2026 NFL predictions: Beyoncé, a Bears-Ravens Super Bowl and Jalen Hurts’ last ride in Philly

We’re getting kind of good at this.

OK, not really. But in our 2025 NFL predictions, senior writer Justin Tinsley did nail his prediction of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer. After the Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 win against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, what’s in store for the NFL in 2026?

Let’s get to the predictions from Andscape senior writers Martenzie Johnson, Justin Tinsley and columnist Clinton Yates:

Who is the most interesting Black quarterback in 2026 and why?

Johnson: C.J Stroud. The injury to Patrick Mahomes, the new coach for Lamar Jackson, and the encore for Caleb Williams are all on my radar. But I want to see if Stroud can bounce back from that ugly performance he put on in this year’s playoffs: seven turnovers in just two games. Just two years ago, Stroud looked like the next great quarterback, and now his name is etched in the history books right next to Nathan Peterman, who also once threw four interceptions in a first half before//////did Peterman throw four interceptions in a half, or did he throw five???////// (Peterman threw FIVE!). Will Stroud come back looking shook again next season? Can he put that performance behind him and rightfully take him and that top-ranked defense to the Super Bowl?

Tinsley: For seven straight years, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were the gatekeepers of the AFC championship (and beyond). Then, this past season, it all crumbled. This will be an offseason the likes of which the fanbase hasn’t seen in damn near a decade. The most important part of this process is the health of Mahomes, who suffered a torn ACL and LCL in Week 15. Mahomes’ goal is to be back in Week 1. While I wouldn’t put it past him to do just that, what the team looks like around him will be equally as interesting. Neither the Chiefs’ offense nor offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy has been the same since parting ways in 2023. But he’s back. If Kansas City can fully flesh out that offense — maybe pick up Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in the first round in April — and get a true No. 1 receiver, who knows what this offense could look like. That’s a lot of “ifs” though. Only time will tell if this postseason absence is just an anomaly. My perspective is I’m not yet willing to write Mahomes and crew off just yet.

Yates: This has to be Caleb Williams, and it’s not particularly close for me. In Chicago, we’re talking about a town where fans’ grandfathers haven’t even seen a decent quarterback play for them. So, to have a brotha who not only paints his nails but comes with Heisman pedigree and actually has the stones to play on the big stage in big moments, Bears fans legit have no idea what to do with themselves. Between him and their — again, shockingly competent — head coach, they’ve really got a combo to look forward to.

True or false: Shedeur Sanders will begin and finish the 2026 season as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback?

Johnson: False. Ignoring the fact that the Browns are still paying Deshaun Watson $46 million this season and have barely gotten a season’s worth of games (19) out of him since trading for him in March 2022, I have not seen enough from Sanders to make me think he’s a starter. I love his confidence and trolling, and maybe a new head coach who doesn’t seem to despise Sanders like the last one did will do him some good. But Sanders did not play well enough last season to start again, even if it is for the long-running joke that is the Browns’ franchise.

Tinsley: Until proven otherwise, as I said last year, the problem isn’t largely Shedeur Sanders. It’s the Cleveland Browns. Sanders absolutely has areas of his game he needs to improve on, but what rookie quarterback doesn’t? So, while I would like to see the son of NFL icon Deion Sanders cement himself as the franchise’s starter, excuse me if I have more faith in the Browns not getting this right. The Browns have to absolutely nail this upcoming draft (and free agency). In particular, their two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 24). Cleveland needs a lot of things offensively, namely a true No. 1 option at receiver for Sanders and offensive line help. How Cleveland handles this offseason will tell us a lot about whether or not Shedeur has any sort of shot at success in 2026.

Yates: Honestly, I hope it’s false because I hope he’s not on that team. I would love to see a situation where maybe he’s a part of a draft-day trade and can just go somewhere and be a normal backup quarterback on a decent-to-bad team. Guys like that get shots to start all the time, and it doesn’t take a clown show like the Browns’ quarterback room to make it happen. Consider this the official start to my Get Shedeur Out Of Cleveland campaign.

Who will play in Super Bowl LXI in 2027?

Johnson: Ravens versus Bears. The last time we saw Jackson in the playoffs, he played exceptionally well. The only problem is the last time we saw him in the playoffs was over a year ago. If Jackson has finally overcome those playoff demons, and the Ravens’ defense can be anything other than straight trash next season, I could see Baltimore making a run. On the other side, another year of experience for Caleb Williams could make Chicago dangerous.

I don’t particularly care for the Bears’ sick desire to always want to come back from fourth-quarter deficits, but it almost worked this year! 

