Sunday’s AFC and NFC championship games put the full spectrum of football performances on display.
With a berth in Super Bowl 60 on the line, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos made clear early that they would be engaged in a defensive battle. The first half was marked by sloppy offensive play on both sides and an inability for either team to finds its stride. And with the wind and snow wreaking havoc after halftime, the Patriots secured a 10-7 win by minimizing their mistakes.
Shortly after, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks put on a show with their respective passing attacks. But it was the Seahawks who prevailed to score a 31-27 victory.
Now, the two are set to square off in Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday:
Winners
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
When he fell off pace for the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiving season, Smith-Njigba seemed to fade out of the national spotlight a bit. His explosive night against the Rams, however, reinforced his singular standing among the current crop of pass catchers. The Seahawks wide receiver racked up 153 yards on 10 catches, with 115 yards coming before halftime. His proper due is likely ahead, as he’s the overwhelming favorite to win the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. But a star turn in the Super Bowl might earn him recognition for an all-time season by a receiver.
Sam Darnold
For all the command Darnold displayed this season in Seattle, it was hard to shake the sense that his turnover streak or discomfort facing interior pressure could flare up in a key spot. On Sunday, the Seahawks quarterback sidelined that perception of himself by maintaining his poise throughout a 346-yard, three-touchdown performance. Sure, he leaned on Smith-Njigba plenty, as any shrewd passer would do with a target capable of repeatedly breaking free. But Darnold showed plenty of discernment and also tossed scoring strikes to Jake Bobo and Cooper Kupp. Doubt has trailed Darnold ever since he was traded by the New York Jets. If he’s able to secure a Super Bowl title, however, he can make the most substantial revision to his career narrative to date.
Nick Emmanwori
The notion of a ‘do-everything’ defender typically is merely the product of NFL draft hyperbole. In Emmanwori’s case, however, the label certainly felt as though it applied as he made his mark from the nickel position. Seattle’s 6-3, 220-pound rookie quickly established himself as a disruptive force by allying three passes defensed and holding firm against the run. The second-round pick from South Carolina has made tremendous strides in his development, to the point that he could have been the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year front-runner if the award simply measured the peak impact of each contender at the end of the season.
Rams’ passing attack
What a final showing from likely MVP Matthew Stafford and his supporting cast. After some unsettled footwork out of the gates, the Rams quarterback attacked the Seahawks’ stacked defense in a manner no one else had this season, burning the unit with repeated downfield vertical shots for 374 yards and three touchdowns. Puka Nacua (165 yards) and Davante Adams (89 yards) each proved to be too much for the Seahawks’ secondary to handle. It’s surely not an end point that will satisfy Stafford, but for a player who began last offseason with contract drama and ended it with questions about his balky back, this campaign was nothing short of outstanding.
Mike Vrabel
It’s fair to point out all the ways in which things have broken the Patriots’ way this season, from a favorable schedule to getting to take on a backup quarterback in a storm in the AFC title game. But a Patriots team that looked to be in the wilderness just a year ago is headed back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018, and Vrabel affirmed his place as the driving force behind that resurgence. This was a game that called for all of Vrabel’s situational football acumen, and his team overcame being thoroughly outplayed in the first half to squeeze out the top-seeded Broncos. Mistake-free football was needed to prevail, and the Patriots largely delivered.
Drake Maye’s running
Nearly nothing was accessible through the air for the second-year signal-caller, whose 41 yards at the half represented a season-low. Still, Maye’s scrambling ability ignited the sole spark for New England’s offense. In all, he notched 65 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. He was also responsible for the Patriots’ longest gain of the day when he ripped off a 28-yard gain in the third quarter. His bootleg to secure a first down in the final minutes put the frigid affair on ice.
Broncos defense
Before the weather did the job for Denver, its vaunted defense essentially locked down New England. If not for the turnover that put the game on its head, the stellar outing – which included just 206 yards and 12 first downs allowed – likely would have been sufficient to secure a win. A pass rush that dialed way back on the blitz kept Maye out of sorts, while a back end employing a much heavier proportion of zone coverage kept the clamps on the receiving corps. This was exactly the sort of game that should have gone Denver’s way given this unit’s ability to dictate terms. Instead, a handful of offensive miscues made all the difference.
Patriots defensive front
Maye and Denver’s defense rightfully earned the acclaim, but the continued ascent of New England’s less-heralded unit made the biggest difference on Sunday. Unlike their counterparts, the Patriots have had trouble generating pressure in straightforward scenarios off the edge, necessitating a number of blitzes and varied looks from play-caller Zak Kuhr. But New England set the tone up front with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, among others. Their disruptiveness in the passing game helped prevent Stidham from settling in, while they also kept Denver one-dimensional by stuffing the run.
