Not sure how I feel about this.
Who wins Super Bowl LX?
By Jordan Dajani
8 hrs ago•8 min read
Join the Conversation
CBS Sports Design
The 2026 NFL playoffs are here, and this season has been one of the most fascinating seasons we've seen in quite some time. Not only are Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson at home on the couch, but no one could have predicted the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks would be the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences.
Could Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams rebound from their disappointing end to the season to make a run to the Super Bowl? Will Josh Allen finally get the Buffalo Bills to the big stage, or maybe Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are for real despite playing the easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. Remember, that team ended up winning the Super Bowl.
We asked 10 of our CBS Sports NFL experts to turn in their full NFL playoff brackets. Not just Super Bowl picks. We wanted to see their work and how they got there. Let's take a look.
"This is the most wide-open playoffs I can remember. With no dominant teams, I expect chaos. That would be the Jaguars winning it all. Of all the teams, they might be the most balanced. They aren't great at anything, but they don't have as many flaws as the others. They are also riding the hottest quarterback in the league. As for the Eagles, they will find their offense in the playoffs. It's back to Saquon Barkley and the running game. That will carry them to the Super Bowl, but the Jaguars and their top-ranked run defense will limit him on the biggest stage to win the team's first Super Bowl."
JP Acosta
CBS Sports Design
"The Rams have been the most complete team in the NFL, with an offense that can both grind out tough wins and go head-to-head in shootouts with anyone left in the league. They also have a pass rush that can put any opposing offense on its back foot and give them the advantage. While I'm worried about RG Kevin Dotson's injury, if WR Davante Adams comes back healthy, this offense has enough to win a Super Bowl. While the NFC is sort of chalk with arguably the four best teams left making the divisional round, the AFC is where we get wild. The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, with an offense that can go toe to toe with everyone in the league, and they are well-coached on both sides of the ball. If they can get past the Bills in the Wild Card round, there might not be another team that could stop their momentum. Both the one and two seeds in the AFC get bounced in the divisional, with both facing bad matchups in the two AFC South teams left."
"After one of the most unpredictable seasons in NFL history, it only makes sense that we end up with a Super Bowl matchup that's never happened before, and that's what we would be getting here with a five-seed facing a six-seed in the big game for the first time ever. In the NFC, there is no team I trust more than the Rams. Matthew Stafford is the only QB I trust against a Seahawks defense that has been terrorizing everyone. I think the Eagles could be a threat in the NFC, but asking them to potentially beat the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all in a row is just too much. In the AFC, I'm rolling with the Texans. There's a reason they say that defense wins championships, and right now, the Texans have the best defense in the NFL. The Texans have already beaten some of the AFC's best teams (Bills, Jaguars, Chargers), which gives me even more confidence that they'll get to the Super Bowl. If the Rams and Texans meet, it would be a rematch of a Week 1 game that Los Angeles won 14-9. Both teams have come a long way since then, but I think it would be another defensive struggle with the Rams taking home their second Lombardi Trophy in five years."
"I don't have many surprises in the wild-card round, except the Jaguars upsetting the Bills. I view Jacksonville as the real sleeper in the AFC, not Buffalo. Think about it, Trevor Lawrence is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL right now and Anthony Campanile's defense ranks No. 2 in takeaways. The divisional round is where things get interesting. I have the Jaguars upsetting the Patriots in New England, the Rams upsetting the No. 1-seeded Seahawks and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles beating the Bears in Chicago. Yes, three road teams winning in the divisional round. In the conference championships, the Broncos end the Jaguars' Super Bowl dreams, while the Rams get revenge for their divisional-round loss in Philadelphia last year. This could be Matthew Stafford's final season, so I have him ending his Hall of Fame career atop the NFL world. Not only is he the MVP this year, but he has a loaded arsenal of weapons and enough talent on defense. The Rams were my preseason pick to win the NFC, and now I'm taking them to win the Super Bowl."
"Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. This is finally going to be the Bills' year. They will capitalize on the most wide-open Super Bowl race in NFL history, one without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow on their side of the bracket. Josh Allen will play flawlessly and the Bills' No. 1 rushing attack will control the clock and keep their flawed defense on the sidelines as much as possible. It's going to take a dramatic comeback or two, including one in the Super Bowl, to beat the best team in the league, the Los Angeles Rams. A Super Bowl between a six and five seed only seems fitting given the year of parity. It would be the first Super Bowl between five or worse seeds ever."
"I think we're all overlooking just how dominant Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have been down the stretch. Inside the confines of EverBank Stadium, they send Josh Allen packing. Then, they end Drake Maye's season in Foxborough, and follow that up with a trip back down to Jacksonville for a meeting with their division foe, the Texans, in the AFC Championship. I give them the edge there to reach their first-ever Super Bowl, but that's as high as they fly. I lean toward championship experience in the NFC, with Matthew Stafford continuing what looks like an MVP season and lifting his second Lombardi Trophy during his Rams tenure. Meanwhile, given how unpredictable this season has been, don't be surprised to see BOTH No. 1 seeds on upset alert coming out of their respective bye weeks."
