And Then There Were Four

The Conference Championships are set ...

Author

Kendall Valenzuela
January 19, 2026

There was a thought that the Divisional Round was not going to come close to the action we saw during Wild Card Weekend, but the football Gods gave us another great weekend of playoff football. Sure, the Seahawks dominated the 49ers, and the Patriots/Texans game could have been prettier, but we're close to having NO football, so let's just be grateful for what we have right now!

Broncos win, but at what cost?

We can go back and forth on whether that deep pass to Brandin Cooks should have actually been ruled an interception or not, but there are more pressing matters to attend to. It was an instant classic that will forever be tainted by the news that came after the final whistle. After the Broncos beat the Bills 33-30 in overtime, head coach Sean Payton told reporters that quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle and will be out for the remainder of the playoffs. Enter: Jarrett Stidham. The backup quarterback will be thrust into the starting role and has never appeared in a postseason game. In his career, Stidham has completed 117 passes off 197 attempts (59.4%) for 1,422 yards, along with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. Maybe he can do his best Nick Foles impression?

The Broncos will face the Patriots on Sunday at 3:00 pm ET. If you're still alive in Guilloteenies, I'd bid as much as I can on other receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte if they’re available.

Can I get a … GO HAWKS!!

Come on, you know who is writing this newsletter, and I can't help but shout out my hometown squad for such a dominant win. Here's an ode to the Seahawks:

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Rashid Shaheed is a hero

And Kenneth Walker is, too

(And the defense)

Get Smith-Njigba and Walker on any and all of your Guilloteenie teams if you can!

Patriots come out victorious

OK, OK … this game wasn't as pretty. The Texans lost to the Patriots, with both quarterbacks not playing their best football. C.J. Stroud finished with 20 completions off 47 pass attempts for 212 yards and a touchdown. He had a passer rating of 28.0 (yuck). Remember, if you spiked the ball every single play, you'd get a passer rating of 39.6. Drake Maye went 16-for-27 passing for 179 yards and three scores, but he also fumbled four times. Maye was much better in the second half, and it now seems like the Patriots "down years" are a thing of the past.

This will be the first AFC Championship Game appearance for New England since the 2018 season.

Bears almost do the impossible

WOW. The Cardiac Bears almost did it again. Caleb Williams kept hopes of an NFC Championship game alive after an unreal touchdown to Cole Kmet (that traveled 51.2 yards in the air), but it was only enough to send the Bears to overtime. They eventually lost to the Rams on a Harrison Mevis 42-yard field goal, and now the Rams will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seahawks. 

It was an incredible season for the Bears—Williams completed 52.2% of his passes in the postseason for 618 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. On the other side, the Rams are a tough team. Matthew Stafford finished the night with 258 passing yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. I'd say nicer things right now, but my Seattle fandom isn't letting me! May the best team win …

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Fantasy

Editors’ Picks

The Divisional Round is wrapped up, but we have one more big game tonight to focus on …

Will tonight’s National Championship Game solidify the No. 1 overall pick? Matthew Freedman recently updated his first 2026 NFL Mock Draft, and it really starts at No. 2.

Fantasy

Where Do The Buffalo Bills Go From Here?

2025 marked the end of the Bills five-year reign over the AFC East and another disappointing playoff exit, but they did win double-digit games for the seventh season in a row while deploying one of the game's most efficient offenses. This was, of course, mostly thanks to more god-level dual-threat goodness from Josh Allen, as well as one helluva campaign from NFL-leading rusher James Cook.

  • 2025: 12-5 (+116 point differential, preseason win total: 11.5)

  • Points per game: 28.3 (tied for fourth)

  • EPA per pass: +0.23 (fourth)

  • EPA per rush: +0.04 (second)

  • Points per game against: 21.5 (12th)

  • EPA per pass against: -0.05 (eighth)

  • EPA per rush against: +0.05 (31st)

GM Brandon Beane has the league's 10th-lowest effective cap space to work with ahead of the 2026 offseason, so expect Buffalo to do more of their team building through the draft as opposed to free agency.

What Do The Buffalo Bills Need To Address For 2026?

Front-Seven

Failure to consistently stop the run was the biggest weakness of the 2025 Buffalo Bills. Seven different opponents wound up rushing for 160-plus yards against this group—tied for the most in the NFL.

DT Ed Oliver being limited to just three games due to injuries was a big problem, but even getting their 28-year-old stud back at 100% in 2026 won't be enough. It remains to be seen if the Bills will manage to bring back front-seven free agents like EDGE Joey Bosa, DL DaQuan Jones, DL Larry Ogunjobi and LB Matt Milano; either way, all those guys are on the wrong side of 30, so getting more youth at and around the line of scrimmage is encouraged.

Buffalo has used at least one top-100 pick on ITS front-seven in each of the last eight drafts—don't be surprised if Beane and the Bills again dip their toes into the defensive line and/or linebacker draft pool come April.

Dynasty

How To Accelerate Your Dynasty Rebuild

So you’ve committed to rebuilding your squad, but things are moving a little slower than you wanted. No worries! We can help fix that. The first step, as they say, is admitting the problem.

I’ve said before that a solid rebuild should take two seasons or less, as long as you act thoughtfully and efficiently.

So let’s take your team name from “Rebuild Me Up Buttercup” to “Rebuilt This Pretty” in as little time as possible (if you’re too young to get those references, I’m sorry. Replace them with “Do You Want to Rebuild a Snowman” and … some other youthful thing).

Anyways, here’s how to speed up the process …

Fantasy

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

1️⃣ We know what job No. 1 is in Houston after another exit in the Divisional Round.

🏆 This thorough breakdown will get you ready for the Natty tonight in Miami.

🪓 Three-team Guilloteenies are starting for the Conference Championships.

🕺🏽 The fantasy punishments keep getting more original.

🏈 A new head man in Atlanta. Feeling good about Bijan’s future.

👋🏼 Who needs two hands? Not Kayshon Boutte.

👀 Just can’t get enough of this play! It’s like he ran forever.

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