{"id":11541,"date":"2025-09-04T06:22:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T06:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=11541"},"modified":"2025-09-04T06:23:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T06:23:23","slug":"2025-nfl-predictions-super-bowl-lx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-predictions-super-bowl-lx","title":{"rendered":"2025 NFL Predictions: Who Makes It to Super Bowl LX?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>After nearly seven months of the long <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/league\/nfl-352\">NFL<\/a> offseason, opening night of the 2025 season is finally here. The path to Super Bowl LX begins in Philadelphia, it will end in San Francisco in February, and will either of those teams and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/kansas-city-chiefs-6764\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> be involved once again?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yesterday, we looked at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-award-best-bets\">favorites to win the NFL awards<\/a>, and <strong>you can scroll to the bottom to find links to all 32 in-depth team previews with their best bets from the Eagles back to the Chiefs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should be a very interesting season with plenty of storylines to follow along with to the end. Here are some of the stories we have already covered in the offseason:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen closed the gap on Patrick Mahomes for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-quarterback-rankings\">top quarterback spot<\/a>, or will the Chiefs get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/super-bowl-blowout-chiefs-sb60-odds\">back to elite offensive production<\/a> after drafting left tackle Josh Simmons?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After a historic 2024 season for protecting the ball, will teams like the Bills, Ravens, Chargers, and Eagles face some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-turnover-regression-in-2025\">significant turnover regression<\/a> in 2025?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can Jayden Daniels build on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-top-10-rookie-qb-seasons-jayden-daniels\">greatest rookie quarterback season ever<\/a> to overtake the Eagles, or will Philadelphia start its own dynasty after reminding us of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/do-nfl-teams-blueprint-beat-chiefs-mahomes\">blueprint to beat Mahomes<\/a> and the Chiefs? The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-should-ban-the-tush-push\">Tush Push didn\u2019t get banned<\/a> yet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-2025-schedule-release-top-stories\">Circle the calendar in Weeks 16-18<\/a> when the Commanders, Eagles, and Bills are playing some of the biggest games of the year against one another.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is the NFL turning into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/aaron-rodgers-steelers-nfl-quarterbacks\">league for no old quarterbacks<\/a>, or will Aaron Rodgers hold off Father Time for one more year in Pittsburgh, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/steelers-cleaning-house-pickens-trade-2025\">again dumped its entire quarterback room?<\/a> The Steelers are chasing a record 22nd-consecutive non-losing season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There\u2019s always some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/injury-shaped-story-every-nfl-season\">key injury that shapes the narrative<\/a> of each NFL season. What could it be this year?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is Jacksonville rookie Travis Hunter going to become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL, or is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-draft-preview-travis-hunter\">dual-threat goal<\/a> too ambitious?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can Joe Flacco keep the job all year in Cleveland, or are we going to see Shedeur Sanders start after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/shedeur-sanders-2025-nfl-draft-slide\">his historic draft slide<\/a>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-draft-preview-quarterback\">sleeping on Cam Ward<\/a> in a weak quarterback class? He could be the next to pull off what C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels did the last two years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Will coaches like Mike McDaniel (Dolphins), Brian Daboll (Giants), and Zac Taylor (Bengals) keep their jobs for 2026, or will the Bengals\u2019 insistence on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/bengals-wide-receivers-2025-cap\">only paying their passing game<\/a> burn them?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But the one thing that\u2019s very clear is that there is no clear Super Bowl favorite. The latest Super Bowl LX odds from FanDuel show three teams tied with the best odds with an annual favorite close behind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Philadelphia Eagles (+700)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Baltimore Ravens (+700)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buffalo Bills (+700)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kansas City Chiefs (+800)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Those are the usual suspects, but you can\u2019t ignore Green Bay (+1300), our pick last year, after the trade for Micah Parsons. You also never know if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/jayden-daniels-118200\">Jayden Daniels<\/a> gets Washington one step closer (+2200) in his second year, or if the Bengals (+2000) and Rams (+1900) can give us a rematch from 2021 as two of the only teams who have been able to break up the Chiefs-49ers-Eagles round robin that\u2019s largely existed since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But no Super Bowl favorite with better than +700 odds? That hasn\u2019t happened since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/years\/2010\/preseason_odds.