And then there were four: The Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams.

The exhilarating 2025/26 National Football League (NFL) season continued last weekend with the Divisional Round of the play-offs offering everything one can handle, and then some. The gridiron action was worth the price of admission, and the teams gave all they had, with everything on the line, except for the San Francisco 49ers who didn’t get the memo that they had a game to play.

Of course, with all the electric plays, eventful play-off drives, and breathtaking throws, ball security was apparently not very big on the agenda, as there were 12 interceptions and 11 fumbles in total, over the four games. It has not been confirmed for certain if it was the all-time worst turnover-fest in a single playoff weekend, but it certainly must rank near the top. Similarly surprising is the fact that the weekend’s closing game, which saw the Chicago Bears hosting the Rams, saw the visiting quarterback (QB), Matthew Stafford, with zero interceptions against a ball-hungry defence that led the league in interceptions (23). This was also the weekend’s only game where the home team didn’t win.

To kick off, last Saturday afternoon the Buffalo Bills and Broncos provided an instant classic in Denver, with the home team winning 33-30 in overtime, on a 23-yard field goal by Wil Lutz. Buffalo’s QB, Josh Allen, committed four turnovers, including two interceptions, one of which proved the final play of his season, and the last call for Sean McDermott as head coach of the Bills, who was fired on Monday, after nine years with the team. The Broncos advanced to the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game for the first time since 2015.

Sadly, Denver’s QB, Bo Nix, reportedly fractured his ankle nearing the end of the game and is out for the rest of the season. His replacement will be Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game in more than two years and has just four starts in his seven seasons in the league. A very bad sign for the Broncos as, of the six QBs since 1950 to have started a postseason game after not starting a single game in the regular season, only one has won. Buffalo’s Frank Reich, after replacing Jim Kelly in an epic wild card came, staged a comeback win against the Houston Oilers in 1992.

Later the same day, the Seahawks were merciless against the visiting San Francisco 49ers who, maybe due to a laundry list of injuries, severely underperformed, losing 41-6. This will be Seattle’s first trip to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship since 2014, where they defeated the 49ers 23-17. The previous year, they dominated Peyton Manning and the Broncos 43-8 to win Seattle’s only Super Bowl championship.

Next, the Patriots beat the Houston Texans 28-16 last Sunday afternoon in a matchup that was characterised by mis-handles and turnovers. New England’s QB, Drake Maye, threw for three touchdowns, but also tossed a pick and fumbled four times, losing two, while his counterpart, CJ Stroud, committed five turnovers, including four interceptions. That aside, the game was entertaining and the Patriots advanced to their 16th AFC Championship Game, but the first since appearing in eight straight from 2011 through 2018. This appearance will draw them level with the Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Championship participation.

Finally, not to be outdone by the weekend’s opener, the NFC also provided a classic of its own last Sunday night, with the Rams thwarting the Bears in overtime, 20-17. The game also provided (arguably) the pass of the year, when Chicago’s QB Caleb Williams found Cole Kmet for a miraculous 14-yard touchdown pass, thrown from the 40-yard line after an extended backwards scramble. Truly amazing.

Which takes us to present day, where the Broncos will invite the Patriots into Denver on Sunday afternoon, and the Seahawks will welcome the Rams later the same day. The Broncos were winners the last time they made this stage of the season, but without Nix under centre, and an untested Stidham in his place, the Patriots are favoured by JustBet, by almost a touchdown. Additionally, the Patriots are the only team undefeated in their travels this season (8-0) and, in the present situation, their presence in the Super Bowl is almost automatic, unless something really unexpected happens. That said, the Denver defence is not to be taken lightly and should keep them in the game, but the offense may not provide enough firepower to get them over the hump.

As for the second encounter, the Seahawks will be playing their fourth NFC Championship game, their previous three were also played in Seattle. As they are now, they were the top seed in the conference in the previous three, and they made it to the Super Bowl all three times, winning one. On the other side of the field, the Rams have participated in 11 conference championship games, winning eight, the last one being in 2022, where they defeated the 49ers 20-17, and went on to win their second Super Bowl, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. This promises to be a modern-day slugfest and JustBet offers the home team as slight favourites, by a little less than a field goal.

These are arguably the two best teams in the NFL this season, playing in the best division in the league, with three of the four NFC West teams making the playoffs. The Seahawks won a league-best 14 games, and the Rams won 12, but beyond wins, the defence-adjusted value over average (DVOA) metric puts both teams miles ahead of the rest. Seattle finished the regular season with an NFL-best 41.3 per cent DVOA rating, while Los Angeles finished No 2 at 39.9 per cent, and the next best team finished with a DVOA of 21.5 per cent. The Rams finished with the league’s top-scoring offence, while the Seahawks boast the league’s top scoring defence, and as division rivals, they played twice this season with the teams splitting the wins, with a point differential of 1.5 (Rams won, 21-19, in November and Seahawks won 38-37, in OT, in December). The stakes can’t get much higher and if it plays out as advertised, this promises to be must-watch content.

With the bookend games last weekend decided by three points, this postseason has already equalled any previous, with six games decided by four points or fewer in all rounds combined. With these two games this weekend, and the Super Bowl left to play, there is a very good chance that a new number will be set. All four teams have players with very lofty ambitions, and this is the only path for a spot in the big dance, but there is little room for any mistake. Are you ready for some football?

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Super Bowl LX Champion – February 8, 2026

Team Odds

Seattle Seahawks 2.48

Los Angeles Rams 3.20

New England Patriots 3.40

Denver Broncos 13.00

*Note: Odds are subject to change .