Jan 20, 2026
3 min read
Breaking down the biggest talking points from the second round of the postseason.
Sound Smart: 6 observations from the NFL divisional round
Soldier Field (Chicago) — You saw the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Chicago Bears in a postseason thriller and the Seattle Seahawks annihilate the depleted San Francisco 49ers.You saw the Denver Broncos win against the Buffalo Bills in controversial fashion and the New England Patriots beat the Houston Texans.
You haven't seen Broncos quarterback Bo Nix break his leg, but you know what happened.
So, let's try to turn it around, take a deep dive and think outside the box of what we saw in the divisional playoffs.This is "Sound Smart," where we prepare you for Monday morning with six observations from the second round of the postseason.If I do my job, you'll be a pro in the NFL playoffs.
1. If there's anything you need to know
Ben Johnson's message about the Bears' season was spot on, but his players may be missing the point: They missed an opportunity.
Considering Johnson stayed with the Detroit Lions (and how the Lions' season went this year), the Bears coach has to appreciate how close his team was.How they let victory slip through their fingers in a 20-17 overtime loss to the Rams.How such a special run is hard to replicate.
See what happened to the 2025 Kansas City Chiefs after their tight 2024 streak.
Take a look at what happened to the Minnesota Vikings from last season to this season.
It's not easy to win a playoff game.It's not easy to put yourself in a position to beat Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the postseason.Ask Josh Allen how many hits he's had to play in the conference title game.And then a quote from Johnson in his postgame press conference stood out.
The ad asked when Johnson believes the end of time is next year.
"Next season is next season. It's a new chapter," Johnson said in the stands after the game in Chicago. "We're going to write a new story. Here's the thing: You put in this work, sacrifice, trust in the people around you, and you can't take any shortcuts. I want to say it's momentum from the first year. It doesn't work like that. It doesn't work like that. To be honest, I don't want to talk about next year yet."
Plenty for next year, as real as Cole Kmet felt in Chicago's final moments after catching Caleb Williams' miraculous catch late in the fourth down.At the time, the Bears thought they had won on Sunday, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett admitted.Williams said he envisions different scenarios in which the Bears could win in overtime.
None of his ideas came to fruition.
Caleb Williams made two of the biggest throws in the Bears' loss to the Rams: a last-second TD pass in the fourth quarter and an interception late in overtime.(Photo: Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
As Army Field was quickly flooded, Williams' influence dried up.A few minutes later, the Rams kicked the field goal to win.
"This is what happens. It ends suddenly," Johnson said.
I was surprised to hear one word planted in the Bears locker room — and then later in Williams' press conference:
"It's frustrating. It's on fire. I'd choose those two words. But I'm excited," Williams said.
He added: "Every year is special, but I will say that ... we have a good core that the organization has built well, so the growth that we've had is going to be nice ... We're going to be here for a while. I'm excited about that."
Williams wasn't the only player who was "nervous" after what was, at least for me, a devastating loss.
“I am very excited to have (Williams) as my quarterback,” Jarrett said.“Just a fight.Just strengthJust ability and beliefThe sky's the limit for him.I'm so proud of him for seeing the growth from the first day of OTA until now. Don't get it twisted.We are hurting...I said we're hurting.But we are proud of the effort and even determination it took to get to this point.”
What about running backs?They had a particularly tough time converting those third, fourth and short plays against the Rams.
Bears RB D'Andre Swift said, "We took a step in the right direction this year and we've been counted on all year. "It's not a moral victory.I understand, but this team, this coaching staff - I'm really proud of what we've all done.No one knows what we do every day outside of this building.So we took a step in the right direction."
This was not a locker room of rainbows and butterflies.But it wasn't what I expected.And from my perspective, the players are missing the point their coach made in his press conference.
He had more than enough close chances to win this game.You could even argue that they won this game.They also missed several chances to win in a better position.It was a fourth-and-2 that ended with an interception.There were turnovers on third and fourth and second in the second half.There were struggles in the red zone, including a punt return after a first-and-goal from the Rams' 5-yard line in the fourth quarter.
In addition, there was an interception in overtime; Williams made an unnecessarily dangerous throw on second-and-eight — later calling it an "abuse" against D.J. How to start Moore's route.Rams safety Kam Curl secured the turnaround.
Swift came to Williams' defense in this match.
Asked if he spoke to Williams after the finale, he said, "Man, it's not about Caleb. Don't think about it. Play that kind of game — it's not about Caleb at all."
Williams made amazing plays - including the one impossible for every QB in the league, and perhaps in league history, to throw to Kmet.But one throw does not excuse mistakes made elsewhere in the game.The blame here falls almost solely on Williams, even with three interceptions.A lot of the Bears are young and it makes sense for them to support their 24 year old QB.
