NFL Playoffs: How to Watch the Conference Championships with DISH
A trip to the Super Bowl is at stake when the NFL Playoffs continue with the two Conference Championship games on Sunday, Jan. 25. Here's a preview of both matchups and how to watch all of the action with DISH. Not a DISH subscriber? Follow this link to find the best offer and subscribe to DISH today!
AFC Championship Game
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Sunday, Jan. 25 at 3:00pm ET on CBS
When these two teams last faced each other in the playoffs, it was the final showdown between two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. 10 years later, the Broncos and the Patriots find themselves back in the AFC Championship game largely on the strength of their defenses. Both teams forced five turnovers in their divisional round wins, with the Broncos knocking out Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in an overtime thriller, and the Patriots defeating the Houston Texans 28-16 in freezing Foxborough. For the Broncos, their defensive success stems largely from their suffocating pass rush, which led the NFL with 60 sacks in the regular season, 20 more than the next playoff team. The Patriots’ biggest strength has been their smothering run defense, which has surrendered just 135 total yards in their two wins.
On the offensive side, the AFC Championship should have featured the first-ever meeting between two of the stars of the shimmering 2024 QB draft class, Denver’s Bo Nix and New England’s Drake Maye. Unfortunately, Nix fractured his right ankle near the end of the game, ending his season and positioning backup Jarrett Stidham for his first start of the season. While Stidham has only appeared in a handful of games since being drafted by, ironically, the New England Patriots in 2019, Broncos coach Sean Payton told reporters that he believes Stidham “will be ready to go” in his playoff debut.
As for the Patriots, Maye has performed like a seasoned vet in his first full season as a starter. His 72% completion percentage led all QBs this season, and his 31 touchdowns were third. Although his stats have dipped slightly in the playoffs, Maye looks every bit the franchise QB, and if he makes the Super Bowl, he’ll be even younger than Brady was in his first appearance in the Big Game. Look for the Patriots to try to stuff the Broncos run game and force Stidham to beat them with his arm, while the Broncos will lean on their elite pass rush and secondary to creative turnovers and give their inexperienced signal-caller a short field to work with.
NFC Championship Game
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, Jan. 25 at 6:00pm ET on FOX
The Emerald City should be electric as these two NFC West rivals will face each other for the third time this season in the NFC Championship. In the first meeting, the Rams forced Seahawks QB Sam Darnold into four interceptions as they hung on for a 21-19 win at home. Their rematch in Seattle might have been the best game of the regular season, as the Seahawks clinched their comeback win with a two-point conversion in overtime, a 38-37 victory that helped propel Seattle to the top seed in the NFC and home field advantage in the NFC Championship.
After sitting out the Wild Card round, the Seahawks enter this game with a tidal wave of momentum after eliminating another NFC West foe, the San Francisco 49ers. In their two meetings over the past three weeks, Seattle beat the Niners by a cumulative score of 54-9, holding the NFL’s fifth-best passing offense without a score in both games. They’ll face a similar challenge against Rams’ QB Matthew Stafford, who led the NFL with 4,557 passing yards in the regular season.
Needless to say, Seattle’s defense has been lights out, so the biggest question mark will be the play of QB Sam Darnold. Despite suffering an oblique injury that left his status against the 49ers in doubt, Darnold was an efficient 12 of 17 for 124 yards in the game. Instead of throwing it around, Seattle leaned on running back Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 116 yards and three scores. Look for a similar formula against the Rams, who have allowed 121.5 rushing yards per game in the playoffs. As for the Rams, it will fall on MVP-favorite Matthew Stafford and the pass-catching duo of Davante Adams and Puka Nacua to put points up against Seattle’s stifling defense. Like their previous meetings – and many of the playoff games this season – the NFC Championship figures to be a close battle that will be decided by the last few drives.
