# NFL Playoff Thread 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [January 5, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372 "2026-01-05T16:53:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/81 "2026-01-11T02:19:49Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Packers offense looking pretty damn good thus far. Yeah, they’re practically doing whatever they want. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/82 "2026-01-11T02:43:18Z")
Green Bay is abusing the right sideline all game, it’s been wide open ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/83 "2026-01-11T03:39:52Z")
Green Bay’s kick coverage looks like the Keystone Cops. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/84 "2026-01-11T03:43:01Z")
Green Bay’s offense stayed in the locker room at halftime, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/85 "2026-01-11T03:48:39Z")
Aspiring mightily to turn this into a comeback story. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/86 "2026-01-11T03:49:59Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Green Bay’s offense stayed in the locker room at halftime And the Bears finally get into the end zone. Packers just dodged a bullet on the kickoff return. Looks like we’re heading for another insane ending. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/87 "2026-01-11T03:57:56Z")
They should’ve gone for the two. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/88 "2026-01-11T04:00:36Z")
Whoever is handling the cameras for Prime sucks. There are a lot of plays where I’d love to see a replay and they show nothing but the players milling around. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/89 "2026-01-11T04:05:40Z")
Damn, this is some game. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/90 "2026-01-11T04:18:18Z")
It’s 5:17 AM in the Vatican, you can’t tell me Pope Leo isn’t working some kind of mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/91 "2026-01-11T04:21:58Z")
I’m too old for this shit. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/92 "2026-01-11T04:26:57Z")
Ugh. it’d be a tie game without McManus’s two missed kicks. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/93 "2026-01-11T04:36:07Z")
Great games today. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/94 "2026-01-11T04:36:19Z")
Holy shit! What a game. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/95 "2026-01-11T04:37:54Z")
That first one you can blame the wind maybe. That second one was just a shitty kick. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/96 "2026-01-11T04:41:50Z")
When you play the analytics instead of playing the game, you will lose, no matter how far you are ahead of the other team. The Packers played analytics and lost. And I’m a Packers fan. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/97 "2026-01-11T04:42:18Z")
Don’t forget about the timeout that the Bears took right before half. McManus made the first kick right after the whistle blew when the timeout was granted. Then he missed the second attempt. And there’s no excuse to miss a PAT, no matter how cold and windy it might be. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/98 "2026-01-11T04:49:16Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > And there’s no excuse to miss a PAT, no matter how cold and windy it might be. Well, now that XPs are further back, conversion rates on them have consistently been around 95% (95.9% this season), so it’s essentially “don’t roll a 1 on that 20-sided die” now. Even so, that’s a heartbreaker. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/99 "2026-01-11T04:49:52Z")
When I die, I’ll ask for Packers players as pallbearers, so they can let me down one last time. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/100 "2026-01-11T05:00:16Z")
I got my brother to meet me in a bar and watch the last Packers vs Bears game. While he really does not care about football even he got caught up in the excitement of that last minute win. I told him he was lucky to see such an exciting game. They are rare. And now it happened again. And with perhaps the best rivalry in football. You could not write a more exciting script I don’t think. I was on pins-and-needles right to the very end (literally the last play). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372.md?page=6)