NFL Playoff Power Rankings: Rams, Patriots advance to Divisional Round

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NFL Playoff Power Rankings: Rams, Patriots advance to Divisional Round

Mike Johrendt, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jan 15, 2026 ·

10 min read

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The Wild Card round had quite a lot of fireworks this season, as the 2025-26 NFL playoffs opened up with a bang. Down to the best 8 teams, the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs will feature four must-see matchups. See how the AFC and NFC playoff brackets shake out heading into the Divisional Round in ClutchPoints' NFL Playoff Power Rankings.

1. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks still find themselves atop the NFL Playoff Power Rankings, sitting pretty as the top seed in the NFC. But a matchup with the San Francisco 49ers awaits them, a team they split the season series with.

Which version of Sam Darnold shows up on Saturday night will dictate what kind of game Seattle will have, as he is the key piece to running the show. If Darnold is able to keep his turnovers down and shake off any bye-week cobwebs, the Seahawks should be in a good position to earn a home win.

But if Darnold and offensive coordinator Klink Kubiak are still stuck in a bye-week slumber, potentially impacted by the potential head coaching gigs Kubiak is rumored to be considered for, then this SEA roster could be out of the playoffs sooner than many thought they would. The Seattle defense will have the elements and a raucous crowd on its side in Lumen Field, providing a key advantage, but Darnold is what will make – or break – Seattle's Super Bowl chances.

2. New England Patriots

While it was an uphill battle scoring points in the first half, the Wild Card win showed just how strong the New England Patriots can be, especially on defense. A suffocating showing by Mike Vrabel's defensive unit paved the way for an opening-round win, holding Justin Herbert to 159 passing yards while sacking him six times.

More will be asked of Drake Maye in New England 's divisional matchup with the Houston Texans , as facing arguably the best defense in the NFL will not make things easy. Maye wasn't asked to do anything crazy last week (268 passing yards, only 29 attempts), but he will need to take on a larger role against a Houston front seven that won't allow many running lanes for TreVeyon Henderson or Rhamondre Stevenson .

Two fumbles and an interception from Maye in the Wild Card round cannot happen again if the Patriots want to win, but for a quarterback who is a prominent option in this year's MVP race, odds are that a better version of the former Tar Heel signal caller will come out when the lights are at their brightest Sunday afternoon.

3. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos help kick off the Saturday slate of the Divisional Round, hosting the Buffalo Bills in what will be a matchup between two underappreciated QBs. Bo Nix will have a heavy weight on his shoulders heading into this game, as the Broncos overachieved this year and must prove they are worthy of being the top seed in the AFC.

A strong offensive line and a strong defensive unit as a whole help point the arrow in DEN's direction Saturday, as they are far better in both areas compared to BUF. If the OL can keep Nix clean and the pass rush can force Allen into tough situations, then this game could easily go in favor of the Broncos.

A big contingency for Denver will be how Sean Payton and Davis Webb can produce a balanced offensive attack for the Broncos. While Buffalo allowed the fewest passing yards among all defenses this past season (opposing QBs averaged just over 170 yards per game), they were a bottom-five unit against the run (allowing over 2,300 yards). To not fall into a lull of relying too heavily on rookie RJ Harvey , the distribution on offense will need to lean on Nix more than many might expect, as a healthy balance would help keep Buffalo guessing.

4. Los Angeles Rams

A late-game comeback pushed the Los Angeles Rams into the Divisional Round and down a few spots in the ClutchPoints' NFL Playoff Power Rankings. Going on the road to face the upstart Carolina Panthers , the Rams had to string together a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter to stave off an early elimination, not instilling a ton of faith heading into this round.

The Davante Adams -Matthew Stafford connection was off all game, as the two wily veterans were unable to get on the same page. Stafford's connection with Puka Nacua was just fine, but not having that second option in the passing attack burned LAR on multiple occasions last week.

The margin for error will be far slimmer for the Rams on Sunday night, as they are going up against a tough Chicago Bears defense coached by Dennis Allen. If the Rams are able to put their Wild Card struggles behind them and start the Divisional Round on the right foot, then they should be able to put together a full, four-quarter performance. But if offense looks to be stuck in the mud again and their pass rush isn't finding its way into the Chicago backfield, then the Rams could be in for another tough showing.