The Bears have built a culture around Johnson who appears to be a special coach.
They also believe in Williams given his impressive performance all season.His hands and creativity are unlike anything I've ever seen.
That’s special, too.
I just wonder if the Bears (apart from Johnson) realize the enormity of their success this year, because I'm not entirely sure they fully realize the enormity of their shortcomings in this game.It's unlikely they'll do it again.Teams like the Bears - with all their late-game heroics - are more prone to regression, even with an elite coach and a young QB.Even with an impressive core.
The Bears need to win this game.Maybe it hasn't hit them yet.Maybe it won't be for another 12 months that they don't come within two games of making the NFC title game, or miss the playoffs altogether.Maybe then they'll truly understand how far they've come — and what they left on the table in overtime against Stafford and the Rams.
2. WHAT IF…
Bills QB Josh Allen in Super Bowl?
My heart breaks for Buffalo.
If youare a sports fan, a bona fide consumer of the competition, how could your heart not break for the Bills and, in particular, Allen?
He faced the media with red, teary eyes and struggled to speak in Buffalo's overtime loss to the Broncos.I hope you understand that my compassion is not based on bias or bigotry.It's about humanity.
And friends, it hurts to see Allen face another setback.
The Bills have had an impressive season overall.It was a success by most teams' standards.But compared to Allen's ultimate goal of a Super Bowl victory, the season was a failure.This is the devastating reality of the NFL.
Only 46 players will wear it for a Super Bowl winning team.Allen will not be one of them.
"It's extremely difficult," Allen told reporters."I feel like I let my teammates down tonight. ... It's been a long season. I hate how it ended. It's going to stay with me for a long time."
And if it's his fault, he's right, he's wrong.
And I will understand how he let his teammates down, and how they let him down, and how that added up to a devastating calculus that never happened to Allen.But first, I want to acknowledge the expectations and pressures that crushed Allen.Because of that, he's clearly more upset than we've seen him as a professional.
You should know: Buffalo did not finish the postseason with a win.You should know: Buffalo has ended every Super Bowl chase in a heartbeat.
Many - perhaps including Allen - believed Buffalo could win the Super Bowl on Allen's talent alone.The aggressiveness that Allen played in Denver (with four turnovers and three touchdowns) was proof that the Bills would win the Super Bowl if he took his team there.We don't know if Allen's play is too much.
However, we do know that it was an illusion that led him to believe in Allen and the Bills.Members of the media were enamored with the idea that Allen would give it a shot.If you didn't look at their roster, you'd be thinking, what better chance does Buffalo have to win?Not Patrick Mahomes, Joe Barone, Lamar Jackson.It could not - and has not - piled up with the others in the AFC.
Not when Allen was sustainably great.And there's the problem: unsustainability.Because this Bills team is good.But they are definitely not great.They're not a Super Bowl roster without the best football player on the planet playing like the best football player on the planet.
Josh Allen holds the NFL record for postseason wins (8) by a starting quarterback without a Super Bowl appearance.(Photo by Dustin Bradford/IconSport Wire Getty Images
Allen and it clicked.Until they didn't.
"I think we all feel that way," said Brandin Cooks through tears."I look back and I say, 'Man, what could I have done to take some of that weight off?' You love the game so much, and when you're cut short like that, it's picking for a long time."
Bills' defeat to the Broncos is full of excitement and ambiguity in the way only Allen games give.Throwing at Cooks is one of the many things that has been scrutinized because it ended up with defender Ja'Quan McMillian keeping the ball out of Cooks' hands (more on that in the next section.) Cooks should not be on the Bills.He joined the team at the end of the season.November and he was one of many catchers who became an unnecessary player on the empty roster.And that slump was reflected in that block - and the incompleteness of Mecole Hardman (another mid-season addition) in the game before McMillan block that Allen was inconsistent with his receiver running deep down the road.
Argue all you want about the intervention.It was a 50-50 game of beauty or horror.First, I think the officials got this game right.I think they got the other calls right.If there was a questionable call, it was the first defensive pass interference call on Taron Johnson, but since there was also a passing penalty, it didn't matter if the DPI looked questionable.
None of this would have mattered if Allen had hit Dawson Knox in the Bills' final regulation.If Allen had hit Knox, the tight end might have scored.And it would have decided the game.
But Allen missed Knox when it mattered most.reverse.
There are many arguments that Allen came up short.On a meaningless play late in the first half, he scrambled with 16 seconds left (and no time) and fumbled the ball to set up a Broncos field goal.It was three free points for Denver and the worst I've seen since Allen's second season.(And that's saying something.) Then Allen made a mistake.Good with another fumble on the second play of the second half.In the third quarter, Allen threw an interception immediately after Bo Nix threw a pick - allowing Denver to get away easily with the Broncos QB's only mistake of the night and the only elimination of the Bills defense.
