January 23, 2026
Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
The Patriots are back. Will they be Super Bowl-bound again, too?
Conference Championship weekend is here, and the Eagles aren't in it because their offense couldn't function enough to survive the Wild Card, and now everyone's mad at them.
They're looking for a new OC now, while Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts have both been under continuous and heavy criticism, and A.J. Brown looks like he might be on his way out of Philadelphia...It's a mess.
But hey, there's at least some stress-free, and pretty great, playoff football still to watch, and making predictions is fun even when the Eagles aren't involved.
So here are some staff picks for the AFC and NFC Championship Games on Sunday (Note: Jimmy will have his predictions out in a separate write-up Sunday morning)...
Geoff Mosher: Maybe I'm crazy, but I think with Denver's defense and with Sean Payton's ability to make life easy for his quarterback, the Broncos can win this game without Bo Nix.
Drake Maye and the Patriots have been impressive throughout their two postseason wins against two very good defenses (Chargers, Texans) but they've also turned the ball over five times. On top of that, Denver's altitude adjustment is always a factor. I just can't see Denver's offense, which hasn't been its strength anyway, completely imploding, although the Patriots' defense has also played very well this postseason.
I would surely take Denver with the 5.5 points. In fact, I'm going with the Broncos anyway. Broncos win, 23-20.
Evan Macy: Jarrett Stidham isn't Nick Foles. Not much analysis to offer here — the Patriots will be playing the Rams or the Seahawks again in the Super Bowl. How do we keep letting this happen? Patriots win, 31-17.
Nick Tricome: OK, so I had Denver making it to the Super Bowl going into the playoffs, and that prediction was looking pretty good...until word came in that Bo Nix broke his ankle after the Broncos beat the Bills in the divisional round.
That's brutal, and now the Broncos are leaning on backup QB Jarrett Stidham against a really, really good Patriots squad that, ironically enough, is only looking more and more like this year's team of destiny.
But, I'm sticking to my guns and staying with Denver. I like their defense more, I like their offense just enough on the whole, I like their home-field advantage at Mile High, and I like Nick Foles' words of encouragement (because he would know this kind of situation better than anyone). Broncos win, 20-17.
Nick Foles won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles after serving as the team’s backup all season long.
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 19, 2026
Now, he’s sending words of encouragement to Broncos fans as backup QB Jarrett Stidham is set to start in place of Bo Nix in the AFC Conference Championship. 🙌
(H/T @NickFoles) pic.twitter.com/sHkqucZVmF
Geoff: The Rams have been my Super Bowl pick since the start of the postseason, but it's hard to go against the Seahawks, at home, with how well they're playing.
Losing RB Zach Charbonnet will hurt some – especially in blitz pickup – and having their left tackle playing banged up could cause Seattle some issues, and it's always possible that Matthew Stafford, who has played a notch below MVP level over the past few weeks, just goes beserk, which would be very impressive against this Seahawks defense.
I'm going against my better senses here and sticking with the team I initially picked. I had Rams-Broncos in the Super Bowl, and I'm standing by it. Rams win, 26-20.
Evan: Before the postseason started, I was on the Rams bandwagon. In fact, I predicted them to beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship when we made our overall picks a few weeks ago. But the Rams have looked vulnerable — twice. Against the Panthers and against the Bears, L.A. looked flawed and looked like they might be getting out-coached, despite all the regularly occurring love for Sean McVay.
Seattle, meanwhile, was dominant in their only playoff game, dismantling the Niners. They are the 1-seed for a reason, and they will be playing the NFC title game at home. This one will be closer than the AFC tilt, with the Seahawks prevailing. Seahawks win, 27-24.
Nick: After that wire-to-wire thrashing of the Niners, I don't think Seattle's stopping for anyone. Their defense is mean, their run game with Kenneth Walker is soul-crushing, and Sam Darnold under center looks good enough and ready enough to take the Seahawks into the Super Bowl with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp to throw to.
LA has been good this year, but I think Seattle has just proven themselves a clear step above everyone, and will run straight through the Rams. Seahawks win, 30-17.
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