Also: This is me finally putting the Chiefs’ dynasty to bed.

Tinsley: Ravens versus Rams. I halfway agree with Martenzie. We both refuse to believe that someone with the otherworldly talent of Jackson (and don’t forget Derrick Henry, an all-time great running back) will not make a Super Bowl. Failing to do so would be one of the great “what ifs” in football history. Thankfully, we won’t ever have to live in a world like that because next year is the year, people! I hope.

The Ravens have 10 picks in April’s draft. With that capital and addressing pass-rush needs, I’m expecting a major rebound in 2026. Again, I hope. As for the Rams, I fully expect quarterback Matthew Stafford to be back now that head coach Sean McVay (and general manager Les Snead) signed multi-year extensions. ////???////The following sentence is fragmented and rambling. Was that the intent?//////////Because of that, Puka Nacua only getting better and a defense that will remain physical, Davante Adams’ NFC Championship Game goose egg in the win column finally comes to an end.//////////. Plus, the last time the Super Bowl was in Inglewood (2022), that worked out pretty well for the Rams, I’d say.

Yates: Jaguars versus Bears. For whatever reason, it feels like what head coach Liam Coen found in Trevor Lawrence are the type of things that could, with an offseason of confidence, really do wonders. They had one of the best point differentials in the league last year, and I don’t think the Texans are the hurdle they think they are in the AFC South. I don’t even like the Jags, but I get that “sneaky long run” vibe from them.

Who should be the halftime performer at Super Bowl LXI?

Johnson: Beyonce. I know she already performed in 2013 and 2016, but 2027 lines up with the biennial drops of her assumed trilogy series of albums and tours. Renaissance was released in 2022 with a tour in 2023. Cowboy Carter debuted in 2024 with a tour in 2025, which included a Christmas Day halftime performance during a Texans-Ravens game. Beyonce and husband Jay-Z long ago abandoned their “I said no to the Super Bowl. You need me, I don’t need you” stance from their 2018 song “Apes–t” once Jay-Z began producing the halftime acts in 2019. If anyone were to grace the Super Bowl halftime stage three times, it’d be Beyonce.

Tinsley: Thinking logically here, I’m going with another Super Bowl halftime veteran in Bruno Mars. The tea leaves are just too much to ignore. Not only is he dropping The Romantic later this month – his first solo project since 2016’s mammoth 24K Magic. Not only is he dropping a second album, The Collaborations, on April 18, he’s about to embark on a global tour. A pop star of Bruno’s caliber doesn’t have a calendar like that often. Check back in with me in September so I can say I told you so.

Yates: Hold up. I’m just now remembering that they’re going “back” to Los Angeles for this Super Bowl, which feels awfully repetitive, but what do I know. And speaking of repetitive, it kind of feels like this is the year that Taylor Swift finally makes it. The big joke in LA is that she sells out that stadium more than either NFL team that plays there on a regular basis. Do I want her to take the stage? That’s not the point. But something tells me that wherever our country is at that point, folks are going to look at Swift as some kind of solution to “heal our nation.”

One bold prediction for the 2026 NFL season

Johnson: This will be Jalen Hurts’ final season in Philadelphia. That’s crazy to say since he just won Super Bowl MVP after the 2024 season, but there’s clearly been a lack of chemistry between Hurts and his receivers the past two years. That issue was yada-yada’d away after winning the Super Bowl last year, but it was clear as day as the Eagles failed to make it out of the first round of this season’s playoffs. The Eagles have an ‘out’ clause after next season in Hurts’ five-year, $255 million contract he signed in 2023, and it’s not like Philly has never moved on from a quarterback (and coach) soon after winning a Super Bowl before.

Tinsley: The mark has been flirted with a few times in history, most recently with former Rams receiver Cooper Kupp in 2021. But in 2026, a current Ram will finally do it. The “it” here would be Puka Nacua breaking Calvin Johnson’s all-time single-season record (1,964 yards in 2012) by becoming the first receiver in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 yards. The funny thing about the three receivers named here? They all have/had Matthew Stafford throwing to them.

Yates: Broncos coach Sean Payton is going to get fired. Sure, they might have had a terrific run this season. But after he basically ran Russell Wilson out of town, and then threw yet another QB under the bus by airing out Bo Nix’s injury history, it’s just bad news. Being a jerk is one thing, but alienating players is another. And if he’s doing both and they aren’t winning? Easy choice as to who needs to go.

The post 2026 NFL predictions: Beyoncé, a Bears-Ravens Super Bowl and Jalen Hurts’ last ride in Philly appeared first on Andscape.