The 2025-2026 NFL season is coming to a close with a 14-team playoff split between the National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC). This season is going to have a wide open playoffs. With the lack of main playoff contenders, this year will provide something unpredictable and exciting for the world to see.
Looking at the teams from the AFC, there are many contenders for who will win the Super Bowl. First is the number one-seeded Denver Broncos, who finished 14-3 and won their first AFC Western Division title in a decade. They have one of the best defenses in the NFL and an average offense. Led by Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton, they have a good chance of winning the Lombardi, starting hot with a win versus the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. Forcing five turnovers and winning 33-30, however, quarterback Bo Nix went down, breaking his ankle on the last drive of the game and was out the rest of the playoffs. Ultimately, Denver lost 10-7 to the Patriots in the AFC championship.
The number two-seeded New England Patriots are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They finished 14-3 under former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. Led by quarterback Drake Maye, who has been playing at an MVP caliber level, New England has a chance to win their first Super Bowl since 2018, when they won it with Tom Brady. The team has a chance now to get out of the GOAT’s shadow, making it to the Super Bowl with wins vs the Chargers, Texans and Broncos.
Following the Patriots is Florida’s own number three-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars. Coming off an atrocious 4-13 season in 2024, the Jaguars under former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Cohen shocked everyone. They won 13 games and ended the season on an eight-game win streak and have a chance to make it to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. However, they were stopped short by the Bills in the wild card, losing in heartbreaking fashion 27-24.
Then we have the number four-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers who finished 10-7 and clinched the AFC North Division after beating the Ravens during Prime Time in the last week of the season. Led by 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike Tomlin, who has never had a losing season in his head coaching career, it would be a long shot to see them bring a seventh title to Pittsburgh.
There are also the wild card teams, such as the number five-seeded Houston Texans, led by the best defense in the NFL. However, Houston’s offense has been inconsistent. Then we have the sixth and seventh seeds, the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers. Buffalo finished 12-5, led by reigning MVP Josh Allen and assisted by the departure of Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow in the playoffs, against whom Allen is 0-5. Although Buffalo had a better chance than previous years, the Bills came up short, losing to the Broncos 33-30, with quarterback Josh Allen having four turnovers. On the other hand, the Chargers finished 11-6, and they lost star center Joe Alt. Overall, it is not looking good for the Chargers this season. The Chargers, with injuries on the offensive line and all around their team, lost to the Patriots 16-3.
“The AFC is wide open for whoever’s at the top. None of the bottom-level teams looked impressive enough to go all the way, and even the top teams are being dragged down by strength of schedule,” senior Tyson Terry said.
Looking at the NFC, the number one-seeded Seattle Seahawks are coming into the postseason with a 14-3 record and the betting favorite to win the whole thing. Seattle is led by quarterback Sam Darnold, who has revived his career, and superstar wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Nijgba, one of the best defenses in football. Seattle has a strong chance to bring home the Super Bowl, as the number one seed. They destroyed the 49ers and beat the Rams in a classic to go back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2014.
Then we have the number two-seeded Chicago Bears who, after an atrocious 4-13 season in 2024, they hired Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as head coach and started winning. They finished 12-5 and won the NFC Northern Division for the first time since 2018. Led by quarterback Caleb Williams and a stout defense, Chicago is ready to tear it up in the playoffs. They had a great game vs the Packers in the wild card as they were down 21-3 and came back led by another Caleb Willams come back the bears won 27-31. However in the second round, they played the Rams and were down 17-10, they tied it in the final seconds but lost in overtime 20-17.
