Super Bowl odds 2026: Seahawks and Bills tipped to battle for the Lombardi

In a year in which several of the usual suspects have fallen well short of expectations, the 2026 NFL playoffs have an unfamiliar look to them and the race to the Super Bowl is wide open. 

According to the latest Super Bowl odds, the Seattle Seahawks – having enjoyed a first round bye – are slight favourites ahead of their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams. The Buffalo Bills are now the shortest-priced AFC team, having won in Jacksonville on Sunday, but their path to the showpiece event is only getting tougher – they head to Denver to take on the top seed Broncos next.

The big game will be played on Sunday 8th February in Santa Clara (about an hour down the road from San Francisco), which could provide another advantage for West Coast teams. The hometown 49ers are still very much in the hunt themselves. 

Our Super Bowl odds guide will break down all the runners and riders.

Super Bowl winner odds

Here are the odds from our recommended American football bookies:

• Seattle Seahawks – 3/1 with Betfred
• Los Angeles Rams – 7/2 with AK Bets
• Buffalo Bills – 11/2 with BetVictor
• New England Patriots – 13/2 with William Hill
• Denver Broncos – 15/2 with bet365
• Houston Texans – 9/1 with Betway
• Chicago Bears – 14/1 with BetMGM
• San Francisco 49ers – 18/1 with bet365

*Odds are subject to change (Updated on 14th January).

The NFL playoff format explained

The NFL is split into two conferences – the NFC and the AFC – and each of those is split into four divisions – North, South, East and West. Seven teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs – the four division winners, plus the next best three record-wise.

These teams were then seeded within each conference, with the best overall record being rewarded with the number 1 seed – and being handed a first round bye and guaranteed home-field advantage along with it. 

The three other division winners in each conference are then assigned 2nd, 3rd and 4th seeds and the three ‘wildcards’ (the three best teams which didn’t win their division) make up the 5th, 6th and 7th seeds – again, in order of record.

In the NFL playoffs – unlike many other sports and other knockout tournaments – the path to the Super Bowl is not completely pre-determined. The highest remaining seed in each conference will always play the lowest remaining seed at home. Therefore, it isn’t always certain who a team will face in the next round until all the games have been played.

The Super Bowl is a clash between the champions of the NFC and the champions of the AFC.

Here’s how they all stack up. Teams with a strikethrough have been eliminated:

NFC Seedings

1. Seattle Seahawks – 14-3 (1st in NFC West)

2. Chicago Bears – 11-6 (1st in NFC North)
3. Philadelphia Eagles – 11-6 (1st in NFC East)
4. Carolina Panthers – 8-9 (1st in NFC South)

5. Los Angeles Rams – 12-5 (2nd in NFC West)
6. San Francisco 49ers – 12-5 (3rd in NFC West)
7. Green Bay Packers – 9-7-1 (2nd in NFC North)

AFC Seedings

1. Denver Broncos – 14-3 (1st in AFC West)

2. New England Patriots – 14-3 (1st in AFC East)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – 14-3 (1st in AFC South)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers – 10-7 (1st in AFC North)

5. Houston Texans – 12-5 (2nd in AFC South)
6. Buffalo Bills – 12-5 (2nd in AFC East)
7. Los Angeles Chargers – 11-6 (2nd in AFC West)

Super Bowl odds – the favourites

The two shortest-priced teams heading into the Divisional Round are the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. These two, along with the San Francisco 49ers, won more regular season games than anyone else in the NFC.

The Seahawks are being given a slight edge due to landing the number 1 seed – they only need to win two home games to reach the Super Bowl, compared to the Rams requiring at least two away wins (possibly three).

Seattle Seahawks – 3/1

Seattle saw off the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC West title – beating both in the final three weeks of the season. With all three winning twelve or more games, it was confirmed in week 17 that whoever topped the division would also claim the number 1 seed.

Seattle clinched it with an away win at the 49ers and, with it, a week’s rest before hosting the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round this coming weekend. As it turns out, they’ll be facing the 49ers again.

Home-field advantage could provide a huge boost for the Seahawks in particular as the decibel levels at Lumen Field have broken Guinness World Records in the past – matching that of a jet engine!

It’ll be a second playoff appearance in as many years for quarterback Sam Darnold. He’ll be hoping it goes a lot better than this time twelve months ago, however, after his comeback season with the Minnesota Vikings was brought to a shuddering halt by the Los Angeles Rams.

Back the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl at 3/1 with Betfred

Los Angeles Rams – 7/2

Speaking of the Rams, they remain second favourites to go all the way according to many bookies, despite having to settle for a wildcard spot. They led the NFC West for the majority of the season, until that dramatic night in Seattle just before Christmas when the home side snatched victory in overtime with a touchdown and two-point conversion.

Matthew Stafford remains odds-on to win the MVP award after recording a career-best 46 touchdown passes – twelve more than anyone else – and 4,707 passing yards, which was also the highest number in the league.

