2026 NFL Divisional Playoffs Winners, Losers and Takeaways

On Saturday, the No. 1 seeds were victorious over wild-card winners from last week. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Conference Championship Round.

The Broncos' win came at a high cost, though. Quarterback Bo Nix will miss the rest of the playoffs with a broken bone in his ankle. Head coach Sean Payton told reporters that Jarrett Stidham will start next week.

On Sunday, the Houston Texans fell flat again in the second round of the playoffs, dropping to a franchise record of 0-7 in the Divisional Round. The New England Patriots are back in the conference championship spotlight with a young quarterback and rejuvenated defense.

Despite Caleb Williams' late-game heroics, the Los Angeles Rams advanced with a win over the Chicago Bears in a frigid overtime thriller in the Windy City.

Here, Bleacher Report NFL analyst Moe Moton breaks down the winners, losers and biggest takeaways for this weekend's games.

Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Erin Hooley

Score: Rams 20, Bears 17 (OT)

Rams Takeaway: Rams Are Most Trustworthy Team in Conference Championship Round

Led by MVP candidate Matthew Stafford and Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams should be the favorite to win the title this year. 

They have been perennial playoff contenders under McVay, and they're traveling a familiar pathway to the NFC Championship Game. In their successful Super Bowl run, they were a wild-card team as the No. 4 seed. Now, as the No. 5 seed, the Rams are back in the NFC Championship Game.

The Seattle Seahawks have a second-year head coach in Mike Macdonald, and Sam Darnold hasn't played in a championship game. In the AFC, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is in his second year, and the Denver Broncos will start backup signal-caller Jarrett Stidham in place of Bo Nix, who's out with a broken bone in his ankle.

No one should be surprised if the Rams hoist the Lombardi Trophy on February 8.

Winner: RB Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

In a low-scoring battle in freezing conditions, Williams scored both of the Rams' touchdowns. He reached paydirt on the opening drive and midway through the fourth quarter to give Los Angeles a lead. 

With 117 scrimmage yards, Williams racked up about 34 percent of the Rams' total yards to propel them to a road victory in Chicago. Stafford is an MVP candidate, but McVay leaned heavily on Williams, who delivered in a tight battle.

Bears Takeaway: Caleb Williams Becoming NFL's Must-Watch Quarterback 

Whether Williams is leading the Bears down the field on a game-winning drive or throwing an interception, he commands eyeballs with his off-script magic.

Under head coach Ben Johnson, the second-year quarterback has brought life to the Bears' franchise with spectacular plays that have led to several wins this season.

Against the Rams, Williams backpedaled to escape pocket pressure and heaved a deep pass to tight end Cole Kmet on a game-tying drive that extended the contest into overtime. 

As was the case in multiple outings this season, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick made his fair share of mistakes, throwing interceptions and misfiring from the pocket, but he also kept Chicago in the game and nearly pulled off another comeback with crucial throws and first-down runs.

Williams and the Bears will be a marquee attraction in several prime-time matchups next season.

Loser: HC Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears

Like his former lead coach in Detroit, Johnson is aggressive on fourth downs, electing to go for it rather than settle for field goals. But like Lions lead skipper Dan Campbell, Johnson has to learn when to take the points.

Chicago went 3-of-6 on fourth-down efficiency, which isn't a subpar rate. However, two of those failed attempts could have been field-goal attempts. Instead, Williams threw an interception, and the Bears turned the ball over in Rams' territory.

Hindsight in those situations will always be 20/20, but in an even matchup in which scoring came at a premium, Johnson should have been willing to kick field goals early in the contest.

Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud

Score: Patriots 28, Texans 16

Patriots Takeaway: Zak Kuhr Earning His Stripes as a Defensive Play-Caller

Early in the 2025 campaign, Kuhr took over play-calling duties for defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, who's undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Initially, Kuhr joined head coach Mike Vrabel's staff as the inside linebackers coach, though the 37-year-old is the orchestrator of the league's fourth-ranked scoring defense.

Under Kuhr, the Patriots have recorded nine sacks, 66 pressures and six takeaways while allowing just one touchdown in the postseason, per Pro Football Focus.

Vrabel has put together a quality coaching staff, and Kuhr is a young assistant who deserves some buzz after his defense had one of the best outings we'll see this postseason.

Winner: New England Patriots Defense

New England forced five turnovers in the win over Houston, intercepting C.J. Stroud four times and forcing a fumble. Even with the Patriots' turnover-ridden performance, their defense played well enough for them to maintain a stronghold on the lead for most of Sunday's contest.

Texans Takeaway: There Should Be No Rush to Extend C.J. Stroud's Contract

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport guesses Stroud will get a contract extension next offseason. The Texans should take their time with his new deal.

Since Stroud won the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year award, he's been a mediocre quarterback, throwing for 39 touchdowns and 20 interceptions while his passing yards have declined over the last two years.

This season, the 2023 No. 2 overall pick missed three games while in concussion protocol, and Houston's offense didn't show much drop-off with backup Davis Mills under center. The Texans went 3-0 without Stroud.

In two playoff games, Stroud has thrown for two touchdowns and five interceptions, losing two of five fumbles.

Yes, the Ohio State product has lost playmakers like Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Nico Collins to free agency and injuries, but he's far from the 4,000-plus-yard award-winning passer he was in his rookie campaign. Houston should be patient about signing him to an extension.

