2026 NFL Playoffs Thread

[Cheese]

Texans/Patriots - Heart says Pats Head says Texans. Going with heart.
Bills/Broncos - Broncos too one dimensional. Bills win.

Rams/Bears - tough call. Da Bears have been tough but I think time catches up to them and no last minute miracles this week.
49ers/Seahawks - hate the Hawks so going with heart again.

[savardandjokinen]

Texans
Bills

Rams
Seahawks

[Sylvanfan]

I'll take the Texans to win outright as a 2.5 point dog in a game under 40.5 total points at this stage. I take it the Texans will fix that skin condition on Stroud's hands. Although a Bills vs Patriots AFC Championship game would be fun.

[troutman]

Pats
Bills
Rams
49ers

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I'll take the Texans to win outright as a 2.5 point dog in a game under 40.5 total points at this stage. I take it the Texans will fix that skin condition on Stroud's hands. Although a Bills vs Patriots AFC Championship game would be fun.

I will do the same. No Nico is a problem for the Texans but the Pats might not have their corner either.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Bills are absolutely crippled at WR right now, they are down to just three WRs on their roster. I'm sure they'll elevate some practice squad guys for Saturday, but obviously expect a lot of 12 and 13 personnel from them.

[browna]

Patriots - Stroud was terrible and only the ineptness of Pittsburgh saves the Texans. Pats won’t be so forgiving and Texans defense won’t be enough.

Broncos - Moreso the Bills, once again, shooting themselves in the foot then Denver doing anything special.

Rams - Bears bubble finally bursts unless some really odd weather evens the playing field. Rams too solid. The now expected comeback from the Bears never materializes.

Seahawks - Home field advantage and a depleted Niners is the difference. 49ers will put up a good fight and if Darnold goes off the coaches script and the turnovers rear its ugly head it could turn to the 49ers. But he’s been coached out of that it seems the past 4 or 5 games.

[MRCboicgy]

Bills & Texans
Bears & Seahawks

[EldrickOnIce]

Bills/Broncos basically pickem
I'm betting on Josh

49ers +7.5/Seahawks
Niners cover this but lose. I mean there is a case to be made for Shanahan and Co to sneak this one out. Purdy could throw 4tds or 4 picks.

Texans +3/Patriots
Bet under lol. I don't know if Pats can score more than 13 here. HOU wins

Bears +3.5/Rams
Best offense in football vs worst D left in playoffs. Bears can keep it close if they control clock. 8 minute drives for TD's, and have + turnover differential. Panthers could/should have won that game. Rams fan doesn't want the ball in Caleb's hands with a chance to win in last minute(s), like Young had.

Should be great football this weekend, hopefully.

[Beninho]

Texans and Patriots is such a tough call, I give the slight edge to the Texans but it’s a toss up. Patriots really need Christian Gonzalez to play. In concussion protocol but I think he should clear by Sunday

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Yeah I have gone back and forth on that one and will continue to do so. Texans defence could easily put points on the board again, but Stroud could easily turn the ball over multiple times. Meanwhile Drake Maye is ridiculously good under pressure all year and now he's got the first game jitters out of the way. It's a very tough game to call.

[savardandjokinen]

Harbaugh to the giants

[browna]

Really surprised that Harbaugh would jump so quickly to the Giants.

I am sure they are offering a boat load of cash to make his mind up for him and probably all sorts of inside reasons why he wouldn’t want to be part of the Dolphins, Falcons or Raiders, who’d likely offer just as much money. Raiders because of Brady meddling and facing his brother twice a year.

Jones and Lurie probably wish he could’ve waited another year when they may be looking for a new coach.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Yeah I have gone back and forth on that one and will continue to do so. Texans defence could easily put points on the board again, but Stroud could easily turn the ball over multiple times. Meanwhile Drake Maye is ridiculously good under pressure all year and now he's got the first game jitters out of the way. It's a very tough game to call.

