At long last, pro football’s Big Game finally has its participants for 2026. After yesterday’s conference championship games, Seattle and New England will officially pack their bags for a trip to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
(Which brands will advertise during the Big Game 2026? See Kalshi’s markets here.)
With kickoff scheduled for February 8, we have just under two weeks until the on-field action resumes. Look out for the league’s annual awards before then, such as the AP Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year and more.
However, the vast majority of public interest is now on the Big Game. Immediately following Sunday’s conference championships, Kalshi traders price Seattle’s chance of winning at 67%, with New England at 33%.
Notably, this will be a title rematch from 2015. In that championship game, New England outlasted Seattle, 28-24. Cornerback Malcom Butler stole the show, literally and figuratively, by intercepting a pass from Russell Wilson at New England’s goal line late in the game.
With that, let’s take an early dive into the upcoming title game.
Seattle, the championship favorite since January 4, is now priced at 67¢ to emerge victorious versus New England in the Big Game.
As the AFC’s No. 2 seed, New England took the league by storm in 2025. Despite showing just a one percent probability to win the conference on October 1, the franchise from Foxborough overcame all odds.
New England was powered by a blistering defense this season, allowing only 18.8 PPG. Utilizing a dominant front seven, the Pats kept opponents to 101.7 YPG rushing. On offense, quarterback Drake Maye (77.1 QBR) played at an MVP-caliber level. Incidentally, Maye, who is 23 years old, will be the second-youngest signal-caller to start the pro football championship after Dan Marino.
In the playoffs, New England leaned more on its defense than its offense. New England defeated Los Angeles (C), Houston, and Denver to reach the Big Game, surrendering 26 total points en route. Throughout that span, the Pats registered six takeaways (four INT) and a dozen sacks.
Top-seeded Seattle bullied its way through the schedule this season. Led by a hyper-athletic defense, Seattle gave up only 17.2 PPG, which was the league’s best clip in 2025. They were also stingy against the run, allowing 91.9 PPG through 17 contests.
Journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold (56.0 QBR) was the piece that tied everything together for the Hawks. Darnold, the Big Game MVP favorite at Kalshi (46%), guided the team to 28.4 PPG while completing 67.7% of his pass attempts. Seattle’s running game also came on strong late in the year, shelling out 123.3 YPG rushing.
Seattle did well to eliminate two divisional rivals from the playoffs on its road to the Big Game, crushing San Francisco before besting Los Angeles (R). The group from the Pacific Northwest plays with unrivaled physicality, and their spot atop the NFC was duly earned.
The takeaway:
Kalshi’s traders are bullish on Seattle, pricing them at 67¢ to take down New England in the Big Game 2026. As mentioned, this will be a championship rematch from 2015, wherein New England prevailed.
As a franchise, this will be Seattle’s fourth trip to the Big Game, previously going 1-2 in this spot. Across the way, New England is back in the pro football championship for a record 12th time. The Pats are 6-5 here.
Kalshi markets now forecast:
Pro football champion:
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