Courtesy of Joshua J. Cotten
After an offseason that felt like it lasted years, the NFL is finally back and looking to deliver its best product. We’ve got shocking returns from retirement, MVP-caliber players coming off devastating injuries, and non-playoff teams from a year ago expecting to compete for a Super Bowl. And what better way to kick it off than a showdown of the two teams that played in that exact contest last February.
Last season was largely defined by injuries, especially in the AFC, with quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Bo Nix all unavailable when their teams needed them most. They are all back and looking to make statements in a conference that Mahomes has dominated for so long. And while the Los Angeles Rams are the closest thing we may see to a superteam in the NFL, they lack depth and are stuck in the same division as the defending champs.
The Breakdown
AFC East:
Some key head coaching changes and offseason storylines have made the AFC playoff picture anything but clear. The reigning AFC champs, the New England Patriots, are one of the most intriguing teams, with some experts picking them to repeat and play for Super Bowl 61, while others have them completely missing the postseason. An offseason that included trading for elite wide receiver (WR) A.J. Brown unfortunately came with a negative spin as head coach Mike Vrabel was caught up in a cheating scandal with former reporter Dianna Russini. And while they won’t have the league’s easiest schedule since the turn of the century again, they do bring back the MVP runner-up manning the offense in quarterback (QB) Drake Maye.
They are largely in a two-horse race with the Buffalo Bills, which gathered publicity this summer for the construction of their brand-new, $2 billion stadium. They also acquired DJ Moore in a trade with the Bears last March, giving Josh Allen a true number one receiver, something they lacked a season ago. The Bills’ championship clock keeps ticking as Josh Allen’s physical playstyle competes with time, but the hope is that promoting Joe Brady from offensive coordinator to head coach will bring the Bills their first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
As for the Dolphins and Jets, don’t expect much out of them; these two teams are lobbying for draft position, and the season hasn’t even started yet. The Dolphins bring in former Packer defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley at head coach, while Aaron Glenn returns to the same post for the Jets now in year two. QB Geno Smith may have some absurd passing numbers after the Jets fall behind early in games, while QB Malik Willis tries to give the Dolphins hope for the future, but neither team is expected to be playing meaningful football in January.
Prediction:
The Bills regain control of the East after their five-year run came to an end a season ago, finishing 13-4 and comfortably outpacing the Patriots, who end up stumbling to a 9-8 record and continue the trend of Super Bowl runner-ups disappointing the next season and missing the playoffs entirely. The Jets finish third at 5-12 and the Dolphins bring up the rear at 3-14.
AFC North:
The North features two teams with aspirations of winning it all: the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. Jesse Minter takes over the head coaching job for a Ravens squad that desperately needed a new locker room voice. This might be the most talented team that quarterback Lamar Jackson has ever had, with the Ravens swiping edge rusher (ED) Trey Hendrickson from the Bengals to bolster that defense. After missing more than half of last year, QB Joe Burrow is looking to silence the injury questions and prove that the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl in 2022 was no fluke. Much like past Bengals teams, there won’t be a shortage of offense, but real concerns are being raised as to whether this defense can handle the league’s premier offenses.
The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed just the fifth coach in franchise history over the offseason, reuniting future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers with his old friend from Green Bay, Mike McCarthy. A trade for WR Michael Pittman Jr. gives the Steelers another legit threat on the outside, and the running game should give them enough juice to put up some points. However, an old and expensive defense with an even older QB with mobility questions is not the recipe for success in today’s NFL.
And then there’s the Browns. Fighting with the Atlanta Falcons for the ugliest QB room in the sport, Deshaun Watson earned the starting spot a week after calling fans out for booing him. The defense is young and exciting, and while losing future Hall of Fame edge rusher Myles Garrett had to have been emotional for Browns fans, they are setting themselves up nicely for the future. They have more pass-catching talent than in the past and running back (RB) Quinshon Judkins showed promise as a rookie.
