Ranking remaining NFL playoff teams after Seattle Seahawks advance

After Saturday's action the divisional round of the NFL playoffs is half over. We know that the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks have advanced to the conference championship round, but await the winners of today's games to find out who they will be playing.

In the meantime, let's break down where the Seahawks stand compared to the remaining teams in the postseson tournament.

6. Denver Broncos

The Broncos outlasted Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in overtime in an instant classic. However, after it was over head coach Sean Payton informed the media that starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle during the game, knocking him out for the rest of the season. That subtraction instantly drops Denver to the bottom of the list, despite having an elite defensive unit that led the NFL in sacks. That defense won't make it easy on their next opponent, but without Nix it's impossible to see this team going any further.

5. Chicago Bears

Next up are the Chicago Bears, who are frankly lucky to be here. The Green Bay Packers had them on the ropes in the Wild Card round, leading 21-3 at one point and later and as much as 27-16 halfway through the fourth quarter. The Packers' prevent defense (and offense) lost them the game. Now, the Bears are underdogs on their own field for today's game against the Los Angeles Rams. There's always a chance Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams could surprise the favorites. It would come as a huge surprise, though. Most likely Chicago's season will end this evening.

4. Houston Texans

Seattle's victory on Monday Night Football early in the season over Houston looks a whole lot more impressive now than it did then. The Texans have since revealed themselves to have the best defense in the AFC this year, finishing the season second in fewest points allowed behind Seattle. The problem is C.J. Stroud is still very inexperienced in the playoffs and it was a miracle they won last week despite four turnovers on his part. The Texans won't be easy to take out, but New England should be able to get the job done.

3. New England Patriots

The Patriots look to be the 1,000-pound gorilla in the AFC now that the Broncos have had their legs taken out from under them. Then again, New England had an absurdly easy schedule during the regular season and they only faced one playoff team the entire second half of the season, losing to Buffalo in Week 15. Mike Vrabel deserves a lot of credit for turning this team around as quick as he has. Drake Maye's playoff inexperience should be a huge factor in the coming weeks, though.

2. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams almost got upset by the Carolina Panthers for the second time this year last week. That might make them look vulnerable. However, the truth is this team has played the Seahawks far tougher than anybody else this season. Their first meeting came down to a 60-yard field goal, and the rematch came down to a two-point conversion in overtime. If you aren't at least a litte bit leery of facing LA in the next round, you probably need to adjust your analysis. Perhaps the Bears will do the Seahawks an impossibly big favor later today...

1. Seattle Seahawks

However the rest of the bracket plays out, at this point it's abundantly clear that the best team in football right now is the Seattle Seahawks. Their special teams proved again last night that it's the most-explosive unit in the league, their defense held a potent Niners offense to just two field goals, their run game is hotter than it's been since Marshawn Lynch's prime and if Sam Darnold's oblique is truly bothering him he showed no signs of it on Saturday night. This is a true juggernaut and anything short of a Super Bowl win should be considered a let-down.

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates on the field following an NFC Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images