Will both No. 1 seeds advance?
Conference championship weekend will determine who reaches Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8.
Denver and Seattle advanced on divisional playoff weekend.
The Broncos will host the AFC championship game for the seventh time in franchise history, but the dominant storyline is the loss of Bo Nix, who suffered a broken bone in his right ankle in the 33-30 victory against Buffalo and will be replaced by Jarrett Stidham. New England beat Houston 28-16 in the AFC divisional playoffs behind second-year quarterback Drake Maye and a defense that forced four turnovers.
Denver has beaten the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game in two past meetings.
The AFC championship game will be at 3 p.m. On CBS.
The Seahawks hammered the San Francisco 49ers 49-6 in the NFC divisional playoffs. Sam Darnold earned his first playoff victory, and Kenneth Walker III had three TD runs. The Rams survived a 20-17 overtime classic at Chicago in the NFC divisional round, and Matthew Stafford has a chance to get to a second Super Bowl with coach Sean McVay, who is looking for a third appearance.
Here are AllSportsPeople' picks for the AFC and NFC Championship games (odds courtesy of Caesars):
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NFL picks, predictions for championship games
- New England Patriots (-5.5) at Denver Broncos
Sunday, 3 p.m., CBS
It is a fun coaching matchup between Sean Payton and Mike Vrabel, who can take New England to the Super Bowl in his first season.
Stidham made two starts with coach Sean Payton in the 2023 season. How much will the Patriots speed up the seventh-year quarterback on his reads? Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions and took three sacks. The Broncos will have to rely on the running game more – which averaged just 3.2 yards per carry against the Bills. RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin need to be more effective against a Patriots’ defense that allowed 48 rushing yards against the Texans. New England’s defense that features linebackers Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss.
How much will Stidham be able to test New England in the passing game? Carlton Davis - who did not have an interception in the regular season – had two picks. The Patriots will take chances in coverage on Stidham, and Denver also has uncertainty at the receiver position. Troy Franklin suffered a hamstring injury in the divisional playoffs, and that leaves Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims and Lil’Jordan Humphrey at receiver. How much success will the Broncos have on third down in the intermediate range?
MORE BO NIX NEWS:
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Denver’s defense also will face more pressure to keep this a low-scoring game. Maye will be on the spot, too, especially in his first road playoff start. The Broncos generated five turnovers and three sacks against the Bills, and linebacker Nik Bonitto had a sack and two forced fumbles. There will be opportunities against Maye, who had four fumbles against the Texans, and the pressure has to land. The Patriots can lean on the running game with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, and that should help Maye settle in on the road.
Maye has been trustworthy on the road this season, too. He’s 8-0 with an average 273.5 yards, 17 TDs and three interceptions on the road this season. This is Maye’s first start at Empower Field at Mile High, and the Broncos were 9-1 S/U at home this season and 2-0 S/U as a home underdog. It’s still a tough environment, and the Broncos are 6-1 S/U all time at home in the AFC championship game. Pittsburgh beat Denver 34-17 in the 2005 AFC championship game on Jan. 22, 2006.
MORE PATRIOTS-TEXANS NEWS:
- Patriots defense picks apart Texans to advance to AFC Championship
- C.J. Stroud's four first-half INTs doom Texans
- Why Patriots can't afford another sloppy Drake Maye playoff performance
- Where C.J. Stroud's disastrous day ranks among most turnovers in a playoff game
Can Stidham pull a Jeff Hostettler – who led the Giants to a Super Bowl XXV victory after Phil Simms was injured. Hostettler had two regular-season starts before the playoffs. A week might not be enough time for Denver here. It’s just going to be tough to pull this off without the Patriots imploding on the road.
Pick: Patriots 24, Broncos 16
- Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-2.5)
Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Fox
The two regular-season matchups were decided by a combined total of three points, including a wild 38-37 overtime thriller on Dec. 18. The NFC West rivals split the regular-season series, and three of the last four meetings at Seattle have gone into overtime.
Walker is coming off a huge game, and he had 11 carries for 100 yards and a TD in the last meeting. The Rams allowed 160 rushing yards against the Bears, so Seattle can be patient with the two-headed rushing attack of Walker and Zach Charbonnet. Jared Verse has to be a difference maker off the edge for Los Angeles.
That should help Darnold – who finished 51 of 78 (65.4%) for an average of 274.5 yards, two TDs and six interceptions in the two regular-season meetings against the Rams. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 17 catches for 201 yards and a TD in those two games, and that is the matchup Seattle needs to win consistently in the passing game. Five different Los Angeles players had interceptions in those games, and the Rams intercepted Caleb Williams three times in the divisional playoff win. Turnovers will be key here, especially on the road.
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This is another opportunity for Stafford, who had a 57.1% completion percentage in those two meetings but also did not take a sack. He had 457 yards and three TDs in the last meeting. Will Seattle coach Michael Macdonald choose to dial up the pressure in order to take Stafford out of rhythm with receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams? Tight end Cody Parkinson had 10 carries for 90 yards and a TD in two playoff games, too. The Rams also will look to establish the running game with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. The Seahawks allowed 5.3 yards per carry in their regular-season loss in the Rams and 3.2 yards per carry in the win.
The Rams were 4-5 S/U on the road, but they are 1-1 ATS as an underdog in the regular season, but they have won S/U as a road favorite each of the last two weeks. Seattle is 8-2 S/U and 6-4 ATS at home. The Seahawks are 3-0 S/U at home in the NFC championship game.
It's shaping up to be another instant classic between these rivals, but the Rams had a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter in that last meeting and they have survived two tough road games. Does Stafford have one more road victory in him? It's hard not to trust the MVP-caliber quarterback in this matchup.
Pick: Rams 26, Seahawks 23
MORE BEARS-RAMS NEWS:
- Rams fend off Bears' comeback attempt to advance to NFC Championship
- Caleb Williams overtime interception dooms Bears
- Watch Caleb Williams uncork spectacular TD pass to Cole Kmet to force overtime
Season stats
Regular-season S/U: 170-101-1
NFL playoffs S/U: 8-2
Regular-season ATS: 127-142-3
NFL playoffs ATS: 5-5