Who's next? Predicting the next 5 Super Bowl matchups
2025-02-11
Category: sports

Can the Eagles run it back? And after Sunday’s disappointment, will we see the Chiefs in the Super Bowl again over the next few years?&nbsp; Can the Ravens or Bills — or another team — stop Kansas City in the AFC? What about the future prospects of the Commanders, following their surprising run to the NFC Championship Game?&nbsp; With Super Bowl LIX in the books, here’s our prediction of the next five Super Bowl matchups. Super Bowl LX: Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions (2025 season) Josh Allen is too great of a quarterback to not make at least one Super Bowl in his prime … right? Yes, Patrick Mahomes has had his number in the playoffs — he’s 4-0 against the 2024 NFL MVP in the postseason — but it’s hard to believe that Allen will never beat Mahomes when it matters most. Also, Allen has largely been terrific in the postseason. In fact, he hasn’t turned the ball over in his last five playoff games. His talent, plus greatness in the biggest games, makes a Bills trip to the Super Bowl a matter of when, not if.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Lions disappointed in 2024, bowing out in the divisional round. But a healthy roster in 2025 puts them right back in the conversation for the NFL's most talented team. The return of superstar edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (broken leg) and other defensive starters gives Detroit a more complete team, not just an offensive juggernaut. Losing coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn and other valuable assistants hurts the Lions, but the culture that Dan Campbell has established should provide optimism that Detroit won’t suffer a big step back. Super Bowl LXI: Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles (2026 season) Why the Bills: Much like Allen, I don’t think Lamar Jackson goes his entire prime without making the big game. There’s a narrative that the two-time league MVP doesn’t show up in the playoffs, but he’s shown marked improvement on the big stage the past couple of years. He’s posted a passer rating of over 114 in three of his last four postseason games. It feels like a breakthrough is coming for him, and he has the team around him that reinforces that belief. The Ravens have a promising defense for the short- and long-term coming out of 2024. And with Derrick Henry posting over 1,900 yards rushing at age 30, and doing such a great job taking care of his body, I don’t see his production falling off a cliff by the 2026 season.&nbsp; Why the Eagles: Perhaps no team is better equipped to contend for championships in the short and long term than the Super Bowl LIX champions. They’ll lose some key players over the next couple years, and a potential dip in Saquon Barkley’s play after a 2,000-yard season will be something to watch moving forward. But the Eagles are dominant in the trenches, and they have a number of rookie-contract defensive cornerstones and elite weapons on offense. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has also proved to be elite in the playoffs.&nbsp;  Super Bowl LXII: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Washington Commanders (2027 season) Why the Chiefs: With Mahomes at quarterback, and still in his prime, the Chiefs should remain in the Super Bowl conversation for the foreseeable future, whether many fans like it or not. Massive changes could be coming in the upcoming years — retirement questions will start to loom for coach Andy Reid, 66, and tight end Travis Kelce, 35 — but we’ve seen Kansas City reinvent itself before. The Chiefs went from being an offensive juggernaut early in the Mahomes era to defensive-led team the past couple years.&nbsp; Why the Commanders: I’m not just buying stock in the Commanders because of Jayden Daniels, who put together arguably the greatest rookie quarterback season ever in 2024. But Washington having stable (and effective) leadership in owner Josh Harris, general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn gives me confidence that the franchise will build a team around Daniels that will make it a perennial championship contender.&nbsp; Super Bowl LXIII: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Green Bay Packers (2028 season) Why the Bengals: Getting back to the Super Bowl feels like a question of when not if for Joe Burrow, one of just two current quarterbacks to have beaten Mahomes in the playoffs. I think the sustained success of the AFC powers (Chiefs, Ravens, Bills) eventually convinces Mike Brown, who has a reputation as one of the cheaper owners, to make the investments necessary to build up the roster around Burrow.&nbsp;  Why the Packers: You can’t ignore Green Bay’s rise in the post-Aaron Rodgers era. Jordan Love has flaws, but he’s an ascending young quarterback. The Packers have made significant strides on both offense and defense in back-to-back years. Coming out of 2024, most of their core players are 27 or under. They’re on the shortlist of NFC teams best equipped for the future. This is a franchise set up to be a contender for many years to come. Super Bowl LXIV: New England Patriots vs. Washington Commanders (2029) Why the Patriots: Coming out of 2024, the Patriots have a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye, an NFL-high $120 million in salary cap space and a new, proven head coach in Mike Vrabel. Those factors together set the foundation of a new, years-long run of dominance for New England in the AFC.&nbsp; Why the Commanders: What if Daniels becomes the NFC’s version of Mahomes, preventing other top quarterbacks in the conference from reaching the Super Bowl? Coming out of 2024, he’s the most promising long-term franchise quarterback in the NFC.&nbsp; Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the&nbsp;Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the&nbsp;Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at&nbsp;@benyarthur. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox?&nbsp;Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!