Super Bowl LV midseason predictions: A Chiefs repeat? Will Steelers win No. 7?

At the midway point of the 2020 NFL season, our analysts predict which teams will compete for — and capture — the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LV on February 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida.

Which team will win Super Bowl LV?

Judy Battista: Chiefs over Saints. Sticking with my preseason pick, mostly because I have some concerns about the Steelers’ offense and the Seahawks’ defense.

Jeremy Bergman: Chiefs over Buccaneers. An unprecedented season ends with an unprecedented Super Bowl, as Tom Brady’s Bucs play host. But Patrick Mahomes and the new-age Chiefs play spoiler, putting the old man out to pasture with a 34-20 pasting.

Gil Brandt: Chiefs over Packers. It’s a replay of Super Bowl I — only this time, the Chiefs are victorious, with Patrick Mahomes scoring in the final minute to pull off a 27-24 win.

Gennaro Filice: Chiefs over Packers. Apex Aa-Rod remains a quarterbacking cheat code, but Peak Pat is re-engineering the position.

Marcas Grant: Chiefs over Packers. Patrick Mahomes backs up his second MVP win by outdueling Aaron Rodgers in an instant classic.

DeAngelo Hall: Chiefs over Buccaneers. It’s new school vs. old school. Patrick Mahomes and the speed of the Chiefs are just too much for Tampa Bay’s stout D, Tom Brady and the all-star squad.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Chiefs over Buccaneers. Patrick Mahomes leads the Chiefs to another Lombardi, joining Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as the only players to win back-to-back Super Bowl MVPs. 

Steve Mariucci: Chiefs over Saints. Just like I said in the preseason, Patrick Mahomes out-passes Drew Brees and SMASHES all of Kurt Warner’s Super Bowl records! (Sorry, Kurt.)

Kevin Patra: Chiefs over Saints. The two deepest teams with little turnover during a COVID-influenced season find their way to the Super Bowl. The Saints finally get over the NFC hump only to find more heartbreak as Patrick Mahomes leads a late fourth-quarter drive to swipe Drew Brees’ second Lombardi.

Scott Pioli: Chiefs over Buccaneers. Tampa is the first team to play at home in the Super Bowl, but its defense surrenders a touchdown on the game’s final drive to give the Chiefs their second Lombardi Trophy in as many years.

Adam Rank: Chiefs over Rams. Patrick Mahomes is clearly a generational quarterback. But what does this do for Andy Reid on the all-time list of greatest NFL coaches?

Nick Shook: Chiefs over Saints. I’m sticking with my preseason call. Drew Brees comes close to unseating Patrick Mahomes from the throne, but ultimately comes up short in what could be Brees’ final hurrah. Chiefs make it two straight.

Charley Casserly: Saints over Chiefs. The Saints control the clock to keep Patrick Mahomes on bench, and their pass rush stymies him when he’s on the field.

Brooke Cersosimo: Saints over Ravens. I still feel pretty good about what I said in the preseason: The Saints finally get back to the Super Bowl and capitalize on the opportunity while they still have Drew Brees under center. And unlike Peyton Manning in his final game, Brees leads his offense with four TDs, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. Brees is named Super Bowl MVP and rides off into the sunset with a Lombardi — while Tom Brady hears the cheers from down the street.

Dan Parr: Saints over Chiefs. This was my pick before the season started, and while some of the Saints’ struggles early on had me wavering, I’m sticking with it! If Sean Payton can craft a strategy to beat Tom Brady’s Bucs by 35 points, he’s certainly capable of drawing up a plan to pull off the tough task of keeping Kansas City from repeating.

Lance Zierlein: Saints over Bills. The Saints use their 35-point thrashing of the Bucs to springboard them into a huge run that culminates with a close win over Josh Allen and the surging Bills.

Brian Baldinger: Steelers over Saints. The defense will carry the Steelers in the Super Bowl by getting two takeaways. Then it’s up to the young receivers to capitalize, and they do.

Jeffri Chadiha: Steelers over Buccaneers. Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger prove that old-school quarterbacks still have a place in today’s NFL. The Steelers’ defense overwhelms Brady and Big Ben gets his third championship ring.

Joe Thomas: Steelers over Packers. The defense gets Pittsburgh to the big game, but it’s Big Ben who leads the Steelers to their seventh Super Bowl crown.

Jim Trotter: Steelers over Saints. The Steelers were my choice in the preseason, so there’s no reason to change now. 

Ali Bhanpuri: Ravens over Seahawks. Russell Wilson, despite his recent struggles, solidifies his MVP year by carrying the Seahawks’ historically porous defense to Super Bowl LV. (He’s going to need a backiatomy by season’s end.) But as I predicted before Week 1, this is Lamar Jackson’s year.

Chase Goodbread: Ravens over Saints. I’m sticking with my initial forecast: Lamar Jackson further cements his place among the NFL’s most dynamic quarterbacks with a masterful performance, and rookie LB Patrick Queen provides a big boost to the Baltimore defense in his first year. Ravens win it, 27-20.

Tom Blair: Bills over Seahawks. While the Cowboys disintegrated, my longshot pick from September to rep the AFC is still viable — and I’m upgrading the Bills to underdog winners after they surprise the Seahawks for the second time in three months.

Gregg Rosenthal: Colts over Saints. Revenge for Tracy Porter! (I don’t particularly believe in my preseason pick anymore, but it feels unsporting to move off the Colts now.)

David Carr: Raiders over Buccaneers. I’m taking the Raiders in the battle of pirates, as Jon Gruden returns to Tampa Bay — this time as the enemy — and delivers a crushing defeat of the home team.

Marc Sessler: Dolphins over Cardinals. It’s a Super Bowl for the ages, as young Tua Tagovailoa outduels Kyler Murray in a rematch of their captivating Week 9 duel. The victory is the first of many Lombardis for Brian Flores and his young signal-caller — and a game that will forever change how we view the position of quarterback in the NFL.  

Marc Ross: Seahawks over Chiefs. Russell Wilson outduels Patrick Mahomes in the highest-scoring Super Bowl in history while becoming the seventh player to win the regular season MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season.

Rhett Lewis: Buccaneers over Ravens. I’m sticking with my preseason prediction, although I’m feeling a little less confident about it. Tom Brady becomes the second quarterback in NFL history — joining Peyton Manning — to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises.