Championship Sunday 2026 Puts Patriots–Broncos Back on the Clock as Rams–Seahawks Sets a West Coast Gatekeeper

This weekend’s NFL calendar compresses months of momentum into one day: two conference championship games that decide who reaches Super Bowl LX on February 8 in Santa Clara. The stakes aren’t just a trophy and a trip—these matchups can reshape offseason plans, coaching legacies, and even roster timelines overnight. For fans trying to plan “football this weekend,” the answer is simple: there are no NFL games today (Saturday, January 24). The entire championship slate lands on Sunday, January 25, with New England–Denver first and Los Angeles–Seattle in prime time.

A risk-and-conditions weekend, not a “best team wins” weekend

Championship football is usually sold as star power versus star power. This one leans harder on uncertainty: Denver is expected to start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham after starter Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the divisional round, and the AFC title game is set for a frigid afternoon in Denver. Cold doesn’t guarantee anything, but it compresses playbooks, punishes shaky ball security, and turns every red-zone trip into a scoreboard argument.

On the NFC side, Rams–Seahawks is a third meeting between familiar opponents, and the margins look thin enough that field position, pass protection, and a single turnover could decide it. In other words: this is the kind of weekend where the “better” team can still lose because the game turns on one constraint—weather, health, or one failed series.

The bracket right now: who plays, when, and where

AFC Championship — New England Patriots at Denver Broncos

• Sunday, January 25, 2026

• Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 p.m. Cairo

• Site: Denver (Empower Field at Mile High)

• Context: A modern reboot of a long postseason rivalry, now with Denver’s quarterback plan under a spotlight.

NFC Championship — Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks

• Sunday, January 25, 2026

• Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 a.m. Monday, Cairo

• Site: Seattle (Lumen Field)

• Context: A divisional grudge match with a Super Bowl ticket attached.

Super Bowl bracket note: The winners of those two games meet in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

A practical fan guide (tickets, timing, and game texture)

• If you’re searching “Patriots game today” or “playoff games today”: there aren’t any on Saturday, January 24—both championship games are Sunday, January 25.

• If you’re searching “who do the Patriots/Broncos play next”: each other—New England travels to Denver for the AFC title game.

• AFC ticket wrinkle: primary ticket listings for the Denver game include regional billing-address restrictions during limited-availability sales windows, which can affect who can check out at face-value channels.

• Weather angle (AFC): forecasts call for teens at kickoff with wind chill even lower, a setup that typically favors defenses and run games—and magnifies special teams.

• Odds snapshot (both games): market pricing has generally treated New England as a small road favorite in the AFC, while Seattle has been listed as a slight home favorite in the NFC with a total around the mid-40s.

By Sunday night, “nfl bracket 2026” stops being a search term and becomes a destination: one team from Foxborough/Denver, one from Seattle/Los Angeles, and a single game left to finish the season’s story.