NFL playoffs streaming information: Texans-Patriots, Rams-Bears in Sunday divisional video games

The AFC recreation pairs nightmare defenses and ascending younger quarterbacks. The NFC recreation has modern offenses coming off electrical comeback missions. Sunday appears very good for playoff soccer.

NFL divisional-round motion closes with 4 winners from final weekend. First, Drake Maye and his New England Patriots host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Despite such expertise below middle and in shotgun, that afternoon kickoff could possibly be a chilly rock battle of bullish cross rushes and mechanical secondaries. Once that’s within the books, Caleb Williams’ Chicago Bears welcome Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams. Ben Johnson and Sean McVay ought to scheme up imaginative appears; the league’s landing leaders face the takeaway kings. Here’s what to know and methods to watch the Sunday video games.

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NFL divisional playoff information (Sunday)

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Houston Texans at New England Patriots

Texans (13-5, No. 5 seed): To the shock of few, Houston’s protection tore doorways off hinges in its wild-card project. The ultimate harm to the Pittsburgh Steelers: 175 complete yards allowed, 4 sacks and a decide six from Calen Bullock. While Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers look to their nebulous futures, the aggressive Texans received their inaugural street playoff win.

Now, their sights are set on one other franchise first. Houston arrives at 0-6 in divisional-round video games since becoming a member of the league in 2002. Yet no crew in soccer is hotter: DeMeco Ryans’ crew dropped its first three video games however has received its final 10. All-Pro edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. (first crew, 12 regular-season sacks) and Danielle Hunter (second crew, 15 sacks) lead a mashing entrance seven. Bullock’s playoff decide was his fifth in 18 video games. He shares the secondary with all-galaxy expertise Derek Stingley Jr., hit machine Jalen Pitre and clamp nook Kamari Lassiter.

The Texans haven’t wanted a ton of scoring to win video games, however the offense have to be higher as fields slender and stakes rise. Stroud had three turnovers and fumbled 5 occasions in Pittsburgh; that latter mark is the very best in a playoff recreation this century, per TruMedia. Brilliant lead receiver Nico Collins suffered a concussion Monday and has been dominated out for Sunday. In his absence, further appears may be funneled to eight-year veteran Christian Kirk out huge, or to rookie Woody Marks from the backfield.

Patriots (15-3, No. 2 seed): New England’s protection tore into its wild-card prey as nicely in a 16-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Okay’Lavon Chaisson and Milton Williams every sacked Justin Herbert twice, and Mike Vrabel snagged his first postseason win as Patriots head coach (he received two video games with the Tennessee Titans, and performed linebacker on three Pats Super Bowl campaigns).

Maye received on the playoff board as nicely. The second-year quarterback and MVP candidate took a half to warmth up, however he broke by with this dime-turned-dagger to Hunter Henry:

In the common season, Maye led all passers in completion proportion, yards per try and passer ranking. His offense ranked second in complete scoring and sixth in third-down effectivity. If air house is restricted, rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson can nonetheless open issues with game-breaking exterior pace. Other than a 35-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 14, New England’s protection hasn’t allowed greater than 24 factors since Week 2. Pro Bowl nook Christian Gonzalez entered concussion protocol within the wild-card spherical. On Friday, he was a cleared to play in opposition to Houston.

Broadcast: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman take the sales space for the ultimate time this season. Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge have updates from the sector. Buck’s slower, managed name works nicely for low-scoring Houston soccer. He punctuated the breakthrough second on Monday night time:

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The data-focused “NFL Divisional Round Playbook with Next Gen Stats” can be out there on ESPN Unlimited. Field Yates, Chase Daniel, Domonique Foxworth and Brian Burke will likely be on that simulcast.

Last matchup: We return to Week 6 of the 2024 season. Houston hung 41 factors on what was then Jerod Mayo’s crew. Stroud completed victorious at 20-for-31 with 192 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception (an finish zone bobble caught by Marcus Jones). In his first professional begin, Maye accomplished 20 of 33 throws for 243 yards, plus a TD trio and a pair of picks. His “welcome to the league” second got here through three Anderson Jr. sacks.

