The New England Patriots finished their first season under head coach Mike Vrabel with a 4-13 record, marking a streak of consecutive 4-13 seasons. Vrabel is just one victory shy of setting a new NFL record by reaching the Super Bowl for the 12th time. The No. 2 seed Patriots have the chance to qualify for the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018 when they travel to Empower Field to face the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The winner will go on to compete against the victor of the NFC Championship, where the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks host the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
During the regular season, the Patriots excelled on the road with an 8-0 record and played their first two playoff games at home, securing victories over the Los Angeles Chargers (16-3) and Houston Texans (28-16). Denver, with a 14-3 record, upset the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in overtime last weekend, marking their first playoff win since 2015 and ending their wild-card defeat last year. The Broncos will rely on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham instead of Bo Nix, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury during their win against the Bills.
Seattle, also finishing 14-3, continued their impressive performance with a seven-game winning streak, convincingly beating the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 at home in the divisional round. The Rams, who narrowly beat the Seahawks 21-19 in Week 11, have been road warriors, winning their last two away games against the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears in overtime.
In the NBA, eight games are scheduled for Sunday, including the Brooklyn Nets (12-31) versus the Los Angeles Clippers (20-24) at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, starting at 9 p.m. ET. Earlier this month, the Clippers extended their winning streak over the Nets to four games with a 121-105 victory.
The NHL features six matchups, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins (25-14-11) visiting the Vancouver Canucks (17-29-5) at 6 p.m. ET at Rogers Arena. The Penguins, who previously defeated Vancouver 5-1, have been strong on the road, winning three of their last four away contests, while the Canucks have struggled, with only one win in their last 13 games.
In college basketball, a key Big Ten game features USC (14-5) against Wisconsin (14-5) at 4 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center in Madison. Wisconsin has a five-game winning streak, whereas USC has dropped four of its past six, including their last two.
Current odds favor the Patriots by 3.5 points over the Broncos, and the Seahawks by 2.5 points over the Rams. The Clippers are favored by 8.5 points against the Nets, the Penguins are slight favorites (-149) over the Canucks, and Wisconsin is expected to beat USC by 7.5 points.
Here’s a quick look at notable betting picks for Sunday, January 25th: The AFC matchup between Patriots and Broncos kicks off at 3 p.m. on CBS, with the Broncos predicted to cover the spread according to SportsLine models and prop predictions favoring Jarrett Stidham’s rushing yards. The NFC game featuring Seahawks and Rams begins at 6:30 p.m. on Fox, with the Seahawks expected to cover the spread, and predictions indicate a high-scoring game with the over hit in most simulations.
In the NBA, the Clippers-Nets game at 9 p.m. on NBA League Pass is projected to be high-scoring, with the Clippers favored to win by at least 8.5 points. The Canucks-Penguins NHL game at 6 p.m. on ESPN+ suggests the Penguins may win outright but that Vancouver could keep the game close, based on simulation outcomes. Lastly, for college basketball, the Wisconsin-USC game at 4 p.m. on Peacock predicts a lower-scoring affair, with Wisconsin favored to win comfortably.
Fan Take: As the NFL playoffs heat up, the stories of underdog resilience and star power resonate deeply with fans, fueling hope, excitement, and debate about who truly has what it takes to make history. For hockey fans, seeing NFL stars and thrilling playoff narratives unfold can inspire cross-sport enthusiasm, highlighting the importance of grit and determination that transcends any one sport.
