NFL playoff predictions: Experts pick who will win AFC, NFC championship, Super Bowl 60
- - NFL playoff predictions: Experts pick who will win AFC, NFC championship, Super Bowl 60
Tom Viera, Ayrton Ostly, Jacob Camenker, Nick Brinkerhoff and Jack McKessy, USA TODAYJanuary 10, 2026 at 5:23 AM
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The 2025 NFL regular season has concluded, paving the way for the action-packed playoffs. This Saturday, the postseason kicks off with the much-anticipated NFL wild-card round.
A total of 14 teams are in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl 60, set to take place in Santa Clara on Feb. 8.
The Philadelphia Eagles will attempt to make history by trying to secure back-to-back Super Bowl victories - an achievement accomplished by nine teams in the history of the sport. On the other hand, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans aim to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in their franchises' histories.
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Among the contenders, the Buffalo Bills stand out as one of the seven AFC teams eager to seize an opportunity in a postseason that lacks the formidable presence of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow. A question remains: is there a sleeper team that might rise to prominence from either conference?
Before the six wild-card matchups begin, the USA TODAY Sports team gathers around the table to share predictions and insights on which teams will emerge victorious in the AFC and NFC Championships, and who will ultimately win Super Bowl 60 next month.
PLAYOFF BRACKET: What teams made NFL playoffs? Wild card bracket, matchups, schedule
NFL playoff predictionsAFC team, NFC team and Super Bowl winner
Ayrton Ostly, NFL writer: Texans (AFC) | Seahawks (NFC) | Super Bowl: Seahawks 17, Texans 13
This year's been as close to anarchy when it comes to the NFL hierarchy as we've seen in recent history. The big-name quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are all watching the postseason at home like us.
With a postseason bracket like that, I'm backing the teams with the best units (offense or defense) in the field from both conferences. I pity opposing quarterbacks facing a Seattle Seahawks defense that slowly squeezes the will to live out of you by operating like a hive mind in coverage and run defense. Good luck to offenses lining up against Houston, too. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter strike enough fear in you before considering the next level with standout corner Derek Stingley Jr. and the group of ball-seeking missiles flanking him.
These two defenses are the best units in their conferences. Houston's offense has improved enough to complement the defense and get them through a weaker-than-usual AFC. Few on paper seem good enough to topple the Seahawks in the NFC.
In the Super Bowl, it comes down to which offense can make fewer mistakes. I trust the Seahawks' ability to run the ball better than the Texans', which negates some of the impact of Anderson, Hunter, Stingley, and company. Seattle's streak of reaching a Super Bowl under a new Pope continues and they get a title behind Mike Macdonald's masterclass on defense. Apologies to those hoping for points.
AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner
Jacob Camenker, NFL writer: Texans (AFC) | Rams (NFC) | Super Bowl: Rams 26, Texans 20
Part of me wanted to be a creature of habit and stick with the Bills-Rams Super Bowl pick I made in November. Instead, I'm calling an audible in an unpredictable AFC where every team has some fatal flaw.
That led me to back the Texans to make it through the conference. Houston has the NFL's No. 1-ranked defense in EPA per play, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats, while C.J. Stroud has played efficiently down the stretch. If Houston can continue to play elite defense and show strong overall balance as it has during its NFL-best nine-game winning streak, that could be enough to get the franchise to its first-ever Super Bowl.
The NFC seems a bit easier to forecast. The defensive-minded Seattle Seahawks and reigning Super Bowl 59 champion Philadelphia Eagles loom as potential threats to the Rams, but Los Angeles has the offensive firepower – headlined by NFL MVP Matthew Stafford and the league's top receiver tandem of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams – needed to beat any contender.
A Rams vs. Texans Super Bowl matchup would be a fun, strength-on-strength matchup between a top-notch Houston defense and a Los Angeles offense that averaged a league-high 30.5 points per game. Ultimately, experience will prevail and allow the Rams to win their second Super Bowl of the Stafford and Sean McVay era.
AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner
Nick Brinkerhoff, NFL writer: Jaguars (AFC) | Seahawks (NFC) | Super Bowl: Jaguars 27, Seahawks 23
The Jaguars might be the best all-around team in the AFC and few people seem to care. Perhaps it’s the reality of playing in small-market Jacksonville, but this team is a sleeping giant. They are solid in all three phases, while also possessing arguably the biggest wild-card in the entire bracket – Cam Little.
That’s right, kickers matter too. Especially ones that are accurate from nearly 70 yards out. It’s the type of advantage that can swing a game or two in the playoffs, where points and possessions are so valuable.
All in all, Liam Coen’s team has won eight straight, and it could’ve been 10 if not for that 19-point fourth-quarter collapse against Houston. They have the second-most takeaways (31) and the third-best turnover differential in the league (+13), pairing that with an offense that has Trevor Lawrence playing the best football of his NFL career.
East meets west in Super Bowl 60 as the Seahawks survive and advance through the NFC gauntlet. The bye and home-field advantage are key for Seattle, as that dominant defense guides Sam Darnold past the ghosts of playoffs past.