Playoff historical past: New England claimed each earlier head-to-head conferences. In January 2013, Tom Brady went off for 344 yards and three scores in a divisional duel. Brady labored extra 4 years later, however the Bill Belichick protection feasted upon Brock Osweiler. Logan Ryan had one among three picks and one among three sacks because the Pats superior to the AFC Championship Game (after which the famed Super Bowl LI).

Texans at Patriots odds

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Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears

Rams (13-5, No. 5 seed): Three of Sunday’s 4 beginning QBs are 24 or youthful. And then there’s Stafford, balling out at age 37. In pursuit of his first MVP award after 17 seasons, Stafford put up league-best numbers in passing yards and touchdowns in 2025. He had one other three TDs and eclipsed 300 yards in final weekend’s 34-31 thriller versus the Carolina Panthers. This top-shelf spiral to Colby Parkinson held because the game-winner:

No one scored extra factors this season than these loaded Rams. Stafford takes Sunday’s stage accompanied by Davante Adams, who recorded 14 landing grabs in 14 video games, and Puka Nacua, an all-consuming pressure with eight complete TDs in his final six outings. Nacua had 18 targets in Charlotte, and Adams had 13. No different Ram noticed greater than three. According to TruMedia, Stafford was fourth in play-action success fee this season, and he used it on the highest fee. The protection he’s up in opposition to was twenty ninth in play-action success fee, and struggled with it once more within the wild-card spherical.

The Rams notched two sacks and a decide on Bryce Young, however a harder process awaits. Byron Young paced L.A.’s regular-season protection with 12 sacks. Fellow Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse had 7 1/2, plus three pressured fumbles. The group as an entire completed No. 7 in third-down conversions and No. 3 in pink zone proportion.

Bears (12-6, No. 2 seed): Not way more might be stated about this inconceivable, impressed crew. Chicago capped a winding season of exclamation-point soccer with its wild-card comeback in opposition to the archrival Green Bay Packers. The Bears scrapped their 18-point deficit, a brand new postseason franchise report. They scored 25 factors within the ultimate quarter, third-most in league playoff historical past, per NFL Media. Caleb Williams hit the Air Jordan pose on a surreal, must-have fourth-and-8:

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Williams’ high targets are a bit banged up, although. DJ Moore (knee) and Rome Odunze (foot) had been each restricted in Thursday’s follow however had been full contributors Friday. Ben Johnson’s system has additionally maximized rookies Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland. The latter, a perpetual mismatch as a 6-foot-6 tight finish, had a career-best 137 yards final spherical.

On the opposite finish, Chicago ranked simply twenty third in regular-season scoring protection, nevertheless it got here down with a league-most 33 takeaways. Kevin Byard hawked seven interceptions for a first-team All-Pro flip at security. He led the NFL in INTs for a second time, eight years after initially doing so in Tennessee. Nahshon Wright was shut behind with 5 picks on the skin. Tremaine Edmunds added 4 in 13 video games on the linebacker spot.

Broadcast: The “Sunday Night Football” crew is on the decision. That means Mike Tirico for play-by-play and Cris Collinsworth for coloration commentary. Carrie Underwood sings that pregame track about waiting all day. Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung are the sideline reporters, and so they’ll all however definitely put on down jackets in frigid Chicago.

Last matchup: It was Week 4 of final season. Though the Bears ended at 5-12 and the Rams went 10-7, Chicago received the house W below then-coach Matt Eberflus. D’Andre Swift made the separation with a 36-yard fourth-quarter rating. Jaquan Brisker intercepted and sacked Stafford.

Playoff historical past: Each aspect has one earlier win. In 1950, Joe Stydahar bested George Halas at L.A.’s Memorial Coliseum. Hall of Famer Tom Fears went off in that divisional recreation, with 198 receiving yards and three touchdowns for the Rams. But within the 1985 season, the Super Bowl Shufflers earned a Soldier Field shutout within the convention championship recreation. Bears luminaries Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and William “The Refrigerator” Perry all had a sack in that one.

Rams at Bears odds

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