Last year, we saw teams like the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, and Jacksonville Jaguars breakout and simply exceed expectations. You could lump the Chicago Bears into that group too. On the other hand, teams like the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs absolutely disappointed.
This trend happens just about every single season, so the 2026 campaign should bring more of the same, but with some new teams. With the regular season rapidly approaching, now is a good time to dive into teams that could breakout and others that may disappoint.
Let's dive into two teams primed to breakout and three primed to disappoint.
Predicting teams that breakout and disappoint for the 2026 NFL Season
Breakout: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints won four of their final five games to end the 2025 season and have a lot going for them right now, as then-rookie quarterback Tyler Shough did appear to show the necessary poise and grasp of the offense to develop into a franchise passer.
Shough went 5-4 in his nine starts, and the Saints did add guys like Travis Etienne and David Edwards on offense. Unfortunately, Jordyn Tyson is hurt and is going to miss extended time, but he should be back during the regular season.
And with a veteran defensive coordinator Brandon Staley in the mix as well, the Saints have a lot of business taken care off, and the natural next step here with the way 2025 ended is that breakout season.
Breakout: Cincinnati Bengals
We all know the story with the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Bengals absolutely need to rewrite that story this year. Fortunately, the front office finally got aggressive in fixing the defense, and with how elite the offense is, the defense really doesn't have to do a lot.
Cincy has somehow missed the playoffs three years in a row, but the two years they made the postseason, in 2021 and 2022, they made deep runs. While many look at the Bengals as a juggernaut, they simply have not been that. This year, though, the Bengals of old will emerge.
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