Williams and the Bears appeared to be setting the stage for yet another comeback in this one. Facing a fourth-and-four with under 30 seconds left on the game clock, Williams dropped back and found himself immediately under duress. After dropping back over 25 yards beyond the original line of scrimmage, and with three defenders in his face, Williams heaved a perfectly thrown ball off his back foot into the end zone for Cole Kmet, who secured the pass for a 14-yard touchdown to force overtime. An errant pass on what appeared to be a miscommunication between Williams and DJ Moore resulted in an interception that ended the Bears’ only overtime possession, as the Rams went on to capitalize on the turnover with a Harrison Mevis 42-yard field goal to end the game and the Bears’ season. Williams thrived in his first season under head coach Ben Johnson, turning in multiple highlight-reel throws will pulling off an NFL record seven comeback wins. His final regular season line of 3,942-27-7 set new career highs, and he added another 77-388-3 on the ground. With plenty of young weapons already locked in for next season, Williams should continue to improve in 2026 with another year of experience under his belt and more time to learn under Johnson.

The Rams’ offense struggled to get going in the wintry conditions at Soldier Field, but a solid defensive effort kept the game within reach and gave the Rams plenty of chances to pull out the win. Despite not throwing a touchdown pass in this one, Stafford did his part to keep the offense on schedule, coming up with multiple big gains through the air on the Rams’ two touchdown drives that both ended with Kyren Williams finding the end zone. Stafford saw two sack fumbles take favorable bounces into the hands of Rams players to keep his turnover total to zero on the day, and will now look to pull off a third-straight road win against the Seahawks next week for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Unfathomably, Maye also fumbled four times, losing two, but that ended up “just” half C.J. Stroud’s disastrous turnover count. Unlike Stroud, Maye complemented his miscues with enough big plays — especially his 28- and 32-yard touchdown strikes — to help will the Pats to victory in terrible Boston weather conditions. Maye has not covered himself in glory through the Pats’ first two postseason games, but he’s done just enough to help cash in elite defensive performances. That wouldn’t normally be a recommended formula, but it will remain viable for an AFC Championship Game showdown with a Broncos team suddenly on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Be that as it may, Maye needs to be better if the Patriots are to secure their spot in yet another 21st century Super Bowl.

About the only good news was that Stroud managed to avoid any fumbles in one of the worst fiasco performances in recent playoff memory. Missing Nico Collins (concussion) and without Dalton Schultz after a first quarter calf injury, Stroud seemed incapable of delivering a clean ball in adverse New England weather conditions. Almost literally every attempt was inaccurate, with Stroud’s picks being of the “hard-earned” variety rather than hard luck. It was a confidence- and potentially franchise-shaking performance as the Texans mull Stroud’s fifth-year team option for 2027. It will undoubtedly be exercised, but an extension is probably out of the question at this point after Stroud closed the book on his postseason with seven turnovers in eight quarters. Stroud is capable of deep touchdown strikes, but too often loses his mechanics and looks as if he is throwing literal darts over the middle of the field. Heading into his age-25 campaign, Stroud is a player more on the spot than ever.

McDaniel is one of three head coaching canddiates to land a second interview with the Browns, along with Chargers DC Jesse Minter and Rams passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase. McDaniel has interviewed for a number of jobs since the Dolphins fired him in early January after three seasons at the helm in Miami. He could have his choice of jobs in the coming days, including the Eagles’ offensive coordinator position.

Payton on Sunday said Stidham — who will start the AFC title game with Bo Nix (ankle) sidelined — has “a lot to his ball” and has consistently demonstrated a strong arm in practice. Stidham on 197 regular season attempts over six seasons has completed 59.5 percent of his throws and averaged a decent 7.2 yards per attempt. It’s possible Stidham can manage the Denver offense well enough to make the Broncos competitive against whoever they play in the AFC title game in Denver. He likely won’t be asked to do much, however. Stidham hasn’t thrown a regular season pass since 2023.

The Browns seem to be homing in on Minter and former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel after talking to Jim Schwartz, Todd Monken, and Grant Udinski about the team’s head coaching gig. Rams passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase will also get a second interview with the Browns, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Minter, 42, recently completed head coaching interviews with the Dolphins, Falcons, Raiders, and Ravens. His Chargers defense in 2025 allowed the league’s fifth lowest EPA per play and sixth lowest offensive success rate.

Schefter said Rodgers coming back to the Steelers for another season remains “unlikely” after head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down last week, but “Steelers players are more than open to Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh; they want the four-time league MVP back and conveyed as much to various members of the Steelers organization during their exit meetings last week.” Rodgers, 42, seemed considerably less miserable during his 2025 season in Pittsburgh after two difficult years with the Jets. Schefter said Rodgers, as usual, “wants to take time away before deciding his future.” Rodgers ranked 23rd out of 36 qualifying QBs in EPA per drop back in 2025.

Gonzalez was removed from the Patriots’ injury report on Friday following his Wild Card Round concussion and subsequent placement in the league’s concussion protocol. He’ll join a solid New England secondary going against a Texans offense that will be without Nico Collins (concussion). Patriots declared CB Kobee Minor, LB Bradyn Swinson, OT Marcus Bryant, DT Eric Gregory, G Caedan Wallace, TE CJ Dippre, and QB Tommy DeVito inactive against Houston.

Collins, who sustained a head injury in the Wild Card round against the Chargers, did not practice this week and was ruled out on Friday. It’s a massive blow to the Houston offense. Christian Kirk, who had 144 yards and a score last week against LA, and Jayden Higgins will profile as the team’s top two receivers with Collins out. Brown tried to play but was unable to fight through an injury.