Also, what's the status on Nico Collins? That's a big loss if he's out, which I'm expecting him to be..that looked bad. Stroud really is the X factor on a potential run, because that D is Super Bowl-worthy.

EDIT: interesting on Harbaugh to Giants being finalized; that was the rumour on the socials the past couple days on where he'd end up.

[EldrickOnIce]

Here's what copilot says about Bears/Rams. Go AI!
This was the prompt
Based on all available analytics, statistics and recent trends, including game time weather conditions, predict the score of the Bears vs Rams game this weekend

🧊 Bears vs. Rams — Weather‑Adjusted, Trend‑Adjusted Score Prediction

🌡️ Weather Impact (Major Factor)
Multiple reports confirm this will be one of the coldest games in Soldier Field history:

- Temps 5–15°F at kickoff, wind chills below zero
- Winds 15–30 mph, significantly affecting passing and kicking
- Rams have played 10 of 18 games indoors and haven’t played in sub‑20° weather since 2022
- Bears have been practicing outdoors with no heaters to acclimate

Weather advantage: Chicago — significantly.

---

📈 Team Trends & Matchup Analytics

Rams
- #1 scoring offense in the NFL
- Matthew Stafford career in ≤32° games: 3–3, 15 TD / 3 INT
- Rams are 12–6 ATS, strong road team
- Stafford dealing with a finger sprain but practicing fully

Bears
- Caleb Williams has already played five games in ≤32° weather this season
- Bears are 6–3 ATS at home and have multiple comeback wins
- Key weapons DJ Moore & Rome Odunze are limited but trending toward playing
- Defense healthier this week (Gardner‑Johnson full participant)

---

🧮 Game Script Projection

Passing Efficiency
- Rams’ downfield passing game is heavily wind‑sensitive.
- Bears’ offense is more adaptable in cold, with QB already acclimated.

Run Game
- Bears’ run game (Swift + Monangai) projects better in extreme cold.
- Rams’ run game is solid but less effective in heavy wind.

Defense
- Bears’ pass rush + cold‑weather advantage likely reduces Stafford’s EPA.
- Rams’ defense struggles more outdoors, especially in freezing temps.

---

🔮 Final Prediction: Bears 20 – Rams 16

Why this score?
- Total expected to drop due to weather (confirmed by oddsmakers)
- Bears gain a possession advantage through field position and fewer negative plays in wind.
- Rams’ explosive offense is capped by conditions and environment.
- Bears’ late‑game resilience (multiple comeback wins) matters in a low‑scoring grind.

[transplant99]

Pats 16-13
Broncos 27-23
Niners 24-21
Rams 38-20

[blender]

Broncos 30-24
49ers 24-21
Rams 27-24
Patriots 20-18

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by browna

Really surprised that Harbaugh would jump so quickly to the Giants.

I am sure they are offering a boat load of cash to make his mind up for him and probably all sorts of inside reasons why he wouldn’t want to be part of the Dolphins, Falcons or Raiders, who’d likely offer just as much money. Raiders because of Brady meddling and facing his brother twice a year.

Jones and Lurie probably wish he could’ve waited another year when they may be looking for a new coach.

Brady isn't meddling. He's actively involved by design (for better or worse) and for the record the Raiders haven't shown much interest in Harbaugh as they are zeroing in on a few other candidates.

[Sainters7]

Bills
Seahawks
Patriots
Rams

[browna]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Brady isn't meddling. He's actively involved by design (for better or worse) and for the record the Raiders haven't shown much interest in Harbaugh as they are zeroing in on a few other candidates.

By design or whatever, the coach there likely has more people to answer to than most other head coaching jobs. The GM, the owner, who seems to be hands on enough over the years, and Brady adding his input fairly regularly.

A lot of cooks in the kitchen and my guess is a guy like Harbaugh, thinks his 19 years affords him some roster control, and this isn’t that scenario. The Raiders need a coach who’ll probably be able to handle being flexible.