26-27 NFL Preview

Hi Friends!

The 2026-2027 NFL season opens this evening at 5:20 pacific time at Lumen Field, and my Dad (Seahawks fan) is going with my Uncle (Patriots fan)! It's a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. In case you forgot, the Seahawks beat the Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX led by the historic Dark Side Defense (see DVOA and the 2025 Seahawks). For my #TLDR readers, here is a quick summary of my 2026-2027 NFL predictions before I dive deeper into team by team.

I have the reigning champ Seahawks two-peating over the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, with the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills as conference finalists.

My projected playoff seeding looks like this (note that division champions automatically earn the top four seeds in each conference, with wildcards earning seeds five thru seven, which is why records may not be in descending order):

AFC

#1 Chargers (12-5)

#2 Bengals (11-6)

#3 Bills (10-7)

#4 Texans (10-7)

#5 Broncos (11-6)

#6 Patriots (10-7)

#7 Ravens (9-8)

NFC

#1 Seahawks (12-5)

#2 Bears (11-6)

#3 Cowboys (10-7)

#4 Falcons (9-8)

#5 Rams (12-5)

#6 Lions (11-6)

#7 Vikings (11-6)

Now, with all that out of the way, I will share a bit about every single NFL team this season. Here we go!

NFC West Non-Playoff Teams

Cardinals

Very difficult schedule, playing Seahawks, Rams and 49ers twice each, as well as NFC East and Lions; I personally don’t think they are strong enough yet to beat these juggernauts, 5-12, miss playoffs.

49ers

I like this team a lot, they have an easier schedule but still play Rams and Seahawks twice each; De’Zhaun Stribling OROY candidate, but injuries matter a lot for this team. 9-8, miss playoffs.

NFC East Non-Playoff Teams

Commanders

The big question; will Jayden Daniels boom or bust in his third year? Lots of O-line worries on that team. Defense added pieces like Oweh and Styles, but tough schedule, 7-10, miss playoffs.

Giants

Decent level schedule, I believe that Jaxson Dart in his second year is going to have a Drake Maye type regular season, just without the WR depth and the Super Bowl make. If everyone’s healthy which I believe will happen, under legendary HC John Harbaugh, 9-8, miss playoffs.

Eagles

They have a pretty easy schedule as well early on, Kevin Patullo is gone as OC and there is a lot of hype around new OC Sean Mannion, but they did lose a lot of pieces and play tough defenses like the Seahawks and Texans in key late-game matchups. 9-8, miss playoffs.

NFC North Non-Playoff Teams

Packers

Josh Jacobs has been suspended at least 6 games, so there are questions at RB, and they have to play the Lions, Bears and Vikings twice each. I like Jordan Love this season, with lots of weapons around him, notably Christian Watson, Matthew Golden (sneaky breakout candidate) and Tucker Kraft, and Micah Parsons, recovering from his ACL tear will be a strong anchor to the defense. 9-8, miss playoffs.

NFC South Non-Playoff Teams

Panthers

They face a really hard schedule after the division win last year, with notable games against the Seahawks and Steelers defenses, and early season matchups against teams like the Broncos and Lions. Bryce Young has a great touch, but his arm strength and velocity don’t match the standard of other top-tier QBs, giving him more room for error. 6-11, miss playoffs.

Buccaneers

After losing Mike Evans to the 49ers and Lavonte David’s retirement, this team looks like they could go on rebuild soon. Plus, they have to play the strong NFC North this season, as well as teams like the Cowboys and Rams, giving them a pretty tough schedule. 6-11, miss playoffs.

Saints Tyler Shough will be playing the entire season after a strong finish in his starts down the stretch last year. He will be a top-12 QB this season in my opinion. The O-line is functional. They signed an elite RB in Travis Etienne. They have the second easiest strength of schedule this season. I have a very optimistic prediction for this team this season, 9-8, miss playoffs.

