The NFL eerily predicted the Super Bowl matchup last year in an illustration. Did the league do it again?

The 2026 NFL schedule gets underway on Sept. 9, but the NFL already has eyes on February when Super Bowl 61 will be played.

But the NFL is full of surprises, and 2025 proved it. There will be more surprises in 2026, making picking teams both exciting and challenging. Here is how the CBS Sports NFL staff -- writers, editors, analysts and researchers -- envision this season playing out.

Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two late scoring drives and the Seattle Seahawks intercepted Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter to overcome an early injury to starter Sam Darnold and beat the New England Patriots 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch.

NFL host Kay Adams has released her pick for Super Bowl 61. It's a fairly bold one. The FanDuel TV host is predicting the Denver Broncos to face the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl 61

SportsLine simulates the 2026 NFL season, projecting a Ravens-Rams Super Bowl

Dak Prescott is entering Year 11 believing he can lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, but the history around that goal is daunting. Since the Super Bowl era began, 1,080 quarterbacks have played in the NFL,

Eli Raridon wasn't far removed from his final season at Notre Dame when the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl LX to the Seattle Seahawks. A couple months later, Raridon was a third-round draft pick of the AFC champions. And in his first NFL game, he made his first NFL catch count Wednesday.

The 2026 NFL season opened with a rematch between last year's Super Bowl teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Here are all the highlights from the first game of the new season.