Prediction:
I have the Ravens taking the division with a record of 13-4, while the Bengals snag one of three available wild card spots, finishing 10-7. The two teams are comparable on offense, but Baltimore’s defense is light-years ahead of Cincinnati’s. The Steelers finally finish under .500 for the first time since 2003, but not by much, going 8-9, and the Browns go 5-12 for the second consecutive season.
AFC South
For a division that has been one of the worst of the 2020s, the AFC South should be intriguing this year, with three teams having a legit shot to clinch the automatic playoff berth. After winning their final eight games of the 2025 campaign, the Jacksonville Jaguars will look to win the division in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever. Coming off his best season, QB Trevor Lawrence leads a surging offense that features second-year running back Bhayshul Tuten and a wide receiver corps with plenty of young upside.
The Texans bring back almost all of what was arguably the league’s best defense in 2025, while head coach Demeco Ryans has won a playoff game in each of his three years with the team. Quarterback C.J. Stroud, on the other hand, may have the most to prove of any QB in the entire NFL after his lackluster season and performance in the divisional round against New England. A banged-up wide receiver room certainly won’t help C.J. find his stride, but the return of WR Tank Dell midseason may give this offense enough firepower to contend for the division.
Indianapolis is one of the most unpredictable teams this upcoming season. With quarterback Daniel Jones back from Achilles surgery, there is optimism that the Colts, which sat atop the AFC for a good chunk of 2025, can return to being an offensive juggernaut. However for a roster that needed 44-year-old Philip Rivers to finish last year at 8-9, expectations are tempered in 2026.
The Titans are still a couple of years away from being a real threat to make the playoffs. This season is largely about whether Cam Ward is the guy for Tennessee, or if they need to look for that franchise guy again next April. Ward showed flashes in his rookie season, but it was pretty underwhelming and many sources close to the Titans aren’t displaying an abundance of confidence in Ward as the guy.
Prediction:
Houston’s defense is too good to leave them out of the conversation for this division, but the signs the Jaguars showed to end last season were promising, and their tight playoff loss against Buffalo proved they should win this division going 11-6. Due to the loaded AFC I have the South only sending one team to the postseason, as the Texans just miss out, finishing 9-8, and the Colts slide back to 7-10. The Titans are bottom feeders once again, trudging through a 3-14 season and being a threat for the number one pick.
AFC West
The best division in the AFC and arguably in the NFL, the West is going to be the wildest division in football, with three teams having a legit shot to win it and the last storing the number one overall pick in quarterback Fernando Mendoza for the future. The Denver Broncos finished 14-3 in 2025, winning an astonishing 11 one-score games, and if it weren’t for an injury to QB Bo Nix before the AFC Championship, Denver could have played for the Lombardi Trophy. A first-place schedule will not make going back-to-back easy, but a top-three defense and reliable head coach give the Broncos a shot.
The offseason hype for the Chargers is back, but this time for a different reason. Head coach Jim Harbaugh found his offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel, and the offensive line gets both of its tackles back from injury to make this running game even more dangerous. The excuses for Herbert are running out, as this should be the best team he has had in L.A. With more than competent coaching and enough playmakers for the Chargers to do some real damage, the expectation is that they finally win a playoff game in the Herbert era.
The Chiefs are going under the radar, with concerns about quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ health and what he will look like off an ACL and LCL tear. However, as long as he’s on the field, there is no reason to doubt the man who has brought Kansas City to five Super Bowls. An aging tight end (TE) in Travis Kelce and weak options out wide do pose cause for concern, along with a young, unproven defense, but head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes are really all Kansas City has needed to hoist a Lombardi.
Kirk Cousins will start the season at quarterback for Las Vegas, but most don’t expect that to last very long, and I think it’s safe to assume the first overall pick will get a shot before the season’s end. Developing chemistry between new head coach Klint Kubiak, Mendoza, and star TE Brock Bowers should be Vegas’ main focus as they look to show their fans that they aren’t far from competing for the division.
Predictions:
This Broncos team has just too much talent, and the addition of receiver Jaylen Waddle should only help their passing game. Even though I expect them to lose a couple more one-possession games, they still sneak out the division at 12-5. The revamped Chargers’ offense leads them to a wild card berth at 11-6, while the Chiefs sneak in as the seven seed at 10-7. Mendoza shows some signs but the Raiders still go 4-13 in Kubiak’s first year.
