Ranking all 16 possible Super Bowl LX matchups as dramatic NFL playoffs reach the divisional round

With eight teams left in the NFL playoffs, that means there are still 16 possible Super Bowl matchups that could take place this year. And since we love ranking things here at CBS Sports, we've decided to rank all 16.

One twist in these rankings is that the 49ers could end up playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium, which automatically makes most of their games more attractive. If the 49ers do make it to the Super Bowl, they'd become just the third team in NFL history to play the big game in its home stadium, joining the 2020 Buccaneers and 2021 Rams, who both ended up winning a Lombardi Trophy.

Not only are we ranking all 16 Super Bowls that are still possible, but we're also including the odds of each individual matchup happening, per DraftKings Sportsbook. For instance, if you've been fantasizing about a possible 49ers-Texans Super Bowl this year, I have some bad news for you: DraftKings is listing that game at +4000 (40-to-1) odds, which is the worst odds among the 16 possible matchups.

By the way, if you still haven't marked your calendar for the Super Bowl, you should go ahead and do that now: The game will kick off from Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8 and will be broadcast on NBC.

So what's the best potential matchup for Super Bowl LX?

Let's get to the rankings and find out. 

16. Bears vs. Texans

Odds: +3000

The biggest upside to this game would be that years of NFL misery would finally come to an end for at least one of these cities. Of the eight teams currently left in the playoffs, there is only one team that has never been to a Super Bowl, and that's the Texans.

Actually, forget the Super Bowl -- they've never even made it to the AFC title game. As for the Bears, they have only one Super Bowl win in franchise history, and that came 40 years ago. The best part for the Bears is that if they win the Lombardi Trophy, everyone in Chicago will get free hot dogs. Nothing beats free hot dogs. 

15. Bears vs. Broncos

Odds: +2500

On paper, this matchup might not be that appealing, but if these two teams play, there's a 51% chance they would combine to give us the most exciting Super Bowl of all-time, because both teams have pulled off some crazy wins this year.

For instance, back in Week 7, the Broncos trailed the Giants 19-0 in the second half before rallying to pull off one of the greatest fourth-quarter comebacks ever in a 33-32 win. As for the Bears, falling behind and then pulling out a late win is what they do best, and we saw that in the divisional round when they came back from an 18-point halftime deficit to beat the Packers in a game that featured the biggest postseason comeback in franchise history.

If these two teams meet, the halftime score would probably be 3-0 before one of them rallies to win the game 47-46.

This would also be a battle of top picks from the 2024 NFL Draft, with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams facing off against 12th overall pick Bo Nix.

14. Seahawks vs. Texans

Odds: +800

This game might set the record for the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever, and that's because we would be getting a matchup of the two best defenses in the NFL. The Seahawks gave up the fewest points in the NFL during the regular season (17.2 points per game), finishing just ahead of the Texans, who gave up 17.4 points per game.

This would be a battle of attrition for the quarterbacks, who are both prone to turnovers. Sam Darnold threw 14 interceptions during the regular season, which was the third-most in the NFL, and if he's stuck playing a tough Texans defense, things could get ugly. As for C.J. Stroud, he fumbled five times in the wild card round, so it wouldn't be surprising at all to see him turn the ball over a few times if he had to face Seattle's defense.

These two teams actually met in the regular season, with the Seahawks winning 27-19, and yes, both quarterbacks had at least one turnover.

If this Super Bowl happened, it would mark the first time since Packers-Steelers in Super Bowl XLV that the NFL's two best scoring defenses faced off. That year, the Packers gave up the second-fewest points in the NFL and ended up beating Pittsburgh.

13. Bears vs. Bills

Odds: +2500 

This might not be the best Super Bowl on our list, but it would likely give us the craziest Super Bowl week because you'd have two starved fan bases heading to the Bay Area for a week of partying. The Bills have never won a Super Bowl, and they haven't even been to the big game in 32 years, so you can bet everyone from their fan base would be making their way to the Bay Area, and they'd likely be bringing a folding table with them. And that's not even a joke -- Bills fans bring their folding tables everywhere.

As for Bears fans, they would be equally thrilled to win a Super Bowl. Chicago has won only a single Lombardi Trophy, and that came 40 years ago. The city of Chicago would probably build a statue for Ben Johnson if he were able to win the Super Bowl in his first year as head coach.

2026 NFL playoff bracket picks, predictions: Bills storm past Broncos in divisional round, Rams beat Bears

John Breech

12. Rams vs. Broncos

Odds: +800

In this Super Bowl, the biggest winner would be the Walton family. The Rams are owned by Stan Kroenke, who is married to Walmart heiress Ann Walton Kroenke. The Broncos are owned by the Walton-Penner group, with one of their main investors being Rob Walton, who is Ann's cousin.

If this game happens, the NFL should just go all-in and sell tickets to the game at Walmart. Besides the ownership ties, this game would also give us the NFL's highest-scoring offense (Rams) going up against a Broncos defense that surrendered the third-fewest points in the NFL this year.

