The incredible product that’s been the 2026 NFL playoffs treated fans to yet another weekend of postseason classics, which continued into the AFC Championship Game.
Let’s break down the 2026 NFL Playoff bracket, the Super Bowl 60 matchup, and recap the Conference Championship Round matchups as the final four teams fight for their chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
2026 NFL Playoff Bracket With Super Bowl on the Horizon
Here is the graphic for how the NFL playoff bracket shapes up as the Conference Championships come to a close:
NFL Super Bowl Matchup and Schedule
After handling their side of the bracket with ease, the New England Patriots traveled to Mile High Stadium to take on the Denver Broncos and PFSN’s No. 1-ranked defense according to the Defense Impact Metric. While the offense was going to face its own struggles, the Broncos were dealt a major blow during the Divisional Round when quarterback Bo Nix was ruled out for the season following an ankle injury.
Starting Jarrett Stidham in his place, both offenses struggled to get much going as the weather worsened throughout the clash. In the end, the Patriots were able to muster 10 points, enough to outscore an undermanned Broncos offense that scored only one touchdown.
With New England advancing to its 12th Super Bowl appearance, it will face the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, after taking down the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game.
Super Bowl 60 (Feb. 8, 2026)
- New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
- Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
- Channel: NBC
NFC Playoff Seeds and Standings
- Seattle Seahawks (14-3)
- Chicago Bears (11-6) – Eliminated
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) -Eliminated
- Carolina Panthers (8-9) – Eliminated
- Los Angeles Rams (12-5) – Eliminated
- San Francisco 49ers (12-5) – Eliminated
- Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) – Eliminated
AFC Playoff Seeds and Standings
- Denver Broncos (14-3) – Eliminated
- New England Patriots (14-3)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) – Eliminated
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) – Eliminated
- Houston Texans (12-5) – Eliminated
- Buffalo Bills (12-5) -Eliminated
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) – Eliminated
2026 Conference Championship Round Results
New England Patriots Defeated Denver Broncos 10-7
Coming into the AFC Championship, both franchises knew they were in for a challenge. For Denver, head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos offense would be forced to try and advance to Super Bowl 60 one week after losing Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury. While Stidham has taken snaps under center in the NFL before, he had not started in a game since joining Denver in 2023.
As for the Patriots, the Broncos’ No. 1 unit in DEFi has shown all season that they are a force to be reckoned with, and they continued that against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, forcing five turnovers. They held the Patriots to just over 200 yards of offense as the snow complicated things for both squads in the second half.
After trading three-and-outs to start the game, Stidham and the Broncos’ offense surprised many, driving down the field early on for the first touchdown of the game. Unfortunately, that would be Denver’s only points of the contest. Denver’s defense would shut the Patriots out until a fumble at the Patriots’ 12-yard line set up a two-play, 12-yard touchdown drive to tie the game.
New England would open the second half with a 16-play, nine-and-a-half-minute drive to kick the game-winning field goal, giving them a 10-7 lead with five minutes and 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter. That’s quite a bit of time left, many may be thinking, that’s when Mile High Stadium turned into a snow globe, hindering both offense greatly.
GOT A PLAYOFF WIN IN DENVER 🙌 pic.twitter.com/JKeA0XfJ7L
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 25, 2026
The Broncos would get a final chance to try and tie or take the lead, but a toss-up from Stidham to wide receiver Marvin Mims ended up in the hands of Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, sending the Patriots to the Super Bowl, pushing their record for the most Super Bowl appearances to 12.
Seattle Seahawks Defeated Los Angeles Rams 31-27
After two close regular-season matchups between the Rams and Seahawks, all eyes were on the NFC Championship as they faced off for a third time in the 2026 NFL Playoffs. The Rams boasted PFSN’s No. 1-ranked offense, according to the Offense Impact Metric, as they faced off against the Seahawks’ No. 2-ranked defense, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric.
While quarterback Matthew Stafford is in the midst of MVP discussions, he did not quite have enough as the Seahawks emerged victorious in the NFC Championship game. After forcing the Rams into a three-and-out to start the matchup, the Seahawks responded with a touchdown drive on their opening possession to take a 7-0 lead.
While the Rams would fight back in the second quarter, taking a 13-10 lead, the Seahawks would answer quickly, scoring another touchdown before the end of the first half to take a 17-13 lead, and one they would never relinquish. Despite failing to score on the opening drive of the second half, a muffed punt from the Rams would set up a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Darnold to wideout Jake Bobo to take a 24-13 lead.
Stafford and the Rams offense fought back, but both the Seahawks defense and offense answered, holding on to win the NFC Championship and making a trip to Super Bowl 60, as Seattle attempts to win the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
