NFL playoff predictions by Microsoft Copilot AI for every game, Super Bowl 60
- - NFL playoff predictions by Microsoft Copilot AI for every game, Super Bowl 60
Jacob Camenker, USA TODAYJanuary 13, 2026 at 12:54 PM
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Just eight teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl 60. The race for the Lombardi Trophy remains as wide-open as every, with a clear favorite yet to emerge during the 2025 NFL playoffs.
The NFL's wild-card weekend showed just how little separation there is among most of the league's playoff teams. The first four games were all decided by one possession while the latter two were one-possession games in the fourth quarter before the victors pulled away.
How might these results impact the outlook of the NFL's playoff bracket? USA TODAY Sports continued its experiment with Microsoft Copilot AI to get the chatbot's perspective on the league's playoff picture.
makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
">Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
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1 / 4Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
USA TODAY Sports used a simple process to gather Copilot's latest round of playoff predictions. The chatbot was asked to answer the following prompts:
Can you predict the winner and score of all the NFL's divisional round games for the 2025 NFL playoffs?
Can you predict the winner and score of the AFC and NFC championship game for the 2025 NFL playoffs based on your projected divisional round winners?
Can you predict the winner and score of Super Bowl 60 based on your projected AFC and NFC championship game winners?
Who is your Super Bowl 60 MVP?
Copilot was mostly able to interpret the prompts without issue. However, on occasion, it made errors. That wasn't a major surprise, as some Large Language Models (LLMs) sometimes struggle to keep up with the latest sports news and updates.
Copilot was prompted to correct these mistakes in the rare instances they occurred.
In its initial postseason predictions, Copilot picked the Seattle Seahawks to beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 60. Would the chatbot stick to its original pick or change it up after gathering more information in the wild-card round?
Below is a look at Copilot's latest predictions for the 2025 NFL playoffs, along with a human-crafted summation of the chatbot's logic for each selection.
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Microsoft Copilot AI playoff predictionsDivisional round
Denver Broncos 23, Buffalo Bills 20
New England Patriots 20, Houston Texans 16
Copilot picked the Bills to beat the Broncos in its initial simulation of the playoffs ahead of the wild-card round. This time, the chatbot decided to back Denver, opining the team's "pass defense and red-zone efficiency" would be too much for Buffalo to overcome on the road.
The Patriots were once again Copilot's pick to advance to the AFC championship game. The chatbot noted its appreciation for the Patriots' "smothering" defensive performance in a 16-3 win over the Chargers and stated its belief that Drake Maye could swing the game with couple of explosive plays against the Texans.
Seattle Seahawks 24, San Francisco 49ers 16
Los Angeles Rams 27, Chicago Bears 23
Copilot noted concerns about how San Francisco's offense would perform against Seattle's defense without George Kittle. It also opined that "home-field noise" could bother the 49ers, leading it to back the Seahawks.
As for the other NFC matchup, Copilot credited the Bears' run to the divisional round as being "real." However, it expressed concerns about Chicago going blow-for-blow with Los Angeles' offense and noted its belief that Puka Nacua will have a quality outing against the Bears.
Conference championship round
Denver Broncos 24, New England Patriots 17
Once again, Copilot is a big fan of Denver's pass defense and the fact that the Broncos will have home-field advantage in the AFC championship game. It expects Maye to have a tough time in a "hostile environment" at this stage in his young career and believes Denver's "balance" will allow it to head back to the Super Bowl.
Seattle Seahawks 23, Los Angeles Rams 20
Copilot is sticking with the Seahawks as its pick to make it out of the NFC. It believes Matthew Stafford will be able to test Seattle's defense – which the chatbot called "a difference-maker" – but still thinks the Seahawks will slow the Rams enough to earn a narrow win at home.
Super Bowl 60 -
Denver Broncos 23, Seattle Seahawks 19
Copilot is picking the Broncos to earn some long-awaited revenge over the Seahawks in this Super Bowl 48 rematch.
Why does Copilot like the Broncos? The chatbot credited Denver with having a "consistent" defense and opined it would be "the cleaner unit on late downs" against the Seahawks because of its strong combination of pass rush and coverage abilities.
Copilot is also expecting a nice game from Bo Nix, who it tapped as its prediction to win Super Bowl MVP – after being reminded Russell Wilson was no longer on the Broncos. It credited the second-year quarterback for his "steady poise under pressure" and for "thriving" in one-score games throughout the season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Microsoft Copilot AI predicts NFL playoff games, Super Bowl 60 winner
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