Losers
Xavier Smith
It’s not fair for one figure to bear the brunt of the blame for the Rams’ pervasive special teams missteps. Yet after his third-quarter muffed punt return broke the game open for the Seahawks, Smith becomes the encapsulation of Los Angeles’ Achilles heel. With Seattle scoring one play after the turnover to extend its 11-point lead, a back-and-forth contest suddenly saw the Rams operating from a significant hole. It didn’ completely sink the team, which was unable to capitalize on plenty of other opportunities in the second half. But no play will loom larger for Los Angeles as the organization reflects on what went wrong over both the short and long term.
Riq Woolen
Since reeling in six interceptions and a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie, Woolen has been a largely confounding presence in the Seahawks’ secondary, with wild variation between what he offers in coverage on a down-to-down basis. His volatility once again surfaced Sunday, when he taunted the Rams’ sideline after forcing a fourth-and-12 while up two scores and subsequently earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. On the next play, Nacua dusted him on a double move for a 34-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 4 points. His immaturity was clearly a source of frustration for his teammates, as he and Emmanwori engaged in a sideline argument after the sequence. Set to be a free agent next year, Woolen figures to be a high-risk, high-reward pickup for some team. In the short term, however, he’ll have to show he can be a trusted presence against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, however, seemed prepared to move on, saying, ‘(W)e have to pick him up.’
Rams’ secondary
Los Angeles’ refusal to invest big in the secondary can no longer be overlooked. The Rams’ defensive backs couldn’t counter Smith-Njigba and Darnold, ceding 321 yards through the air on the night. And when the unit had the chance to get the offense off the field, it couldn’t finish the job, allowing a 7-of-13 conversion rate on third down. Taking a cornerback with one of two first-round picks has to be a strong consideration for a franchise that hasn’t spent that heavily at the position in the draft since taking Tye Hill No. 15 overall in 2006.
Jarrett Stidham
Stepping in for Bo Nix was an almost impossible ask for a player who hadn’t thrown a regular-season pass since 2023. Still, when Stidham fired a 52-yard deep shot to Marvin Mims Jr. in the first quarter and then capitalized with a touchdown toss to Courtland Sutton, it seemed as though there might be a bit of magic in the air. That quickly dissipated – or was blown away by the wind – as Stidham floundered in the face of the rush, throwing incompletions on all six of his first-half attempts under pressure. But the real unraveling came when he threw a backward pass that resulted in a fumble deep in Denver’s territory. In positioning New England for its lone touchdown of the day to tie the game before halftime, Stidham and the Broncos neutralized an early advantage that would have grown in importance if the team had been able to hang onto it. When he lofted an interception to Christian Gonzalez, it essentially ended any shot of a comeback. In a game defined by a razor-thin margin of error, Stidham ultimately was too jittery to steer the Broncos to the Super Bowl.
Sean Payton
Four years to the day after he resigned from the New Orleans Saints, Payton could have put himself on the precipice of becoming the first head coach to win Super Bowls with two different franchises. Instead, he’ll face several questions about his game management in a close loss. Some calculated aggressiveness was required in forging ahead with Stidham, who probably needed to generate a few splash plays to compensate for the inevitable lapses. But the weather essentially shut down any possibility of Denver following that path. Meanwhile, Payton’s fourth-down gamble surely will loom over the offseason. Misfortune ultimately might be the primary culprit for Denver’s demise. Still, it’s clear that Payton didn’t confer the advantage that he typically does.
Drake Maye’s passing
Some credit is due, as Maye managed not to turn the ball over after fumbling four times last week and throwing an interception in each of his first two playoff appearances. But in his first road postseason contest, the MVP finalist continued to be dogged by an inability to get the ball out quickly and neutralize the rush. Maye, who ranked fourth this season in sacks taken with 47, took five more on Sunday, putting him at 15 total for the playoffs. Whether in the Super Bowl or in the offseason, sack avoidance is sure to be a focus for Maye moving forward.
Broncos run game
For the second consecutive week, Denver couldn’t get anything going on the ground, netting just 79 yards on 24 carries. And a decent chunk of that production – 23 yards – came from Stidham’s scrambles. The net effect was a heightened degree of difficulty for an offense that came to count on its backup quarterback to deliver big plays in challenging conditions.
Will Campbell
Another rough outing for the Patriots’ rookie left tackle, who seemed to be thoroughly outmatched against Denver’s edge rushers in pass protection and committed a false start penalty. To be fair, almost any blindside protector would be in survival mode in a two-game span that brings matchups with Will Anderson Jr. and Nik Bonito. After his error-riddled performance last week, Campbell said he has had some of his most regrettable plays this year when he has been afforded help in his assignments. But Sunday made it clear that New England can’t count on him to go it alone.
Wil Lutz and Andy Borregales
Denver famously has provided favorable conditions for kickers over the years due to the Mile High altitude. But the punishing wind and snow rendered field goals a near impossibility as the game wore on, with Lutz and Borregales combining for a 1-of-4 mark, with the lone conversion coming from the later on a 23-yard chip shot. But neither kicker can be faulted for coming up short – or wide – given the conditions.