NFC East
After 21 seasons of no repeat champs in the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles broke the streak last season. We have two tiers of competition with the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys regarded as playoff contenders, while the Washington Commanders and New York Giants projected to be drafting closer to the top 10. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will have to prove himself if they hope to win their second title in three years after receiver A.J. Brown was traded during the offseason, and an aging offensive line shows further regression from their championship-caliber season in 2024. The Cowboys come with higher expectations than the end of 2025 would suggest, and it feels legit. After getting a value in safety Caleb Downs in the first round of the draft and extending defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, this defense should be closer to league average than dead last. The main cast is back for an offense that ranked second in total yards per game and fifth in total points per game in 2025.
Just two years removed from the conference championship the NFL media could not be lower on their expectations for this Commanders squad. After losing offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil for the majority of the season, their poor offensive line projections have a lot to do with it. The defense doesn’t have impressive projections so it will take an MVP-caliber year from former LSU Tiger quarterback Jayden Daniels, coming off multiple injuries, to even get them to the playoffs.
The Giants were an early surprise pick by many to have a drastic turnaround from one year to the next and sneak into the playoffs. Head coach John Harbaugh should bring a much needed veteran presence for a young offense that’s biggest issue is its health. If Skattebo, Dart, and WR Malik Nabers can all play double-digit games together, look out for the New York Football Giants to make noise.
Prediction:
I am drinking whatever Kool-Aid Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are serving, earning them the division at 12-5. The Eagles go through some questionable stretches but end up going 10-7 and grabbing a wild card. The Giants turn a few more heads and wind up 7-10 with 2027 feeling like their year, while the Commanders are left asking the most questions out of possibly any team in football, the biggest being about whether Daniels is the guy moving forward; they limp to 4-13.
NFC North
In terms of predictability, the North is the hardest to get right. You can make a legit case for any of the four teams to win the division. The Bears won the cold weather battle a season ago, with quarterback Caleb Williams’ breakout party leading the charge. An absurdly positive turnover margin helped cover for a rather weak defense that didn’t see much improvement during the offseason. Head coach Ben Johnson has made multiple remarks about wanting to break offensive records like most points in a season. With TE Colston Loveland’s breakout campaign in the latter half of last season, WR Rome Odunze with another training camp to get ready, and the magic “Da Bears” had a season ago, they are a premier contender to go back-to-back as division champions.
The Green Bay Packers make for an intriguing discussion, with edge rusher Micah Parsons set to miss around 8-9 weeks, and a record of 0-5 without their best defensive player. This is a big season for Jordan Love to show why he should be considered an elite-level QB and to look for his second playoff victory. The running game takes a hit with the recent Josh Jacobs scandal, and losing Romeo Doubs out wide might hurt more than they think. The goal should be to tread water until Parsons is back and get hot at the right time.
Besides the Cowboys and Bengals, the Detroit Lions are in the discussion for the league’s most potent offense, and after signing running back Jahmyr Gibbs to a record offseason contract, this Detroit offense might break some of their own records. The defense got worse with the injury bug already wreaking havoc. It’s a big season for head coach Dan Campbell, who burst onto the scene and brought the Lions to places they had only dreamt of, as another season with no postseason berth could put the kneecap-biter on the hot seat.
The Vikings have one of the better rosters in football, led by receiver Justin Jefferson looking for a bounce-back season. The cloud looming over Minnesota comes from the most important position in football: whether quarterback Kyler Murray can return to the version he displayed in 2021 when he led Arizona to the playoffs. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has often been deemed the “Quarterback Whisperer,” and he will have to prove that moniker to rack up wins in the toughest division in football.
Predictions
The Bears win the North, led by “Mini-Mahomes,” at 11-6. This offense is too good and they will find enough stops on defense to win crucial games. The Packers will claim the seventh seed for the fourth straight season at 10-7, while the Lions just miss out on the playoffs at 9-8, as that defense really lets them down. Minnesota wins some in-division battles but can’t quite put it together for a full season and ends up 7-10.
