We make our selections for the 2026 NFL Playoffs, including a team to win the Super Bowl and two Conference Championship picks.
This NFL season has been one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, with teams who have dominated in recent years missing out on the playoffs and a number of new contenders staking their claim to win the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the most notable absentees, having made it to five of the last six Super Bowls they have missed out on the postseason altogether, while the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions also failed to make it, blowing open the AFC.
While there may not have been as much change in the NFC, it is still notable that the number one seed are the Seattle Seahawks, who won their division for just the second time in nine seasons.
In an ultra-competitive and hard to predict season, we pick out the best bets for the NFL postseason for what should be an enthralling business end to the campaign.
Best Bets
Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl @ 9/2
Buffalo Bills to win the AFC @ 9/2
Los Angeles Rams to win the NFC @ 12/5
Rams can go all the way
The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl four years ago, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20, and they are worth supporting to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy once more.
In Matthew Stafford they have the likely MVP of the regular season after he threw for 4,707 passing yards, 46 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.
He will be throwing to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, two of the best receivers in the league, and in Sean McVay they have one of the best head coaches.
The Rams scored the most points in the NFL regular season and could simply outscore their opponents throughout the playoffs.
Late season losses to the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons were not ideal, but they were by a cumulative total of seven points and could easily have swung the other way.
The Seahawks are their main danger in the NFC and, while their defense is elite, it remains to be seen if quarterback Sam Darnold could lead a team to Super Bowl success.
Stafford has been there and done that, masterminding the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory and he has all the weapons to repeat the trick.
The NFC looks to have the definite advantage over a wide-open AFC and the Rams are fancied to be the team to come out on top.
Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl @ 9/2
Bills to finally conquer AFC
The Buffalo Bills have been the nearly men of the NFL in recent years, losing to the Chiefs in the playoffs four times in the last five years.
With the Chiefs out of the picture, this could be the year that Buffalo finally win the AFC Championship game and in Josh Allen they have last year’s MVP and one of the biggest difference-makers in the NFL.
Their running game is second to none, they lead the league with 2,714 yards in the regular season and, while their defense can leave a bit to be desired at times, they should be able to come through a crowded field to win the AFC.
There are question marks about most of the defenses in the conference and if any player is to take advantage of that it should be Allen.
The Bills start with a wild-card clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been reliant on turnovers for their success this season and, if the Bills can keep hold of the ball, they should set themselves up for a run to the Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills to win the AFC @ 9/2
Rams most reliable in the NFC
The Rams have become a regular fixture in the NFC play-off picture, featuring in seven of the last nine and reaching the Super Bowl twice.
They kick off the NFL postseason against the 8-9 Carolina Panthers and should have little issue getting past those opponents, who were the 27th-best offense in the league in the regular season.
The Rams are fancied to start rolling from there and look too strong for the other NFC contenders. The Philadelphia Eagles are not the force they were last season, while the Seahawks cannot trust QB Darnold to get the job done.
The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers have had decent seasons, but have little to suggest they are on the brink of Super Bowl glory, while the San Francisco 49ers must travel to Philadelphia for their first postseason clash.
That leaves the Rams as the key contenders.
Los Angeles Rams to win the NFC @ 12/5