AFC West Non-Playoff Teams

Raiders

I LOVE Klint Kubiak, the Super Bowl winning OC last season, stepping in as head coach. He is offensive minded which will help No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty and that young squad. They also got some notable upgrades at Linebacker, including Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. The thing is, I don’t think this team is at the level of playoff team yet. Yet. You heard that right. They have a very bright future. For this season, 5-12, miss playoffs.

Chiefs

The end of the Chiefs dynasty is near. Patrick Mahomes is recovering from an ACL tear last season, and this might be Travis Kelce’s last year of football. They did make some good signings in Kenneth Walker at RB and L’Jarius Sneed at CB replacing Trent McDuffie, who went to the LA Rams. They and that entire division do have to play the strong NFC West, as well as the Bills AND Patriots, and strong teams within their division like the Broncos and Chargers. 7-10, miss playoffs.

AFC East Non-Playoff Teams

Jets

After a tough 3-14 season, Aaron Glenn’s Jets will try to rebound this season by adding No. 2 pick David Bailey (DE), and first-rounders Kenyon Sadiq (TE) and Omar Cooper Jr. (WR) as well as some more veteran additions on defense and at QB (Geno Smith). Still, this is a young team who I feel like are going to be playoff contenders in a few years. This year, they have a tough schedule playing the Bills and Patriots twice (divisional games), as well as the NFC North and AFC West. 4-13, miss playoffs.

Dolphins

This team honestly did a Seattle Storm and cleared out their entire team. They lost stars like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bradley Chubb, Rasul Douglas, their starting QB Tua Tagovailoa, and they fired HC Mike McDaniel. They still have some great players like De’Von Achane (RB) and Jordyn Brooks (LB), with QB Malik Willis at the helm with solid rushing upside. They had a great draft, signing many rookie pieces needed for the rebuild, like Kadyn Proctor (OL) and Caleb Douglas (WR). I think they actually have a good shot at getting some upsets this season, even with a pretty hard schedule. 7-10, miss playoffs.

AFC North Non-Playoff Teams

Steelers

For over two decades, Mike Tomlin took flawed Steelers teams to a .500 or better record. Now that he’s gone and Mike McCarthy is taking over, I believe that the floor of this organization has been lowered. 42-year-old legendary QB Aaron Rodgers is starting for his final NFL season before retirement. I think he will perform below average, and an injury to a quarterback of his age will force Pittsburgh to rely on unproven younger backups. This may be controversial, but 4-13, miss playoffs.

Browns

There is a huge QB debate in Cleveland between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, leaving huge questions about offensive production. That said, the Browns have the #1 easiest schedule in the NFL this season, providing a safety net against a complete collapsing. The defense lost #1 player on the NFL Top 100 Myles Garrett, so they will transition under a new coordinator, while the offense is likely to lean on multiple rookie and second-year starters.

AFC South Non-Playoff Teams

Titans

This team enters a brand-new era with newly hired HC Robert Saleh and OC Brian Daboll. After back-to-back 3-14 seasons, this team looks like they are attempting a rebuild. They have a pretty easy schedule as well, but I still think this team is a little too young to be a playoff team. 7-10, miss playoffs.

Colts

I view this team as a “playoffs-or-bust” campaign for head coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard. They get an easy strength of schedule, and their offense relies on Daniel Jones at QB recovering from a ruptured Achilles alongside a QB room of Anthony Richardson Sr. and second-year player Riley Leonard with Jonathan Taylor at RB and weapons like Tyler Warren and Alec Pierce. The defense features a great CB room with Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward leading the way, but I think this year will feature many injuries for star players. Healthy, I would say 10-7. Injured, which I think will happen, I would say 7-10, miss playoffs.

