We have officially made it to championship Sunday, and while it won’t be the Arizona Cardinals playing in either of the games, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something for fans to pay attention to.
Sure, you can hate-watch a pair of division rivals in the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, but there’s also a positive reason to tune in. Arizona has five candidates that they have interviewed for their head coaching gig coaching on Sunday.
Let’s start in the AFC title game, where the New England Patriots' passing game coordinator, Thomas Brown, will square off against the Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph.
On the NFC side of things, you have L.A. offensive and defensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and Chris Shula, who are facing off against Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
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It is safe to say that this head coach hiring cycle is going to be one of the most important ones the team has faced in quite some time. There is plenty of talent on both sides of the ball that can be unlocked if they have the right guy in place.
For example, we saw the Chicago Bears jump from five to 11 wins in 2025, and it was strictly because of the culture that first-year head coach Ben Johnson set.
On Arizona’s offense, they have a trio of pass catchers in Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr.
On defense, they have Walter Nolen III, Josh Sweat, Budda Baker, Cody Simon, and Will Johnson making an impact on opposing offenses.
While it would be nice to see general manager Monti Ossenfort prioritize offense, it would not hurt to see the team hire a defensive-minded head coach. We will get a real look at some of the top candidates today.
NE vs. DEN: 1 p.m. Mountain Time
LA vs. SEA: 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time