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2010<\/a>, the year Aaron Rodgers\u2019 Packers beat Mike Tomlin\u2019s Steelers. Maybe a good sign for the Steelers there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also have to go back to 2017 to find the last time the No. 4 team in the preseason had +800 odds, and that was the year the Eagles (+4000) won it all, so maybe that\u2019s a good omen for a Philadelphia repeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the Chiefs and Lions won 15 games last year, expect to see a more competitive field in 2025. There may not even be a team that wins more than 13 games this year as both conferences look so competitive that we\u2019re going to have to leave out some solid teams for the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buckle up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#2025-nfl-division-winner-picks\">2025 NFL Division Winner Picks<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#afc-west\">AFC West<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#afc-south\">AFC South<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#afc-north\">AFC North<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#afc-east\">AFC East<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nfc-west\">NFC West<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nfc-south\">NFC South<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nfc-north\">NFC North<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nfc-east\">NFC East<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#full-playoff-team-picks\">Full Playoff Team Picks<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#afc-playoff-teams\">AFC Playoff Teams<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nfc-playoff-teams\">NFC Playoff Teams<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#super-bowl-lx-picks\">Super Bowl LX Picks<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#nfc-champion\">NFC Champion<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#afc-champion\">AFC Champion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#super-bowl-lx-champion\">Super Bowl LX Champion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2025-nfl-division-winner-picks\"><strong>2025 NFL Division Winner Picks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We have made our final pick for the winner of each division this NFL season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"afc-west\">AFC West<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every year more people pick against the Chiefs in the AFC West, and one of these years they\u2019re going be right. You can\u2019t win the division for eternity, but the Chiefs have done quite well with the second-longest streak in NFL history at nine seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the division is in good shape and sent three teams to the playoffs last year, I\u2019m still picking Kansas City until proven otherwise. Technically, the Chiefs should be a stronger team this year after so many injuries to key skill players and starting four players at left tackle. They still went 15-1 with starters doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Denver is the biggest threat with balance and a chance for Bo Nix to ascend in Year 2, but I\u2019m still going with the Chiefs who can win games in any fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 AFC West Winner \u2013 Kansas City Chiefs (-110 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-2196498060-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 26: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs gets hyped up prior to the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri.\" class=\"wp-image-8488\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Brooke Sutton\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"afc-south\">AFC South<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Colts are a mess at quarterback, the Titans have a long way to the top, so it should come down to Houston and Jacksonville. The Texans have won the division the last two years, but they did not take the big leap I thought they would in 2024. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik went from next head coach candidate to fired. Stefon Diggs went to New England and Tank Dell suffered a gruesome leg injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think this is the best spot for a new winner and that\u2019s Jacksonville. Rookie coach Liam Coen will get the best out of Trevor Lawrence the way he did with Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay last year, and Travis Hunter will have an impact one way or the other (or both).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Jaguars were 8-3 two years ago before Lawrence was injured, so he just needs to stay healthy and I like them to get it done this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 AFC South Winner \u2013 Jacksonville Jaguars (+310 at BetMGM)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/GettyImages-2167287787-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) warms up on the sideline during the preseason NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons on August 23rd, 2024 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. \" class=\"wp-image-7266\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Rich von Biberstein\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"afc-north\">AFC North<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a tough division but it\u2019s still hard to deny the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/baltimore-ravens-6655\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a>, who almost never lose by more than one score. They\u2019re going to be in every game, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/lamar-jackson-63413\">Lamar Jackson<\/a> is in his prime, Derrick Henry was a perfect fit last year, and that defense added talent in the secondary and should start the year much stronger than it did last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Steelers have a ton of new pieces to implement and many are players over 30, so we\u2019ll see how that goes. But Aaron Rodgers is coming off his two worst seasons and they have way more tight ends than wide receivers, which isn\u2019t ideal for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bengals had a shot to win this division last year but basically lost the same shootout twice to the Ravens. I\u2019m still not sold the defense changed enough to get this team to win 12 games or whatever, so I\u2019m still rolling with the Ravens here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 AFC North Winner \u2013 Baltimore Ravens (-150 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2183938702-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 7: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&amp;T Bank Stadium on November 7, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.