On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the 2026 NFL season picks up right where the 2025 campaign left off, with a showdown between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. But before we kick off the '26 campaign in style with a Super Bowl rematch, it's time to forecast which two teams will meet in next February's Super Bowl. Our analysts predict who'll compete for -- and capture -- the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 14, 2027, in Inglewood, California.
NOTE: All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and were current as of 10:20 a.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Which NFL team will win Super Bowl LXI?
Mike Band: Rams over Broncos. Sean Payton gets the most out of Bo Nix and a Broncos roster with no glaring weakness, but no team can match the Rams’ elite combination of quarterback, head coach and overall talent. Plus, this game is at SoFi Stadium.
Jeremy Bergman: Rams over Chargers. Another Super Bowl at SoFi, another Rams win in the Rams House. Jim Harbaugh and Co.'s dream season ends at the hands of their neighbors, with Myles Garrett logging a game-record 4.5 sacks.
Dan Parr: Rams over Broncos. As much as I’d like to pick the underdog, it’s hard to choose against the squad that could easily end up with the best offense and best defense in the league. The Rams exorcise the NFL dream team demons.
Chad Reuter: Rams over Bills. The Bills finally get their chance to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, but Matthew Stafford and Myles Garrett are too tough to beat at SoFi Stadium in The Big Game.
Nick Shook: Rams over Bengals. Yes, we'll run it back like it's 2021 all over again. L.A. hosts another Super Bowl featuring the home team, which breaks the hearts of Bengals fans again in a fashion that might even include another Aaron Donald signature moment.
Raza Umerani: Rams over Ravens. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have a dream season, but the Rams buzzsaw is inevitable. Matthew Stafford walks off into the sunset as a champion.
Mike Yam: Rams over Bills. The Rams spent the offseason grabbing headlines, and they somehow live up to the hype all season long. Superman Josh Allen gets grounded by a suffocating L.A. defense.
Lance Zierlein: Rams over Texans. Defense rules the day, and the Rams kick a field goal to break a late tie, giving Myles Garrett his first Super Bowl win.
Gennaro Filice: Bills over Cowboys. Three decades after Troy Aikman led Dallas to three Super Bowl titles in four years -- with two of those triumphs coming at Buffalo’s expense -- the Cowboys legend is on the call for ABC/ESPN to watch Josh Allen bedevil the ‘Boys and give the Bills their first Lombardi Trophy.
Matt Okada: Bills over Rams. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. I picked Bills over Rams in this exercise last year, and I'm back for Super Bowl LXI. The Rams are the league's best team, but it's (finally) Josh Allen's time.
Bill Smith: Bills over Rams. Josh Allen and company finally get over the hump, locking in under first-year head coach Joe Brady in their first season at new Highmark Stadium.
Brooke Cersosimo: Bengals over 49ers. Joe Burrow and the Bengals return to the scene of Super Bowl LVI and prevail this time around, with their own defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence, making the game-sealing stop.
David Ely: Bengals over Rams. In a twist from five years ago, Joe Burrow evades Aaron Donald (and Myles Garrett) in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium for a game-deciding TD and Cincy’s first Super Bowl title.
Grant Gordon: Lions over Chiefs. Just days after winning Comeback Player of the Year, Patrick Mahomes leads comeback K.C. to a Super Bowl performance for the ages. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Jared Goff wins this duel, 54-51, like it’s 2018 and this pride of Lions makes history. Buoyed by a high-octane offense keyed by Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown delighting his homecoming crowd, Detroit will win the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl at the expense of the Chiefs, whose sensational turnaround ends valiantly but with Travis Kelce and Andy Reid retiring just short of another ring.
Bobby Kownack: Lions over Chargers. After dispatching their former QB Matthew Stafford and the offseason champion Rams in the NFC title game, the Lions give forlorn fans everywhere a reason to believe by beating the Bolts in a battle of Lombardi-less clubs.
Kevin Patra: Texans over Eagles. The best defense in the NFL raises the Lombardi Trophy.
Gregg Rosenthal: Texans over Rams. The Texans make their case as the best defense of all time when Azeez Al-Shaair returns a Kyren Williams fumble for a game-sealing touchdown.
Keegan Abdoo: Cowboys over Texans. The best offense in the league outduels the best defense in the league, and the Cowboys end their three-decade Super Bowl drought.
Ben McWilliams: Eagles over Bills. Joe Brady helps Josh Allen get over the hump, but the Bills fall short in the Super Bowl to an Eagles team led by an elite defense.
