272 games are in the books, all 14 playoff teams have been set, and now the road to Super Bowl LX is open. In the NFC, the road to Super Bowl LX runs through Seattle. The Seahawks claimed the #1 seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage in Saturday’s win over the 49ers. The road to Super Bowl LX on the AFC side will run through Mile High Stadium in Denver after the Denver Broncos secured the #1 seed with Sunday’s win. Let’s take a look at the road to Super Bowl LX, by making NFL Playoff picks for each round until we crown a Super Bowl Champion.
As a quick reminder, the NFL reseeds the playoffs, meaning you don’t just move straight forward in your bracket, but the highest seed always plays the lowest remaining seed. For example, if the #7 seed beats the #2 seed, they’ll face the #1 seed in the divisional round. If the #6 seed or #4 seed is the lowest remaining, that’s who will play the #1-seeded team.
NFC Playoff Teams
1 Seattle Seahawks
2 Chicago Bears
3 Philadelphia Eagles
4 Carolina Panthers
5 Los Angeles Rams
6 San Francisco 49ers
7 Green Bay Packers
AFC Playoff Teams
1 Denver Broncos
2 New England Patriots
3 Jacksonville Jaguars
4 Pittsburgh Steelers
5 Houston Texans
6 Buffalo Bills
7 Los Angeles Chargers
The #NFLPlayoffs are set! pic.twitter.com/qKfoDMhr4j
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2026
NFL Playoff Picks; The Road to Super Bowl LX
NFC Super Wildcard Round
#7 Green Bay Packers (-1.5) at #2 Chicago Bears (+1.5)
What a game to kick off the playoff matchups. An NFC North battle in Chicago. The Bears are still being slept on, and I’ll roll with them in this one.
Pick: Chicago Bears
#6 San Francisco 49ers (+3) at #3 Philadelphia Eagles (-3)
Another great first-round matchup in Super Wild Card Weekend. This one will come down to the wire, still have a lot of faith in this defending champion Eagles team, I’ll roll with them.
Pick: Philadelphia Eagles
#5 Los Angeles Rams (-10) at #4 Carolina Panthers (+10)
This is the game I’ll put the most money on. Carolina beat Los Angeles earlier this season, but that won’t happen again. Congrats on the appearance Carolina, the Rams will blow them out of the water in this game.
Pick: Los Angeles Rams
AFC Super Wildcard Round
#7 Los Angeles Chargers (+3.5) at #2 Patriots (-3.5)
Give me the home New England Patriots in this one, it won’t be an easy game against a tough Chargers opponent, but I’ve seen enough from Maye and Vrabel to trust them in round 1.
Pick: New England Patriots
#6 Buffalo Bills (-1.5) at #3 Jacksonville Jaguars (+1.5)
If you’ve seen any of my work this season, you know I’ve been “jagging off” with this Jacksonville team since before the season. That continues here, this Buffalo team always chokes in the playoffs, and this time it’ll be in round 1. Jacksonville is flying high and Buffalo has been struggling. Duuuvaaal.
Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars
Houston Texans (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (+3)
It was a valiant effort by the Steelers to get into the playoffs, but this might be the end of the road for Aaron Rodgers. This Texans’ defense is built for the playoffs.
Pick: Houston Texans
NFC Divisional Round
#5 Los Angeles Rams at #1 Seattle Seahawks
This would be a stellar Divisional matchup between NFC West foes. Seattle deserves respect for taking the #1 seed in such a tough division, but I just can’t trust Sam Darnold in the playoffs against Sean McVay.
Pick: Los Angeles Rams
#3 Philadelphia Eagles at #2 Chicago Bears
It’s been an amazing season for the Chicago Bears and they should be excited for where things are heading in their future. But I still have full faith in this Eagles team to get things done and move to another NFC Championship game.
Pick: Philadelphia Eagles
AFC Divisional Round
#5 Houston Texans at #1 Denver Broncos
The final score in this game might be 6-3. I’d expect this to be a slugfest of a game. I don’t trust Bo Nix and Sean Payton who have gotten away with close win after close win. That ends this week with both #1 seeds losing in the Divisional Round.
Pick: Houston Texans
#3 Jacksonville Jaguars at #2 New England Patriots
Two first-year head coaches who have absolutely turned these programs around. Whoever loses, their fans have a lot to look forward to. If Drake Maye is the MVP I believe him to be, he’ll be the difference in this game, sending the Patriots to the AFC Championship game.
Pick: New England Patriots
NFC Championship Game
#5 Los Angeles Rams at #3 Philadelphia Eagles
This would be an outstanding chess match to watch for the NFC side of things. I went back and forth on which team to pick here, I could easily see either of these teams being the NFC’s representative in Super Bowl LX. Ultimately, I think the Rams are just a little better, and they win a close one.
Pick: Los Angeles Rams
AFC Championship Game
#5 Houston Texans at #2 New England Patriots
I didn’t set out with the intention of this Houston Texans team making the AFC Championship game. The way the bracket fell with their incredible defense, here they are. The Patriots have lucked into a season workout with the Chiefs in the playoffs, and teams like the Bills getting bounced early. MVP Drake Maye does just enough to get past the Texans’ defense, and the Patriots return to the Super Bowl in 2026.
Pick: New England Patriots
Super Bowl LX
Los Angeles Rams (+450) vs New England Patriots (+1000)
It’s a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI and LIII. The two times the Rams and Patriots have squared off in the Super Bowl. This would match up both of the top quarterbacks in the MVP odds, Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye. It would also be a great matchup of an offensive genius in Sean McVay and a defensive genius in Mike Vrabel.
This is not an easy game to pick, the Rams have the flashier names and came through a tough NFC as the #5 seed. The Patriots might have the next coming of Tom Brady, but is he ready to win it all in year two with a head coach in his first year with the team?
This Patriots team is giving my vibes of destiny, the NFL has a way of stories falling in their favor. Patrick Mahomes goes down, the Patriots rise back up and now we have a Brady-Manning AFC for the next 10-15 years again. Sorry Mrs Vrabel, Mike said he’d be willing to cut it off to win one as a coach, and it’s time to follow through. The New England Patriots become the first NFL franchise in history to win seven Super Bowl Championships.
Titans Coach Mike Vrabel Says He’d Cut His Penis Off For a Super Bowl Win https://t.co/oKBtZuHcei
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 11, 2019
Super Bowl LX Prediction:
New England Patriots 27
Los Angeles Rams 23
If we’ve learned anything from this year’s NFL season, it’s been almost completely unpredictable. This scenario has a #5 seed facing a #2 seed, with a few upsets along the way on both sides. Lines for all of the Super Wild Card games are available.
You can bet on these teams to win their conferences, Rams (+240), and Patriots (+450) and the Super Bowl for the odds listed above before the Super Wild Card round starts. If you like the exact Rams-Patriots matchup you can bet it at 18/1. You can bet this exact result at 35/1.