\" class=\"wp-image-10830\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Kevin Sabitus\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"afc-east\">AFC East<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bills have turned into the Patriots with their control of the AFC East, and a sixth-straight win could be more likely than ever with a favorable schedule that has the Bills facing all of their toughest foes at home where they were 10-0 last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Dolphins just don\u2019t spark any fear, the Jets are relying on Justin Fields, and the Patriots are all potential and nothing proven yet. It\u2019s setting up nicely for Buffalo, so let\u2019s not make this one hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 AFC East Winner \u2013 Buffalo Bills (-270 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/GettyImages-1672233834-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills\" class=\"wp-image-7965\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Kevin Sabitus\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nfc-west\">NFC West<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s probably the toughest call this year as you can make the case for all four teams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Arizona: Added some defensive talent and Marvin Harrison Jr. might explode in Year 2 for Kyler Murray.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seattle: Maybe Sam Darnold is just good now and they won 10 games last year for Mike Macdonald.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>San Francisco: Can\u2019t be any more injured than 2024 and still boast some of the most talented players in the league for coach Kyle Shanahan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Los Angeles: Proven track record of winning under Sean McVay, added Davante Adams, and the front seven is loaded with young talent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The odds have been razor thin close at the top this year, but the 49ers have gained more of an edge in recent weeks. I\u2019m going with them if only because of the difference in a last-place schedule for the 49ers and a first-place schedule for the Rams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means the 49ers get to play the Giants, Browns, and Bears while the Rams have to play the Ravens, Eagles, and Lions. That\u2019s enough for me in a close race, but I\u2019m also not against the idea that the 49ers\u2019 window closed in the overtime Super Bowl loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 NFC West Winner \u2013 San Francisco 49ers (-190 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GettyImages-1731172247-1-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 8: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 8, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Cowboys 42-10. \" class=\"wp-image-6881\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Michael Zagaris\/San Francisco 49ers\/Getty Images) *** Brock Purdy<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nfc-south\">NFC South<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Similar to the AFC South, this is probably the weakest division in the conference. Like the Titans, you have a rebuilding team with an unproven quarterback in New Orleans. Like the Colts, the Panthers aren\u2019t sure if their 2023 quarterback (Bryce Young) or young offensive coach is the real deal yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Buccaneers have a tenuous hold on this division, winning it the last four years. But the Falcons are on the rise, and they even swept the Bucs last year. I think Michael Penix Jr. has a strong debut season as the full-time starter, the Bucs take a step back after last year\u2019s offensive success with Liam Coen, and the Falcons end their playoff drought by winning the division after fixing the pass rush in the offseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another one where it\u2019s just time for a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 NFC South Winner \u2013 Atlanta Falcons (+225 at BetMGM)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2230785615-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 15: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up prior to an NFL preseason football game against the Tennessee Titans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.\" class=\"wp-image-11264\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Perry Knotts\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nfc-north\">NFC North<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It was arguably the best division in NFL history last year with the Vikings, Lions, and Packers all winning 11-plus games and making the playoffs. Yet they all went 0-3 in the playoffs while the Bears may have hired the best rookie coach (Ben Johnson).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I\u2019m going with Green Bay\u2019s stability at coach and quarterback, and I felt this way even before the Micah Parsons trade, the final cherry on top. The Vikings have a strong roster but we have no real data on J.J. McCarthy yet, and Kevin O\u2019Connell has produced some very volatile results in three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lions are still in the mix, but let\u2019s see what happens when Dan Campbell is relying on lesser coordinators. Give me Green Bay, and it starts this week with the Packers hosting the Lions in a big one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 NFC North Winner \u2013 Green Bay Packers (+180 at Caesars Sportsbook)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1925914529-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers\" class=\"wp-image-10908\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Cooper Neill\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nfc-east\">NFC East<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, it\u2019s the only division that hasn\u2019t had a repeat winner since 2004. The funny thing is there\u2019s a good argument for that unbelievable streak to continue in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s as simple as this: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/philadelphia-eagles-6671\">Philadelphia<\/a> doesn\u2019t respond as well with a target on its back as the champs, they miss some of those veteran defenders and depth pieces, Saquon Barkley doesn\u2019t hit as many long runs, and the Washington Commanders win the East because Jayden Daniels is your MVP, and the defense really has nowhere to go but up from 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the vision I wanted to bet on this year, but I\u2019m still skeptical of the talent gap in these teams. It\u2019s also going to be a much tougher schedule for Washington, they\u2019re not sneaking up on anyone this year, and there\u2019s no guarantee that Daniels improves on his historic rookie success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why I\u2019m still going to pick the Eagles to break the streak