Philadelphia Eagles as reigning champions, Kansas City Chiefs as last year’s finalists, or who else – who are the NFL favorites for Super Bowl 2026?
The bookmakers’ and experts’ Super Bowl favorites under review. These teams have the best chances of reaching the NFL final on February 8, 2026, in Santa Clara.
Philadelphia Eagles: The champions are the Super Bowl 2026 favorites
- Conference: NFC
- Super Bowl wins: 2 (2018, 2025)
- Playoff appearances: 31
- Last season’s result: Winner
In the preseason, the Philadelphia Eagles were among the title contenders in almost every NFL prediction – and in the end, they more than lived up to the hype.
The Eagles finished the regular season as NFC East champions and second overall in the NFC. They marched through the playoffs and dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, knocking the champions off their throne.
In Jalen Hurts, the Eagles have one of the best quarterbacks in the league, who harmonizes perfectly with running back Saquon Barkley. That was also evident in the Super Bowl.
Barkley was the driving force behind the Eagles’ rise to the top!
Over the course of last season, Barkley racked up a total of 2,005 yards in the regular season, scoring 13 touchdowns. For many fans and experts, the Eagles’ number 26 is the best running back in the league. In the Conference Final against the Washington Commanders alone, he scored three touchdowns.
With the duo of Hurts and Barkley, the Eagles are one of the big Super Bowl favorites for 2026. Especially if the defense plays as reliably as it did last season.
KC Chiefs, the dethroned champions
- Conference: AFC
- Super Bowl wins: 3 (1970, 2020, 2023)
- Playoff appearances: 27
- Last season’s result: Super Bowl appearance
The Kansas City Chiefs from Missouri, one of the most football-crazy states in the US, have been one of the best teams in the National Football League for years.
They have won their division every year since 2016, the Conference Finals four times since 2020, and the Super Bowl three times – most recently twice in a row: in 2023 and 2024. All under the direction of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In the preseason, the Chiefs were back in the Super Bowl – for the third time in a row. However, they failed to achieve the first “title hat trick” in NFL history.
Nevertheless, the Chiefs are among the NFL favorites for Super Bowl LX this season.
“Magic Mahomes” continues to throw like one of the best playmakers in the league, Travis Kelce is likely to be motivated after the Super Bowl defeat and want to finish his last season on a high note, and the young and somewhat error-prone wide receivers have gained a year of experience.
Add to that a rock-solid defense featuring Chris Jones (defensive tackle), Nick Bolton (linebacker) and Trent McDuffie (cornerback), which is one of the best in the entire league.
Given these factors, it seems only logical that the Chiefs are among the favorites in every Super Bowl 2026 prediction.
BUF Bills: The (eternal) co-favorite from the AFC
- Conference: AFC
- Super Bowl wins: 0
- Playoff appearances: 24
- Last season’s result: AFC Championship
Since the arrival of quarterback Josh Allen in 2018, the Buffalo Bills have been among the best teams in the league every year. However, they have not yet managed to make it all the way to the top.
In the 2021/22 season, the Bills finished first in the AFC East Division, and in the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, they were once again division winners and also finished second overall in the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs.
That’s why the Bills are always on the list of NFL favorites for the Super Bowl – including for 2026.
What speaks in favor of the Bills in the 2025 Super Bowl forecast: Josh Allen is one of the best NFL quarterbacks and his interplay with the wide receivers and running back James Cook works perfectly.
With a very reliable defense, the Bills are among the NFL favorites for the 2026 Super Bowl. However, there is a certain “but”: In three of the last four seasons, the Bills were eliminated in the divisional round – in 2022 and 2024 against the Chiefs and in 2023 against the Bengals.
How much have these defeats stuck in the minds of the players – especially Allen? The Bills could face their “bogey team” Kansas again in the playoffs.
A Super Bowl triumph would be a first for the Bills: the club has yet to win the NFL championship. The Bills have appeared in the Super Bowl four times, but lost all of the finals.
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Detroit Lions: Finally ready for their first title?
