Besides some of the more obvious teams that we'd predict to make the Super Bowl for the 2026 NFL Season, are there arguments for some under-the-radar teams to enjoy the same fate? Absolutely. Not many people had predicted the Seattle Seahawks to win it all in 2025, for example.
In 2024, this team was a 10-7 club that just barely missed the playoffs. The 2024 New England Patriots were laughably bad the year prior as well. Heck, even dating back to the 2021 NFL Season, we saw an under-the-radar team in the Cincinnati Bengals make a Super Bowl push.
This has to be on the table until it isn't, and if last year is any indication, we could have two teams that not many expect to make the Super Bowl in 2026. We've outlined three here that could have what it takes, so let's dive into it.
These three under-the-radar teams might have what it takes to make the Super Bowl in 2026
Jacksonville Jaguars
While the Jacksonville Jaguars did win 13 games in 2025, much of the offseason chatter with the AFC South has been surrounding the Houston Texans, a team that aggressively fixed the offensive line, added to the defense, and even added help in the backfield.
Notably, the Jaguars lost Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency, two top-5 players from their 2025 squad. As of now, the Jaguars do feel like a 'good, not great' team, but there's also the possibility that year two is even more successful than year one in the Liam Coen era.
Not only was quarterback Trevor Lawrence nearly unstoppable over the final month and a half of the season, but the Jaguars excelled at stopping the run on defense all year. If Lawrence finds his groove earlier in the season with Coen in year two, and the defense is still stopping the run well, the Jaguars will have two key components of a Super Bowl team for 2026.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings might not scare you on paper, but the team did make a rather major move to sign Kyler Murray in the offseason. I am of the belief that Murray does not sign unless there was some backdoor agreement that he's going to be the starter, and this could end up being the best situation that Murray has played in throughout his career.
He has one of the best wide receiver duos in the league in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and also has a rock-solid head coach and play-caller in Kevin O'Connell. Furthermore, Brian Flores is as good as they get as a defensive coordinator, and we can't pretend like Murray hasn't been productive before.
In 87 career regular-season games, Murray has amassed 153 total touchdowns and 23,653 yards. This works out to 1.75 touchdowns per game and 271.9 yards per game, which is quite productive. Across a 17-game season during his career, Murray has averaged 30 total touchdowns.
He's put up much of that production on bad teams, and in 2025, the Vikings found a way to win 9 games. Adding Murray to a 9-win team that dealt with bottom-3 quarterback play could turn into a shockingly prolific offense, and with a top-10 defense, Minnesota wouldn't have a major concern.
Washington Commanders
Washington went 12-5 in the regular season in 2024 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game. In 2025, things went off the rails a bit, as the Commanders struggled to stay healthy and finished a complete opposite 5-12. With a ton of new talent added in the free agency market, and the possibility that quarterback Jayden Daniels stays healthy, as he did in 2024, the Commanders would have it all.
Head coach Dan Quinn has led a team to the Super Bowl before, so this wouldn't be new territory for him. With the NFC East also not necessarily being a juggernaut of a division, the path for the Commanders to break out in 2026, especially if the injuries aren't as great, is high.
A Super Bowl berth would likely require most things to fall in their favor, but it's possible.