and repeat in the NFC East. Repeat as Super Bowl champs? That\u2019s a different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 NFC East Winner \u2013 Philadelphia Eagles (-145 at Bet365)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-2195572200-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles stands on the field in the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders\" class=\"wp-image-8442\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Kathryn Riley\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"full-playoff-team-picks\">Full Playoff Team Picks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We have included our full picks for the playoff fields in the AFC and NFC this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"afc-playoff-teams\">AFC Playoff Teams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We know from the division winners above that we have the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, and Jaguars in the tournament. What about the three wild cards?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While I\u2019m still not convinced the Bengals fixed the defense, I think they manage turnovers better, Joe Burrow has a couple of clutch wins, and they turn that 9-8 record into 10-7 or better to get into the tournament again. Zac Taylor\u2019s job should be on the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think a team like the Patriots have made good hires in the coaching staff, TreVeyon Henderson is a rookie to watch, and Drake Maye has potential. But while the schedule can help them to 9-8 record, I think they fall just short of the postseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I see the Steelers, Texans, Chargers, and Broncos battling for the final two spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Houston has very few offensive players in their prime outside of the connection of C.J. Stroud to Nico Collins, so I could see that team taking a step backwards and finishing 8-9 or 9-8.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Steelers are a bold experiment, and I think they can win the Week 10 Sunday Night Football Game in Los Angeles against the Chargers, which could prove vital in the end.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Chargers have the potential to get better in Year 2 for Jim Harbaugh, but the Rashawn Slater injury is a big one, and Justin Herbert\u2019s receivers outside of Ladd McConkey still don\u2019t look like the best.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Broncos are the most well-built roster here, but they didn\u2019t do well against quality offenses last year, and we don\u2019t know if Bo Nix is going to be as consistent as Sean Payton needs his quarterback to be.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, I think the Chargers lose key games to the Steelers and Broncos (Week 18 in Denver), and that\u2019s enough to give the Steelers and Broncos the last two spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cincinnati Bengals (-150 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Denver Broncos (-134 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pittsburgh Steelers (+138 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nfc-playoff-teams\">NFC Playoff Teams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We know from the division winners above that we have the Falcons, Packers, Eagles, and 49ers in the playoffs. In fact, that\u2019s the four teams I picked in 2024 and was 1-for-4 on. Maybe I was just a year too early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the wild card teams, I still trust Sean McVay to get it done even if Matthew Stafford\u2019s 37-year-old back has given some pause for concern. I also trust Dan Campbell\u2019s aggression, the offensive talent, and the return of Aidan Hutchinson to get that team to 10 wins and a wild card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the final spot, that\u2019s me trying to decide between the Commanders, Buccaneers, Vikings, and Ben Johnson\u2019s Bears. I may end up being wrong on J.J McCarthy this year, but I\u2019m trusting my gut and going with Jayden Daniels to get double-digit wins and take a wild card spot. It could actually end up being the Rams who give way to a Tampa Bay or Minnesota playoff return should Stafford not stay healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Washington Commanders (-124 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Detroit Lions (-170 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Los Angeles Rams (-150 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"super-bowl-lx-picks\">Super Bowl LX Picks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, we have made our picks for who will be in Super Bowl LX and who will win the championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nfc-champion\">NFC Champion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Other than inexperienced Atlanta getting humbled at home in a wild card playoff game, I could see any of the other six teams I picked for the playoffs making a Super Bowl run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 49ers have the track record and the game is in their building this February.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Rams have been there twice under McVay and played the Eagles better than anyone in the playoffs last year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Commanders have the next big thing at quarterback and were already in an NFC title game with Daniels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Lions were a blown 17-point lead in San Francisco two years ago from winning the NFC under Campbell, and I think Hutchinson is a difference maker.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Packers are a consistent winner under Matt LaFleur, and they\u2019ve made unorthodox moves this year that should help them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Eagles are obviously the champs and still loaded on both sides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But I am going with my same pick from last year and taking the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/green-bay-packers-6679\">Packers<\/a> to get it done. They take back the NFC North after not getting swept by Minnesota (inexperienced quarterback) and Detroit (lost coordinators) again. They get to host the Eagles in Week 10, and they start the year hosting Detroit and Washington, so they\u2019ll be battle tested with a lot of key home games. A No. 1 seed is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe it\u2019s the chance for ultimate Jerry Jones schadenfreude, but I think Micah Parsons helps put the defense over the top, and Jordan Love has his most complete