4. Houston Texans
The Texans have one of the most dominating defenses in the entire NFL. It took the ball bouncing a million different ways for the Patriots to beat them in the playoffs, and you can't help but feel like even just a slight raising of the floor offensively will have the Texans back in the final four of the AFC this coming season.
It's been so interesting watching this Texans team reload on the offensive and defensive lines over the last two seasons, and as important as that is, nothing is going to matter more for this team than CJ Stroud getting back on track.
After a stellar rookie season, it feels like Stroud has been getting dragged by the awesome Houston defense. The Texans' offense needs to figure some things out in 2026.
3. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills should, in theory, have all of the pieces in place to make a title run. Although they fired head coach Sean McDermott this offseason, this Bills team got better overall with the addition of DJ Moore to a wide receiver group that struggled badly throughout the course of the 2025 season.
Buffalo's defense will have some new faces with Bradley Chubb joining the cast on the defensive line, but the real question mark on that side of the ball is going to be first-year coordinator Jim Leonhard. Leonhard is coming over from Denver where he was the secondary coach and pass-game coordinator.
If Leonhard is as good as the Bills expect him to be, you have an MVP at the quarterback position and a defense that could be lights out in January.
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