NFL conference championships: Everything you need to know about the NFL’s final four

The NFL conference championship games are upon us. With the league whittled down to its final four teams, the stakes are only getting bigger, with each team setting its sights on Super Bowl LX.

In the AFC, the New England Patriots will head to the "Mile High City" as they look to kick off a new dynasty against a Denver Broncos team that lost its starting quarterback to injury in the final moments of last week’s thrilling Divisional Round victory. 

In the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams, led by Super Bowl champions Sean McVay and Matt Stafford, will head north to take on the Seattle Seahawks, who looked every part of the No. 1 seed they earned in the regular season in their lone playoff game. 

Both games pit strength against strength, and there is a lot of playoff history between the remaining four teams, with three of the four possible outcomes being rematches of recent Super Bowls. 

Find out everything you need to know, including game times, storylines, betting odds, our picks and more heading into Sunday’s games. 

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos (+5.5)

If seeing the Patriots play the Broncos in Denver in an AFC Championship Game feels familiar, that’s because it is. The teams faced off in the conference title games in both 2014 and 2016 with legendary quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning at the helm. They also met in the same game in 1987. 

These three games all had one thing in common: a Broncos victory. However, only one of them shared a key commonality with the 2026 edition: the AFC title game from 2016, when the Patriots were road favorites. 

The Broncos and Patriots have been on similar paths since losing their respective Hall of Fame QBs. Both floundered at the start, with the two teams earning one combined playoff appearance without Brady and Manning heading into the 2024 Draft. 

That day, however, fate changed for both teams. The Patriots selected quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick, and the Broncos took QB Bo Nix at No. 12. 

Two years later, Nix and Maye led their teams from the top of the draft to the top of the AFC, finishing with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, and now onto Denver in the conference championship. 

Despite these two second-year passers leading their teams to this stage, only one of them will be suiting up on Sunday. Unfortunately for Nix, his season ended with a fractured ankle suffered in the closing moments of the Broncos’ overtime victory against the Bills last week. 

Starting in his place will be Jarrett Stidham, a sixth year QB with four career starts and a 1-3 record. He last threw a pass on Jan. 7, 2024, a game he started for the Broncos after they finally threw in the towel on the failed Russell Wilson experiment. 

This is the main reason why the Broncos open as 5.5-point underdogs on their home turf. A road team has been favored only 10 times since 2000 in both the AFC and the NFC, and the 5.5-point line is the highest since at least 1992, per VSiN. 

Our pick 

The Broncos’ defense will keep the Patriots’ backfield at bay, and they will force the inexperienced Maye into an early turnover or two with the ferocious Denver crowd behind them.

The predicted temperatures in the 20s (Fahrenheit) will make it tough for both teams to get it going through the air, but ultimately Maye’s ability to use his legs and escape pressure will create enough explosive plays to give the Patriots’ defense the cushion they need against a Broncos offense that will struggle to score with Stidham completely out of his depth. 

Patriots defeat Broncos, 20-9.  

Where to watch

Patriots vs. Broncos can be seen Sunday, Jan. 25, at 3 p.m. EST on CBS, as well as streaming platforms Paramount+ and Fubo.  

Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks (-2.5)

Within weeks of the kickoff of the 2025 season, it became clear that one division stood above the rest: the NFC West. The top three records in the conference all belonged to this division.

This trend followed in the playoffs, with the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all left among the final four teams in the conference, and now with L.A. and Seattle as the last two standing. Many fans would say these two teams are the two best in the entire league (especially with Bo Nix’s injury), giving this matchup the feel of an early Super Bowl. 

By nature of two division foes squaring off in the playoffs, this matchup has precedent—and recent at that. The Rams and the Seahawks have already played twice this season, with each team winning at home. The combined score of those games: Rams 58, Seahawks 57. 

The first game back in Week 11 was a struggle from both teams. MVP favorite Matt Stafford threw for season lows of 15 completions and 130 yards for the Rams against a fierce Seahawks defense. Seattle QB Sam Darnold, however, had nearly twice as many completions (29) and over double the yards (279).

The key in that game, however, was mistakes. Darnold threw 4 interceptions to Stafford’s zero. Two of those picks were made in Seattle’s own territory, leading to two short touchdown drives (3 yards, 25 yards), and the struggling Rams prevailed 21-19. 

The Seahawks would get their revenge on their home turf in Week 16. In the indisputable game of the year, Seattle overcame a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to prevail 38-37 in overtime. 

The Seahawks needed a punt-return touchdown and three 2-point conversions to complete the comeback. One of the two-point conversions initially looked to be an incomplete pass that was purposelessly picked up by Seahawks running back Zachary Charbonnet in the end zone. However, a replay review ruled that the pass was on a backward trajectory before it was tipped, meaning the conversion was actually successful, in one of the most bizarre plays in NFL history. 

Stafford had a bounce-back performance in this game, throwing for a season-high 457 yards. He also threw for 3 touchdowns, wasn’t sacked, and the Rams didn’t commit a single turnover. 

Darnold, on the other hand, threw for 270 yards and 2 TDs, but he was sacked 4 times and threw 2 picks. The Seattle offense was carried by its ground game, which saw Kenneth Walker III, Charbonnet and Rashid Shaheed combine for over 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

One could say that the wrong team won each of these two games, but that’s football. In a game of inches and seconds, having the better overall performance often comes second to mistakes and aberrations. 

Our pick 

The Rams have needed game-winning drives to take their first two playoff games, both on the road. The Seahawks were barely tested in their lone playoff appearance, dominating the injury-riddled 49ers. 

With Los Angeles now the team seeking revenge, Stafford and Nacua will have early success on an atypically dry afternoon in Seattle. The Seahawks will put together long drives with their rushing attack, and sporadic big plays from Smith-Njigba will help even the score, but turnovers will keep them from pulling away. 

With the game close in the fourth quarter, the Rams’ recent playoff experience and superior QB play will be decisive, leading them to a narrow victory. 

Rams defeat Seahawks, 28-24. 

Where to watch

Rams vs. Seahawks can be seen Sunday, Jan. 25, at 6:30 p.m. EST on Fox, as well as streaming platform Fubo. 

Super Bowl implications

Three of the four possible Super Bowl matchups would be rematches of games seen in the past 12 years: Super Bowl XLVII (Seahawks defeated Broncos, 2014), Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots defeated Seahawks, 2015) and Super Bowl LIII (Patriots defeated Rams, 2019). 

Super Bowl LX will be played on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the San Francisco 49ers.