#nfl-playoffs

#nfl-playoffs

Another round of NFL playoff action has wrapped and we are officially down to a final four: One of these teams is going to win the Super Bowl, but all of them are going to be regarded in high esteem with having reached their conference championship games. As Dallas Cowboys fans we know full well how welcome even a conference championship game appearance would be, not saying that this is the standard, and all four of these teams have the most recent.

McDermott's tenure ends after nine seasons in which he transformed the franchise into a perennial winner but was knocked for failing to make a Super Bowl appearance. Buffalo became the NFL's first team to win a playoff round in seven consecutive years but not reach the Super Bowl. The 51-year-old McDermott finished with a 98-50 regular-season record and was 8-8 in the playoffs, ranking second on the team list in wins behind Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy (112-70, 11-8).

Despite ending 2025 with five straight losses, including a wild-card collapse against the rival Chicago Bears, Ed Policy opted for stability and Matt LaFleur decided he had unfinished business. Thus, the Green Bay Packers' president and their veteran head coach agreed to forge ahead with the hope that they will finally break through and get to a Super Bowl. LaFleur, 46, will return as the Packers head coach, per sources.

All we care about is how we're going to survive this round and reach the final four,

Eight teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl LX entering the Divisional Round of NFL playoffs. Those squads will be halved to four following this weekend's action following two games on each weekend afternoon and evening. Here you'll find the matchups, odds and a betting option for each of Saturday's gridiron clashes that will determine the first participants in next weekend's conference championship games.

"I popped on a [conference] call, and I said my name and then hear the reaction," Ryans said Friday. "People are genuinely joyful about what these guys are able to do on the field and winning football. It changes the landscape of the city and how people feel. We can provide some joy to our community. That's one of the main reasons why I came back."

Quarterback Josh Allen produced an outstanding performance in a 27-24 win, his rushing touchdown with 64 seconds remaining proving decisive as the Bills intercepted Trevor Lawrence for the second time on the subsequent drive, their defense frustrating the Jags through the air despite struggling once again to stop the run. Allen went 28/35 (a completion rate of 80%) for 273 passing yards and a touchdown, while adding 33 yards and two scores on the ground.

Bill Belichick's influence on the game, even in 2026, is still felt. Whether it be veteran players who are still holdouts from "The Patriot Way" or coaches scattered across the league, the greatest coach of all time has had his influence on football. One of those coaches who was once part of his staff was Nick Caley, now the Texans' offensive coordinator.

Warner was officially ruled out Friday from the 49ers' divisional-round visit to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, three months after his right ankle fracture. Coach Kyle Shanahan announced Tuesday that Warner's practice window would open this week for a potential return next week, and he reiterated Friday that could be the case if the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game for an eighth straight time when making the playoffs.

There is a specific kind of insanity reserved for playoff games between two teams from the same division. It is a distinct flavor of madness, separate but amplified by the usual January anxiety. These teams do not just play each other; they live together: they share the same atmospheric rivers, the same East Coast apathy toward everything in the Pacific time zone, and the same enemies.

SANTA CLARA Ricky Pearsall Jr. hasn't hit top-end speed since late September but said Wednesday he was optimistic about playing for the 49ers Saturday night when they visit the Seattle Seahawks. Fred Warner is probably a week away meaning the sixth-seeded 49ers (13-5) will have to beat the No. 1 Seahawks (14-3) in an NFL divisional playoff game (Fox, 5 p.m.) for him to complete an improbable in-season comeback from a broken and dislocated right ankle sustained on Oct. 12.