NFC South
By far the worst division in all of football, the NFC South could legitimately feature a winner under .500 for the second straight season. After Carolina took the South via a three-way tie at 8-9 a season ago, no team took a big step forward this offseason. Tampa Bay is seen as the favorite, bringing back one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and with interior defensive lineman Vita Vea on a new contract paired with ED Rueben Bain Jr. in the draft, this defense should give them an advantage in this division. Losing veteran receiver Mike Evans hurts, and second-year pass catcher Emeka Egbuka will have to be the version of himself we saw early last year for this offense to get clicking.
Despite making the playoffs and holding a fourth-quarter lead against the Rams in the playoffs, nobody is giving any respect to the Panthers, and regression feels almost certain. Quarterback Bryce Young did show some signs and WR Tetairoa McMillan emerged as his favorite target. Paired with a valid two-back rotation, the Panthers have a fighting chance on offense. The defense has some young building blocks but doesn’t project to be anything special.
The Saints had the most momentum out of the four teams, with quarterback Tyler Shough leading a resurgence in the last few games and giving hope to a fanbase looking for the next “guy” since Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees retired. This season is more about solidifying whether or not Shough is the answer for New Orleans, and then working from there with the help of receiver Chris Olave.
The Atlanta Falcons pose possibly the best all-around roster in the NFC South, but their glaring hole comes at the most important position. The quarterback battle between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. was up there with the Browns for the least exciting and hardest to watch, with Tagovailoa ultimately winning the job. They do have a legit MVP contender in running back Bijan Robinson, a true number one receiver, and a solid tight end, but nobody can look past the two lefties manning the offense.
Prediction:
I think the Buccaneers take the division at 9-8; there will be enough layups in-division that they won’t necessarily have to slay many giants in the regular season to make the playoffs. The next three could go in any possible order, but the Falcons have too much playmaking to not accidentally win seven or eight games; they finish in second at 8-9. The Saints go 7-10 and grab third, while the Panthers go from first to worst and finish 6-11.
NFC West
The opposite of the South, the West has possibly the greatest combined talent pool of any division in football, with the reigning champs and last year’s MVP. The Rams and Seahawks gave us an all-time classic in the NFC Championship, and there isn’t a strong argument why they can’t get back there again. L.A. has assembled as close to a superteam as you can get, mortgaging multiple first-round picks to trade for reigning DPOY Myles Garrett, convincing future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald to come out of retirement, and trading for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. Receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and running back Kyren Williams should be expected to put up similar, if not even better, numbers, while this defense added on to what was already an elite unit.
The last team standing from 2025 has fallen under the radar and many analysts have left them out of Super Bowl predictions, despite only losing a few defenders and replacing Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker with first-rounder Jadarian Price. As long as quarterback Sam Darnold allows this offense to function the way it was built to, they should look for another deep run.
The question remains the same for the 49ers, who just can’t seem to stay healthy no matter the circumstances. We saw what they could be when RB Christian McCaffrey played all 17 games, accumulating 12 regular-season wins and going on the road and winning one in the playoffs. The offseason was rough with head coach Kyle Shanahan getting in an accident, TE George Kittle entering the year banged up, and the receiver room depleted with injuries. But this gritty San Francisco squad is still ready to give the Rams and Seahawks a run for their money in the West.
By default, this puts the Cardinals at the bottom of the totem pole in this division. With a gunslinger in Jacoby Brissett, a generational talent at running back in Jeremiyah Love, and legit weapons in the passing game with tight end Trey McBride and receiver Michael Wilson, don’t be surprised if this offense puts up some points and upsets some teams. But the overall consensus is that the Cardinals have a greater chance at the number one pick than the playoffs.
Prediction:
I like the Rams to take the division, finishing at 14-3, and the Seahawks aren’t too far behind, going 12-5. San Francisco gets hit by the injury bug again, limping to a 9-8 effort, while Arizona brings up the rear at 4-13.
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