5. Jacksonville Jaguars
There is a lot to like with the long-term view of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but in the present, I am not sure this team is going to be quite as good this year as they were in 2025. What is clear, though, is that the Jaguars seemed to have finally figured out the right head coach, as Liam Coen had this team playing excellent football in 2025.
Typically, a head coach proves themselves one way or another in year one, and while some of the best head coaches have had losing records early in their careers, there is typically something tangible they can take going into future years.
The Jaguars slide into the fifth seed in the AFC in our predictions. Two big roster losses of Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd are going to hurt, and this 'rebuild,' if you even want to call it that, is still just in year two.
It's going to take now-GM James Gladstone more than two seasons to clean up some of the mess left by former GM Trent Baalke. The Jaguars also won 13 games last year, which creates a very slim margin for error. I would expect a slight regression, perhaps into that 10 or 11-win window, which would still be good enough for a playoff spot, which would be two years in a row the Jaguars, of all teams, get into the postseason.
4. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens return back to the top of the AFC North in our latest playoff predictions. The Ravens hired Minter away from the Chargers, and that should end up being a great move, as defenses are able to be improved a bit quicker than offenses, as defenses have begun to take back the advantage over offenses in recent years.
Given how quickly Minter was able to improve the Chargers defense during his stint there, a similar improvement could be coming for the Ravens defense. And it's not like this team can't score a ton of points on offense, either.
Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers make for one of the league's best offensive trios. All in all, the Ravens are going to bounce back nicely from an injury-riddled 2025 season. They'll win the AFC North and slide into the fourth seed in our playoff predictions, which would give them a Wild Card Round showdown with the Jaguars.
Let's see who our top three teams are in our updated AFC playoff predictions.
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