Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below the main deck of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sorry about the extended silence. I’ve been having some hand issues that have made typing a chore, and every time I try using speech-to-text, I find myself spending more time editing “no, that is not what I said” moments than it would take to type the post out in the first place. Thankfully, the pain has mostly subsided, and I am assured that Sammy the Shark, along with Karl the Kraken, are putting the final touches on their detailed analysis of the day’s events …
By “detailed analysis,” one may safely assume they mean “who can stuff the most fish crackers into their mouth at once.”
Anyway, today (January 25, 2026) is the day the NFL finds out who knows the way to San José. To be specific, Santa Clara, which is next door to San José. Santa Clara is where the San Francisco 49ers play at Levi’s Stadium, a facility rich in heritage and texture. Actually, it’s a clump of concrete with all the charm of a pimple onslaught the night before the prom. Nevertheless, it will be where this year’s Super Bowl will be played. And no, you can’t see San Francisco from there.
The first game up today features the New England Patriots marching through the snow to Denver to take on the Broncos. Not all that long ago, New England in the AFC championship game was almost a given, as everyone who followed the NFL simultaneously marveled and groaned at the sight of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on the threshold of yet another Super Bowl appearance. Starting in 2002 and ending in 2019, the Brady bunch played in a mind-blowing 13 conference championship games, winning nine of them. Now, Brady does commercials and color commentary, following his on-field nemesis Peyton Manning’s guidance in how to live high, wide, and handsome as retired football royalty.
The Patriots of the here and now are led by quarterback Drake Maye. Maye’s primary challenge in this game will be remaining upright long enough to make plays, as New England is subpar in quarterback protection and Denver excels in getting after the quarterback. When Maye has time, the Patriots are an offensive machine, especially in the air, and are no slouches on the ground. On defense, New England is good at stopping the pass and very good at stopping the run.
Denver’s forte, as mentioned, is defense. The Broncos are solid against the pass and stellar against the run. When they have the ball, they are a bit above average. That said, they are without their starting quarterback Bo Nix today due to a broken ankle he suffered in Denver’s win over Buffalo on January 17. In his place is one Jarrett Stidham, who has played for three different teams during his seven years in the league. In that time, he has started four games, leading one to believe there is a reason why he’s the backup quarterback. Good luck, Denver. Still, from moments such as these, sports legends emerge, so who knows.
The NFL championship has the Los Angeles Rams visiting the Seattle Seahawks. The teams are both strong across the board and are as evenly matched as it gets on both sides of the ball, and if ever a game gave every indication of one that will go not only down to the wire but beyond, this is it. Still, in a pressure situation, I’d rather be a Ram, with the ageless wonder Matthew Stafford enjoying the luxury of throwing to either Puka Nacua or Davante Adams, than a Seahawk with Sam Darnold, who has yet to win the proverbial Big One, throwing to an aging Cooper Kupp.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone.
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