They made the mistake clear as day: No one wanted to win a Super Bowl more than Allen.
It would be foolish to say he wanted it.But it must be said that he felt he had a lot to do.And given the score, he probably did a lot less and couldn't have turned the ball over four times.
He probably saw Drake Maye rise in the AFC East.He knows Burrow, Mahomes and Lamar will be back.He probably saw how the Knicks looked a lot like Allen in this game.Even Trevor Lawrence is playing his best football.Quarterbacks are the key to continued success and there are plenty of teams poised to be competitive for the foreseeable future, especially in the AFC.
It will be hard for Allen to win the Super Bowl.
This offseason will be about Allen having less to carry on his way to 2026 -- anger, expectations and pressure. But considering he's 30 years old and about to play as much as Cam Newton, Allen's time may not be up.
You might be wondering: What if I never win?Will every season end in tears?
Sean McDermott was forced to call a timeout while officials reviewed the Broncos' Ja'Quan McMillian interception.(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Ikon Sportswire via Getty Images)
3. What did he say!
Sean McDermott called out The Buffalo News late Saturday night for awkward additions to the front office's duties -- specifically, ruling on the interception of Denver linebacker Ja'Quan McMillian.
McDermott felt a rare urgency to deliver another message to Cooks about what happened around the pass that ended with the interception in overtime.The Bulls coach addressed the play in a press conference, questioning the officials' process in making the decision and sharing his information about the decision: Cooks didn't have the ball long enough to make the catch.That meant it was a turnover.
Apparently, after watching it and thinking about it again (and again (and again)), McDermott decided to call Jay Skursky of The Buffalo News to air more grievances.
Yes, the type of phone call Skursky signed as a pool report is extremely rare.
McDermott repeatedly stated: "It's a catch all the way."
I still think it was a bug.
The rules say as much, although our eyes lead us to believe that maybe it was a catch.
"I thought the ball was loose when it hit McMillan and it was over," FOX Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino texted me.At the end of the day, whatever they rule on the field, for me it will stand."
During slow playback, it's not just a game of inches.It's a game of milliseconds.That's the kind of game where you can only say what you think will happen.But it is not certain.This kind of gray area drives fans crazy.
It is the year 2026.How can we not get it right?
Well, that's because there weren't any simultaneous good or bad calls.Even in 2026, with all the technology and carefully laid out rules, ambiguity will still remain.It may be hard to see at this point in time, but it's part of what makes the game great.It's a wonder McDermott can't see that.
McDermott's refusal to take responsibility in the heat of the moment is remarkable.After all, he is the same man who said this just a month ago.
"We did what the officials said," McDermott said after a controversial win over the Patriots.
The Bills coach will surely be fined for his comments.This criticism may reach beyond the Buffalo fan base and earn respect in his locker room.I'm not sure how the franchise will view the wideout's behavior, but McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane could face job insecurity in the coming days.Not by the criticism of the authorities.McDermott and Beane had six seasons in Allen's prime.They don't have the Super Bowl to show for it.
Is it time for you to give it to someone else?
4. The Monday morning argument
What happened to CJ Stroud?Well...
In Sunday's 27-16 loss to the New England Patriots, Stroud became the first player with five or more interceptions and five or more fumbles in a single postseason since at least 1991, according to Fox Sports Research.
So what happened?
The same thing happened to Justin Herbert.
Mike Vrabel happened.
Hear what Patriots quarterback Robert Spillane had to say after last week's game when the Patriots upset Herbert and the LA Chargers at Gillette Stadium.
"After the game, talking to some people on the other side, they had no idea what we were doing," Spillane told reporters at a post press conference.
The Patriots play an incomprehensible message.Their offense is wild and extraordinary.Cornerback Christian Gonzalez looks like one of the best in the NFL.The same goes for defensive tackle Milton Williams.The same goes for passer K'Lavon Chaisson, of all people.
Witness them.Testimony to their leader Vrabel.
New England was a few steps ahead of Stroud and offensive coordinator Nick Keiley -- former mentor of Patriots OC Josh McDaniels.
CJJ Stroud threw four interceptions against the Patriots in the first half alone. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire Getty Images)
Stroud attempted 14 of 47 passes (29.8%), the highest rate forced by a defense over the past six postseasons, according to NextGen Stats.New England's defense has added 27.8 points allowed per five turnovers, the most by a playoff defense in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).
Stroud has been his best and worst performer over the last 10 games, no wonder he turned the ball over.What's surprising is how often New England made key points.The Patriots had good and bad defenses for most of the regular season.This unit is almost unrecognizable. Suddenly looks like one of the best units in the NFL.
5. One play that tells the whole story
Despite skepticism about Bo Nix and his ability, he did it.
