broncos surrendered 311 points, which was third-least in the NFL.  Opposing quarterbacks had a combined quarterback rating of 78.7, which was ranked 5th.  On the ground, opposing defenses rushed for an average of 3.9 yards per carry, which was tied for 5th.

The Patriots scored 490 points this season, which was the second-most in the NFL.  Quarterback Drake Maye had the best quarterback rating in the league, at 113.5, plus the highest completion percentage at 72.0.  On the ground, the Patriots averaged 4.4 yards per carry, ranked 15th.  On defense, New England gave up 320 points, ranked 4th.  Opponents averaged 4.2 yards per carry on the ground, which was tied for 13th in the NFL.  Opposing quarterbacks earned a combined quarterback rating of 93.1, which was ranked 21st.

The Broncos and Patriots did not play each other this season.

Steve’s prediction:

Starting a backup in a conference title game is a tall order.  I don’t necessarily think that the Patriots are particularly tough team by Super Bowl standards, but they’ll win this game 27 – 17.

Los Angeles Rams (#5) at Seattle Seahawks (#1) 

Early line: Seahawks, -1.5

Offensively, the Seahawks are one of the more prolific offenses in the NFL, with a total of 483 points scored, which is ranked third.  Quarterback Sam Darnold posted a 67.6% completion percentage in 17 games this season, which put the Seattle as a team in fifth place in the NFL.  Jaxon Smith-Njigba is one of the NFL’s leading receivers, with 119 receptions in 163 targets, for 1793 yards (tops in the league) and 10 touchdowns.  As a team, the Seahawks averaged just 4.1 yards per carry on the ground; however, starting running back Kenneth Walker III had 1027 yards in 221 attempts, which is an average of 4.6 yards per carry.  As a result, the Seahawks are very balanced and capable on offense, and represent a serious challenge to every opponent.  Defensively, they surrendered 292 points this season, the best in the NFL, and allowed opposing quarterbacks to have a combined 62.5% completion percentage and a 77.9 quarterback rating, ranked 4th.  Their rushing defense is the best in the NFL, surrendering just 3.7 yards per carry.  The Seahawks are the top seed in the NFC for a reason.

The Rams had the #1 scoring offense in the NFL this year, and quarterback Jared Goff had a quarterback rating of 109.2.  They are also a talented rushing team, having averaged 4.6 yards per carry, which was tied for 9th in the league.  Receiver Puka Nacua led the league in number of receptions, with 129.  Running back Kyren Williams had 259 rushing attempts for 1252 yards, which was 4.8 yards per carry.  On defense, the Rams surrendered 346 points, which was ranked 10th.  Opposing quarterbacks earned an 87.0 quarterback rating, ranked 9th.  They were more middle of the road in rushing defense, with opposing offenses having averaged 4.3 yards per carry, ranked 19th.

The Rams and the Seahawks split their season series, with the Rams winning in week 11 by a score of 21 – 19, and the Seahawks winning in overtime in week 16 by a score of 38 – 37.

 Steve’s prediction:

The Rams are a resilient team, but I think the Seahawks get a close victory in a classic, 34 – 31.