It would also give us Sean McVay vs. Sean Payton coaching against each other in a postseason game for the first time since McVay's Rams beat Payton's Saints in the 2018 NFC title game, which involved arguably the most controversial pass interference no-call in NFL history.

11. Seahawks vs. Broncos

Odds: +600

With the two top seeds facing off, you might be wondering why this is ranked so low, and I want you to know that I'm just going by history. Over the past 50 years, the two top seeds have faced each other in the Super Bowl 14 times, and for the most part, those games turn into blowouts. Out of those 14 games, 10 have been decided by double digits, including Super Bowl XLVIII, when the Seahawks smashed the Broncos 43-8.

This would also be the Russell Wilson Bowl, and it might give future teams some confidence that you can turn your roster around quicker than you think. These two teams made one of the biggest trades in NFL history when the Seahawks shipped Russell Wilson off to Denver in 2022. It was a bold move, and it paid off because the Seahawks have already rebuilt the franchise. 

As for the Broncos, they foolishly gave Wilson a huge contract extension following the trade, and after it became clear he wasn't working out, they decided to cut him and take the record-setting dead-cap hit. If the Broncos are in the big game, that would mean they got to the Super Bowl less than 24 months after eating all the dead money on Wilson's contract.

10. 49ers vs. Texans

Odds: +4000

This game would likely make DeMeco Ryans the star of Super Bowl week, and that's because he would be facing a very familiar opponent in the 49ers. Before taking the coaching job in Houston, Ryans spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the 49ers, including two seasons as defensive coordinator (2021-22). Kyle Shanahan is one of the smartest offensive minds in the NFL, but Ryans spent every day in practice with him for seven years, so he knows the ins and outs of Shanahan's offense as well as any defensive coach in the NFL.

This game would also likely have some meaning for Shanahan, who got his first big NFL break in 2008 when the Texans made him their offensive coordinator at age 28. Shanahan spent a total of four seasons in Houston before moving on.

The Texans would be going for their first Super Bowl win, while the 49ers would be looking to earn their sixth Lombardi, which would put them in a tie for the most in NFL history.

9. 49ers vs. Broncos

Odds: +3000 

The biggest blowout in Super Bowl history came 36 years ago when the 49ers beat the Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV, so Denver could get some revenge. However, the bigger story here is that this game would allow the Shanahan family to come full circle in the NFL.

Kyle Shanahan's dad, Mike, spent 14 seasons as the head coach for the Broncos, and during that span, he won two Super Bowls. During Mike's time with the Broncos, Kyle got a front-row seat to learn what it's like to be an NFL head coach.

Kyle Shanahan winning his first Super Bowl against his dad's old team in a game that's being played in the 49ers' home stadium would be a wild moment for the Shanahan family, especially when you consider that Mike actually won his first Super Bowl ring as offensive coordinator for the 49ers in 1994.

8. Rams vs. Texans 

Odds: +1000

The NFL's highest-scoring offense against the NFL's best defense? Yes, please. These two teams met in Week 1, with the Rams winning 14-9. The Texans were actually driving for a possible game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes, but Dare Ogunbowale fumbled the ball away after Houston had driven inside the Rams' 25-yard line.

A rematch on the league's biggest stage would be compelling, and of course, let's not forget -- Rams-Texans is the Super Bowl that people want.

It's also the Super Bowl I'm secretly hoping to see, and that's mainly because I predicted that these two teams would meet in the Super Bowl before the playoffs started.

7. 49ers vs. Patriots

Odds: +3000

Of the four possible teams the Patriots could still play in the Super Bowl, this is the only one that would NOT be a rematch. The Patriots have already faced the Rams, Seahawks and Bears on the NFL's biggest stage, but somehow, they haven't played the 49ers, even though the two teams have combined to make it to 19 different Super Bowls.

It's too bad this game isn't on Fox, because Tom Brady being on the call would have been perfect. Brady grew up as a 49ers fan and then went on to win six Super Bowls in New England, so there's no one who knows more about these two franchises than him.

If this game happened, it would give the 49ers a chance to tie the Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history. A win over the Patriots would give the 49ers their sixth Super Bowl win, which would put them in a tie with Pittsburgh and New England for the most all-time. On the other hand, a win by the Patriots would give them their seventh title, which would be the most by any franchise in NFL history (and would also tie them with Brady, who has seven rings).

6. Seahawks vs. Bills

Odds: +600

Since Mike Macdonald took over as Seahawks coach in 2024, Seattle has faced 10 different AFC teams, and only one of those teams has managed to score at least 30 points: the Buffalo Bills. During the 2024 season, Josh Allen shredded Seattle's defense for 308 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-10 win that still stands as the worst loss of Macdonald's coaching career.

The Seahawks coach would probably love another crack at Allen, especially now that he has a dominant defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFL this year.