- Conference: NFC
- Super Bowl wins: 0
- Playoff appearances: 20
In the 2023/24 season, the Detroit Lions made the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season. The Lions from Motor City even made it to the Conference Finals. Ultimately, however, their dream of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history was dashed in the semifinals.
The big question was therefore: Are the Detroit Lions one of the Super Bowl favorites?
Last season, the Lions more than lived up to the hype. They finished first in the highly competitive NFC North Division. In fact, the Lions from Motor City were the best team in the NFC during the regular season!
However, their Super Bowl dreams were dashed in their first playoff game – in the divisional round against the Washington Commanders. Will things go better in the 2025/26 season?
The offense under quarterback Jared Goff has been running perfectly in recent years. Running back David Montgomery is also in top form, as is German-American wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has set several records in recent seasons.
From this perspective, the Lions are among the NFL favorites. This is also because the defense was strong enough in the preseason to make the team number 1 in the NFC regular season.
However, the question mark behind NFL favorites Detroit Lions is whether the team is mentally ready for the big time. Can the Lions also defeat the Super Bowl favorites in 2026?
Baltimore Ravens: AFC co-favorite in Super Bowl prediction
- Conference: AFC
- Super Bowl wins: 2
- Playoff appearances: 16
- Last season’s result: Divisional Round
The Baltimore Ravens are once again featured in almost every Super Bowl prediction this season when it comes to naming the 2026 NFL favorites.
They won the AFC North Division with a 12-5 record and finished as the third-best team in the AFC. What makes the Baltimore team so strong and why is it considered the upcoming champion in every NFL prediction?
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the best playmakers this season. Together with running back Derrick Henry and wide receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, the Ravens offense is an absolute force to be reckoned with.
The Ravens scored a total of 65 touchdowns in the regular season last season – the third-best total in the league! They also have a strong defense, especially against the run. They allowed only 1,361 yards in the regular season – the best total in the league!
However, they were defeated by the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. In the preseason, Jackson & Co. were knocked out early by the Chiefs.
And the Ravens will have to eliminate one of these two Super Bowl 2026 favorites in the playoffs if they want to win their first NFL championship title since 2013.
Who are the other NFL favorites for Super Bowl 2026?
In addition to last season’s top two teams in each conference – the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC and the Detroit Lions in the NFC – and the other favorites in the 2026 Super Bowl predictions, several other teams have a good chance of reaching Super Bowl LX on February 8 in Santa Clara.
Super Bowl prediction: Other NFL favorites for 2026 in the AFC
The AFC has three big favorites in the Super Bowl 2026 predictions: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, and the Baltimore Ravens. Which other teams from this conference have realistic chances of reaching the upcoming NFL final?
The Houston Texans will be among the AFC favorites in the run-up to the season. The Texans, led by rookie quarterback CJ Stroud, won the AFC South Division last season, albeit against weak opposition.
In the preseason, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos were in the playoffs, qualifying for the postseason from the AFC West behind the Chiefs. Will this duo be among the NFL favorites in 2026?
The Cincinnati Bengals, who disappointed last season, could be contenders again. With quarterback Joe Burrow and his top offense led by wide receiver Ja’marr Chase, they should make the playoffs again.
NFL favorites for 2025 in the NFC
The NFC was much more balanced than the AFC last season. This is also reflected in the Super Bowl predictions and the NFL favorites. Who are the Super Bowl 2026 favorites alongside the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles?
The San Francisco 49ers disappointed last season, partly due to a string of injuries. This time around, the Niners should be back in contention. This could also make it more difficult for the Los Angeles Rams to take first place in the NFC West.
Things are brutal in the NFC North, however: In addition to the Lions, there are two NFL favorites here – at least for playoff participation – the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers
And then there are the Washington Commanders? The team from the capital, with young quarterback Jaydon Daniels, finished second in the NFC East behind Philadelphia and stormed into the Conference Finals. Does that make the Commanders one of the Super Bowl favorites for 2026?
The NFL favorites for a playoff spot include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who should have an easy time securing first place in the weak NFC South and thus qualifying as one of the four division winners for the postseason.
