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A season defined by parity and unpredictability did not deter NFL.com's contributors and editors from taking a firm stance on Super Bowl LX.
Tom Blair, Gennaro Filice, Dan Parr and Brooke Cersosimo all landed on the Los Angeles Rams as their pick to win it all, citing a combination of balance, experience and proven postseason traits that separate them from the rest of an unusually wide-open playoff field.
The 2025 regular season reshaped expectations across the league. Five of the eight division champions missed the playoffs entirely a year ago, and only one top-four seed from the 2024 postseason returned to that level this season.
A hard (but sure) pick for Super Bowl winners
Established powers faded, new contenders emerged, and weekly results rarely followed a predictable script. That volatility carried into the playoff picture, making forecasting the path to Super Bowl LX especially difficult. Despite being overtaken late by Seattle in the NFC and NFC West standings, the Rams consistently looked like the most complete team in football for much of the season.
Entering Week 16, they sat atop the conference, and that body of work weighed heavily in the editors' thinking. Even as the Seahawks surged and demanded serious consideration, the overall profile of the Rams remained hard to ignore. Historically, postseason runs from teams seeded fifth or lower are rare. Only one such team has won the Super Bowl in the past 14 years, the 2020 Buccaneers, who caught fire late and carried momentum through a string of road victories.
While the Rams did not close the regular season in similar fashion, key parallels stood out. Like that Tampa Bay squad, Los Angeles finished in the top 10 in EPA per play on both sides of the ball, ranking first on offense and 10th on defense. Only three other playoff teams matched that level of balance: the Patriots, Seahawks and Jaguars.
A big offensive weapon is an advantage for the Rams
Quarterback play also factored heavily into the Rams' projection. Los Angeles enters the postseason with an established, battle-tested signal-caller who has already won a Super Bowl with his current head coach. That familiarity and championship experience provide a level of stability that few teams can match, especially in a postseason field filled with newer faces and untested combinations.
The expected return of Davante Adams only strengthens the case. His presence gives the Rams a proven difference-maker at a critical point in the season and raises the ceiling of an offense that already ranked among the league's best by advanced metrics. With chaos defining the 2025 season, the editors acknowledged that Seattle or another contender could easily flip the script.
Still, when weighing consistency, efficiency and experience, they ultimately sided with the Rams as the most impressive overall team. In a postseason where certainty is in short supply, Los Angeles checked more boxes than anyone else, making them the consensus pick from NFL.com's panel to lift the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LX.