Jaguars

They also lost a lot of pieces, like starting RB Travis Etienne Jr., star LB Devin Lloyd, and CB Greg Newsome II. Despite a dominant 13-4 record last season, the Jaguars still enter this season as a scary team. Here’s my issue with the team though. Stadium renovations are underway at the Jaguars’ home stadium, EverBank Stadium, so their home games’ regular crowd noise will be dampened, with stadium capacity cutting down from over 68,000 to 42,507 fans, which hurts their structural home field advantage. Also, after playing the Colts at home on November 1^st, they do not play a game in Jacksonville again for 35 days (5 weeks) after away games against the Ravens, Titans, and Giants. I also forgot to mention that they have an annual home game in London every year, but this year they have TWO! Also, next season, they have to play in Orlando, following even more renovations. I still think this team is pretty good overall, so 9-8, miss playoffs.

Now, let’s move on to my playoff teams!

Out in Wild Card Round (Final Fourteen)

Vikings

Last season, the Vikings managed to scramble a 9-8 finish despite major problems at QB. Upgrading that to a dynamic veteran in Kyler Murray is easily worth a 2-4 win bump. And, under him, I believe that Justin Jefferson will surpass 1,500 yards receiving. Brian Flores and the defense looks incredibly strong yet again, also taking lots of pressure off the offense. This team is going to do great things. 11-6, NFC #7 seed, out in wildcard losing to the Bears.

Ravens

I anticipate severe offensive regression due to injuries, as well as a shaky o-line struggling to protect Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry who are both near the end of their primes, and the defense took a step backward after losing key players. That said, this team is still very good and has lots of star power on both sides of the game. 9-8, AFC #7 seed, out in wildcard losing to the Bengals.

Patriots

After a 14-3 season and making the Super Bowl unpredictably, this team is definitely a contender again. That said, they did have a super easy schedule last year, and this year they are faced with one of the league’s hardest schedules, even when adding stars like AJ Brown and Kevin Byard III. 10-7, AFC #6 seed, out in wildcard losing to the Bills.

Texans

Listen, defense wins championships. This team has the best defense in the NFL, even adding stars like Reed Blankenship. The question is on offense though: will C.J. Stroud play like his rookie year with this new offense with David Montgomery at RB? Let’s find out. 10-7, AFC #4 seed, out in wildcard losing to the Broncos.

Falcons

I think that new HC Kevin Stefanski really helps this team and can stabilize the offense and finally break the franchise’s long-standing losing-season streak. Star weapons like Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts thrive under a consistent scheme under newly acquired QB Tua, allowing them to dominate a winnable NFC South and squeeze out a winning record despite questions on defense. Note I also have the Saints at the same record but the Falcons doing better H2H to win the division, 9-8, NFC #4 seed, out in wildcard losing to the Rams.

Cowboys

I honestly believe that this elite potential #1 offense led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens can safely carry this team, while huge offseason defensive grabs like trading for Rashan Gary and drafting safety Caleb Downs elevate the league’s worst defense from last year immensely. 10-7, NFC #3 seed, out in wildcard losing to Lions.

Out in Divisional Round (Final 8)

Lions

I view this team as the ultimate bounce-back candidate, benefiting from what metrics rank as the NFL’s easiest regular season strength of schedule. New OC Drew Petzing replacing Ben Johnson unlocks an even more elite offense, allowing QB Jared Goff, dynamic workhorse RB Jahmyr Gibbs and star WR Amon-Ra St. Brown to absolutely cook opposing units and comfortably make playoffs. 11-6, NFC #6 seed, beat Cowboys in wildcard, out in divisional losing to Seahawks.

Rams

This team made HUGE offseason moves including elite trade additions Myles Garrett (#1 in NFL top 100), Trent McDuffie (top CB) join a returning out-of-retirement legend Aaron Donald to turn a previously weak defense into a juggernaut, allowing a high-powered offense led by QB Matthew Stafford (MVP last season) and WR Puka Nacua (1700+ yards last season) offense to try to navigate the third-hardest schedule and secure a good run in the playoffs. 12-5, NFC #5 seed, beat Falcons in wildcard, out in divisional losing to Bears.

Bengals

I believe that a fully healthy Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase will return to MVP-level form to lead this elite, high-flying offense. The defense acquired superstar DT Dexter Lawrence II to seamlessly fix last year’s weak line, allowing Cincy to dominate one of the easiest NFL strength of schedules. 11-6, AFC #2 seed, beat Ravens in wildcard, out in divisional losing to Bills.

