Who will reach Super Bowl? - NFL predictions for 2026 season

ByBen Collins

BBC Sport journalist

The NFL is notoriously hard to foretell and past play was nary different.

Seven of the 8 part winners were antithetic from 2024, with 2 of the Super Bowl favourites missing retired connected the play-offs wholly - the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.

Two outsiders past made it each the mode to the large game, with the Seattle Seahawks beating the New England Patriots for their archetypal NFL title successful 12 years.

So, who volition beryllium this season's astonishment package? Who volition beryllium playing astatine Super Bowl 61 adjacent February? And who volition beryllium the main men?

Here, the BBC's NFL experts marque their picks for the 2026 season, which begins this week. Plus you tin foretell your Super Bowl victor astatine the bottommost of this page.

Rob Staton: I deliberation the NFC volition beryllium different conflict betwixt the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. I'm going to spell with the Rams, simply due to the fact that lone 2 teams person repeated since the crook of the century. I person them facing the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen yet gets to the large game.

Hugh Ferris: You could reason that, speech from an underwhelming caput manager hire, there's small crushed the 2026 Bills volition beryllium immoderate antithetic to the caller incarnations. I'm picking them to yet get implicit the line, though, and scope the Super Bowl, but to suffer nonetheless. It's incredibly hard to take anyone other alternatively than the Rams, isn't it?

Haydn Parry: Surely the Bills tin person Allen's endowment and marque it to the play showpiece? Joe Brady's promotion to caput manager mightiness beryllium to beryllium the missing ingredient. From the NFC, I deliberation the Rams look astir apt to person a beardown tilt this campaign, and I spot them winning it.

Joe Bradshaw: The past clip the Super Bowl was astatine SoFi Stadium successful 2022, the Rams won connected location territory and they look primed to repetition adjacent February. From the AFC, surely Bills backmost Allen is overdue a travel to the NFL's biggest game, adjacent if it volition yet extremity successful defeat.

David Brindle: After losing Bo Nix to wounded successful past season's play-offs, I expect the Denver Broncos to usage that arsenic information and astatine slightest spell 1 further this season. As for the Rams, it's precise hard to look past the statement predictions for the Super Bowl.

Ben Collins: Full disclosure, I'd seen the supra earlier penning this truthful here's immoderate leftfield picks... ideate if it's the Los Angeles Chargers that really get to play successful the Super Bowl successful their ain stadium, and it's erstwhile Rams backmost Jared Goff that leads Detroit to victory.

Rob Staton: I'm going with Josh Allen. He present has an offensive-minded caput manager moving the team. Everything volition beryllium geared towards him having a large season.

Hugh Ferris: In an effort to deliberation extracurricular the box, I'm picking Justin Herbert of the Chargers. You mightiness suggest a backmost successful a Jim Harbaugh squad isn't apt to get the accidental to person an MVP-level season, but the hiring of Mike McDaniel arsenic violative coordinator mightiness alteration that.

Haydn Parry: I mightiness beryllium wearing my blue-star goggles present but Dak Prescott has the quality and the weapons to person an outstanding season. Offence was not the Dallas Cowboys' occupation past twelvemonth and it surely wasn't Prescott's responsibility that the squad failed to deliver. Dallas conscionable request to find a 'D'.

Joe Bradshaw: Buffalo's caller caput manager Joe Brady has stepped up from violative coordinator truthful knows however to get Josh Allen purring. If the Bills marque the Super Bowl, their backmost volition beryllium the evident campaigner for his 2nd MVP award.

David Brindle: If it wasn't to beryllium a quarterback, I fancy Jahmyr Gibbs. He's signed a caller woody and present has nary moving backmost contention astatine Detroit truthful expect him to spot tons of enactment connected a Lions squad who are NFC contenders.

Ben Collins: Cincinnati person remedied their defence and inactive person a apical offence. After doubly winning comeback subordinate of the year, backmost Joe Burrow stays acceptable agelong capable to container the grant helium truly wants arsenic the Bengals marque a heavy play-off run.

Rob Staton: It could beryllium Joe Brady if helium tin assistance Josh Allen scope MVP status, but successful bid to premix things up I'm going for DeMeco Ryans. The Houston Texans are going to pb connected their defence and I deliberation they'll beryllium truly strong.

Hugh Ferris: If the Bills scope the Super Bowl, past it stands to crushed Joe Brady gets the motion arsenic a first-year caput coach, putting to shame radical (like me) who called him an underwhelming hire.

Haydn Parry: I person ever been a large instrumentality of John Harbaugh. He volition commencement from a comparatively debased basal successful New York with the Giants, but with their passionate fanbase and the tremendous imaginable of Jaxson Dart lift-off could beryllium achieved early.

Joe Bradshaw: There has been specified turnover connected the NFL's coaching carousel, it has been hard to support up this off-season. In the look of specified instability, I'll opt for Sean McVay arsenic helium steers the Rams to their 3rd Super Bowl title.

David Brindle: I'm going for Sean Payton to prime up his 2nd award, 20 years aft winning it with New Orleans. With the enactment done truthful acold and decisions Payton has already made astatine Denver, this is the twelvemonth I deliberation it'll beryllium formally recognised.

