3. Baltimore Ravens
Coming in at No. 3 in our power rankings, the Baltimore Ravens come into the 2026 season with a lot at stake, despite hiring a new head coach in Jesse Minter, who was previously the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Baltimore nearly won the AFC North last year despite a horrendous 1-5 start that was plagued by injuries. The Ravens playoff experience in the Lamar Jackson era has been a talking point for years, as this team just flat-out regresses when the postseason rolls around, which includes Jackson himself.
The pressure is mounting for this franchise, a team that has not won multiple games in any playoffs since that Super Bowl season in 2012. On paper, though, the Ravens are continually one of the more talented clubs in the NFL and appear to have enough to win it all.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Given the aggressive defensive changes this offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals may have just recreated the 2021 team, a club that went on an improbable run to the big game. What we saw this offseason appeared to be the front office feeling a bit of heat to field a playoff team. The Bengals have not been to the playoffs since 2022, so it's now three years in a row with no playoffs, despite having two cornerstone pieces on offense in Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.
Collectively, this team got a lot better this offseason, and the Burrow-led Bengals have at least advanced to the AFC Championship Game in his tenure with the team, so a deep run is possible.
1. Detroit Lions
Talent-wise, the Detroit Lions are one of the best in the NFL. In 2023, this team made a run to the NFC title game, and if it wasn't for mounting injuries in 2024, the Lions could have gotten that far again. This team is still just one year removed from an insane 15-2 season.
Across those 2023 and 2024 seasons, the Lions won 27 of 34 regular season games. This team is capable of making a run, but the injuries simply have to disappear a bit, and the defense could also hold up its end of the bargain a bit more.
This team is simply too good to miss the playoffs again, and even without the postseason, Detroit still finished 9-8. Having now sustained a winning record four years in a row, the Lions are stable, dangerous, and have topped our power rankings.
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