After an electric, and at some points confusing, NFL season, Championship Sunday is quickly approaching.
The NFC championship features an NFC West showdown between the No. 1 seed Seattle Seahawks, who host the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Rams. The two teams will compete against one another for the third time this season. The AFC championship features the No. 2 seed New England Patriots, who will travel to Denver to take on the No. 1 seed Broncos.
The previous seven AFC championships have seen at least one prominent BYU alum in the spotlight, that being Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Kansas City, riddled with injury and age, fell far below expectations this year after making the Super Bowl last season and ultimately missed the playoffs. So this year, the eyes of BYU fans are on two new individuals: Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and Rams receiver Puka Nacua.
How We Got Here
While Tom Brady may not be back, the New England Patriots certainly are. Led by quarterback Drake Maye, who the Patriots drafted with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, it appears that the drought of New England supremacy may already be over. The Pats finished the regular season at 14-3 and have been considered Super Bowl contenders for the majority of the season.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the New England turnaround, however, is its coach, Mike Vrabel, who played linebacker for the team from 2001-08 and won three Super Bowls. A fact that likely terrifies the rest of the league is that this is Vrabel’s first year as the Patriots head coach as well. A 14-3 record, two playoff wins against the Chargers and Texans and an AFC championship appearance isn’t too bad for your first year with an organization.
The other half of the AFC championship features a white-hot Denver Broncos team, who also finished 14-3 this season and earned the top seed in the AFC playoff bracket. Their sole win in the playoffs wasn’t without controversy, but ultimately resulted in an overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in Denver.
Quarterback Bo Nix, who was also selected in the 2024 draft with the Broncos’ 12th overall pick, suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the final plays of their victory over Buffalo and will be replaced by Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t seen the field since Week 18 of the 2023 season, something Tonga and the rest of the New England defense is assuredly aware of.
For any superstitious fans, the Broncos and Patriots last met in the AFC championship 10 years ago. Peyton Manning led Denver to a 20-18 victory in that game, and the Broncos would go on to win Super Bowl 50 two weeks later.
Heading northwest, the NFC Championship returns to Seattle for the first time since 2015. Quarterback Sam Darnold, who is in his first season with the Seahawks, led the team to a 14-3 record as well and earned them an NFC West title.
As the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Seattle enjoyed a first-round bye before taking on the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. If there was any doubt about the Seahawks’ legitimacy in the playoffs, it was certainly erased after beating their division rival 41-6.
Seattle is elite on both sides of the ball, with skill players like receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Kenneth Walker III, cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen.
It’s no question why the Seahawks have been Super Bowl betting favorites since the playoffs began. And if teams thought they could at least have an advantage on special teams against Seattle, they’re probably reconsidering after Rashid Shaheed’s kickoff return for a touchdown on the very first play against the 49ers.
Despite the Seahawks’ success and their 12th Man home-field advantage, the Los Angeles Rams are simply dangerous. Also a member of the NFC West, the Rams will take on Seattle for the third time this season, with each team earning a win over the other in the regular season. The Rams earned the first win in the 2025-26 series with a 21-19 victory in Week 11 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The two teams met up again in Seattle in Week 16, where the Seahawks eked out a 38-37 overtime win in what some call the best Thursday Night Football game in NFL history.
Los Angeles is led by coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford. The two are no strangers to postseason play and won their first Super Bowl in 2022 over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Rams earned a record of 12-5 and earned a win over the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round of this year’s playoffs. The following week, Los Angeles defeated the Chicago Bears in a thrilling 20-17 overtime victory in the divisional round, securing them a spot in the NFC championship.
BYU
The first player representing BYU in Sunday’s championship matchups is New England defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga. Tonga, who played for the Cougars from 2017-20, was drafted in 2021 by the Chicago Bears and has played for four teams — the Bears, Falcons, Vikings and Cardinals before landing with the Patriots.
In his first year with New England, Tonga recorded 24 total tackles in their 14-win regular season. This postseason, he has recorded three tackles, including his first sack of the season when he tackled Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud for an eight-yard loss.
Tonga ended his day against the Texans with two additional tackles and poses a significant threat to Stidham and the rest of the Broncos’ offense this Sunday.
Former BYU NT Khyiris Tonga secures the first solo sack of his career, one of three sacks and six tackles for loss for the Patriots, who lead Houston 28-16 with 2' remaining in the AFC divisional round.pic.twitter.com/OuFiKZniFA
— Sean Walker (@ActuallyDSW) January 18, 2026
The second half of BYU’s representation on Championship Sunday is Rams star receiver Puka Nacua, who played for the Cougars for two seasons in 2021 and 2022. You don’t even need to be a BYU fan to know who Nacua is. In his first three years in the league, he has emerged as one of football’s most elite receivers.
In his rookie season with the Rams, Nacua racked up 1,486 yards on 105 receptions, both of which broke the NFL record for regular-season yards and receptions by a rookie. He also scored seven touchdowns in his debut season, with one coming in the playoffs. The following year, he caught 79 passes for 990 yards in just 11 games after missing six with an injury.
This season, Nacua continues to set himself apart, with 1,715 yards on a league-leading 129 receptions, just in the regular season. This postseason, he has 167 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Additionally, he’s rushed for 20 yards and one touchdown on five carries. His best performance this postseason came against the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round, where he caught 10 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. He also added a rushing touchdown on three carries.
In Week 15 of this season, Nacua earned a career-high 181 receiving yards against the Detroit Lions in the Rams’ 41-34 victory. Four days later, he broke that career high with 225 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just 12 catches on Thursday night in Seattle. Nacua is a nightmare for defensive backs and is constantly subject to double teams because of his remarkable performances he continues to showcase.
As of Jan. 22, Nacua has been named a finalist for the AP’s 2025 Offensive Player of the Year award, whose winner will be announced Feb. 5 at the NFL Honors. He has also been named to the AP’s 2025 All-Pro First Team and was selected for the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl.
The AFC championship kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. MST on CBS in Denver as the Broncos host Tonga and the New England Patriots.
Following that game, the NFC championship will begin at 4:30 p.m. MST in Seattle as the Seahawks take on Nacua and the Los Angeles Rams. The winners of the two matchups will play each other in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8.