"It's an all-AFC South conference championship game, while two of the best quarterbacks in the league, Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford, power their respective squads to the NFC title game. The Jaguars entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak with quarterback Trevor Lawrence leading the entire NFL in total touchdowns (24) since Week 11. Lawrence's 38 total touchdowns this season are the third-most in the league behind only 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen (39) and Stafford (46). The Rams' wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams proves to be too much for the Packers' depleted defense, and Sean McVay knocks off pupil Liam Coen to hoist a second Vince Lombardi trophy."
"I've been on the Rams Super Bowl train for quite a while, and I think the healthy returns of Davante Adams, Alaric Jackson and Quentin Lake are not to be overlooked. Adams, of course, is the biggest addition, and his red-zone abilities are crucial, especially for a team that can struggle in short yardage. Jackson and Lake plug key holes in the offensive line and secondary, respectively. The Patriots make a run through a wide-open AFC thanks to Drake Maye's tremendous playmaking, but the biggest surprise here might just be neither the Bills (Josh Allen) nor the Broncos (No. 1 seed) winning a game. The Texans' nightmare-causing defense fuels an upset in Denver in the Divisional Round, and there's just not enough around Allen on either side of the ball, even if the narrative is that it's his year, given Patrick Mahomes' absence."
"I truly have absolutely no idea who to pick in either conference, so I went with a chaos scenario of two wild card teams making the Super Bowl, and the winner being the No. 5 seed from the NFC. The Rams seemed like the best team in the NFL for much of the season, only to lose the division title and top seed in the conference due to that crazy game against the Seahawks. They might have to go on the road three times to even make it to the Super Bowl, but I trust Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay to do it. On the AFC side of the bracket, I just think Josh Allen is the best quarterback, and in the absence of feeling comfortable with any particular team, I decided to back them. Do I have much confidence that any of this will play out the way I predicted? I do not. But you've got to predict something, and this is where I landed."
"For only the eighth time, the Super Bowl champion will be a team that didn't win its division. I'm actually predicting that both Super Bowl participants will be wild card teams. Buffalo has the league's reigning MVP, Josh Allen, and the NFL's leading rusher, James Cook, at its disposal. The Rams have one of this year's leading MVP candidates in Matt Stafford, a dynamic receiving corps and one of the league's best defenses. In the Super Bowl, I've got the Bills edging the Rams in what would be an intriguing matchup if it comes to fruition."
https://trace.mediago.io/ju/ic
Who wins Super Bowl LX?
2026 NFL playoff bracket picks: Expert predictions for who will win Super Bowl LX
CBS Sports experts reveal their full brackets for the 2026 NFL postseason
By Jordan Dajani
8 hrs ago•8 min read
Join the Conversation
The 2026 NFL playoffs are here, and this season has been one of the most fascinating seasons we've seen in quite some time. Not only are Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson at home on the couch, but no one could have predicted the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks would be the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences.
Could Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams rebound from their disappointing end to the season to make a run to the Super Bowl? Will Josh Allen finally get the Buffalo Bills to the big stage, or maybe Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are for real despite playing the easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. Remember, that team ended up winning the Super Bowl.
We asked 10 of our CBS Sports NFL experts to turn in their full NFL playoff brackets. Not just Super Bowl picks. We wanted to see their work and how they got there. Let's take a look.
2025-26 NFL Playoff bracket picks
Pete Prisco
"This is the most wide-open playoffs I can remember. With no dominant teams, I expect chaos. That would be the Jaguars winning it all. Of all the teams, they might be the most balanced. They aren't great at anything, but they don't have as many flaws as the others. They are also riding the hottest quarterback in the league. As for the Eagles, they will find their offense in the playoffs. It's back to Saquon Barkley and the running game. That will carry them to the Super Bowl, but the Jaguars and their top-ranked run defense will limit him on the biggest stage to win the team's first Super Bowl."
JP Acosta
CBS Sports Design
"The Rams have been the most complete team in the NFL, with an offense that can both grind out tough wins and go head-to-head in shootouts with anyone left in the league. They also have a pass rush that can put any opposing offense on its back foot and give them the advantage. While I'm worried about RG Kevin Dotson's injury, if WR Davante Adams comes back healthy, this offense has enough to win a Super Bowl. While the NFC is sort of chalk with arguably the four best teams left making the divisional round, the AFC is where we get wild. The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, with an offense that can go toe to toe with everyone in the league, and they are well-coached on both sides of the ball. If they can get past the Bills in the Wild Card round, there might not be another team that could stop their momentum. Both the one and two seeds in the AFC get bounced in the divisional, with both facing bad matchups in the two AFC South teams left."
John Breech
"After one of the most unpredictable seasons in NFL history, it only makes sense that we end up with a Super Bowl matchup that's never happened before, and that's what we would be getting here with a five-seed facing a six-seed in the big game for the first time ever. In the NFC, there is no team I trust more than the Rams. Matthew Stafford is the only QB I trust against a Seahawks defense that has been terrorizing everyone. I think the Eagles could be a threat in the NFC, but asking them to potentially beat the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all in a row is just too much. In the AFC, I'm rolling with the Texans. There's a reason they say that defense wins championships, and right now, the Texans have the best defense in the NFL. The Texans have already beaten some of the AFC's best teams (Bills, Jaguars, Chargers), which gives me even more confidence that they'll get to the Super Bowl. If the Rams and Texans meet, it would be a rematch of a Week 1 game that Los Angeles won 14-9. Both teams have come a long way since then, but I think it would be another defensive struggle with the Rams taking home their second Lombardi Trophy in five years."
