Ed Graney
Playoff teams
AFC East — Bills
AFC North — Bengals
AFC South — Jaguars
AFC West — Chargers
AFC wild cards — Broncos, Patriots, Ravens
NFC East — Eagles
NFC North — Lions
NFC South — Saints
NFC West — Rams
NFC wild cards — Cowboys, Seahawks, Bears
Super Bowl: Rams over Bills
Why: Yeah. Chalk city. The Rams get to play the Game of Roman Numerals in their own stadium and the Bills make it under first-year coach Joe Brady. The league’s two best teams take care of business in the playoffs. Longshots are not for 2026.
MVP: Bills quarterback Josh Allen
Defensive Player of the Year: Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
Rookie of the Year: Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love
Raiders O/U 5.5 wins: Over
Why: Klint Kubiak and John Spytek are building something and doing it the right way – with some needed time and patience. And by the way – six wins would be a great season from where this franchise has come from and, well, where it just might be headed.
Sam Gordon
Playoff teams
AFC East — Bills
AFC North — Ravens
AFC South — Jaguars
AFC West — Chiefs
AFC wild cards — Broncos, Chargers, Patriots
NFC East — Eagles
NFC North — Lions
NFC South — Panthers
NFC West — Seahawks
NFC wild cards — Rams, Cowboys, Bears
Super Bowl: Seahawks over Ravens
Why: The defending Super Bowl champions are loaded again with top-end talent and blossoming youth, burnished this season by pedigree gained at the expense of the Rams and Patriots.
MVP: Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
Defensive Player of the Year: Rams defensive end Myles Garrett
Rookie of the Year: Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love
Raiders O/U 5.5 wins: Under
Why: The rebuilding Raiders play the NFL’s seventh-hardest schedule with its 2026 opponents winning 52.9 percent of their games last season. There’s little reprieve beyond matchups with (fellow) rebuilders from Miami, New Orleans, New York, Cleveland, Tennessee and Arizona, half of which are on the road.
Bill Bradley
Playoff teams
AFC East — Bills
AFC North — Bengals
AFC South — Colts
AFC West — Chiefs
AFC wild cards — Jaguars, Chargers, Broncos
NFC East — Cowboys
NFC North — Bears
NFC South — Buccaneers
NFC West — Rams
NFC wild cards — Lions, Seahawks, Vikings
Super Bowl: Chiefs over Lions
Why: A healthy Patrick Mahomes with real running game beats the resurgent Lions, who will again fall short of their holy grail. Kenneth Walker becomes the first back-to-back Super Bowl MVP who is not a quarterback.
MVP: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams
Defensive Player of the Year: Rams defensive end Myles Garrett
Rookie of the Year: Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love
Raiders O/U 5.5 wins: Over
Why: A veteran like Kirk Cousins will make a big difference in the transition to Fernando Mendoza (who won’t play until after the bye), but rebuilding will take seasons, not weeks.
Adam Hill
Playoff teams
AFC East — Bills
AFC North — Bengals
AFC South — Jaguars
AFC West — Chiefs
AFC wild cards — Ravens, Chargers, Patriots
NFC East — Eagles
NFC North — Lions
NFC South — Buccaneers
NFC West — Rams
NFC wild cards — Seahawks, 49ers, Bears
Super Bowl: Rams over Ravens
Why: Betting the favorite is boring, but there is a reason there is only one NFL team with less than double-digit odds to win the whole thing. The Rams are loaded. Age and injury may be the only thing that can stop them. The AFC is very competitive, but we’ll go with a bit more of a longshot here and wager that a new regime can get Baltimore over the hump.
MVP: Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
Defensive Player of the Year: Rams defensive end Myles Garrett
Rookie of the Year: Seahawks running back Jadarian Price
Raiders O/U 5.5 wins: Over
Why: Barely. But this feels like a team headed in the right direction that has all the markings of doubling their 2025 win total to six. Kirk Cousins should get them a few wins early in the season, and top pick Fernando Mendoza should benefit from a fairly weak schedule down the stretch as he starts to gain confidence after taking over as the starter.
