NFC West
Seattle Seahawks - Super Bowl champions
The Seattle Seahawks won 14 games in the 2025 NFL Season, making it to the Super Bowl and winning it all just one year after missing the playoffs entirely. It's clear that this operation is a well-oiled machine and capable of doing it again.
With how deep and explosive the defense is, and how solid of a head coach Mike Macdonald is, the Seahawks could be one of those teams that goes back-to-back. The Super Bowl hangover is real, and it's something that has impacted many teams, but remember, we're doing best-case scenarios here.
I am not sure many of us would be shocked if Seattle won two in a row.
Los Angeles Rams - Super Bowl champions
Another unsurprising best-case scenario would be the Los Angeles Rams winning the Super Bowl. Los Angeles did feel like the best team in football in 2025, but some poor defensive showings and an inability to stop the Seahawks in the NFC title game ended their season.
The Rams added Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson on defense, shoring up the secondary and pulling off an all-time trade for Garrett. As we get closer to the start of the season, I would be shocked if the Rams weren't almost unanimously looked at as being the Super Bowl favorite this year.
That does only amp up the pressure more, but the players and coaches also hear the chatter and know what is at stake.
San Francisco 49ers - Super Bowl berth
The San Francisco 49ers have made the Super Bowl two times in the Kyle Shanahan era, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 and 2023. The 49ers are good enough to make it back to the big game, as Shanahan's squads really seem to play better when the playoffs roll around.
But if history tells us one thing, it's that Shanahan and the 49ers just fall short sometimes. Could that be the case in 2026? History would say it's possible.
Arizona Cardinals - 5 wins
At best, the lowly Arizona Cardinals can win a handful of games and perhaps not look totally dysfunctional. I would not be surprised if Arizona flirted with being the first winless team in the 17-game era, as the roster and quarterback situation are both bottom-3 in the league, and the team does have a new coaching staff.
Getting to five wins would honestly feel like a miracle.
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