 | PRESENTED BY  |
| From The GIST Team |
Football fans, rejoice! | ||
| Last weekend's thrilling NFL Divisional Round set the stage for today's Conference Championships, so we're back in your inbox to break down | ||
| Quote of The Day |
 | What started as one of the most exciting games I've ever been a part of ended with some of the most devastating football news I've ever received…but our season has been defined by overcoming adversity and responding to it. |
 | — Denver Broncos quarterback (QB) Bo Nix discussing last week's season-ending ankle injury that will sideline him for today's AFC Championship game. A brutal blow, but the Broncos' story isn't over yet. |
| The Breakdown |
❤️ No. 2 New England Patriots vs. 🐴 No. 1 Denver Broncos — Today at 3 p.m. ET Source: Steven Senne/AP Photo The GIST: The Broncos and Patriots have historically been AFC powerhouses, but it's been a minute — over a decade for Denver and seven years for New England — since either franchise reached the promised land. Only one can end their Super Bowl appearance drought. 🐴 Broncos down, but not out: Losing your franchise QB a week before the Conference Championship certainly isn't ideal, but as Nix said, this team is resilient. Their Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills marked their 13th comeback win of the season and their sixth while trailing in the fourth quarter. Adversity hates to see this crew coming.
❤️ Passing game key for Patriots: QB Drake Maye is an MVP candidate for a reason, and while his six fumbles and 10 sacks in two playoff games is cause for concern, he still helms one of the best passing offenses in the NFL. That prowess was on full display in the Divisional Round, where Maye tossed absolute dimes against the league's best defense in the Houston Texans.
📍 The bottom line: Starting a backup QB in the biggest game of the season is a major disadvantage, and it's a big reason the Broncos are underdogs at home. The Patriots should win this one, but stranger things have happened on the Mile High gridiron.     |
| PRESENTED BY Amazon Prime 💪 Tackle clutter like an MVP Source: Amazon Prime 😵💫 Lucky jerseys littering the floor, ticket stubs scattered, and foam fingers in the fridge? Don't panic — let Prime be your unofficial equipment manager. Here are three things you can add to your cart before the end of a two-minute drill: 1️⃣ Over-the-door racks for all that officially licensed gear 2️⃣ Clear bins to organize your coveted memorabilia 3️⃣ Under-the-bed storage for those jerseys it'd be sacrilegious to wash Prime's fast (and free) delivery can help you transform that sports fandom clutter from blown coverage to an elite man-to-man defense…all in one weekend. |
🐏 No. 5 LA Rams vs. 💚 No. 1 Seattle Seahawks — Today at 6:30 p.m. ET Source: John Froschauer/AP photo The GIST: The NFC West has been a gauntlet all season, so it's no surprise these divisional foes are the last two left standing on Championship Sunday. 💚 Seahawks field most complete team: And they're peaking at the right time. The special teams unit scored on the opening kickoff in their Divisional Round win, while the defense allows the league's fewest points per game. But that's not all: The offense is humming with running back (RB) Kenneth Walker III, aka the Rams' kryptonite, and All-Pro wide receiver (WR) Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
🐏 Battle-tested Rams thrive down the stretch: The head coach Sean McVay–led squad has mounted two late playoff comebacks…and on the road, no less. Those Ws are due in large part to their playmakers, namely WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and RB Kyren Williams, who have all been clutch when it mattered most.
📍 The bottom line: The Seahawks and Rams split their two regular-season meetings with the tilts decided by a mere three points combined. Buckle up for a spicy back-and-forth affair — the stakes have truly never been higher. |
| PRESENTED BY Amazon Prime  Source: Amazon Prime 🏈 Just like football, home organization is a game of inches. That click-and-deliver Prime magic that decluttered your fandom can also tackle tangled cables in the living room, overflowing bathroom shelves, and the black-hole pantry that keeps devouring your favorite snacks.
All that's left to do is draft your organizers, set your household lineup, and let Prime's fast, free shipping help you run a blitz on clutter — your home is about to look as put together as that championship-bound squad. |
| The GIST's List |
Ranking the top-five Conference Championship games in NFL history
5️⃣ 2006 AFC Championship: Indianapolis Colts vs. New England PatriotsDown 21–3 in the second quarter, Colts QB Peyton Manning orchestrated a stunning comeback that included 18 unanswered points and two touchdown passes to offensive linemen. |
4️⃣ 1986 AFC Championship: Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland BrownsThis overtime thriller sent Broncos Hall of Fame QB John Elway to the first of five career Super Bowls, a dominant stretch that began with one of the most iconic drives in NFL history. |
3️⃣ 1990 NFC Championship: NY Giants vs. San Francisco 49ersWidely considered one of the most physical football games ever played, the Giants stifled QB Joe Montana's 49ers, ending SF's quest for its third straight Super Bowl title. They didn't call them the Big Blue Wrecking Crew for nothing. |
2️⃣ 2021 AFC Championship Game: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City ChiefsSpeaking of three-peat deniers, Bengals QB Joe Burrow led a miraculous second-half comeback to eliminate the two-time defending champs and punch Cincy's first Super Bowl ticket since 1988. |
1️⃣ 1981 NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas CowboysThey call it "The Catch" for a reason: The aforementioned Montana's game-winning toss to WR Dwight Clark kickstarted the Niners' dynasty — and the rest is history. |
| The GIST's Picks |
✨ How to become an organizational queenWith an assist from Prime. Those aesthetic social media posts don't have to be a pipe dream — Prime has everything you need to bring your vision board to life.* |
🥹 Who's setting a good examplePatriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who routinely opens his press conferences by giving women reporters the first question — a practice now being emulated by his starting QB. |
⚡ What to readThis article about the San Francisco 49ers leaving no stone unturned in determining what's causing their numerous injury-plagued seasons, including investigating a viral conspiracy theory. |
🏆 What to updateYour LinkedIn profile. Just like Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza, who's expected to be the No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft. Turns out football and B2B sales go hand-in-hand. *P.S. This is a sponsored post. |
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Today's email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo. Editing by Molly Potter. Fact-checking and operations by Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
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