2026 NFL predictions: Projecting the 14 teams that will make the playoffs and the Super Bowl LXI winner

The start of the 2026 NFL season is finally here and I don't want to spoil the entire year for you, but we already know who's going to make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.

OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but we did simulate the entire 2026 season with the goal of trying to figure out who's going to be walking away with the Lombardi Trophy in February. The simulation was created by our resident data scientist Stephen Oh of SportsLine. For those of you who are not familiar with Oh's work, let me just say this: Oh is the closest thing the human race has to AI.

If Oh's simulation is any indication, then we should be in for a crazy season, especially in the NFC West, where we got a huge surprise.

The best part about the beginning of the season is that every team still has hope, and yes, that even includes the Cleveland Browns. Every team is starting with a clean slate, and they'll all be hoping to end the year in Los Angeles, where Super Bowl LXI will be played.

So who's going to end up playing in the first Valentine's Day…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/