Who will reach Super Bowl? - NFL predictions for 2026 season — SkimNews
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- Los Angeles Rams were picked by all six BBC experts to reach Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium — the same venue where they won their most recent title in 2022 — making them the rare consensus favorite in a league where seven of last year's eight division winners differed from the prior year.
- Buffalo Bills were the consensus AFC pick from four of the six experts, who cited Joe Brady's promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach as the potential catalyst that finally converts Josh Allen's talent into a Super Bowl berth after years of playoff heartbreak.
- Josh Allen drew the most MVP support from the panel, with alternative picks including Justin Herbert (Hugh Ferris, citing new Chargers OC Mike McDaniel), Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, and non-quarterback Jahmyr Gibbs of Detroit, whose new contract and clear path to lead-back duties made him a dark-horse choice.
- The Seattle Seahawks won their first NFL championship in 12 years last season by beating the New England Patriots — a result that defied preseason predictions that had both the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs missing the playoffs entirely.
- Cleveland Browns were picked by multiple experts to finish with the NFL's worst record, with Hugh Ferris calling the Deshaun Watson trade 'the worst in NFL history,' while the Miami Dolphins were also cited amid a rebuild that saw them move on from Jaylen Waddle.
- Top rookie mentions included Caleb Downs (Dallas safety), De'Zhaun Stribling (49ers WR), Jadarian Price (Seahawks RB replacing the departed Kenneth Walker), and Carnell Tate (Titans WR), with experts citing injury-created opportunities rather than raw talent as the common thread.
- Ben Collins offered the panel's only contrarian Super Bowl picks, selecting the Los Angeles Chargers to reach the big game in their own stadium and former Rams quarterback Jared Goff to lead Detroit to a championship at SoFi — Goff's old home field.
Why it matters: The near-unanimous Rams-Bills Super Bowl consensus reflects mainstream expectations, but Ben Collins's contrarian Chargers/Goff picks and the surprise-package selections (Raiders under Klint Kubiak, Bengals if Burrow stays healthy, Falcons under Kevin Stefanski) give readers plausible alternative storylines. The rookie names flagged — Downs, Stribling, Price, Tate — point to players whose injury-opened roles could yield early fantasy and trade-market value as the season opens.
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