Jordan Dajani
"I don't have many surprises in the wild-card round, except the Jaguars upsetting the Bills. I view Jacksonville as the real sleeper in the AFC, not Buffalo. Think about it, Trevor Lawrence is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL right now and Anthony Campanile's defense ranks No. 2 in takeaways. The divisional round is where things get interesting. I have the Jaguars upsetting the Patriots in New England, the Rams upsetting the No. 1-seeded Seahawks and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles beating the Bears in Chicago. Yes, three road teams winning in the divisional round. In the conference championships, the Broncos end the Jaguars' Super Bowl dreams, while the Rams get revenge for their divisional-round loss in Philadelphia last year. This could be Matthew Stafford's final season, so I have him ending his Hall of Fame career atop the NFL world. Not only is he the MVP this year, but he has a loaded arsenal of weapons and enough talent on defense. The Rams were my preseason pick to win the NFC, and now I'm taking them to win the Super Bowl."
Doug Clawson
"Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. This is finally going to be the Bills' year. They will capitalize on the most wide-open Super Bowl race in NFL history, one without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow on their side of the bracket. Josh Allen will play flawlessly and the Bills' No. 1 rushing attack will control the clock and keep their flawed defense on the sidelines as much as possible. It's going to take a dramatic comeback or two, including one in the Super Bowl, to beat the best team in the league, the Los Angeles Rams. A Super Bowl between a six and five seed only seems fitting given the year of parity. It would be the first Super Bowl between five or worse seeds ever."
Tyler Sullivan
"I think we're all overlooking just how dominant Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have been down the stretch. Inside the confines of EverBank Stadium, they send Josh Allen packing. Then, they end Drake Maye's season in Foxborough, and follow that up with a trip back down to Jacksonville for a meeting with their division foe, the Texans, in the AFC Championship. I give them the edge there to reach their first-ever Super Bowl, but that's as high as they fly. I lean toward championship experience in the NFC, with Matthew Stafford continuing what looks like an MVP season and lifting his second Lombardi Trophy during his Rams tenure. Meanwhile, given how unpredictable this season has been, don't be surprised to see BOTH No. 1 seeds on upset alert coming out of their respective bye weeks."
Garrett Podell
"It's an all-AFC South conference championship game, while two of the best quarterbacks in the league, Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford, power their respective squads to the NFC title game. The Jaguars entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak with quarterback Trevor Lawrence leading the entire NFL in total touchdowns (24) since Week 11. Lawrence's 38 total touchdowns this season are the third-most in the league behind only 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen (39) and Stafford (46). The Rams' wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams proves to be too much for the Packers' depleted defense, and Sean McVay knocks off pupil Liam Coen to hoist a second Vince Lombardi trophy."
Zach Pereles
"I've been on the Rams Super Bowl train for quite a while, and I think the healthy returns of Davante Adams, Alaric Jackson and Quentin Lake are not to be overlooked. Adams, of course, is the biggest addition, and his red-zone abilities are crucial, especially for a team that can struggle in short yardage. Jackson and Lake plug key holes in the offensive line and secondary, respectively. The Patriots make a run through a wide-open AFC thanks to Drake Maye's tremendous playmaking, but the biggest surprise here might just be neither the Bills (Josh Allen) nor the Broncos (No. 1 seed) winning a game. The Texans' nightmare-causing defense fuels an upset in Denver in the Divisional Round, and there's just not enough around Allen on either side of the ball, even if the narrative is that it's his year, given Patrick Mahomes' absence."
Jared Dubin
"I truly have absolutely no idea who to pick in either conference, so I went with a chaos scenario of two wild card teams making the Super Bowl, and the winner being the No. 5 seed from the NFC. The Rams seemed like the best team in the NFL for much of the season, only to lose the division title and top seed in the conference due to that crazy game against the Seahawks. They might have to go on the road three times to even make it to the Super Bowl, but I trust Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay to do it. On the AFC side of the bracket, I just think Josh Allen is the best quarterback, and in the absence of feeling comfortable with any particular team, I decided to back them. Do I have much confidence that any of this will play out the way I predicted? I do not. But you've got to predict something, and this is where I landed."
Bryan DeArdo
"For only the eighth time, the Super Bowl champion will be a team that didn't win its division. I'm actually predicting that both Super Bowl participants will be wild card teams. Buffalo has the league's reigning MVP, Josh Allen, and the NFL's leading rusher, James Cook, at its disposal. The Rams have one of this year's leading MVP candidates in Matt Stafford, a dynamic receiving corps and one of the league's best defenses. In the Super Bowl, I've got the Bills edging the Rams in what would be an intriguing matchup if it comes to fruition."
https://trace.mediago.io/ju/ic
