Super Bowl LX: Here's where the conference finals stand after Patriots and Rams' wins

The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams sealed their passage to the NFL conference finals on Sunday. On the road were the Houston Texans, defeated by the Patriots 28-16, and the Chicago Bears, who fell to the Rams 20-17.

The New Englanders and Angelenos will meet the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills in next Sunday's playoffs, with their sights set on the next round: Super Bowl LX.

Here are the matchups, dates and stadiums set to decide the NFL champion:

Winners will have a date the following month in California:

Patriots Passing

In the 2025-26 season, the Patriots snapped a three-year streak without qualifying for the playoffs and did so with the emergence of Drake Maye at the quarterback position, according to AFP.

Maye, 23, completed 16 of 26 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns against the Texans on an afternoon of serious weather complications at Gillette Stadium (New England). "We knew it was going to be a battle. This is a great team. I'm happy for the guys, this is something we have to enjoy," Maye said. "It was tough, a fight against the elements."

The game that remained close for three quarters was defined by a 32-yard pass from Maye to receiver Kayshon Bouttle, who took the ball straight into the end zone to push the lead to 12 points early in the fourth period.

New England is a team marked by Latino influence with Venezuelan kicker Andrés Borregales, who was perfect on the day with three extra points, and Colombian Christian González, a key piece of the defense.

Houston came into today's game with a streak of 10 consecutive victories. However, young Stroud did not have his best performance with 212 yards, one touchdown and four costly interceptions. In addition, they suffered the injury of key players during the game by losing two of their tight ends in Cade Stover and Dalton Schultz.

Rams advance in overtime

The Los Angeles Rams prevailed in overtime over the Chicago Bears with a Harrison Mevis 42-yard field goal. 

The Los Angeles squad had to rally behind a sublime pass from Caleb Williams to Cole Kamet to tie the score at 17 with 18 seconds to play in the fourth period.

Accustomed to coming from behind in the worst of conditions, the Bears became heavy favorites to advance to the conference finals until Williams threw an interception that led to the Rams' winning field goal.

Stafford finished the game with a 258-yard line, no touchdowns, Williams had one fewer yard and although he scored two touchdowns, the three interceptions carried more weight.

Broncos lost Josh Allen, Seahawks come in with confidence

Saturday's two passing games were diametrically opposed. While the Denver Broncos needed overtime to beat the Buffalo Bills 33-30, the Seattle Seahawks crashed out to the San Francisco 49ers 41-6.

The Broncos will have to step on Empower Field without the promising Bo Nix. The 25-year-old quarterback fractured his right ankle on a throw on the penultimate play of the game. The team confirmed that he will be relegated to the bench for the rest of the season.

The Seattle Seahawks, meanwhile, arrived with high levels of confidence: it took them 13 seconds to score the first touchdown with a gem from Rashid Shaheed, who turned a kick return into a mammoth 95-yard run. Seattle led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and only took their foot off the gas when they reached the final score at the start of the final period.