By Jacob Halbesma, Local and National Section Editor
With the 2026-27 NFL season around the corner, fans are gearing up for their favorite team to make a run at the Lombardi Trophy. Super Bowl LXI is on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood, California.
The Rams, looking to play the big game on their home field, are the favorites to take home the hardware. This comes as the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion defensive tackle, Aaron Donald, announced he is coming out of retirement to play this season.
He will team up with two award winners from last season: MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford and former Cleveland Browns’ Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
However, the field of competition is not one to be overlooked. In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks look to run it back after winning last year’s Super Bowl.
They returned much of their star-studded roster, which includes reigning Offensive Player of the Year and former Ohio State Buckeye wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Even though they won the Super Bowl last February, they will be without a key piece.
The Super Bowl MVP, running back Kenneth Walker III, signed a 3-year, $43.05 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, a franchise who is no stranger to the big game. He teams up with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the AFC. The squad looks to make one last push for a Super Bowl as Kelce continues to age and Mahomes continues to dominate.
They will have to face conference powerhouses to make it there, as AFC East squads like the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots prepare for a title shot. Buffalo, led by former MVP quarterback Josh Allen, will make another attempt to get over the hump after disappointing playoff performances in recent years.
Dallas Cowboys’ Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb, a first round draft pick in 2020, looks to make a positive impact on the 2026 season.
The Super Bowl runner-up Patriots brought in firepower to help out their young star quarterback, Drake Maye, who was second in MVP voting in his sophomore season last year. New England moved on from Stefon Diggs, opting to go with star wide receiver A.J. Brown to be the team’s top pass-catcher after trading with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.
In the AFC, one of the most competitive divisions in football looks to battle this season. The AFC North features the Cincinnati Bengals, with a high-flying offensive trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Burrow and Chase Brown. The team has shown flashes in previous years, but key players struggling to stay healthy could continue their stretch of failed seasons.
“I expect the Bengals to make the playoffs and contend for the top seed. Attending the Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a fun watch and a good game to start the season off on the right foot,” sophomore business student Brayden Spriggs said.
They will face their rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, teams with big questions needing answers this season. Fans can expect intense, gritty matchups from both teams.
While the Super Bowl favorites wait out west, the NFC North remains the most well-rounded division in football. Any team in this division has a chance to win, with each team having serious star power on both sides of the ball.
The Chicago Bears and their superstar quarterback, Caleb Williams, will try to recreate the magic they displayed on field last season. Williams engineered seven fourth-quarter comebacks last season, including an all-time playoff performance against long-time rival, the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers, along with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, will compete with the Bears to make it to the top of the division. The Packers will be without star running back Josh Jacobs indefinitely after formal misdemeanor charges related to domestic violence came down on him in May 2026.
As the NFL season nears, fans eagerly wait for their teams to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Inglewood, crowning one team with the glory of Super Bowl champions.