5. Houston Texans

It has been the year of the defense for the Texans, as head coach DeMeco Ryans and his stout defensive unit have been the reason why Houston is in the Divisional Round. Having scored two defensive touchdowns and held Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense down all game, their reward is to face a Josh McDaniels-led offense ready to score some points.

From the terror twins up front of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter , to HOU's linebackers flying all over the field to make stops, to the stingy secondary comprised of Derek Stingley , Kamari Lassiter , and Jalen Pitre , there is no obvious hole for any team to exploit in this defense.

But facing a strong Patriots offense will be no cakewalk for the Texans' defense, as this will be one of their toughest tasks all year. The key to pulling the road upset is once again on the pass rush, as they will need to get home and force Maye to turn the ball over, something he seemed eager to do last week.

Offensively, the health of star wide receiver Nico Collins is something to keep tabs on, as his status is in doubt after suffering a concussion against the Los Angeles Chargers . If he can't go, the array of weapons for C.J. Stroud gets even slimmer, as his top targets would be Christian Kirk and tight end Dalton Schultz . While rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have improved as the season has gone on, handing increased roles to both could spell trouble for a Houston passing attack that has to be a trusted option Sunday.

6. Buffalo Bills

In a year where the AFC playoffs are without Joe Burrow , Lamar Jackson , and Patrick Mahomes , it was good to see Josh Allen and the Bills make some noise in the Wild Card round. A road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars is one of the more impressive performances of the opening round, as it took a total team effort on both sides of the ball to earn the win.

It was another episode of the Josh Allen show for Buffalo against Jacksonville, and he will need to do more Superman things against a really tough Denver defense on the road. The receiver room for the Bills took two big hits after the Wild Card round, as both Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers tore ACLs against the Jaguars and are out for the rest of the season.

So it once again turns to the right arm (and legs) of Allen, who Joe Brady will ask to do Herculean-like things for the Bills. With Keon Coleman , Brandin Cooks , and Khalil Shakir as his top wideouts, and with Curtis Samuel's practice window opening this week, the Buffalo offense relies on Allen once again. While a heavy workload for Allen is nothing new, the MVP side of him will need to come out, not the turnover-heavy version, if the Bills are to have any shot of an upset.

7. San Francisco 49ers

The loss of star tight end George Kittle to a season-ending Achilles injury is a major blow to a San Francisco 49ers team that has no wiggle room on the injury front. Needing to alter its game plan for the Divisional Round, the offense will likely see an even bigger workload for Christian McCaffrey and more responsibilities put on Brock Purdy 's shoulders.

A heavier workload for McCaffrey is a good thing for the Niners' offense, as it already runs through their star running back. While Seattle will expect this, CMC averaged 23 touches across the two previous matchups this season, so it's safe to say he will be in the 30-plus range when it is all said and done.

The San Francisco defense will need to carry more of the load as well in the Divisional Round, as holding the Seattle offense to 16 points in their Week 18 meeting can act as a blueprint. The secondary will need to do a better job against Jaxon Smith-Njigba , which is exactly where Darnold will look to funnel the passing attack. If the Niners can at least limit JSN's impact, they absolutely have a fighting chance in what should be a game full of bad blood and physical play.

8. Chicago Bears

Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The final team in the Divisional Round's version of the NFL Playoff Power Rankings is the Chicago Bears, who mounted an inspiring, second-half comeback against the Green Bay Packers but struggled for most of the game. Ben Johnson's offense was nowhere to be found for three quarters, showing that the lights were a bit too bright in his first postseason game as head coach.

But Caleb Williams figured things out in the fourth quarter, as his connection with rookie tight end Colston Loveland rectified an otherwise embarrassing showing by the offense. If Chicago continues to funnel dedicated work through their stud tight end, this offense can be multi-dimensional enough in all the right ways.

While most eyes are on the offense, it's safe to say that the defense will be just as important for Chicago in their Divisional Round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Facing one of the best offensive attacks in the entire league, the CHI defense will be tested on all levels, something that they will likely struggle with. Containing Nacua and Adams is not an easy feat for any team, much less a Bears team that has some holes in their defensive secondary, so it will be up to their pass rush to make Stafford uncomfortable in the pocket.

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