The countdown to the new NFL season is officially on.
Fans have spent all summer dreaming about their favorite team making a run to Super Bowl LX when it comes around next February.
Of course, plenty of football will be played before two teams touch down at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with hopes of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The 2025 regular season kicks off in just under two months, when the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, September 4.
And while 18 weekends of furious NFL action will follow, it’s never too early to think about the playoffs.
The usual suspects, like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams will be hoping to make deep postseason runs.
Meanwhile organizations with emerging talents — the likes of the Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears — will hope to make an impression.
But who will go all the way, and who will fall excruciatingly short?
Ahead of the 2025 NFL season, talkSPORT asked AI assistant Grok to predict next year’s playoff picture.
AFC and NFC seeds
In 2026, the NFL playoff seeding will look as follows:
AFC:
Buffallo Bills Kansas City Chiefs Baltimore Ravens Houston Texans Cincinnati Bengals Denver Broncos Los Angeles Chargers The Bills, Eagles, Lions and Chiefs are all expected to be involved in the playoffsNFC:
Chicago Bears Philadelphia Eagles Los Angeles Rams Tampa Bay Buccaneers Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Washington CommandersWhen it comes to seeding, there are few shocks in the AFC.
The Bills have been knocking on the door for many years, and are tipped to finally beat the Chiefs to the top spot.
Kansas City will take the No. 2 seed, and the Ravens have projected to match their 2024 performance and be seeded third.
The Texans will also repeat as the No. 4 seed, the same as last year, while Cincinnati are expected to return to the postseason after missing out in last time around.
Burrow and the Bengals are expected to return to the playoffs in 2026The Broncos and Chargers are expected to fill out the AFC bracket, having also made the cut last year.
In the NFC, though, there are plenty of eyebrow-raising predictions.
The Bears, with highly-rated second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, are tipped to take the No. 1 seed after a dismal 2024 season.
Philadelphia will also be seeded high, grabbing the No. 2 position for the second-straight year.
The Rams are projected to take the third seed, while Tampa Bay and last year’s top seed, the Lions, take fourth and fifth.
The NFC bracket is completed by the Packers and Commanders.
2026 Wild Card round
Next year’s playoffs will begin on January 10, with the Wild Card round.
In match-ups between the Chiefs and Chargers, Ravens and Broncos, and Bengals and Texans, the team with home advantage is set to advance in all three scenarios.
NFL's Greatest......
Ranking the top 10......
Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?
Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?
Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more
Tight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?
There is a slight difference in the NFC, where the Eagles will meet the Commanders, the Rams host the Packers and the Bucs face the Lions.
Two out of the three home teams — Philadelphia and LA — are tipped to advance, while Detroit are predicted to win on the road in Tampa Bay.
2026 Divisional Round
Moving on to the Divisional Round, and the games get very tasty.
In the AFC, the Bills are projected to beat the Bengals, while the Ravens are set to force an upset and beat the Chiefs to send Patrick Mahomes packing before the championship game for the first time in his career.
Mahomes and the Chiefs are set to fall short of the AFC title gamegettyThe NFC, meanwhile, sees another shock when the Bears beat the Lions to advance, and the Eagles hold off the Rams.
2026 Championship Games
For the first time since 2018, the AFC Championship Game will not feature the Chiefs, according to Grok’s projections.
Instead, it will be Bills vs the Ravens, with No. 1 seeded Buffalo coming out on top to make the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994.
In the NFC, the Eagles are set to repeat their heroics of last season, and beat the Bears to advance to the big game.
The Eagles and Bills have been projected to meet in Super Bowl LXtalksportSuper Bowl LX
With the playoff path set, it’s the Bills and Eagles set to face off in Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026.
The game is set to be one of the tightest in recent memory, but Grok projects Philadelphia will have a slight edge due to their superior offensive line, balanced attack, and defensive depth.
If the Eagles control the ground game and limit big plays from Bills quarterback Josh Allen, they could win a close game.
However, if the reigning MVP goes supernova and Buffalo’s defense forces turnovers, the Bills could pull it off.
The Eagles have been tipped to become back-to-back Super Bowl championsGettyIt’s going to be close, but Grok predicts the Eagles to win in a one-score game decided in the fourth quarter.
With the 2025 season just two months away, all the pressure is on Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley & Co. to mirror their success of last season, and lift the Lombardi Trophy once more.
Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( AI predicts 2026 NFL playoffs with shocking No. 1 seed and surprise Super Bowl LX without Mahomes or Chiefs )
Also on site :
- Michael Jordan ‘played 36 holes of golf and slammed 10 Bud Lights’ before obliterating 40-point Cavs bet with NHL star
- Best MLB prop bets today [July 8, 2025]
- Tour de France 2025 LIVE: Stage 4 route and updates as Mathieu van der Poel eyes second stage win