Some of the division winners for the 2025 NFL Season absolutely came as a bit of a shock, but there is a legitimate chance that some of the mainstays of recent league history will return to the top of their respective divisions for 2026.
The one thing that could continue to shake up the league is just how much parity is present - this has made for some insanely fun competition, which spilled into the playoffs and left us with a Super Bowl matchup that not many had predicted.
With OTAs across the NFL getting underway, let's predict all eight division winners for the 2026 season.
Predicting all eight division winners for the 2026 NFL Season
AFC North - Baltimore Ravens
It's easy to see why the Baltimore Ravens could reach the AFC North peak in 2026. This team did nearly win the division despite battling a ton of injuries in 2025 and starting off 1-5. With it being reasonable to expect that the Ravens regress to the mean with injuries, coupled with a new, defensive mastermind of a head coach in Jesse Minter, an 11 or even 12-win season is on the table, which could be enough to capture the division.
AFC South - Houston Texans
The Houston Texans improved more than the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason Houston somehow managed to get better on defense by signing Reed Blankenship and drafting Kayden McDonald, and they also shored up the offensive line and running back room wiith Wyatt Teller, Braden Smith, and David Montgomery.
This team does not have a notable roster flaw and was a more talented squad than Jacksonville in 2025. If that 0-3 Texans' start wasn't even a thing last year, Houston would have done enough to win the division. They'll start off much better and capture the AFC South.
AFC East - Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots benefitted from an insanely easy schedule in 2025, and that simply isn't going to be the case in 2026. The Buffalo Bills, on the other hand, have been one of the most winning and consistent franchises in the league for years now.
Buffalo's reign atop the AFC East stopped abruptly in 2025, but given the increase in difficulty in New England's schedule and the overall roster talent swinging in Buffalo's favor, the Bills will capture the AFC East.
AFC West - Denver Broncos
Denver is a tier above the rest of the AFC West in terms of overall talent. The Broncos won 14 games in 2025 and won the division with room to spare. Neither Kansas City or Los Angeles made significant enough roster changes to leap-frog the Broncos, either.
This is Denver's division again.
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