Stafford and coach Sean McVay are vying for a second ring in four years – it took all their know-how to overcome a spirited Carolina Panthers outfit in the Wild Card Round, needing a late Colby Parkinson touchdown grab to emerge 34-31 winners.

Stafford struggled with an injured finger towards the end of the game, but avoided serious damage and is good to go for this weekend against the Chicago Bears.

With him, the Rams are one of the league’s most explosive offences and are a battle-tested unit capable of digging deep and winning on the road. That is likely why the bookies are backing them, even if they have to beat the conference’s top two seeds away from home to get to the Super Bowl.

Tip the LA Rams to win the Super Bowl as a wildcard team at 7/2 with AK Bets

Buffalo Bills – 11/2

With Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow all sitting on the couch watching, could this finally be Josh Allen’s, and the Buffalo Bills’, time?

They’ll have to do it the hard way after being unable to keep up with the Patriots in the AFC East. The Bills did bring their unbeaten streak to an end just before Christmas, but it did nothing to unsettle the Massachusetts outfit, who won out and clinched the division title.

The Bills have had several more explosive victories this season but have also looked susceptible at times, particularly when strong pass rushes are able to disrupt Allen’s rhythm.

They came out on top against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a topsy-turvy fourth quarter in Florida this past Sunday, with Allen powering into the end zone on a six-yard QB sneak play for the winning score.

The difficulty level is set to spike even higher this weekend, however, with the Western New Yorkers heading to Colorado to take on the Denver Broncos and their elite defence, in the notoriously difficult environment at Mile High Stadium.

Back the Buffalo Bills to finally win their first Super Bowl at 11/2 with BetVictor

New England Patriots – 13/2

The New England Patriots claimed the AFC East title for the first time since the days of Tom Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick on the sidelines as head coach. 

It was a remarkable turnaround from the 2024 season in which they propped up the division with just four wins. Rookie coach Jerod Mayo paid the price and was replaced by another former Pats player, Mike Vrabel – who has completely transformed them, winning ten-in-a-row at one point and all eight on the road. 

Second-year signal caller Drake Maye has benefitted massively from the change, throwing 31 touchdown passes and completing 72% of his passes – making him the most accurate starting quarterback in the league. The third overall pick in the 2024 draft is the second favourite to be named MVP behind Matt Stafford.

The Patriots appeared in nine Super Bowls – winning six of them – during their dynasty era but last weekend’s Wild Card win against the Los Angeles Chargers was their first in the playoffs since the last of those championship victories back in 2019. Next up for them are the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium.

Tip the New England Patriots to rediscover their Super Bowl-winning form at 13/2 with William Hill

Super Bowl odds – dark horses

These teams have been priced a little higher, either due to their lack of recent playoff experience and/or due to the likely obstacles they’ll need to navigate en route to the Super Bowl.

Denver Broncos – 15/2

The Denver Broncos have made an incredible leap forward in just year two under coach Sean Payton, ending the Kansas City Chiefs’ nine-year dominance of the AFC West – taking the crown with a 14-3 record, despite starting 1-2.

They found many ways to win during an 11-game unbeaten streak but the more consistent unit throughout the season was the defence, which recorded a league-best 68 sacks and allowed just 57.8% of passes from opposing quarterbacks to be completed – a rate bettered only by the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Broncos, like the Seahawks, have been able to watch the first round play out, awaiting their first opponents – and they also have a significant home-field advantage. The city, and their home stadium, sit exactly one mile above sea level – hence the name ‘Mile High Stadium’. The altitude poses a serious challenge for visiting teams – the Broncos won all bar one game there during the regular season.

The Bills will be said visiting team this weekend. Josh Allen’s team are priced shorter than the Broncos to win the Super Bowl, but this could be the toughest hurdle of their entire run.

Take the Denver Broncos to go all the way at 15/2 with bet365

Houston Texans – 9/1

This is the first time in franchise history that the Houston Texans have made the playoffs for a third year in succession, in what is also year three for quarterback C.J. Stroud. You’d have gotten long odds on it, however, after they started 0-3! Just six teams in the history of the league had ever recovered from such a start to make it to the postseason.

DeMeco Ryans’ team went 12-2 the rest of the way, finishing with nine straight wins. It wasn’t quite enough to catch the Jaguars for the AFC South title but, after Wild Card Weekend, it’s the Texans who remain standing after a dominant defensive display against the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Jags suffered late heartbreak against the Bills.

The Texans’ defence has earned rave reviews in the past couple of seasons, and it was that unit which sealed the game on Monday night with two scores of their own. They sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, forcing two fumbles – recovering one for a touchdown – and returned an interception to add further gloss to the scoreline.

They’ll hope to cause chaos again against the Patriots this weekend and, if they can, they could be marching on to the Championship Game.

