Super Bowl 2026 (Super Bowl LX): Schedule, Results, Stars & Prediction

The Super Bowl 2026 (Super Bowl LX) is the grand finale of the NFL 2025 season. Here you’ll find all the key info on the playoffs: results, the Divisional Round, the road to the Super Bowl, and a prediction of who has realistic chances to reach the final.

Super Bowl 2026: Quick Facts

  • Date: Sunday, February 8, 2026
  • Stadium: Levi’s Stadium
  • Location: Santa Clara, California
  • Kickoff (USA): 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Kickoff (Germany): 00:30 CET (night of February 9, 2026)
  • Halftime Show: Bad Bunny (Apple Music Halftime Show)

Wild Card Round (Jan. 10–12, 2026): Results & Highlights

The Wild Card Round delivered right away: close games, comebacks, and big names. Here are the official results (with date) as an overview.

Date Game Result
Sat, 01/10 Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers 34–31
Sat, 01/10 Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears 27–31
Sun, 01/11 Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars 27–24
Sun, 01/11 San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles 23–19
Sun, 01/11 Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots 3–16
Mon, 01/12 Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers 30–6

Players in the Spotlight (Wild Card)

  • Caleb Williams (Bears): Comeback win vs. the Packers – late drives, big plays, clutch moments.
  • Josh Allen (Bills): Road playoff win in Jacksonville – Buffalo moves on.
  • Drake Maye (Patriots): The defense dominates, and Maye delivers in the key moment.
  • Brock Purdy & Christian McCaffrey (49ers): Upset over the Eagles; McCaffrey with two TDs.
  • Matthew Stafford (Rams): Game-winning drive, late TD connection – the Rams survive in Carolina.
  • Texans Defense: 30–6 in Pittsburgh – big plays and defensive scores as a statement.

Divisional Round (Jan. 17–18, 2026): Schedule & Kickoff Times (incl. Germany)

Now it gets really serious: four games will decide who advances to the Conference Championships. Below you’ll find the kickoff times in ET (USA) and converted to CET (Germany).

Date Matchup Kickoff (ET) Kickoff (CET) TV (USA)
Sat, 01/17 Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos 4:30 p.m. 10:30 p.m. CBS
Sat, 01/17 San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks 8:00 p.m. 2:00 a.m. (Sun) FOX
Sun, 01/18 Houston Texans @ New England Patriots 3:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. ESPN/ABC
Sun, 01/18 Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears 6:30 p.m. 12:30 a.m. (Mon) NBC

Next up: Conference Championships (Jan. 25, 2026)

  • AFC Championship: Sunday, 01/25 – 3:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 p.m. CET
  • NFC Championship: Sunday, 01/25 – 6:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 a.m. CET (01/26)

AFC Divisional: Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos

This is the classic “QB showcase”: Josh Allen vs. Bo Nix. Denver enters as the AFC’s #1 seed with home-field advantage – Buffalo comes in off a real statement win in Jacksonville.

Stars & Playmakers

  • Buffalo: Josh Allen (QB) – when he gets hot, every play becomes explosive.
  • Denver: Bo Nix (QB) – #1 seed, a huge season, now it’s the playoff pressure test.
  • Broncos defense: If Denver wins on third down, the game tilts toward Mile High.

Gameplan in 2 Sentences

  • Bills win if… Allen creates scramble-drill magic and Buffalo stays efficient in the red zone.
  • Broncos win if… they force Allen into long drives and generate turnovers/negative plays.

Tip impulse: ESPN Analytics has it close, with a slight edge to Denver.

Rivalry game at Lumen Field: Seattle is the NFC’s #1 seed and has had a strong season with Sam Darnold. San Francisco comes in with momentum after the upset in Philly – but they’ll have to compensate for one massive factor.

Stars & Playmakers

  • Seahawks: Sam Darnold (QB) – over 4,000 passing yards in 2025; plus a fast-paced offense.
  • Seahawks: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR) – All-Pro caliber, dangerous after the catch.
  • 49ers: Brock Purdy (QB) & Christian McCaffrey (RB) – with creative looks, “explosives” are always possible.
  • 49ers update: George Kittle is out (Achilles) – that significantly changes their red-zone DNA.

