2025-26 NFL Predictions & Super Bowl Picks
2025 NFL Preseason Predictions - NFL Odds & 2025-26 Projections
Even though the ultimate goal is the Super Bowl, fans know that the American Football season always begins with the preseason. Likewise, betting on American football begins with the preseason. The NFL offseason is a long one, so when the preseason rolls around in August, fans are ready to go and excited to watch some actual football.
Even if the games don’t count in the standings, you can still join Stake Sportsbook and participate in NFL betting during the preseason. Of course, since the NFL preseason is a little different from the regular season, it helps to have a sports betting guide to lead you through what you need to know before you start to bet on preseason football.
NFL & Super Bowl History
NFL history dates back to 1920. In 1960, the American Football League (AFL) was created to serve as a rival league. The two leagues eventually merged, which is how the Super Bowl was created. In 1967, the first Super Bowl was played between the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the AFL, and the Green Bay Packers, who won the NFL. By 1970, the two leagues formally merged, with the Super Bowl continuing to be played every year between the winner of the AFC Championship Game and the winner of the NFL Championship Game.
2024-25 NFL Season Recap
As has been the case for the last several years, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were the clear preseason favourites ahead of the 2024-25 NFL season. They were hoping to win the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season, which not even the New England Patriots accomplished during their dynasty during the first two decades of the 21st century.
Despite playing a lot of close games, the Chiefs finished 15-2, tied with the Detroit Lions for the best record in the NFL. Of course, the Chiefs won the AFC West by a comfortable margin. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills won the AFC East, the Baltimore Ravens won the AFC North, and the Houston Texans won the AFC South.
In the NFC, the Lions needed a Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC North and clinch the top seed in the conference. Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East, the Los Angeles Rams won the NFC West, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South.
In the playoffs, the Chiefs survived competitive games with the Texans and Bills to reach the Super Bowl. However, they fell short against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Despite finishing with the best record in the NFC, the Lions lost to the Washington Commanders and Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jayden Daniels. That opened the door for the Eagles to reach the Super Bowl behind Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley. In the Super Bowl, the Eagles were the dominant team, winning 40-22 to prevent Kansas City’s three-peat.
2025-26 NFL Season Schedule
The 2025 season unofficially began with the start of training camp in mid-July. Preseason games begin on July 31 with the Hall of Fame Game between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers. But the first full week of preseason games opens August 7.
Finally, the NFL regular season begins on Thursday, September 4, when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. The regular season runs until January 4. The playoffs open the following weekend on January 10. Finally, the NFL season ends with the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
2025 NFL Preseason Predictions
Predicting the result of NFL preseason games is tricky because the best teams don’t typically give their established starters a lot of playing time. Injury-prone quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, in particular, are often held out of action because a head coach may not trust an offensive line full of backups to protect them.
Last year’s preseason records are a good indication of this. The Chicago Bears were a perfect 4-0, in part because they wanted to give rookie quarterback Caleb Williams playing time. The Jaguars, Titans, and Jets were also unbeaten, whereas the Chiefs were among the teams that went 0-3. This is why the best teams in the 2025 NFL preseason are likely to be the teams that have a young quarterback, a quarterback controversy, or are rebuilding.
Power Rankings
Keep in mind that the best teams during the preseason may not be the best teams during the regular season. That being said, here are our early power rankings for the 2025 NFL season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Kansas City Chiefs
Detroit Lions
Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens
Washington Commanders
Los Angeles Rams
Houston Texans
Denver Broncos
San Francisco 49ers
Projections for 2025-26 - Early Picks to Win Super Bowl LX
While not all 32 teams can be serious about having Super Bowl aspirations, there is no shortage of teams capable of reaching Super Bowl LX. In the AFC, the Chiefs remain the favourite, although their propensity for playing close games last season is a sign that they might be about to take a step back in 2025. That could leave the door open for Josh Allen and the Bills to finally make a well-deserved Super Bowl appearance. In the NFC, the Eagles, Lions, and Commanders appear to be a step ahead of the rest. While the Eagles have a clear path back to the Super Bowl, Dan Campbell has built a team in Detroit that should be ready to take the next step and reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, setting up a Bills-Lions matchup in Super Bowl LX.