Next is the number three-seeded defending champs, the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly is coming off a Super Bowl win in 2024, and the 2025 season has been a rollercoaster, from blown leads to arguments to internal conflict between head coach Nick Sirarni and wide receiver A.J. Brown. Furthermore, the downfall of Running Back Saquon Barkley, who had a 2,000-yard rushing season last season, is another detriment the Eagles suffered. However, Philly has experience and has made the playoffs every year since the 2021 season, so we will see what happens with the Eagles vs the 49ers. They struggled, and with internal conflict on the sidelines, the Eagles lost 23-1,9 and following the gam,e the firing of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Last but not least of the division winners is the number four-seeded Carolina Panthers. Carolina barely made the playoffs, needing the Falcons to beat the Saints in the last week of the season to get in because of tiebreakers. They also finished with a losing record of 8-9. However, the Panthers are not scrubs due to their record. They have some good wins against two playoff teams: the Rams and Packers. It is a long shot, but they could win the Super Bowl. The Panthers faced off with the Rams in round one, with both teams trading blows and Panthers quarterback Bryce Young playing well, throwing for 261 passing yards and one touchdown. However, the Rams scored late, winning 34-31.
As for the wild card teams, the number five-seeded Los Angeles Rams are coming off a 12-5 season in 2025 with one of the best offenses in the NFL. Led by a stacked receiving core of Puka Nauca, Davante Adams, and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay, LA is poised to win its first Lombardi since 2021. The Rams got off to a good start in the playoffs, avoiding a nightmare scenario by almost losing to the Panthers. They won another close game the next week, beating the Bears 20-17 in the snow, but they lost to the Seahawks in the NFC championship, putting their run to an end.
Next up is the number six-seeded San Francisco 49ers, who also finished 12-5, similar to the Rams, but are injury-riddled. However, the 49ers are led by a solid offense and good defense despite being hurt. San Francisco is a dark horse for the NFC. San Francisco upset the Eagles in round one in the harsh environment that is Philadelphia; however, going back-to-back harsh environments definitely had a toll, with the Niners losing to the Seahawks in ugly fashion, 41-6.
Last but certainly not least is the number seven-seeded Green Bay Packers, coming off an underwhelming season where injuries killed their chances at winning the NFC North. They have a shot with quarterback Jordan Love at the helm, Green Bay has a slim chance at winning the Super Bowl. Green Bay in round one had a chance to close out the Bears, being up a majority of the game but folded in the final moments.
Senior Jake Urban gave his pick for the Super Bowl, the Chicago Bears. “Chicago is able to deliver in the 4th,” Urban said.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has had seven game-winning drives this season, leading all quarterbacks under 25 years old, proving to be a major x-factor for the Bears late in games.
Terry picked the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl, citing their defense and saying that “both AFC teams aren’t beating them.” Terry also said a major x-factor for the Seahawks was superstar wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Nijgba, who is on pace for 2000 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, and citing him as the “offensive player of the year favorite.”
Senior Jacob Gray also picked the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl due to their “high-powered offense and good defense.”
Going by the numbers from StatMuse and ESPN on offensive and defensive ratings, the last five Super Bowl champions have all had a top 10 defense and a top 10 offense. The last five champions have also been division winners, as the last wild card team to win the Super Bowl was the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This demonstrates how winning your division is important, but it is still possible to win games as a wild card. Four out of the five past champions have also had a 1000-yard wide receiver. One important statistic is that scoring first is not everything. With the Rams in 2021 being the only champion to win the game after scoring first, looking at the broad perspective, 66% of the champions have won the game after scoring first. Overall, it takes a lot to win the Super Bowl, but many absurd statistics exist that can quietly factor into winning the Super Bowl.
As the playoffs came to an end Jan. 25, the conference championship games finalized the Super Bowl matchup. In the AFC Championship, the New England Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos 10–7, advancing to the Super Bowl behind their strong defense and steady play from quarterback Drake Maye after Denver lost Bo Nix to injury. On the NFC side, the Seattle Seahawks continued their dominant postseason run by defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship, securing their first Super Bowl appearance since 2014. With New England representing the AFC and Seattle coming out of the NFC, the stage is set for a Super Bowl matchup featuring two well-rounded teams built on strong defenses and efficient offenses, promising an exciting finish to the 2025-2026 NFL season.