Gameplan in 2 Sentences

  • 49ers win if… they stop Seattle on early downs and McCaffrey dictates the matchup.
  • Seahawks win if… they force Purdy into mistakes and build an early lead on offense.

Tip impulse: ESPN Analytics gives Seattle the clearer edge – also due to home-field advantage and Kittle’s absence.

New England is extremely unpleasant to face at home, and Houston comes in with a defense that can “wreck” games. The Texans beat Pittsburgh 30–6 – including defensive touchdowns – and now face their next tough test at the Patriots.

Stars & Playmakers

  • Patriots: Drake Maye (QB) – the first playoff experience is under his belt; now comes the next step.
  • Texans: C.J. Stroud (QB) – can deliver big plays, but has to minimize turnovers.
  • Texans: Christian Kirk – major receiving impact in the Wild Card game.
  • Texans defense: Will Anderson Jr. & Co. – pressure is the key against Maye.

Gameplan in 2 Sentences

  • Texans win if… they keep Maye under constant pressure and keep the game “short.”
  • Patriots win if… they avoid turnovers and neutralize Houston’s pass rush with a quick passing game.

Tip impulse: ESPN Analytics sees it as close – slight edge for New England.

This matchup screams points: the Bears come in with huge comeback momentum, and the Rams have the “veteran in clutch” factor with Matthew Stafford – plus an offense that can explode at any time.

Stars & Playmakers

  • Bears: Caleb Williams (QB) – comeback artist; plus targets like DJ Moore.
  • Bears: D’Andre Swift – a key engine when Chicago finds balance.
  • Rams: Matthew Stafford – late drives, quick reads, deep shots.
  • Rams: Puka Nacua – a playmaker who piles up yards after the catch.
  • Rams update: Stafford enters with a finger issue (monitor status).

Gameplan in 2 Sentences

  • Bears win if… they force Stafford into mistakes and get rolling early on offense (without falling behind first).
  • Rams win if… they control the Bears’ pass rush and force Williams into long third downs.

Tip impulse: ESPN Analytics favors the Rams – still: at home, Chicago can grind out “ugly wins.”

Prediction: Who Has Realistic Chances to Reach Super Bowl 2026?

In the playoffs, three things matter most: home-field advantage, quarterback play, and turnover margin. As of now, these teams look the “cleanest” overall – with a quick reason why.

Top Favorites (as of today)

  1. Seattle Seahawks – #1 seed, home game, strong season + playmakers at WR. If Seattle controls the game and Darnold stays “clean,” the road to the Super Bowl is very realistic.
  2. Denver Broncos – AFC #1 seed, home-field advantage, Bo Nix as the leader. In the AFC, the path often comes down to “who doesn’t make mistakes at home” – which points to Denver.

Dangerous Outsiders (teams nobody wants to see)

  • Buffalo Bills – Josh Allen is pure upset potential.
  • Chicago Bears – momentum + Caleb Williams: if they start faster, anything is possible.
  • Los Angeles Rams – Stafford + playoff experience + an explosive offense.
  • New England Patriots – defense/coaching can “ice-cold” their way through a tournament.
  • Houston Texans – the defense can decide games even if the offense wobbles.
  • San Francisco 49ers – the talent is there, but without Kittle the margin is thinner.

My Current Pick for the Final

If I have to make a call today (based on seed + home games + matchups): Seahawks vs. Broncos. The biggest “chaos factors” that could blow up this pick: Josh Allen (Bills) and a red-hot Caleb Williams (Bears).

FAQ: Super Bowl 2026 (Super Bowl LX)

When is Super Bowl 2026?

Super Bowl LX takes place on February 8, 2026 (Germany: night of February 9).

Where is Super Bowl 2026 being played?

At Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (California).

Which teams will play in Super Bowl 2026?

That won’t be known until after the Conference Championships on January 25, 2026. Until then, the Divisional Round decides who even makes it into the Championship Games.

Who is performing the 2026 Halftime Show?

The headliner is Bad Bunny (Apple Music Halftime Show).

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