Super Bowl 2026 Predictions and Latest Odds Ahead of Conference Championship Bracket

AFC Championship Prediction

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NFL history is rife with stories of backup quarterbacks rising to the occasion, winning huge playoff games, and leading their teams to the Super Bowl.

The 1999 Rams, nicknamed the Greatest Show on Turf, famously rode the MVP play of Kurt Warner, starting in place of the injured Trent Green, to a Super Bowl title. The 2017 Philadelphia Eagles relied on Nick Foles to carry them through the playoffs and to an improbable victory over the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots.

It can, and has, been done so Broncos fans should not lose hope entering a conference title game in which their hopes and dreams rest on the play of Jarrett Stidham.

With that said, the Patriots are playing their best defense of the season, as evidenced by their performances in the playoffs. Los Angeles Chargers players told linebacker Robert Spillaine that they had no idea what New England was doing in the Wild Card round.

Sunday, in the Divisional Round game, CJ Stroud was intercepted four times, clearly rattled by whatever New England was presenting defensively.

If Stroud and Justin Herbert were confused and bewildered by what defensive coordinator Terrell Williams dialed up, it stands to reason that Stidham will struggle to recognize it, too.

That is not to say the Broncos cannot stay in the game. Denver's defense is among the best in the league and should be able to keep things close, especially if they can pressure MVP candidate Drake Maye and make him cough up the ball, as Houston did Sunday.

Still, the Patriots are healthy offensively, have one of the best quarterbacks in the league under center, and are playing better in every facet of the game than Denver heading into Sunday's title game.

A tough, physical game is to be expected, but head coach Mike Vrabel gets the best of Sean Payton and advances his organization to its first Super Bowl since 2018.

Prediction: New England by 8

NFC Championship Prediction

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For the third time this season, the Rams and Seahawks meet, this time with a trip to Super Bowl LX and the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on the line.

The Rams won the first game on November 16, intercepting Sam Darnold four times en route to a two-point, 21-19 victory. One month later, on December 18, the Seahawks got their win back, albeit in controversial fashion, via two-point conversion, 38-37.

Much has been made of the Seahawks' defensive efforts of late, including limiting the San Francisco 49ers to just nine points in their last two games. Los Angeles, though, has proven to be Seattle's kryptonite. In their December match-up, Matthew Stafford threw for 457 yards and three touchdowns, and that was without wide receiver Davante Adams available.

The Rams will have their full arsenal of weapons available to them in this third, rubber match.

Of course, none of that matters if the offensive line cannot protect against arguably the best front four in football and the defense cannot stop the run game, led by Kenneth Walker III. If either of those two areas dictates the championship game, it will be Seattle heading back to the Super Bowl for the first time since Russell Wilson's ill-fitted, goal-line throw that lost his team the game against New England.

Ultimately, the game will be decided by which quarterback can make the plays needed, when they are needed most. Stafford has made a career of thriving in the biggest moments, leading his team down the field and to victory. We have seen it thus far in the playoffs, with the potential league MVP putting a dagger in the Panthers with a touchdown to Colby Parkinson, then finding Adams along the sideline for a crucial first down in Chicago.

We have not seen Darnold make those same plays on a stage like this. He has the potential Offensive Player of the Year to throw to in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but until he proves it on a stage as big as this, it is difficult to instill one's faith in him to get the job done.

All year, the Rams have found ways to win. As long as the referee's do not decide the game on another controversial two-point conversion, there is reason to believe that Stafford, Adams, Puka Nacua, a big-game defense and head coach Sean McVay can overcome the mighty Seahawks and cash their ticket back to the Super Bowl.

Prediction: Rams by 3

Super Bowl LX Prediction: Rams over Patriots, 27-24

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