In the first game of overtime, the Bills decided to send two extra shots.It felt like a young goalkeeper going up for a start: you had to check it out.But the Knicks were perfect in the game.He used a tight count to strip defenses — exposing their blitzes and coverage.The Knicks set up their defense so he would have enough time to hit his hot route, an 11-yarder to Courtland Sutton.it was an advantage.
Buffalo played big in overtime.Nick paid them.
It's an example of what Nix did throughout the game.The Bills devised a great game plan for the young QB, and thirdly, they threw all sorts of weirdness and creativity to Nix.It would be an exaggeration to say that he has not failed since he threw the interception and completed less than 60% of his passes.But he performed particularly well, despite the literal and emotional pressure.
I hope Nix's amazing game will be lost in the rustling because everyone will change to Jarrett Stidham reserve, which will take Nix in the AFC Championship game.I don't, for one, think that the Broncos no longer have a chance, given what the patriots will save for Stidham.But I think that's another reason to admit that Nix has done quietly to establish himself as one of the main people who pass the NFL.
It is a crowded place.It's too early to call it elite.
But with Nix tucked away in Denver and under the wing of Sean Payton, the young QB isn't getting much love.He had a great season.It has improved significantly.And if he stays healthy, he could even be a safe bet for Super Bowl MVP.
6. Everyone is afraid to say…
Part 1: Seahawks GM John Schneider has been excellent, and defensive guru Mike Macdonald can be a ... QB whisperer.
Sam Darnold and Jackson Smith-Njigba split the defense for the Green Bay Packers during training camp.I was supposed to interview Cooper Kupp, who had two catches in practice, both on big drops.But I knew I was ready to talk to the wrong VR.Smith-Njigba will be a superstar.His breakout year began in training camp.
He's one of Seattle's success stories this year.It (and all the other success stories) made Darnold great.With all these success stories, Darnold gets overlooked.
This season, the Seahawks did what every analyst suggests a team should do: take advantage of a value opportunity in the QB market.They found a veteran Kastoff and built around him.
It seems contrary to the prevailing opinion that the best value QB is on his new contract.The problem with that idea is that young QBs generally take time to develop if they develop at all.And those kinds of contracts create challenges that the Bills and Chiefs are facing right now.It's hard to make a 53-man roster with big contracts taking up space.
When Sam Darnold plays flawless football, as he did Saturday against the 49ers, the Seahawks are very hard to beat.(Photo by Sean M. Hafe/Getty Images)
So why not set up the QB for success and give him everything he needs?
Why not adopt a veteran option that is truly plug-and-play?
Why not buy QB from the trade box instead of other places?
It's easier said than done.And when the false sense fails, the officer looks foolish.He is a punching bag of criticism.You are open to shoot.
That's why it's important to pay attention to what Schneider does.And it's not just how he moves from Geno Smith to Darnold that's actually the least important decision Schneider makes.No, it's about everything else: signing stars like Smith-Njigba, CB Devon Witherspoon, OL Gray Zabel and Charles Cross, DB Nick Emmanwori and running list goes on Walkterbonne and the running list on Walkterbonne.agency, the Seahawks finished last on the list, including Darnold, Kupp and Kupp.DeMarcus Lawrence.They also traded for Rashid Shaheed, who scored the opening goal of the game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night.
It added to a full roster that is dangerous at every position.
For the second year in a row, the Seahawks have quietly boasted one of the best pass rushers in the league.This year alone, the Seahawks have made their roster and their game plan as QB dependent as possible.While Macdonald deserves to be celebrated for his defensive prowess, he is unique in fostering a positive environment for his QBs.
You don't often think of a defensive lineman as a QB guru.But maybe you should.
Because while the 2018 draft class boasted Allen, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield, it was Darnold (a former Jets pick) who suddenly looked like the best candidate to win a Super Bowl.
Part 2: Patriots Wr Koreshon Boutte is real.
In the win over the Texans, Drake Maye didn't have a particularly good game, as he turned the ball over three times (four fumbles for one interception and two losses).He completed 62.5% of his passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.And if it weren't for Stroud's performance, May's weaknesses might have been a talking point.
But one person did not come
Boutte threw a one-handed touchdown pass while covering Derek Stingley's backfield.And maybe Boutte had the confidence to do it because he made a similar move against Stingley earlier this year.That's right, Boutte has hit one of the league's best deep ball corners several times this year.As Maye refined that part of his game, Boutte was there for his QB to improve the low pass.
"He just keeps making it. He keeps making plays and making me better," Maye told reporters after the game."The one-handed catch, nothing to say about that. It was pretty sweet. Same type of first throw, he made a better catch this time."
New England may have a true WR1 someday. Probably in 2026. But Boutte should remain a deep threat for the team because of his great relationship with Maye.
Before joining Fox Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media.Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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