Tip the Houston Texans to go all the way and win their first Super Bowl at 9/1 with Betway

Chicago Bears – 14/1

Playoff appearances don’t come around often for the Chicago Bears, but after first-year head coach Ben Johnson guided them to an 11-6 season, the Windy City played host to its first postseason game in seven years – and it was certainly one to savour for long-suffering Bears fans!

The Green Bay Packers, after three quarters, looked as though they would get the better of their historic rivals once again – leading 21-6. The Bears found some magic from somewhere, scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter – with Caleb Williams finding D.J. Moore down the sideline for the winning touchdown.

Williams, who was part of the same 2024 draft class as Drake Maye, has had a similarly solid sophomore season – improving in almost every metric bar completion percentage. He’s thrown 27 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions, clocking just under 4,000 yards (3,942). 

It took a while for the Bears to win naysayers over, as they pulled off several miraculous comebacks in the regular season (not just this one this week) and came close to losing to several of the league’s lesser lights.

This past week was the second time they’d beaten the Packers in just over a month – the first being a showdown for the NFC North title and the right to host a playoff game. Having finished as the second seed, they will play at home again this Sunday – against the LA Rams.

Go for the Chicago Bears to win a long-awaited second Super Bowl at 14/1 with BetMGM

San Francisco 49ers – 18/1

Twelve wins usually gets you a lot more than the sixth seed. In fact, had they beaten the Seahawks on the final weekend of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers would’ve been the ones enjoying a bye. Instead, they headed to Philadelphia and ended the Eagles’ title defence.

They did so despite having one of the most depleted rosters in the NFL, losing star players to long-term injuries throughout the season – including Nick Bosa (ACL) and Fred Warner (ankle). Tight end George Kittle was added to that list on Sunday night, after being carted off with an achilles tear.

While Bosa and Kittle will definitely play no further part this season, there is a small chance Warner could return in the latter stages of the playoffs – or perhaps even this week – if his return to practice goes well.

Coach Kyle Shanahan has taken the team to the Super Bowl twice before, but they’re in the midst of a long and winding road to get there this time. They do know, however, that the big game would be played on home turf – and it won’t be Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs lying in wait.

Tip the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl in their own building at 18/1 with bet365

The NFL playoff schedule

Here all the dates and times you need to know ahead of the next two weekends, plus Super Bowl Sunday. All team seedings are denoted in brackets.

Divisional Round

• Denver Broncos (1) vs Buffalo Bills (6) – Saturday, 17th Jan, 9:30pm.
• Seattle Seahawks (1) vs San Francisco 49ers (6) – Sunday, 18th Jan, 1:15am.
• New England Patriots (2) vs Houston Texans (5) – Sunday, 18th Jan, 8:00pm.
• Chicago Bears (2) vs Los Angeles Rams (5) – Sunday, 18th Jan, 11:30pm.

Conference Championships

• TBD v TBD – Sunday, 25th Jan, 8:00pm.
• TBD v TBD – Sunday, 25th Jan, 11:30pm.

Super Bowl

• TBD v TBD – Sunday, 8th Feb, 11:30pm.

How have the remaining playoff teams previously fared?

With the Steelers eliminated, the Patriots have the opportunity this year to become the sole ‘winningest’ franchise – they are vying for a seventh title, which would put them at the top of the all-time charts.

Two of the last eight have never tasted victory in the Super Bowl, and one of them hasn’t even played in it.

FAQs about the run to the Super Bowl 2026

1. What other Super Bowl betting markets are available?

As well as picking your Super Bowl winner, some sportsbooks are offering markets for the NFC winner and AFC winner (separately) and also a straight forecast for the Super Bowl matchup (i.e. which two teams you believe will contest the Super Bowl).

You may also be able to find quirkier markets like “first time winner” and “winning state”. When the playoffs began this year, five of the fourteen teams had never won a Super Bowl, and California and Pennsylvania were represented by multiple teams.

2. Which team(s) have won the most Super Bowls?

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots are level on six Super Bowl victories apiece. 

The Steelers won four of their six back in the 1970s, adding two more in the 2000s. As mentioned earlier, the Patriots enjoyed a dominant era with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick – they won all six of their Super Bowls with that tandem between the 2001 and 2018 seasons.

Brady would add one more to his personal collection before retiring, winning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season – meaning he has more rings than any of the 32 teams!

3. Has a Wildcard team ever won a Super Bowl?

Yes – seven teams have gone on to win it all despite having to play successive road games! Most recently, the Buccaneers – as noted in Q2 – emerged as the fifth seed in the NFC that year, beating the New Orleans Saints who finished above them in the NFC South en route to lifting the Lombardi.

Prior to that, Aaron Rodgers won his only ring with the Packers as the sixth seed in 2010, Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to their fifth title as the sixth seed in 2005 and the New York Giants – as the fifth seed – shocked the Patriots in 2007, spoiling what would’ve been an undefeated season.

Going back further, the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, the Denver Broncos in 1997 and the Oakland Raiders in 1980 were all successful as the fourth seed.

It is rare but it can happen!

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