From McCarthy to Nix, NFL’s next stars emerge in our 2025 Super Bowl forecast

• 6) Lions at 1) Vikings
• 5) Commanders at 2) Eagles

• 2) Eagles at 1) Vikings

The Vikings clip the Lions and the Eagles slow down the Commanders, setting the stage for a rematch of the 2017-18 conference championship between the Vikings and Eagles. This time, the game will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis — and Minnesota will exact revenge and head to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1977.

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AFC final standings

AFC playoff seeds

1. Baltimore Ravens 14-3
2. Houston Texans 13-4
3. Denver Broncos 13-4
4. Buffalo Bills 12-5
5. Cincinnati Bengals 13-4
6. Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7
7. Kansas City Chiefs 10-7

AFC Wild Card Weekend

• 7) Chiefs at 2) Texans
• 6) Steelers at 3) Broncos
• 5) Bengals at 4) Bills

No one is predicting this, but I'm on board with C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix and Joe Burrow leading their teams out of the first round. That's a bit of a bold prediction since they would be sending Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen home, but that's what my crystal ball says.

AFC Divisional Round and Championship

• 5) Bengals at 1) Ravens
• 3) Broncos at 2) Texans

• 3) Broncos at 1) Ravens

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are just too good to be one and done in the playoffs, and the long grind of a season will finally end for the Bengals. Meanwhile, the Broncos, led by rising star Bo Nix, leave Houston with a win and a spot in the AFC title game, where they shock the Ravens in Baltimore behind an explosive offense and stingy defense.

Super Bowl LX: Vikings vs. Broncos

Did Jamie Erdahl reveal this exact matchup in her Super Bowl prediction? She sure did, but I actually made the same prediction 24 hours earlier via our Bring Me The Sports YouTube channel. And I'm sticking with it as the Vikings play the Broncos in a game that was supposed to happen way back in 1999 until Gary Anderson missed his only field goal during Minnesota's 15-1 season and the Broncos wound up whipping the Falcons in the Super Bowl.

This time, the Vikings win the first Super Bowl in franchise history. While doing so, they exercise the 1998-99 demons, exact revenge against Bountygate coach Sean Payton, and take the first major step in Kevin O'Connell and J.J. McCarthy becoming the new head coach-quarterback power couple in the NFL.

Individual awards

• MVP: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
• Coach of the Year: Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
• Comeback Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
• Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
• Defensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings
• Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
• Defensive Rookie of the Year: Abdul Carter, New York Giants

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