Sound Smart: 6 Observations From the NFL Divisional Round

Soldier Field (Chicago) —You saw the Los Angeles Rams edge the Chicago Bears in a postseason thriller and the Seattle Seahawks annihilate the depleted San Francisco 49ers. You saw the Denver Broncos prevail against the Buffalo Bills in controversial fashion and the New England Patriots outlast the Houston Texans. 

You probably didn’t see Broncos quarterback Bo Nix break his ankle, but you know by now that it happened.

So let's try to spin it forward, dive deeper and think outside the box about what we witnessed in the divisional round of the playoffs. This is "Sound Smart," where we prepare you for Monday morning with six observations from the second round of the postseason. If I do my job, you’ll be fluent in the NFL’s playoff action.

Ben Johnson’s message about the Bears’ season was spot-on, but his players might’ve missed the point: They missed an opportunity.

Given the way Johnson’s tenure with the Detroit Lions went (and how the Lions' season went this year), the Bears head coach must have appreciated how close his team was. How they let the victory slip through their fingers in their 20-17 overtime loss to the Rams. How this sort of special run is hard to replicate.

Look at what happened to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025 after their theatrical run of narrow victories in 2024. 

Look at what happened to the Minnesota Vikings from last season to this one.

It’s not easy to win one playoff game. It’s not easy to get into a position to take down Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the postseason. Ask Josh Allen about how many shots he’s gotten to play in the conference title game. And so I found one quote from Johnson to be salient during his postgame press conference.

A reporter asked whether Johnson felt