Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals revamped the defensive side of the ball this offseason and suddenly have the strongest roster of the Joe Burrow era. We all know that Burrow is among the best in the league, and he does have a Super Bowl appearance on his resume, which came back in 2021, just his second season in the league.
And in 2022, the only other year the Burrow-led Bengals made the playoffs, they advanced to the AFC title game, so this team does know how to go on a run. All you might ask from this defense in 2025 is for them to be slightly above-average, as the offense is simply elite and just needs a competent defense.
If both of those things come together, Cincy can win it all this year.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams now have the best roster in the NFL thanks to a trio of high-end defensive moves this offseason in Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson. The Rams didn't need to go that all-out, but that's how General Manager Les Snead rolls.
The offense ranked first in points scored per game last year, so that unit is going to be just fine, and when you assess this roster from an aerial view, it's littered with All-Pros and simply zero major weaknesses. The Rams could win it all this year and might be the clear-cut favorite.
Seattle Seahawks
Well, the Seattle Seahawks did it last year, so why not again? It only gets harder, yes, but teams have repeated as champions, and with how stacked the Seahawks are, especially on defense, it's possible. I'd not doubt the genius of Mike Macdonald and the savvy roster-building of John Schneider.
Plus, this team did win 14 games in 2025, so even if you expect a slight regression, Seattle could still win 12 teams and again win the NFC West. Yes, there are some positions on this roster that aren't the best, but we did just watch this team dominate a ton of opponents and win it all.
Detroit Lions
Detroit's roster is outstanding, and all that it might take for this team to make a deep playoff run is for the defense to simply stay a bit healthier, which has been much easier said than done. However, at the same time, there are teams that regress to the mean with this type of thing - the Lions can't stay this injured on defense forever, right?
With an elite offense and a top-10 quarterback, the Lions have made deep playoff runs before and did earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC in 2024. Don't sleep on this team in 2026.
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