During that two-week window before the big game, you’ll hear plenty about a Week 6 matchup between the Jags and Seahawks, when it was Seattle that captured a 20-12 victory. Remember, it’s hard to beat a team twice and these Jags are a different beast now. A wild, unpredictable season ends with a first-time champion from Duval County.
Many laughed at Coen for his funky “Duval” chant in his introductory press conference. He’ll be the one getting the last laugh as teal-and-gold confetti rains down at the conclusion of Super Bowl 60.
AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner
Jack McKessy, NFL writer: Jaguars (AFC) | Rams (NFC) | Rams 30, Jaguars 24
The easiest pick in the AFC would be the Bills. Buffalo's roster has a longer, more impressive playoff résumé than pretty much every other team in this year's postseason field. Their annual dose of kryptonite, a meeting with the Chiefs in the playoffs, won't happen this year because Kansas City didn't make the playoffs. Therefore, the Bills look poised to finally make their grand return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season.
But Jacksonville – the Bills' first opponent in this hypothetical AFC-winning run – is so intriguing to me as a team that has really come alive in the back half of the season. The Jaguars won 9 of their last 10 games after a 4-3 start to the season. Their lone loss during this recent hot stretch was in Week 10, when the Texans pulled off an epic fourth-quarter comeback after trailing by 19 points. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has looked better than ever in head coach Liam Coen's offense, and the Jaguars' defense hasn't allowed more than 20 points since that Week 10 loss.
With a wild-card round win over the Bills behind them, the Jaguars' remaining road to an AFC title might only get easier, given they've defeated the Chargers, Broncos and Texans already this year.
In the NFC, the Rams' toughest competition is a banged-up 49ers team, a Seahawks squad led by a quarterback they dominated in the playoffs last year and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, who only defeated them earlier in the season by blocking two late-game field goals. Los Angeles' high-powered offense is getting wide receiver Davante Adams back, and they've proven they can put points up on even the NFL's best defenses (Seattle, Philadelphia).
In the Super Bowl, it's that excellent Rams offense led by quarterback Matthew Stafford that gets him a second ring. Los Angeles' offensive firepower and league-leading scoring offense will be too much for the Jaguars to keep up with, even with how good Jacksonville will have looked during the 11-game win streak it would be riding into the Big Game.
AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner
Tom Viera, NFL writer/editor: Bills (AFC) | Rams (NFC) | Super Bowl: Rams 34, Bills 31
The reigning MVP Josh Allen is still a wrecking ball and will prove to be too much for every defense standing in his way. Allen's biggest bugaboo – Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who were eliminated before the postseason for the first time since 2014 – no longer stand in the way.
Buffalo's defense is a concern, allowing the third-most yards per carry in 2025 (5.14) and the fifth-most rushing yards per game (136.2) but Buffalo has the recipe to win in any shootout: Josh Allen. The Bills' offensive line is dominant in the trenches and will hold up against the dangerous defensive fronts in the AFC. The offense doesn't rely on any one playmaker and can attack the middle of the field - an area of weakness for Denver, Jacksonville and New England.
Allen will ultimately be the best player on the field and the difference in defeating Denver in the playoffs for the second straight season and he will take down the Patriots in the AFC championship game. Allen is one of the most impressive quarterbacks of this generation and will finally reach a Super Bowl.
In the NFC, it wasn't long ago that Seattle needed a miracle game-winning field goal to defeat 44-year-old Philip Rivers and then a couple of quirky plays where the ball – quite literally – bounced their way to beat the Rams in overtime in Week 16.
The Rams have been the best team in 2025 despite not owning the No. 1 seed. They will roll their way to Super Bowl 60 behind a prolific offense that's ranked first in DVOA and an underrated defense that's third in DVOA, according to FTN. Davante Adams should be recovered from a hamstring injury, and Matthew Stafford has been the front-runner for MVP for most of the season. The 37-year-old will lead his team to the big game.
From an entertainment standpoint, Bills-Rams is the matchup that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Sorry, Ostly, not many would enjoy a defensive showdown.
Stafford is surrounded by talents like Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams and the explosive Blake Corum out of the backfield. The Bills defense ranks 22nd in DVOA, thanks in large part to its struggles in stopping the run. Buffalo's run defense will ultimately be the difference against the Rams who will finish off drives with six points every red zone trip. The Rams lifted the Lombardi Trophy four years ago against the Bengals, and Sean McVay will claim his second in 2026. Stafford celebrates his 38th birthday in style with a Super Bowl MVP.
NFL playoff teamsAFC -
Denver Broncos (14-3, AFC West winners)
New England Patriots (14-3, AFC East winners)
Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4, AFC South winners)
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, AFC North winners)
Houston Texans (12-5, wild card No. 1)
Buffalo Bills (12-5, wild card No. 2)
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 3)
NFC -
Seattle Seahawks (14-3, NFC West winners)
Chicago Bears (11-6, NFC North winners)
Philadelphia Eagles (11-6, NFC East winners)
Carolina Panthers (8-9, NFC South winners)
Los Angeles Rams (12-5, wild card No. 1)
San Francisco 49ers (12-5, wild card No. 2)
Green Bay Packers (9-7-1, wild card No. 3)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NFL playoff predictions: Expert picks to win Super Bowl 60
Source: “AOL Sports”