season yet with rookie Matthew Golden opening up the offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LaFleur and Love get it done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 NFC Champion \u2013 Green Bay Packers (+650 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"afc-champion\">AFC Champion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Doesn\u2019t it probably come down to the trio of Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills again? I actually believe the Chiefs have the most ground to improve this year over those teams since they had all the injuries and turnovers early in the year while not getting many takeaways on defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Rashee Rice suspension is a bummer since the Chiefs have to play the Chargers, Eagles, Ravens, and Lions without him. That\u2019s a ridiculous schedule with four top contenders in the first six games. If the 2024 Chiefs were the 2020 Chiefs, what if the 2025 Chiefs were the 2021 Chiefs? That means a 3-4 start before getting to 12-5 and still losing in the AFC Championship Game (overtime) to the Bengals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I\u2019m really not going there. The Bengals don\u2019t have the defense yet, and the Steelers haven\u2019t won a playoff game since 2016. The Broncos are a wild card, but they weren\u2019t impressive in that Buffalo loss in their first playoff game since Super Bowl 50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, it comes down to Baltimore or Buffalo saying enough is enough, let\u2019s beat the Chiefs in January. By any means necessary. Block a Harrison Butker field goal. Get lucky cause Xavier Worthy drops a pass that would have won the game. Anything to get a win. No team should be going to four straight Super Bowls (and six out of seven) in this era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the schedule sets up nicely for Buffalo to get the No. 1 seed, that doesn\u2019t mean we have to trust them to get over the hump in January. We\u2019ve seen them lose to the Bengals (2022) and Chiefs (2023) there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of it this way. The Bills added Josh Palmer, Joey Bosa, and the return of Tre\u2019Davious White (not what he used to be). They\u2019re just hoping Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid improve. Meanwhile, the Ravens added Jaire Alexander, rookie safety Malaki Starks, DeAndre Hopkins, and they\u2019d like to see corner Nate Wiggins make a leap in Year 2. They\u2019ll also hope to have WR1 Zay Flowers healthy for the playoffs he missed last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If one of these teams is going to break their curse and get past the Chiefs to a Super Bowl, I\u2019m going with Baltimore to do it. Just please stop throwing the ball to Mark Andrews in big spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: 2025-26 AFC Champion \u2013 Baltimore Ravens (+340 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"super-bowl-lx-champion\">Super Bowl LX Champion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That gives us Super Bowl LX in San Francisco between the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers, a matchup we\u2019re actually going to see in Green Bay in Week 17, so that\u2019s a great late-season litmus test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Historically, Lamar Jackson has owned the NFC in his career. It\u2019s been the AFC that\u2019s been his problem, but I think he has a real chance to slay the dragons of the Chiefs and Bills this year and get it done. He\u2019s started so poorly in the playoffs in his career, but there has been modest improvement the last two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t think the Chiefs or Bills will have a really strong defense this year, and the Ravens will. They also still have Henry on their side. The last time Baltimore\u2019s season ended after a brutal dropped pass (Lee Evans) and they got a rookie kicker (Justin Tucker) to replace their bum, it was 2012 and they won the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a bold pick when you consider the Five-Year Rule where no team has won its first Super Bowl by starting the same quarterback for the same coach for more than five seasons. This is Year 8 for Jackson with John Harbaugh, but it\u2019s also Year 8 for Josh Allen and Sean McDermott. That\u2019s the impact of sharing the AFC with Kansas City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But no more sharing. The Ravens finally get it done in Super Bowl LX after Parsons whiffs on a potential Jackson sack, giving Jerry Jones his first smile in five months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: Super Bowl LX Matchup \u2013 Baltimore vs. Green Bay (+3000 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: Super Bowl LX Champion \u2013 Baltimore Ravens (+700 at FanDuel)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"outrights\" data-entity-type=\"league\" data-widget-id=\"0.okhqg43kfd7\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"352\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-override-powered-by=\"true\" data-powered-by-text=\"\" data-powered-by-linked-text=\"\" data-powered-by-link=\"\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"powered-by\">Powered by<a id=\"powered-by-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">365Scores.com<\/a><\/div>\n<script 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The path to Super Bowl LX begins in Philadelphia, it will end in San Francisco in February, and will either of those teams and the Kansas City Chiefs be involved once again? Yesterday, we looked at our &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":6756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[501,1434,3049,519,347,439,358,2571,410,417,1942,344,1398,408,1422,47,444,611,350,3968,1521,48,3144,400,645],"class_list":["post-11541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-49ers","tag-afc-north","tag-ben-johnson","tag-bengals","tag-bills","tag-chiefs","tag-commanders","tag-division","tag-eagles","tag-jalen-hurts","tag-jayden-daniels","tag-lamar-jackson","tag-micah-parsons","tag-nfc-east","tag-nfc-north","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-rams","tag-ravens","tag-repeat","tag-sean-mcvay","tag-super-bowl","tag-super-bowl-lx","tag-vikings","tag-washington","article_type-discover","article_type-news","entity_type-competitor","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-planned"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11541"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11551,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11541\/revisions\/11551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}