NFL Faces Calls to Change Playoff Format After 'Unwatchable' Patriots-Broncos Game
Even the NFL playoffs weren't exempt from the extreme winter weather that battered much of the U.S. this past weekend.
As the Patriots and Broncos started the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship, the conditions in Denver deteriorated rapidly. Heavy snowfall blanketed the field and caused both offenses to screech to a halt.
Neither team scored in the decisive final quarter, as they traded punts over the first four possessions before Broncos kicker Matt Prater missed a 45-yard field goal (the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage). The game effectively ended two drives later when Patriots safety Craig Woodson intercepted a soft pass from Jarrett Stidham.
Drake Maye clinched the laborious affair with a 7-yard run.
Though the Patriots won 10-7, many NFL media types believe that fans lost out. As the NFL gears up for Super Bowl 60, there are calls for the league to change its playoff format.
The weather progression of this game from quarter to quarter is insane pic.twitter.com/PlmIhW7MNc
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) January 25, 2026
No More Snow Games
A treasured part of NFL lore, the Patriots' dynasty was launched during a snow game. But as the Patriots get ready to return to the Super Bowl, some feel their latest snow game win should come with an asterisk.
ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio says the contest was "unwatchable," writing that the Broncos, who were trailing, had "no realistic chance to come back and win."
Meanwhile, former Chiefs offensive lineman and Super Bowl champ Mitchell Schwartz, no stranger to playing in brutal winter weather himself, said Sunday's matchup was not the best way to determine the AFC winner.
"And trust me that’s coming from someone who LOVED playing in the snow on grass," he added.
This is fun for regular season but I don’t think which team manages 5 inches of snow in an oncoming blizzard is the best way to determine who goes to the Super Bowl. And trust me that’s coming from someone who LOVED playing in the snow on grass.
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) January 25, 2026
Florio proposes the NFL moves its championship games to neutral sites in order to avoid similar situations going forward. The intrepid NFL Insider says the issue has already been discussed.
"There was a push from some in [NFL] league office, this was a few years ago," he said on Pro Football Talk.
Perhaps those conversations could be revisited.
Winter Weather Will Likely Be Less of a Factor, Anyway
Even if the NFL doesn't change its playoff format, weather will likely be less of a factor going forward, anyway.
Within the next decade, the league is on track for 17 of its 32 teams to play indoors, including the cold weather Chiefs and Bears.
Still, as Florio mentions, several teams are still slated to play outside, including the Bills, Packers and Patriots. New England owner Robert Kraft said recently he'll never move the Patriots to a dome.