It Will Be Broncos vs. Patriots and Seahawks vs. Rams in NFL Conference Championships

The NFL Conference Championships are set with both top seeds, a 2nd seed, and a 5th seed playing to advance to the Super Bowl.

In the AFC, the #1 seeded Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills played in a thriller that went into overtime as Buffalo kicker Matt Prater booted a 50 yard field goal to tie the score at 30-30 with five seconds left. The Bills had been down 23-10 in the third quarter. But Josh Allen threw an interception in overtime, which led to a game winning field goal by Wil Lutz and the Broncos advance on the 33-30 victory. It was a costly win; Broncos QB Bo Nix broke a bone in his ankle and will miss the rest of the season. His backup, Jared Stidham, played one snap this season. The Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott following yet another post season disappointment.

Link to Broncos Bills Highlights

In the other AFC game, Houston QB C.J. Stroud had a terrible game, throwing four interceptions as the New England Patriots beat the Texans 28-16. It wasn’t the best day for New England QB Drake Maye either; although he threw thee TD passes he also had an interception and lost two fumbles. But the Patriots won, and advance to the AFC Championship one year after finishing 4-13.

In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks showed why they are the top seed in the conference, blowing out the San Francisco 49ers 41-6. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns for Seattle. In Chicago, it looked like the Bears would pull off yet another fourth quarter comeback when they scored a touchdown with 18 seconds left on a desperation pass from Caleb Williams to Cole Kmet to force overtime. But in overtime, Williams was intercepted by Kam Curl on a pass intended for DJ Moore (Williams would say after the game that he and his receiver were not on the same page). The Rams drove 54 yards on 10 plays, and Harrison Mevis kicked a 42 yard field goal and the Rams pulled out a 20-17 victory.

The Conference Championships will have New England (14-3) at Denver (14-3). The two did not meet during the regular season. Los Angeles (12-5) will be at Seattle (14-3). The two NFC West teams split their two games during the regular season, with each winning at home. Both games are on January 25th.