Ndamukong Suh has seen the full NFL cycle from the inside: the grind, the pressure, and the payoff at the very top. He won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021, and now he’s offering a fresh set of bold calls for the 2026 season.
Suh, an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and five-time Pro Bowl selection, pointed to the Los Angeles Rams as the team under the most pressure. His reasoning was simple: when a team is viewed as a super team, the expectation is nothing less than a title run.
'The easy pick for an underachiever would be LA because their only option is to win a Super Bowl.
'Everybody sees them as a super team from that perspective. So ultimately, they naturally, just by default, had that tagline for them.'
He also named two surprise playoff teams, starting in the NFC with the Minnesota Vikings and then moving to the AFC with the LA Chargers. Suh said the Vikings have a tough division, but believes they’ve shown they can get there before with Sam Darnold. He also singled out Kyler Murray, Kevin O’Connell, and the chance for a strong defense to carry the load.
'Murray's no bum, for lack of better words. He has ability I think and more than enough capability to get a team to the playoffs. I just think him being put in the right position, and then also having a very strong defense.
'If they can pick up where they left off last year, then they're in a great position and Murray doesn't have to do everything himself.
'I feel like when he was in Arizona, it was only the offense. It wasn't really a strong defense and complementary side of things.
'As for the Chargers, I think Mike McDaniel is in a good situation, where he should be as an offensive coordinator. You've got an elite quarterback in Justin Herbert, who shows amazing promise and has an opportunity to take a team to the next level.
'In addition, you got some strong defensive pieces and typically Jim Harbaugh has always had good defenses no matter what.
'Herbert was successful last year in a lot of ways. It's obviously not at the consistent level that you would want to see from a guy like that but I think they may be able to get there now.'
When it came to his Super Bowl matchup, Suh went even further out on a limb. He picked the Denver Broncos out of the AFC, saying he has a feeling about them, especially if Bo Nix returns at an elite level after his injury. Suh also noted Denver reached the conference championship last season.
In the NFC, he backed the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams to make the leap. Suh said Williams is capable of delivering an MVP-type season and believes the Bears can come through the black and blue division and reach the Super Bowl.
'I think the Denver Broncos win. If Sean Payton gets to a Super Bowl, he's going to find a way to win that.'
Suh said the Bears went through plenty of difficult moments last year, and that those experiences can be the difference when a team is trying to take the next step. He believes the lessons from close games can turn into a stronger team this season, with the defense helping to balance things out.
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