Every single season in the NFL, there are teams that shock the world and win a lot more than many thought, and other teams that simply win a lot less. In 2025, we saw the New England Patriots shock the world and win 14 games, proving to be a breakout team.
Kansas City, on the other hand, won nine fewer games than the previous season and missed the playoffs for the first time in years. This proves just how much parity exists in the NFL, and this type of momentum is going to continue into the 2026 campaign and beyond.
Here, we outlined four teams that are primed to disappoint when the regular season begins.
These teams are going to be in a position to disappoint and underachieve in 2026
4. Carolina Panthers
It's hard to imagine that the Carolina Panthers can win the NFC South again in 2026 with another 8-9 record. This team sported the 27th-ranked scoring offense and 15th-ranked scoring defense, so this was not a good football team. Furthermore, the Panthers have seven games against teams that made the playoffs, including a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
Carolina, of note, also plays Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and Detroit. Not only that, but quarterback Bryce Young appears to be a functional passer, at best. It should be another losing season for the Panthers in 2026.
3. New England Patriots
The Patriots did make it to the Super Bowl in 2025, but this team did benefit from one of the easiest NFL schedules of the 21st century. That type of schedule just is not going to happen for quite some time, and while the Pats do have a good roster, a great head coach, and a great quarterback, year-over-year success of this magnitude just does not happen in the NFL unless you have truly generational people on the coaching staff or on the roster.
While New England should still be looked at as a playoff team, the schedule getting tougher is going to hurt this team, so dropping several wins is on the table.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs roster got worse this offseason, folks, but signing Kenneth Walker III right when free agency opened seemed to dominate the headlines for this team. All of Bryan Cook, Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie, and Leo Chenal are on new teams, so just about half of the defense was gutted.
The offensive line is still a bit of a question mark, the wide receiver room has been a dysfunctional, injured, inconsistent mess for multiple years, now, and tight end Travis Kelce isn't close to the player he once was. And obviously, Patrick Mahomes isn't a lock to be on the field for Week 1.
The Chiefs did trade for Justin Fields, which seems to indicate, to an extent, that they're preparing for Mahomes to miss some time. When you lump all of this together, it's easy to see why another losing record could be on the horizon.
And I am not just 'hating' on the Chiefs here - I believe this team has major roster concerns, and we saw many of those concerns sprout up during 2025.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
It's hard to imagine that this can keep up with the Eagles. This team has needed a new offensive coordinator most every single year now, and this recent 'tell all' piece by ESPN paints a horrific picture on offense, especially with Jalen Hurts, who is clearly a limited player but also seems to be rather tough to coach.
Philly didn't necessarily make major strides this offseason with the roster, and the team might still be in a position to trade AJ Brown. With the New York Giants hiring John Harbaugh, the Washington Commanders spending big-time in free agency, and the Dallas Cowboys overhauling the defense, it really would not be a shock if the Eagles ended up finishing second or worse in the NFC East.
Much of this is related to Hurts, though, as he is extremely limited as a passer, allowing opposing defenses a much easier time to stop the offense.