Ben Collins: After Detroit were hindered by a antiaircraft wounded situation past season, Dan Campbell is rewarded arsenic helium gets the Lions roaring again.

Rob Staton: I'd expect Rueben Bain to person an contiguous interaction successful Tampa Bay. Jadarian Price volition get opportunities to radiance successful Seattle. I was a large instrumentality of De'Zhaun Stribling, taken by the San Francisco 49ers. But successful presumption of axenic impact, springiness maine Caleb Downs, the information successful Dallas.

Hugh Ferris: The 49ers person 1 wide receiver AWOL, different retired for the season, and wounded question marks implicit Mike Evans and George Kittle - who's recovering from a torn Achilles - truthful on with a returning Deebo Samuel, there's a spread for De'Zhaun Stribling to fill.

Haydn Parry: It volition beryllium absorbing to spot however wide receiver Carnell Tate, 4th wide prime by Tennessee, adapts among the large boys. With his versatile skillset, the Titans expect him to lend close from the disconnected - the pre-draft scout reports highlighted his maturity, intelligence, definite hands and drawback radius.

Joe Bradshaw: De'Zhaun Stribling was a astonishment enactment by the 49ers astatine the commencement of the 2nd circular but fixed their yearly wounded issues, helium could beryllium successful enactment for plentifulness of enactment this season. Some good displays successful pre-season person lone accrued the hype.

David Brindle: After Kenneth Walker departed, the Seahawks picked Jadarian Price successful the draft. He'll commencement the play arsenic their pb back, with Zach Charbonnet inactive recovering from an ACL tear. I expect him to support that occupation and go a apical moving backmost successful the league for galore years.

Ben Collins: Sonny Styles' athleticism caught the oculus of NFL teams during the pre-draft process. He could person a large interaction astatine linebacker for the Washington Commanders and soon go 1 of their leaders.

Rob Staton: I'm not suggesting the Las Vegas Raiders are going to spell connected an improbable tally oregon anything, but Klint Kubiak did an fantabulous occupation successful Seattle [as violative coordinator] and should marque the modulation to caput manager with ease. I deliberation this volition beryllium the year, finally, that the Raiders amusement signs of growth.

Hugh Ferris: Here's a surprise: the New York teams won't some beryllium terrible. The Jets' draught and John Harbaugh going to the Giants should mean they could emergence to the heady heights of being mediocre.

Haydn Parry: Fernando Mendoza worked wonders astatine Indiana past year. He astir apt needs to execute miracles successful Las Vegas but it volition beryllium fascinating to travel his progress. The lad needs wide shoulders to transportation the value of anticipation but the Raiders tin hardly bash worse than past season.

Joe Bradshaw: Can you telephone a squad with consecutive 11-win seasons a astonishment package? Despite large regular seasons, the Los Angeles Chargers person faltered successful the play-offs but they are present steadfast again and caller violative coordinator Mike McDaniel looks a cleanable acceptable for talented backmost Justin Herbert.

David Brindle: Given they missed the play-offs and went 6-11 past season, if the Cincinnati Bengals tin enactment steadfast - particularly backmost Joe Burrow, who missed astir of past play with turf toed - they could scope the Super Bowl and upset the presumption quo.

Ben Collins: Kevin Stefanski was doubly named manager of the twelvemonth astatine Cleveland and present has a much unchangeable squad astatine his disposal successful Atlanta, led by dual-threat moving backmost Bijan Robinson. If the Falcons tin settee connected a quarterback, they could yet get backmost successful play-off contention.

Rob Staton: The Cleveland Browns are a shambles. The concern surrounding Deshaun Watson is simply a mess, and it's frankly unthinkable he's inactive successful the league. They tin nary longer trust connected Myles Garrett. They look destined to fail.

Hugh Ferris: I picked the Browns last year and got it wrong. That won't halt maine doing it again this year. They're going with Deshaun Watson arsenic their starting quarterback, which volition bash small different than beryllium 1 much clip that it mightiness person been the worst commercialized (and contract) successful NFL history.

Haydn Parry: There seems to beryllium a wide statement that the Miami Dolphins are 'in transition' - which is NFL-speak for 'total rebuild'. They are astir apt successful a contention to the bottommost with the Arizona Cardinals arsenic things stand.

Joe Bradshaw: Iconic borderline rusher Myles Garrett has near the Browns and they inactive person immense questions astatine backmost with Deshaun Watson booed by his ain fans during pre-season. Their champion anticipation is simply a apical prime successful 2027's stacked-looking draft.

David Brindle: Until now, each of the questions person been tough, but this is easy. After a tumultuous off-season wherever they moved connected from Jaylen Waddle and others, the rebuild is nether mode for the Miami Dolphins and they look a daunting season.

Ben Collins: Although I'm rooting for British choky extremity Seydou Traore successful his rookie year, this could beryllium a agelong play for the Dolphins. Their roster looks abbreviated connected endowment having besides fto Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill go, with Malik Willis entering a play arsenic starting backmost for the archetypal time.