Chargers

I think this is the year for the Chargers, hitting their highest ceiling. I believe this team will be fully healthy, and new OC Mike McDaniel will really bolster Justin Herbert’s season (I actually have him winning MVP) alongside his high-speed offense with RB Omarion Hampton and a great O-line when healthy. The one drawback is that they don’t do that good in the playoffs, and I believe that that continues. 12-5, AFC #1 seed, out in divisional losing to Broncos.

Onto the Final Four!

Bills

Josh Allen has a new WR1 in DJ Moore, leading maybe the best offense the Bills have ever been, along with a decent defense, but severe schedule roadblocks including four separate sets of back-to-back road games and a minor transition period under new HC Joe Brady force a slight step back from last year’s 12-5 record. 10-7, AFC #3 seed, beat Patriots in wildcard, beat Bengals in divisional, out in AFC Championship losing to Broncos.

Bears

Warning to all other teams in the NFL: the Iceman is back and he never left. HC Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams replicating their dominant regular-season from last year makes perfect sense with an upgraded offensive arsenal featuring young WRs and a young TE, allowing Chicago to navigate one of the NFL’s toughest strengths of schedule and confidently retain their NFC North crown. 11-6, NFC #2 seed, beat Vikings in wildcard, beat Rams in divisional, out in NFC Championship losing to Seahawks.

Broncos

Remember last season when this team made the AFC Championship but Bo Nix wasn’t healthy? If he was, I would have thought the Broncos would win all day long. This team is so back if Bo Nix stays healthy with an upgraded offense including players like Jaylen Waddle, along with probably the best O-line in the NFL and a top 3 defense. 11-6, AFC #5 seed, beat Texans in wildcard, beat Chargers in divisional, beat Bills in AFC Championship, out in Super Bowl losing to Seahawks.

Seahawks

They may have a tougher schedule. They may have lost some key pieces to their SB last season. Their division rivals may have gotten the best players just to catch them. They may have lost their OC. All of these things are true but the sheer power of Mike McDonald and his Dark Side defense along with Sam Darnold and JSN on offense is just not enough for other teams to compete yet again. This team is very disciplined, have a clear plan no matter what, and have the loudest fans at Lumen Field. 12-5. NFC #1 seed. Again. Beat Lions in divisional. Beat Bears in the NFC Championship in a close battle. Get to the Super Bowl vs the Denver Broncos. And they take home the dub for a two-peat, winning the Super Bowl and bringing the Lombardi back home to Seattle. I’m calling it. The reigning Champs do it again. #GoHawks

Here are my NFL Honors predictions as well.

MVP (Most Valuable Player):

Justin Herbert, Chargers QB

OPOY (Offensive Player of the Year):

Brock Bowers, Raiders TE (first ever TE to do it with a historic season)

DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year):

Will Anderson Jr., Texans DE

OROY (Offensive Rookie of the Year):

Jadarian Price, Seahawks RB

DROY (Defensive Rookie of the Year):

Caleb Downs, Cowboys S

COTY (Coach of the Year):

Kellen Moore, Saints HC

ACOTY (Assistant Coach of the Year):

Drew Petzing, Lions OC

POTY (Protector of the Year):

Penei Sewell, Lions T

Let's also give a huge shoutout to perhaps the most important award, the Walter Payton Man of the Year, given to players who help others via service and philanthropy, given after the MVP at NFL Honors. It's too hard to predict this one right now but maybe once the nominees are released, I can shout them out and make a pick! If you made it this far, you are probably a diehard football fan or soon to become one! Enjoy the season ahead and see if you can spot my Dad behind the endzone on the Hawks Pats broadcast tonight! Please leave your comments below, particularly re your final four predictions. I realize mine, particularly the Bears making it that far, are unconventional, and I love to hear all ideas, especially if you can explain why!

That's all for today! See y'all next time! Sarang out.