NFL Betting Tips, Odds & Preview
Whether it’s preseason, regular season, or the Super Bowl, you should always have a plan when betting on the NFL. It can be as simple as having a budget in mind or finding the odds you’re comfortable using. Luckily, Stake makes it easier by offering American, decimal, and fractional odds, so you can choose your preferred option. Other than that, there are several key factors to keep in mind for every NFL bet, including these critical points:
Watch how the spread of an NFL game changes throughout the week. This will tell you how others are betting on the game.
Always factor in home-field advantage, including weather. Not only are some teams likely to struggle on the road, but teams that usually play in domes or ideal weather conditions can struggle in rain, snow, or wind.
Injuries always play a role in the outcome of NFL games. Quarterback injuries are typically the only ones that change the point spread, but other key injuries, especially multiple injuries to one position group, can give a team an unexpected weakness that can be exploited.
Always bet with your head and not your heart. Stay away from betting on your favorite team unless you can be objective with how you analyze the matchup.
Types of Bets & How to Bet on NFL
The types of bets you find for NFL games are often the same during the preseason and the regular season. Here are some of the most common types of bets available for the Super Bowl:
Moneyline - A moneyline bet is an outright bet on the winner of the Super Bowl.
Total - Instead of betting on the winner and loser, a total bet is based on the total points scored by both teams.
Handicap - A handicap bet is also called betting against the spread. This bet requires the favored team to win by a certain number of points. Otherwise, the underdog will win the bet, even if they lose the game.
Game Props - There are many prop bets available for NFL games based on certain events within the game, such as if the game will go to overtime.
Player Props - Player props are popular during all NFL games. They relate to the stats a specific player collects during the game. For example, passing yards, rushing yards, and receiving yards for players receive an over/under value or milestones with specific odds attached.
Live Bets - Even after an NFL game begins, it’s possible to continue placing live bets on the game, although the odds change based on how the game unfolds.
Parlay - With a parlay, bettors can combine multiple bets from different sports into one larger bet. This increases the payout but also makes it hard to cash because every bet in a parlay must win, or else the entire parlay loses.
Same Game Multi-Bet - Similar to parlay betting, a same game multi-bet allows you to place multiple types of Super Bowl bets within a single bet slip.
If you’re after more information, our guides on how to bet on the NFL and how to bet on sports are great resources to help you.
Live Stream NFL Free Online
Anyone betting on NFL games at Stake.com can watch a live stream of the game on the Stake platform. This won’t require an extra subscription or any additional payment. Just place a bet on the game and you’ll have access to a live stream of the game on the Stake website or app once it begins. This will make it easy to track your bet and place live bets on that game.
Bet on American Football with Best Odds & Promotions
Stake Sportsbook has long strived to be one of the top online sportsbooks for the Super Bowl and other major sporting events. This is for a variety of reasons, including the wide range of betting markets available and our commitment to offering competitive odds. Along with our special NFL betting promo, we also offer ongoing promotions and bonus bet opportunities to help our customers have the best experience possible.
At Stake, we also try to simplify the process of depositing and withdrawing as much as possible. This is a key part of the user experience, so we make sure there are multiple currencies accepted and several ways to make deposits and withdrawals. This even includes various types of cryptocurrency that can be bought and sold at sites like Moonpay and Swapped . To go the extra mile, Stake utilises mesh crypto deposit integration. We also have the Stake Vault to ensure that your funds and transactions are safe and secure when you bet with Stake.
Stake VIP Club & Responsible Betting
One of the many benefits of betting with Stake is the opportunity to join our special VIP club, which features various VIP levels based on how active you are on the site. There are extra perks and benefits to being a VIP member, including access to a dedicated VIP host.
At the same time, Stake cares about educating our users about betting smartly and responsibly. This is why we have a detailed customer support guide and offer resources like Stake Smart that can help bettors understand how to practice responsible gambling habits.
