![Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) proudly wears his AFC South Division Champions hat during the fourth quarter in an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7 [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_313,w_2878,h_1618/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/136/01kh6p5h5bz32tgk3y1n.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) proudly wears his AFC South Division Champions hat during the fourth quarter in an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7 [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
The AFC proved to be a wide-open conference in 2025, as the end result was a flat-out shock to most of us. Not only did the Kansas City Chiefs miss the playoffs entirely, but we also saw teams like the Indianapolis Colts burst onto the scene, only to collapse down the stretch, and the New England Patriots to do a complete 180 and represent the conference in the Super Bowl.
If this continues into 2026, the AFC could become even more of an unknown, but that honestly makes it a more entertaining watch overall. In about one month, the NFL Free Agency period will begin, and this is where top AFC teams will try and put the finishing touches on a Super Bowl squad.
On the flip side, the worst teams in the conference will try and continue or begin a rebuilding process. Ahead of the bulk of the offseason, we've power-ranked the AFC. We're ranking based on what we believe to be the hierarchy when the regular season begins in September.
Power ranking the AFC ahead of the 2026 NFL Free Agency period
16. New York Jets
It's hard to find much of anything to like with the New York Jets, especially when Oregon quarterback Dante Moore decided to play another year in college, as he was likely going to be the pick for the Jets at no. 2 in the 2026 NFL Draft. With a bad coaching staff and a horrendous roster, the Jets may again struggle to win a handful of games in 2026.
15. Las Vegas Raiders
Sure, the Las Vegas Raiders might have something special at some point with Klint Kubiak and Fernando Mendoza, but the roster outside of that likely duo is among the worst in the league, and Maxx Crosby appears to be headed to a new team.
14. Tennessee Titans
I really love the hire of Robert Saleh as the Tennessee Titans new head coach, as he brought along Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator. The Titans may still be a year or two away, but this team has set a foundation to rise in our power rankings at some point in 2026.
13. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns hired Todd Monken as its next head coach, and if nothing else, Monken's offenses are typically airing it out at a high level, so there could be something fun coming on that side of the ball.
12. Miami Dolphins
I would guess that Malik Willis is the Miami Dolphins starting quarterback come Week 1 of 2026, but that really opens an entirely new can of worms for the Dolphins. They have a new General Manager and a new Head Coach approaching 2026.
11. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals legitimately need an average defense to become a contender in the NFL this upcoming season. All it might take is spending a bit of cash in free agency, but for some reason, the Bengals have not been able to do that.
10. Indianapolis Colts
After a 7-1 start in 2025, you get the sense that the Indianapolis Colts still have an uphill battle to make the playoffs in 2026 given the collapse they endured down the stretch. A Wild Card spot is definitely possible if Daniel Jones returns to how he played the first two months of 2025.
9. Kansas City Chiefs
It's not 100 percent clear at the moment if Patrick Mahomes will be ready for the start of 2026. Even if he is, the Kansas City Chiefs don't really scare you anymore. The roster is rather average outside of Mahomes.