Loser: QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Early in this game, Stroud picked up a shovel and dug a hole for his team, throwing four interceptions in the first half. In the first 30 minutes, he looked rattled and overwhelmed in a playoff atmosphere.

Though he fared better in the second half, he finished with a 43 percent completion rate. The Texans played without lead receiver Collins and lost tight end Dalton Schultz to injury during the contest, but those absences aren't an excuse for the quarterback's turnovers.

Stroud is the second player since 2000 to throw four interceptions in the first half of a playoff game. Trevor Lawrence was the other, leading a comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. Stroud never recovered from an abysmal first half.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Score: Seahawks 41, 49ers 6

Seahawks Takeaway: Sam Darnold's Oblique Injury Isn't an Issue

Darnold suffered an oblique injury during practice leading up to this game, and the Seahawks listed him as questionable for the contest. He didn't show any ill effects from the issue, though.

The 28-year-old completed 12 out of 17 pass attempts for 124 yards and a touchdown. Though Seattle didn't need him to push the ball downfield in a lopsided game, he threw with pinpoint accuracy and bounced back after taking some hits in the pocket.

At least for now, the Seahawks and their fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing Darnold isn't significantly limited by his injury.

Winner: RB Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks

Walker ran through the 49ers defense, logging 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 29 yards.

Fellow running back Zach Charbonnet exited in the first half because of a knee injury and didn't return, leaving Walker to handle the lion's share of touches and dominate on the ground.

49ers Takeaway: Aging, Banged-Up Roster Needs Youth Injection

San Francisco's veteran-laden, banged-up roster ran out of gas Saturday in the team's worst loss of the 2025 campaign.

The 49ers overcame a slew of injuries to reach the Divisional Round, but they didn't have the star power, playmakers or depth to compete with the NFC's No. 1 seed.

General manager John Lynch must rejuvenate the roster with young talent. George Kittle, 33, Nick Bosa, 29, and Fred Warner, 29, suffered season-ending injuries. Brandon Aiyuk didn't play a snap while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL this season. Christian McCaffrey turns 30 in June. Trent Williams will be 38 in July. 

Last offseason, the 49ers turned over the roster, parting ways with several veterans. This year, they need to infuse the roster with younger players to strengthen their roster depth.

Loser: DC Robert Saleh, San Francisco 49ers

Saleh is a head coaching candidate, and he'll likely continue to draw interest throughout the hiring cycle because of what he did with a Scotch-Taped defensive personnel group.

Still, the 46-year-old finishes the season on a sour note with a non-competitive defense that couldn't stop anyone in a blowout loss. In his interviews, he will have to explain why his unit no-showed in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Bart Young

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix

Score: Broncos 33, Bills 30 (OT)

Broncos Takeaway: Super Bowl Hopes in Peril Without Bo Nix

Following the Broncos' win over the Bills, head coach Sean Payton shared a gut-wrenching update on Nix, who will miss the rest of the postseason with a fractured bone in his ankle.

The 25-year-old led the NFL with seven game-winning drives. Once again on Saturday, he showed poise when the Broncos fell behind in the fourth quarter, engineering a touchdown drive for the lead and then drawing pass interference calls on deep throws in overtime.

Without Nix, Denver will turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't thrown a pass in the regular season since the 2023 campaign.

Broncos fans experienced the high of celebrating the team's first playoff win since the 2015 campaign and felt the low of losing their starting quarterback, who's been a clutch playmaker in the team's run to the AFC Championship in a matter of moments.

Winner: QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Denver accumulated 349 total yards; Nix threw and ran for 308 yards combined, which illustrates how much he contributed to the win. The dynamic signal-caller put together a mostly clean performance, aside from an interception in the third quarter and led the Broncos with 29 rushing yards.

The Oregon product quelled any doubts about his growth in a high-pressure matchup against the reigning MVP and a Super Bowl contender. He earned his respect as a big-game closer, though his season will end prematurely with a significant injury.

Bills Takeaway: GM Brandon Beane Must Consider A.J. Brown Trade

The Bills' biggest issue in Saturday's loss was turnovers. They gave the ball away five times. With that said, general manager Brandon Beane may look at taking a big swing in the offseason to finally get his team over the hump. Perhaps he inquires about wideout A.J. Brown, whose future with the Philadelphia Eagles seems uncertain following a tumultuous season.

Yes, Brown struggled with drops in the Eagles' Wild Card Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but more times than not, he's a matchup nightmare for defenders. 

Josh Allen doesn't need a No. 1 receiver to get the Bills to the playoffs, but the team may need one to reach the Super Bowl. 

Khalil Shakir led Buffalo's wide receivers with seven catches for 75 yards. Wideouts Mecole Hardman and Brandin Cooks couldn't hold onto passes that would have set up the Bills for a game-winning field goal in overtime.

Loser: QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Allen will be distraught when he thinks about this loss. He committed four of the Bills' five turnovers—two interceptions and a couple of lost fumbles.

The 29-year-old made an egregious error, which showed a lack of situational awareness. On a scramble, he ran with the ball away from his body, which allowed the Broncos to force a fumble and kick a field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

The accumulation of the Bills' turnovers hurt them, but Allen's inexplicable fumble before halftime gave the Broncos three points that ultimately changed the game's complexion late in regulation.