Who will round out the NFL‘s final four?
The opening Divisional Round games Saturday saw the No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks advance to the AFC and NFC Championship Games, respectively. Denver outlasted the No. 6 Buffalo Bills 33-30 in an overtime thriller, but lost quarterback Bo Nix for the rest of the postseason with a broken ankle. Seattle, meanwhile, bounced the divisional rival No. 6 San Francisco 49ers with a 41-6 blowout win.
The Broncos and Seahawks will each find out their next opponent Sunday as the Divisional Round of the playoffs concludes with a double-header. Denver will host either the No. 2 New England Patriots or No. 5 Houston Texans in the AFC title game, while Seattle will host either the No. 2 Chicago Bears or No. 5 Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game.
The Sunday Divisional Round slate begins in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as the Patriots welcome in the Texans. The Pats are coming off their first playoff victory since the franchise’s 2018 championship season, taking down the No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers 16-3. MVP candidate Drake Maye threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, while adding 66 yards on the ground, in his playoff debut.
While the Chargers boast a strong defense, Maye and Co. are faced with an even tougher challenge this round. Houston’s defense finished the regular season ranking first in yards allowed (277.2 per game) and second in points allowed (17.2 per game). And the elite defensive unit then powered the Texans to their first road playoff win in franchise history.
Houston held the No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers to just 175 yards of offense and scored two defensive touchdowns en route to a 30-6 victory. On the other side of the ball, though, Nico Collins suffered a concussion in the win, and the Texans won’t have their top offensive weapon against New England.
The Texans are looking to advance beyond the Divisional Round for the first time in franchise history.
The Divisional Round finale takes place in the Windy City as the Bears battle the Rams on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Both Chicago and Los Angeles needed some late-game heroics in the Wild Card Round to keep their seasons alive.
The Bears overcame an 18-point halftime deficit against the NFC North rival No. 7 Green Bay Packers, storming back for a 31-27 victory. Chicago put up 25 points in the fourth quarter, with Caleb Williams’ 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore capping the Bears’ seventh comeback win this season in which they trailed with less than minutes left in regulation.
The latest comeback marked Chicago’s first playoff win since the 2010 season, which was also the last time the franchise reached the conference championship game.
The Rams, meanwhile, needed MVP candidate Matthew Stafford to engineer two separate go-ahead touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to defeat the sub-.500 No. 4 Carolina Panthers 31-27. After Carolina took a four-point lead with less than three minutes left, Stafford led a game-winning drive capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson.
So, which two teams will advance to Conference Championship Sunday? Here’s how to watch Sunday’s Divisional Round action:
What time are today’s NFL playoff games?
- No. 5 Texans at No. 2 Patriots: 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT/12 p.m. PT
- No. 5 Rams at No. 2 Bears: 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT/3:30 p.m. PT
Where to watch the Texans vs. Patriots NFL playoff game
Texans-Patriots will air on ESPN and ABC. It will be available to stream on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
The game can also be streamed via NFL+ on a phone or tablet.
Where to watch the Rams vs. Bears NFL playoff game
Rams-Bears will air on NBC and be streaming live on Peacock, NBC.com and the NBC app.
The game can also be streamed via NFL+ on a phone or tablet.
When are the AFC, NFC Championship Games?
The Super Bowl matchup will take shape Sunday, Jan. 25, which is when both conference championship games are scheduled.
The AFC title game is set for 3 p.m. ET followed by the NFC title game at 6:30 p.m. ET.
When, where is the 2026 Super Bowl being played?
Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers, in Santa Clara, California, is hosting Super Bowl 60. The Big Game is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 8.
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