The NFL playoffs kicked off with the wild card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, with the Carolina Panthers hosting the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams started hot, gaining an early 14-0 lead before the Panthers came back to take a 24-20 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. In the end, the Rams won 34-31.
Later that night, during the Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, the Packers went into halftime with a 21-3 lead before the Bears staged a comeback where they made many defensive adjustments at halftime and were very aggressive when it came to rushing the passer, including defensive backs blitzing the Packers quarterback Jordan Love. After Brandon McManus missed a field goal late in the fourth quarter, the score remained 27-24 Packers. Quarterback Caleb Williams led the bears on a 66-yard touchdown drive to win 31-27.
On Sunday, Jan. 11, the afternoon game was between the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. During the second quarter, 49ers tight end caught a 6-yard reception and while coming down he tore his Achilles tendon and was carted off the field. The game was 16-10 Eagles heading into the fourth quarter, but on the first play of the fourth quarter 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings received the ball on an end around play and threw a 29-yard touchdown pass, aiding a 49ers 23-19 win.
The divisional round kicked off on Saturday, Jan. 17, with the Bills traveling to Denver to face off against the Denver Broncos. The Bills went into halftime with a 20-10 deficit, but after a comeback where Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes were able to force the game to overtime. In overtime, potentially the most controversial playcall of the season happened when Josh Allen completed a deep ball to wide receiver Brandon Cooks who had the ball in his hands until defensive back Ja’Quan McMillian ripped it out. After an official review, the play was called an interception. The Broncos won 33-30.
Later that night, the Seattle Seahawks hosted the San Francisco 49ers. The game opened up with Seattle wide receiver Rashid Shaheed taking the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The 49ers were unable to get anything done on offense, with quarterback Brock Purdy having to run a staggering 413 yards behind the line of scrimmage, but only had 37 rushing yards on the game. It ended in a demolition in the Pacific Northwest, with the Seahawks ultimately winning 41-6.
The conference championships took place on Sunday, Jan. 25, with the Broncos visiting the Patriots for the first game of the day. The Broncos were forced to start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham after Bo Nix broke his ankle on the third to last play of the game in their divisional game against the Bills. The Patriots, led by 23 year old quarterback Drake Maye scored 10 points and outlasted the Broncos in a snowy contest to win 10-7.
The final playoff game before the Super Bowl took place in Seattle, where the Seahawks played host to the Rams. The game was a tight offensive shootout, where both teams accounted for a combined 875 yards, but the Seahawks had just enough in the tank to win 31-27.
With the results of the playoffs in mind, it means the 2026 Super Bowl will be at Levi’s Stadium between the AFC representative New England Patriots and the NFC representative Seattle Seahawks. The game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 5:30 PM CST, with Puerto Rican musical artist Bad Bunny headlining the halftime show.
