Ranking NFL's final four ahead of conference championship games

With both the AFC and NFC conference championship matchups set, the path to Super Bowl LX has one more weekend left. 

Fans will be treated to a division rivalry between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC and the New England Patriots looking to kick off a new era of championship success against a Denver Broncos team forced to turn to their backup quarterback. 

And while nothing but winning matters for the final four teams left standing, ranking them can be fun nonetheless. This power ranking is based on how these teams are playing heading into their new biggest game of the season. 

1. Seattle Seahawks 

Seattle earns the top spot after completely dominating the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. 

Sam Darnold only had to throw 17 passes for 124 yards for his team to put up 41 points. But what happened on Saturday is exactly the recipe that works best for the Seahawks. 

The Seahawks can do it on the ground - Kenneth Walker ran for 116 yards and scored three touchdowns against the 49ers, Darnold can air it out if need be — he threw for 4,048 yards during the regular season, and their defense is as imposing as any — they are on the heels of forcing three turnovers. 

Seattle appears to be a well-built team that's riding tons of momentum. 

Darnold proved his doubters wrong by winning one big game, and now faces more pressure to win another at home. 

 2. New England Patriots

An MVP candidate for his play all season, Drake Maye has the Patriots' franchise on the verge of another Super Bowl, one that could trigger the start of a new reign of terror over the NFL. And like Darnold, Maye didn't have to post monster numbers for his team to get to this point. 

He only threw for 179 yards, granted tossed three touchdowns, as New England got by the Houston Texans 28-16. 

The most impressive part of the Patriots' performance came from the defense, creating five total turnovers. They brought a pass rush that caused Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to throw four interceptions and be uncomfortable all day. 

A home game and a matchup against a backup quarterback — Jarrett Stidham will start for the injured Bo Nix — should make the Patriots' defense hungry for more sacks and takeaways. 

3. Los Angeles Rams

Despite looking out of sorts at times in Chicago, a game the Rams needed overtime to secure a 20-17 win, Los Angeles is the only team left that's led by a head coach and quarterback with a championship ring from their current roles. 

After arguably the best individual season of his likely Hall of Fame career, Matthew Stafford has looked "off" in recent weeks. He only completed 47.6% of his passes against the Bears and just 57.1% in the Wild Card Round in Carolina. 

Los Angeles' defense has shown a propensity to step up when needed, with a big goal-line stand derailing the Bears late in the fourth quarter as the perfect example. 

The Rams are the most talented team left on paper, but as everyone knows, championships aren't won on paper. 

4. Denver Broncos

Just getting to this point makes the 2025 season a massive success for a Broncos team that missed the playoffs eight years in a row and then lost right away following the 2024 season. 

However, Bo Nix's absence will be felt — he threw for 279 yards, ran for 29 more and scored three touchdowns to get by the Bills 33-30 in overtime. 

Denver's defense has been good, but it was just exposed a bit by a quality Bills offense, and Stidham certainly doesn't spark as much fear as Nix does to opposing defenses. 

The Broncos will have to generate a running game and attempt to control the clock without their top playmaker to have any hope in stopping the Patriots.