The regular season will be here before you know it, but we first have to get through the training camp and preseason period of the 2026 NFL Offseason. With the start of the regular season less than two months away, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
And now, we have some brand-new playoff predictions for this coming season. There has been a lot that has changed this offseason, and over time, opinions change, so our predictions have changed just a bit as well.
With how loaded these conferences seem to be and how much parity is present in the NFL, there are endless scenarios that can unfold. Let's get into some brand-new playoff predictions with camps ramping up.
2026 NFL Playoff Predictions with training camps beginning
AFC Playoff Teams
#1: Denver Broncos
Why can't the Denver Broncos do this again? They are, clearly, the most talented team in the AFC, just added Jaylen Waddle to the offense, and now have Davis Webb entrenched as the offensive coordinator and calling the plays. There is reason to believe that third-year quarterback Bo Nix can enjoy the best season of his career, and on defense, Vance Joseph's unit has ranked 3rd in points allowed per game in 2024 and 2025.
#2: Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have a loaded roster, shoring up the offensive line in free agency and also adding pieces on defense in Reed Blankenship and rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. The Texans have been able to win a ton of games in the CJ Stroud era, and the personnel around Stroud is the best it's been in his career.
#3: Buffalo Bills
Going from Sean McDermott to Joe Brady at head coach could be a change that the Buffalo Bills needed to make, as they were stalling out in the playoffs. With how stable this team has been, the Bills will have no issue winning the AFC East and finishing somewhere between 11-13 wins.
#4: Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals revamped defense will be enough to get this team back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season. Even if the defense ranks 14th in points allowed per game, the top-tier offense won't have to strain as much, and the Bengals would soon find themselves with a 10 or 11-win season.
#5: Baltimore Ravens
As long as Baltimore doesn't start the year 1-5, they are a safe bet to make the playoffs. The Ravens know how to win games and will see the ship straighten out a bit in year one of the Jesse Minter era.
#6: Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers lost Minter to the Ravens head coaching job, but were able to hire Mike McDaniel as the offensive coordinator. Those two moves could cancel each other out a bit, so I am not sure the Chargers are in a significantly better standing for 2026 than they have been in 2024 and 2025.
#7: Jacksonville Jaguars
Losing Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency is going to hurt, and with the Jacksonville Jaguars exploding onto the scene, a slight regression to a more modest season, perhaps a 10-7 campaign, feels realistic.
AFC Winner: Denver Broncos
Had Nix not broken his ankle in the AFC Divisional Round, the Broncos likely play in the Super Bowl in 2025. The Broncos get revenge on how the 2025 season ended, hold the fort down at home, and advance to the Super Bowl in our latest predictions.
Add us as a preferred source on Google