28 teams down, four left standing. The Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos, the New England Patriots, and the Los Angeles Rams. The NFC and AFC are poised to play their penultimate games, sending one team each to Superbowl LX. Each team will be gnawing for the ultimate prize; the Lombardi trophy, yet only one will get their chance to sink their teeth into victory. Let us break each team down; the season gone, the present, the benefits and the issues motivating or hurting each team’s chances.
For the sake of neutrality, the order shall start with the team who has the longest gap since their last Superbowl victory.
The Seattle Seahawks (NFC)
Last Victory: 2014. Last Superbowl Appearance: 2015. Total Victories: 1 (2014).
Seattle has had the toughest road towards the NFC championship, of the four teams here. A member of the NFC West Division (ranked the 2nd hardest of all 8 NFL divisions, as per ESPN), Seattle has dealt with a tough schedule all season long. Yet, despite all that, they managed to lead a division containing three post-season teams out of four, and secure the top seed in the NFC conference, ensuring a bye week (a break, for those unfamiliar with the NFL). A comfortable victory over the 49ers after this has sent the Seahawks into the NFC championship game.
This is a chance to prove themselves for both coach and quarterback, with Mike Macdonald in only his second season as Seattle head coach. Can Sam Darnold, quarterback of many teams before everything finally clicked this year with his new team, finally show the league how capable he is, with the right team behind him?
What would it mean for Seattle to win their second Superbowl? Well, if history were to repeat itself, it would be a chance for vengeance against the Patriots, after the last minute save in Superbowl XLIX in 2015. Or, it could be a repeat of the Legion of Doom’s 2014 monstrous result against, funnily enough, the Denver Broncos. Either way, either team, Seattle will be looking to settle old scores, and secure that second Lombardi.
The Denver Broncos (AFC)
Last Victory: 2016. Last Superbowl Appearance: 2016. Total Victories: 3 (1997, 1998, 2015)
Like the Seahawks, the Denver Broncos had a tough division to work through, though they had an easier schedule. In a division where the Chiefs Kingdom (of Travis Kelce fame) had ruled supreme for the past 10 years, it was Denver who reclaimed the crown of the division for the first time since Peyton Manning’s last season in the quarterback position.
The Broncos, like the Seahawks, secured that first seed in the AFC conference, guaranteeing a bye week, and then a tough matchup against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. In what would be a tough game at Mile High Stadium, the game went to overtime, resulting in a 33-30 victory for the Broncos. This came at a significant loss however, as quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle during the final play of the game.
It is unclear if the Broncos backup quarterback (who has not played any NFL game since 2023) will be up for the task of filling in for Nix as they face off against the Patriots. A victory could spell the beginning of a new dynasty within the AFC West division, or is this a (relatively old, excluding Nix) team who were fortunate to get one good playoff run for the next few years? Time will tell.
New England Patriots (AFC)
Last Victory: 2019. Last Superbowl Appearance: 2019. Total Superbowl Victories: 6 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2019)
It is frankly astonishing how quickly the Patriots have turned the team around since their last Superbowl appearance back in 2019. Since then, they have lost the legendary Tom Brady, who led them to all six of their Superbowl victories, and Bill Belichick, who coached Brady to all six victories.
Previously dominant over the AFC East division for many, many years, it is fair to say that the Bills slipping up once again (they are never winning a Superbowl, are they??) and being weaker this season has allowed them some grace to win. That, and one of the easiest schedules of all NFL teams this season, with them only being beaten out by two other teams in this category. A strong season, second only to the Broncos within the AFC, and convincing victories against the Chargers and Texans has dispelled any notions of an easy schedule. This is a tough team to beat.
What would victory mean for the Patriots? Well, it would cement their status as the greatest NFL team in America, finally breaking their tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for total victories. It would also cement their return as the team to beat, with the new leadership of Drake Maye at QB and Mike Vrabel at coaching. And it would stop the Lombardi from going out west with literally any other team still in contention. If they weren’t so hated for their last dynasty, perhaps the Patriots would have the support of the entire East Coast going into this weekend.
Los Angeles Rams (NFC)
Last Victory: 2021. Last Superbowl Appearance: 2021. Total Superbowl Victories: 2 (1999*, 2021)
Finally, the Rams. The only team on this this list who has not… oh wait nevermind. They also have a bone to pick with the Patriots, given their loss against them in 2019. They have since rectified that with a Superbowl victory against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. Coach Sean McVay and QB Matthew Stafford have been on a warpath back to the Lombardi since then, with regular post-season games every year since 2023.
Yet it is the Ram’s profiting off better teams’ downfalls once again, as the Chiefs, the Eagles and the 49ers have all failed to reach the coveted Championship game (and in the Chiefs case, not qualify for the playoffs for the first time in a decade).
A tough division saw them lead the NFC West for a long time but lose out in the end to this week’s opponents, the Seahawks, to that coveted top spot. Tight victories over the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears (in overtime) have done little to dispel the growing notion that, just maybe, this team is not strong enough to win it all once more.
*The Rams won the 1999 Superbowl as the St Louis Rams. This was before their return to LA.
And to Conclude
Anybody who is betting now would have their sights set firmly on a rematch of Seattle’s heartbreak of 2015. With both the Rams and (more critically) the Broncos suffering from injury-riddled rosters, it is fair to say this matchup is going to span the entire country. For anybody interested in watching one of the three remaining games this season (or you are just really excited for that Bad Bunny halftime show – me too), the Superbowl will be on free-to-air broadcast with Virgin Media Ireland for the first time this year. All times shown below are adjusted to GMT.
- AFC Championship Game: 8pm, in Denver
- NFC Championship Game: 11:30pm, in Seattle
- Superbowl LX: 11:30pm, Santa Clara, California.
