As the 2026 NFL regular season opens on Wednesday, Sept. 9, major media outlets and analysts have released their final preseason projections for division winners, playoff berths, and Super Bowl 60, highlighting high-profile roster moves like the Rams acquiring Myles Garrett and the anticipated Super Bowl 60 rematch.
Season Opener and Playoff Rematch Set the Stage
New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks Play Super Bowl 60 Rematch
The rare midweek matchup pits the New England Patriots against the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks in a highly anticipated Super Bowl 60 rematch. A year ago, that exact title matchup would have seemed unfathomable, as neither team made the previous postseason field or registered high on popular radar screens.
At this time last year, nobody was picking the Seattle Seahawks to win a Super Bowl. One of the things that makes the NFL great is unpredictability. This season, we think we have it figured out—well, most of us anyway. The Los Angeles Rams come into the season as a clear Super Bowl favorite, though not all Yahoo Sports experts picked L.A. to win it all. While the Rams were the most popular Super Bowl pick, it was not even the unanimous pick to win the NFC West.
While the league possesses an extensive history of worst-to-first turnarounds, several powerhouses loom large over the current landscape. Toppling top contenders in either conference remains a daunting task for upstart challengers, though the regular-season kickoff marks the official start of the race to Super Bowl 60.
NFC Contenders and Division Predictions
Los Angeles Rams Acquire Myles Garrett in Offseason Trade
Major outlets have cast contrasting nets across the NFC divisions as teams prepare for action. In the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams enter the campaign as a clear Super Bowl favorite according to Yahoo Sports experts, though they were not the unanimous pick to capture the division. General manager Les Snead wasn’t merely pontificating when he posited in February that the Rams needed to make the most with the team we have
with reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.
The Rams made the offseason’s biggest splash by trading for Myles Garrett and getting Aaron Donald to return after two seasons in retirement. With Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson joining an already imposing collection of defensive talent, the Rams seized the offseason spotlight as well as the title of Super Bowl front-runners. Despite this firepower, the division race could stretch down to the wire, with the Rams playing the defending-champion Seahawks twice in the final three weeks under Sean McVay’s crew.
High-Octane Offenses and Bold Preseason Predictions
Ben Johnson Proclaims Chicago Wants to Set Scoring Record in 2026
Offensive expectations are soaring across the NFC North. Ben Johnson sent his fan base into a tizzy during the preseason when he proclaimed he wants Chicago to set the scoring record in 2026. His bravado garnered a ton of attention, which is a bit funny, considering every offensive-minded coach presumably sets out with such an aim. Credit to Johnson for being bold enough to say it out loud, though. Unfortunately for fans of Da Bears who are already raring to break the Super Bowl Shuffle back out, Chicago — while plenty dangerous — won’t even be the highest-octane offense in its division. That distinction will belong to the Lions, who would need to average over 35.6 points per game to surpass the Broncos’ 606 points from 2013, and have the firepower to do it.
Yahoo Sports Predicts Four Players to Win MVP
Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports notes that award predictions remain heavily fragmented. There were four players predicted to win MVP, including multiple picks for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who has never won the award. NFL Coach of the Year was even more spread out, with six different coaches getting mentions and nobody getting more than two votes. The Rams trading for Myles Garrett was the offseason’s biggest move, however, he’s not our collective favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Ещё по этой теме
