The NFL’s divisional playoff round opened Saturday with a dramatic overtime finish in Denver, where the Broncos beat the Buffalo Bills 33–30 to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Denver sealed the win after Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Josh Allen’s deep pass in overtime, wrestling the ball away from Brandin Cooks at the Broncos’ 20-yard line and denying Buffalo a potential game-winning field goal. The Broncos capitalized on the takeaway to end the game, though the win came at a cost as quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Saturday night’s action featured a one-sided NFC West matchup, as the Seattle Seahawks overwhelmed the San Francisco 49ers 41–6 in their third meeting of the season. Seattle scored immediately when Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, setting the tone for a dominant performance. Kenneth Walker III rushed for three touchdowns, while Sam Darnold, playing through an oblique injury, led the Seahawks to multiple early scoring drives. San Francisco managed just two field goals as Seattle cruised into the NFC Championship Game.
On Sunday, the New England Patriots punched their ticket to the AFC title game by controlling the turnover battle in a 28–16 win over the Houston Texans. Quarterback Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes in snowy and rainy conditions, while Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a score. The teams combined for eight turnovers, the most in a playoff game since 2015, as New England advanced to the conference championship round for the first time in seven years.
The weekend concluded with another overtime thriller, as the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Chicago Bears 20–17 on Sunday night. Chicago forced extra time with a remarkable deep touchdown by Caleb Williams late in regulation, but the Rams responded when Kam Curl intercepted Williams’ pass on the Bears’ first possession of overtime. Matthew Stafford then led a composed drive, completing three first-down throws, including a 16-yard strike to Puka Nacua, before Harrison Mevis drilled a 42-yard field goal to send Los Angeles to the NFC Championship Game.
Conference Championship Picks (Divisional Round Pick Results: 1-3)
AFC Conference Championship Pick:
- (No. 2) New England Patriots over (No. 1) Denver Broncos
NFC Conference Championship Pick:
- (No. 5) Los Angeles Rams over (No. 1) Seattle Seahawks
