The NFL playoffs have officially come to an end. For many 49ers fans in the O’Dowd community, the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant victory over the New England Patriots in Levi’s Stadium came as an embarrassment to the San Francisco team. Nonetheless, this year’s playoffs were extremely entertaining, and provide hope for the future of the NFL. If you missed the games for any reason (say, a week-long science trip to Montana during the conference championship games), please enjoy this recap of every 2026 NFL playoff game.
1. Wild Card Weekend
Texans defeat Steelers, 30-6
While this remained a very close game until the 4th quarter, the Texans defense proved to be too stifling for Aaron Rodgers in his old, decrepit physical state. A 33-yard fumble return touchdown and 50-yard pick six marked the nail in the coffin, and the Texans advanced to the next round with ease.
Bills defeat Jaguars, 27-24
In this thrilling matchup, MVP Josh Allen put his team on his back and carried the Bills over the Jaguars with some late-game heroics. It was an admirable effort by the Jaguars, especially Trevor Lawrence, who finally lived up to his enormously high expectations as a college prospect, and first-year head coach Liam Coen who received a Coach of the Year nomination. In the end, though, Allen and the Bills advanced after a Trevor Lawrence interception on the final drive of the game.
Patriots defeat Chargers, 16-3
In a stifling, defensive performance, the Patriots took down the Chargers and shut down Justin Herbert’s dream of ever winning a playoff game. The Pats defense did not allow Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert to breathe, sacking him 6 times and holding the Chargers to 207 yards of offense.
Rams defeat Panthers, 34-31
This is where Wild Card weekend got good. Panthers’ QB Bryce Young proved doubters wrong in this game, with a solid 264-yard performance which showed that the #1 overall pick a few years back could finally live up to his expectations. For a second, the Panthers appeared likely to pull off a major upset, but MVP Matthew Stafford led the Rams to victory on their final drive of the game, with TE Cody Parkinson hauling in a 19-yard reception and diving past the pylons to silence the Carolina crowd. Maybe next year, Panthers.
49ers defeat Eagles, 23-19
The 49ers took down the Eagles in a thriller victory, with star RB Christian McCaffrey throwing a touchdown pass to WR Juann Jennings on a sneaky trick play. However, veteran and captain TE George Kittle went down with a torn achilles, marking a bad omen for the 49ers Super Bowl hopes. Nonetheless, they moved on to the next round.
Bears defeat Packers, 31-27
Two of the fiercest rivals in the NFL went head-to-head in a cold, January matchup to see who would advance to the divisional round. Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime, and after only scoring 3 more points in the third quarter, the deficit seemed improbable to overcome. However, coach Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams made a name for themselves this season regarding comebacks. The Bears scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, shocking the Packers and cementing themselves as the NFL’s most exciting and volatile squad.
2. Divisional Round
Seahawks defeat 49ers, 41-6
Yikes. Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kick for a Seahawks touchdown, and in the first 12 seconds of the game, the Seahawks scored more points than the 49ers would in the next 59 minutes and 48 seconds. Injuries were most definitely a factor for the battered 49ers, but after suffering their 2nd worst playoff loss in franchise history to their division rival, morale was certainly low on the flight back to San Francisco
Rams defeat Bears, 20-17
The Bears heroics and nail-biting finishes continued, with Caleb Williams completing an incredible drive and making possibly the greatest throw in NFL history to tie the game late in the 4th quarter. However, their luck seemed to run out. The Bears elected to kick an extra point instead of risking a 2-point conversion to take the lead, and a Caleb Williams interception in overtime sealed the win for the Rams. The Bears completed Ben Johnson’s first year as head coach with 7 fourth-quarter victories, and won the division which they had finished last in the previous season. The future is bright for both NFC teams.
Broncos defeat Bills, 33-31
What is a catch? The NFL is known for controversies regarding this debate, and this game reignited that fire. Broncos vs. Bills was just a dumpster fire in so many ways. It was also an incredibly entertaining game, but a dumpster fire all the same. First, reigning MVP Josh Allen committed 4 turnovers, including a boneheaded fumble/lateral attempt at the end of the first half which set Denver up for an unexpected field goal as time expired. Coincidentally, the Broncos won by 3 points. And late in the game, the Broncos intercepted Allen on an extremely controversial play which involved the Bills’ receiver potentially hitting the ground with possession but losing the ball in the process. I choose to make no statement about the validity of this play, but will say I am pleased with the overall outcome. So, the Broncos won! Will Lutz kicked a field goal after a great drive from QB Bo Nix, and Nix celebrated the victory as usual in a postgame interview. Randomly, however, Broncos head coach Sean Payton informed the media that Bo Nix broke his ankle in the final drive and would be ruled out for the playoffs. Huh? What? It’s unclear what in the world happened in this game. I am still not entirely sure.
Patriots defeat Texans, 28-16
Texans’ QB CJ Stroud will go down in history as a self-destructionist who took down one of the best defenses in history through sheer idiocy and incompetency. This was truly just an ugly game. 8 turnovers for both teams marked the most in a playoff game since 2015. CJ Stroud threw 4 interceptions in the first half. I literally do not understand how that is possible. He finished his season as the only player in NFL history to throw 5+ interceptions and lose 5+ fumbles in a single postseason. He only played in two games in the playoffs out of a possible four. Drake Maye also fumbled 4 times, losing 1. The Texans are still yet to ever advance past the divisional round, and they are now 0-7 in these games. Patriots advance.
3. Conference Championships
Seahawks defeat Rams, 31-27
The Seahawks and the Rams, two major divisional rivals, already put on a show in a nail-biter during the regular season. This game did not disappoint, and the Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl with a thrilling victory against the Rams. QB Sam Darnold threw for 3 touchdowns, and the notorious Seahawks defense came up big in a dominant showing on both sides of the ball.
Patriots defeat Broncos, 10-7
As was previously mentioned, Broncos’ QB Bo Nix broke his ankle in the previous game against the Bills. The Patriots, who were known for their extremely easy schedule this season, once again benefited from facing a subpar opponent. The kickers on both teams combined for 3 missed field goals in a near-blizzard, and the Broncos failed to score any points past the first quarter. This was a pretty ugly win for the Patriots, as many expected them to dominate a team without a quarterback. They failed to do so, but a win is a win.
4. The Super Bowl
Seahawks defeat Patriots, 29-13
The Super Bowl, unlike most of the playoffs, was not very entertaining. Spencer Cope ‘27 notes that “it was a complete snoozefest.” The Seahawks easily controlled the Patriots for the entire time, and there was never any doubt in my mind that they would come away with the win. It was pretty clear that the Patriots should not have been even playing in the game based on their performance. In terms of the halftime show, Sadie Zippin ‘27 noted that “it was the only good part of the whole game.” I have to agree with this statement. Bad Bunny’s halftime show was extremely memorable and enjoyable, and to me, it saved the whole evening.
This season was one for the ages. It was by far the most entertaining one that I have seen in my 11 years watching football, and I am excited to see what the 2026-2027 season has in store for football fans!