This would be a battle between two teams that have both lost a Super Bowl in the most painful way possible. For the Bills, there was Scott Norwood's missed field goal in Super Bowl XXV. For the Seahawks, there's Russell Wilson's interception at the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX. Speaking of Wilson's interception, let's get to the next game in our rankings...

5. Seahawks vs. Patriots

Odds: +600

This game would be a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, and if that happens, the NFL should just go all out and totally embrace it. They should let Marshawn Lynch handle the honorary coin toss, but have the toss at the 1-yard line, and then just before the coin is actually tossed, Russell Wilson would come in and toss it, but it would get intercepted by Malcolm Butler, who would then actually toss the coin.

Super Bowl XLIX was on NBC with Cris Collinsworth on the call, and this year, Collinsworth will once again be on the call for NBC.

So you get all of the drama to start the game with the coin toss, and then, on top of that, you get the AFC's highest-scoring offense going up against the defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFL this year.

4. Bears vs. Patriots

Odds: +2500  

If there's one Super Bowl rematch you should be excited about possibly getting, it's this one. These two teams met back in Super Bowl XX, so it would be almost fitting if they were to meet once again on the 40th anniversary of that game. In the first meeting, the vaunted 1985 Bears defense helped Chicago dominate the Patriots in a 46-10 win.

This time around, we almost certainly wouldn't be getting a blowout. The Patriots can hang with anyone in a shootout -- they had the second-highest-scoring offense in the NFL this year -- or they can go punch for punch in a defensive slugfest since they gave up the fourth-fewest points in the league.

The real showdown here would be between the quarterbacks: We'd get the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft (Caleb Williams) facing off against the No. 3 overall pick (Drake Maye).

This would mark just the second time in Super Bowl history that two quarterbacks from the same draft class have faced off. The only other time it happened came in Super Bowl XIX, when Jim Plunkett led the Raiders to a win over Joe Theismann's Washington team in a game that featured two quarterbacks from the class of 1971. There has never been a game where two first-round quarterbacks from the same draft faced each other, and we could get that here (or if the Bears face the Broncos).

3. Rams vs. Bills

Odds: +800

Matthew Stafford vs. Josh Allen. This game needs no other selling points.

The last time these two teams were on the same field together came back in December 2024 in a game that turned into a shootout, with the Rams winning 44-42. The best part of the game is that both quarterbacks put on a show: Allen became the first QB in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns and rush for three touchdowns while also passing for more than 300 yards. As for Stafford, he threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Basically, the defenses wouldn't even need to show up for this game because it would be three straight hours of offensive fireworks.

Also, don't bet against Allen if he faces the Rams, because he's on a mission from God.

The over/under for this game would be 112. 

2. 49ers vs. Bills

Odds: +3000  

The Super Bowl is on NBC this year, and I have to think there's nothing they would love more than having Josh Allen going up against one of the NFL's most storied franchises in the 49ers. Not only that, but the 49ers wouldn't exactly have home-field advantage here, because this game would be played just 115 miles away from where Allen grew up.

The Bills quarterback was born and raised in Firebaugh, California, which is a roughly two-hour drive from Levi's Stadium.

If the Bills make it to the Super Bowl, that would likely empty out two towns because everyone in Buffalo and everyone in Firebaugh would almost certainly do their best to get to the Bay Area for Super Bowl week. Firebaugh has a population of under 10,000, so the entire town could theoretically attend the game if the NFL wanted to make that happen.

As for the game itself, Allen would get to face a 49ers defense that gave up the eighth-most passing yards in the NFL this year, so it wouldn't be surprising at all to see him have a big game. On the flip side, Brock Purdy would get a chance to face Buffalo's top-ranked passing defense, which gave up the fewest yards in the NFL this year.

1. Rams vs. Patriots

Odds: +700

If this Super Bowl happens, the NFL needs to cancel the MVP vote and just give the award to the quarterback who wins the game. Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye were the two MVP frontrunners for most of the year, and having the season end with these two quarterbacks dueling it out with the Lombardi on the line would be a must-watch game.

There's a good chance that Stafford and Maye will end up as the top two vote-getters in the MVP race this year, and if that happens, it would mark the fourth time this century that the top two vote-getters have faced each other in the Super Bowl. The only other times it happened came in 2009 (MVP Peyton Manning vs. runner-up Drew Brees), 2016 (MVP Matt Ryan vs. runner-up Tom Brady) and 2022 (MVP Patrick Mahomes vs. runner-up Jalen Hurts).

Another reason we should want this game to happen is because it would give us two of the smartest head coaches going head to head, with offensive genius Sean McVay battling wits with defensive mastermind Mike Vrabel. The Patriots coach won three Super Bowls while playing for the Patriots, and this would give him a chance to win one for the first time as a head coach.

If this Super Bowl happened, it would mark the third time the Rams and Patriots have met in the big game, tying Cowboys-Steelers for the most Super Bowl matchups in NFL history.