Championship Sunday Preview: Familiar Faces, Fresh Firepower
Championship Sunday is set, and if the teams look familiar, it’s because they are. The Seahawks, Broncos, Patriots, and Rams have all been to the mountaintop before.
But don’t be fooled - these 2025 versions are a far cry from the squads that lifted Lombardi Trophies in years past. New quarterbacks, new coaching philosophies, and new identities headline both conference title matchups.
Let’s break down how each team got here - and what it’ll take to punch their ticket to Super Bowl Sunday.
AFC Championship: **No. 1 Broncos (14-3) vs.
No. 2 Patriots (14-3)**
Location: Denver
We’ve seen Broncos-Patriots in the AFC title game before, but not like this.
No Peyton Manning. No Tom Brady.
This time, it’s Drake Maye - the Patriots’ rising star and MVP candidate - against Jarrett Stidham, a backup-turned-starter after Bo Nix went down with a fractured ankle in last week’s overtime win over Buffalo. It’s a quarterback matchup no one saw coming, but it adds a fascinating wrinkle to a rivalry that’s already steeped in playoff history.
Stidham, a former Patriots draft pick, has just four career starts under his belt and only 18 snaps over the past two regular seasons. Now he’s being asked to lead a team that’s won 14 of its last 15 games into the biggest matchup of the year. That’s a tall order - but Denver’s defense might just be good enough to carry him.
The Broncos are coming off their first playoff win in a decade, outlasting Josh Allen and the Bills in a wild 33-30 overtime thriller. Denver’s defense forced five turnovers - two Allen picks, two lost fumbles from the QB, and one from rushing champ James Cook - despite ranking near the bottom of the league in takeaways during the regular season. That kind of opportunistic surge could be a one-off… or the start of something dangerous.
Let’s be clear: the Broncos' defense has been elite all season. They led the league in sacks (68), ranked second in yards allowed, and third in points allowed. If they can keep the turnover wave rolling, they could very well overcome the quarterback disparity and ride that defense all the way to the Super Bowl.
But there’s a flip side to that coin. Buffalo still racked up 449 yards, converted 10 of 15 third downs, and averaged 5.8 yards per play.
If not for the turnovers, the Bills likely walk away with the win. That’s the blueprint New England will study - and try to replicate.
On the Patriots' side, their defense has been lights out in the postseason. They’ve given up just one touchdown in two playoff games and have forced five turnovers - including four interceptions in a 28-16 win over the Texans.
They’ve also sacked Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud nine times combined, showing they can bring the heat when it matters most.
Maye’s ball security, though, is a concern. He’s fumbled six times (losing three) and thrown two picks in his first two playoff games.
But he’s also thrown for 447 yards and four touchdowns against two of the league’s stingiest defenses. Now he’ll face a Broncos unit that’s even better on paper - and red-hot in practice.
This one might come down to who blinks first. Can Stidham manage the moment?
Can Maye protect the football? And which defense can make the game-changing play?
We’ll find out in the thin air of Mile High.
NFC Championship: **No. 1 Seahawks (14-3) vs.
No. 5 Rams (12-5)**
Location: Seattle
The NFC West gets one more showdown - and this time, it’s for a trip to the Super Bowl.
Seattle already claimed the division crown, but they’ll need to beat the Rams one more time to make it count on the biggest stage. These teams split their regular-season meetings, but it was the Seahawks who won the instant classic in Week 16 - a 38-37 overtime thriller that might still be the game of the year.
Now, the stakes are even higher.
Head coach Mike Macdonald has the Seahawks peaking at the right time. Two years ago, he was a defensive coordinator hoping for a job interview. Now, he’s got Seattle back in the NFC title game for the first time in over a decade - and doing it his way.
Seattle has won eight straight, including four in a row against playoff teams by a combined score of 119-56. They dismantled the 49ers 41-6 in the divisional round, their second straight win over San Francisco after clinching the top seed in Week 18.
The formula? Defense and a punishing ground game.
The Seahawks have averaged 172.3 rushing yards over their last four games, taking pressure off quarterback Sam Darnold, who’s played clean, efficient football when he’s avoided turnovers. But the heart of this team is Macdonald’s defense.
Seattle led the league in points allowed, ranked third against the run, sixth in takeaways, and tied for seventh in sacks. Against the 49ers, they forced three turnovers and made life miserable for Brock Purdy.
But now comes Matthew Stafford - a different kind of test.
Stafford hasn’t been at his MVP-level best in the postseason, but he’s done enough to get the Rams here. LA edged out the Bears 20-17 in overtime last week and beat the Saints in the Wild Card round. They’re battle-tested, even if they haven’t looked quite as explosive as they did earlier in the season.
Since Thanksgiving, the Rams are 5-3. They’ve been solid, but not spectacular - and that might not be enough to keep up with a Seahawks team that’s steamrolling its way through the NFC.
Still, the Rams have grit. They’ve won ugly.
They’ve survived close games. And they’ve got a quarterback who’s been through the fire before.
Seattle, meanwhile, looks like the more complete team. They’re playing their best football at the right time, and they’ve already proven they can beat the Rams in a shootout. The question is whether they can do it again - with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
Final Word
All four teams left standing have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy before. But none of them look like they did the last time they did it. That’s what makes this Championship Sunday so compelling - it’s familiar faces, but with fresh stories, new stars, and unpredictable outcomes.
The defenses are elite. The quarterbacks are either ascending or being asked to rise to the moment.
And the matchups? As good as it gets.
Strap in. This weekend’s going to be fun.