The Final Four of the NFL Playoffs

We’re down to four NFL teams, sports fans, and this postseason has been a wild one to put it mildly. There have been upsets, injuries, crazy plays, controversial calls, and everything else. Only four teams managed to survive the playoffs chaos. Denver seems doomed at home playing the Patriots after the Broncos’ loss of rising QB star Bo Nix. The Rams beat the Bears on the road in Chicago. Thrilling game. Is it going to be the Patriots vs. the Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, 2026? I believe that will be true as they look like the most balanced of the bunch left. But as you can see and read from that link above, I went 2-2 last weekend. The Bears lost a heartbreaker to the Rams and picking the Texans to win on the road in New England was clearly a reach. Anyhow, I’m changing my tune and saying it’s going to be a rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII (Feb 2, 2014) when the Seahawks blasted the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. A lopsided game like that won’t happen again but I like those two to make it back to Super Bowl 60 for a rematch. Let’s give this a go.

Denver Broncos: A New Hope

Quarterback Bo Nix’s season-ending ankle injury was a big blow to the Broncos. They’re 3.5-point underdogs (down from 5.5) at home. So now, backup Jarrett Stidham will be the starter against the New England Patriots, his former team. The 29-year-old has played only 20 games since being drafted by the Pats in the fourth round in 2019. He’s played just one game this season. Zero pass attempts. But the Broncos believe in him. Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said: “I’m looking forward to seeing what Stiddy got,” “… I’m excited for him, this opportunity, he’s got everything it takes to shine on this level … just how he operates … cool, calm, collected.”

He sure looks quietly virally confident here:

He’ll need to do exactly that. Just game-manage and let Denver’s bad-ass defense take care of the rest. The Broncs’ D sacks QBs a ton — league-best 68 in the regular season — and they wreak havoc and force turnovers and all of that. New England stud quarterback Drake Maye will be in for another tough game after getting sacked five times by the Texans in the divisional round.

Seattle Seahawks: Relying on Defense

This one will also come down to the performances of the quarterbacks. It’s risky to pick the Seahawks because their QB Sam Darnold, who’s been excellent all season, is suffering from a lingering oblique tear or strain. He’s set to start but having suffered the same injury myself many moons ago, I can tell you that it’s a bugger of pain. He’ll have to play slowly and throw short passes. And then, again, rely on Seattle’s dominating defense to stop Rams QB Matthew Stafford. The Rams have slugged their way down the stretch to get here, but Seattle’s defense will get the job done. The over/under line is 45.5, and I’m still saying under. I think this is Seahawks 20, Rams 17.

Conclusion

Should be a couple of tight conference championship games, but I’m going with one underdog (the Broncos) and one slight favorite (the Seahawks). I think those teams’ defense will be the difference.

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