It's playoff day. The 2026 NFL Conference Championship games are unfolding today with the New England Patriots taking on the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the AFC, and the Los Angeles Rams facing the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC. Two of the four remaining teams will earn a trip to Super Bowl LX.
The New England Patriots took down the Denver Broncos, 10-7, in the AFC Championship Game, winning in a snowy Empower Field. With the win, the Patriots extended their NFL record of Super Bowl appearances to 12. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw for 86 yards on a field covered in snow, while Rhamondre Stevenson added 71 yards on the ground. Denver had been without starting QB Bo Nix, who broke his ankle during overtime in the Divisional Round, with backup Jarrett Stidham stepping into the starting role for just the fifth time in his career.
The Los Angeles Rams (12-5) and Seattle Seahawks (14-3) are meeting in the NFC Championship game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026. The game is available on FOX, Fox One and other streaming platforms. The Rams and Seahawks are in the first quarter of the NFC championship, with each team having won once this season, with the combined margin of victory in those two games being just three points. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the 37-year-old widely considered one of the front-runners for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award, posted a passer rating this season of 109.2 (seventh-best all-time) and threw 46 touchdowns.
The winner of the Rams-Seahawks game will advance to Super Bowl LX. New England has played both of these teams in the Super Bowl previously, beating the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX and defeating the Rams in Super Bowl LIII, and also beating them in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots' path back to another title game sets up a fascinating potential matchup with either an elite Seahawks team led by first-year starting QB Sam Darnold or the veteran Rams squad looking to return to the big game under head coach Sean McVay. For NFL coaching moves and offseason developments, the postseason always reshapes the landscape and today's games will determine which franchises move forward to championship glory.