3. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys come in at No. 3 in our playoff seed predictions for the NFC, and before you laugh, hear me out. The Cowboys had the best scoring offense in the NFL last year, ranking seventh in points scored per game.
Dak Prescott is clearly the best passer in the division, and the defense got a total makeover this offseason. Christian Parker is now in as the new defensive coordinator, and he has Vic Fangio ties. The team also had Quinnen Williams entering his first full offseason with the team, and other key additions like Malachi Lawrence, Rashan Gary, Caleb Downs, and Jalen Thompson present, at minimum, floor-raising performances in 2026.
With how good the offense is, you aren't going to be asking the defense to emerge as a top-10 unit, but a modest improvement is not only likely, but much more realistic now. Philadelphia has offense and quarterback concerns, as AJ Brown is gone and another new offensive coordinator is in the mix. Washington won just five games last year and only had Jayden Daniels for seven games, and New York isn't guaranteed to see quarterback Jaxson Dart take that next step.
Right now, the Cowboys are the most trustworthy team in the NFC East.
2. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams capture the No. 2 seed in our playoff predictions in the NFC. We briefly talked about the Rams earlier on, but as we said, this team is simply star-studded, and it'd be a shock if they didn't go far in the playoffs. On paper, this could be as close to an NFL super team as you could possibly get.
I guess the biggest unknown could be if Matthew Stafford's age catches up to him, but even a slight regression would still have Stafford playing at a top-7 level. Sean McVay is also as good a head coach in the NFL as we have seen in recent memory.
1. Detroit Lions
I am riding with the Detroit Lions as the NFC's top seed in our playoff predictions. The Lions did not make the playoffs in 2025, but the last time they did, in 2024, they went 15-2 and earned the top seed. This roster is simply too good and too secure at a ton of positions to miss the playoffs two years in a row.
Getting some better injury luck and perhaps an improvement in the defense would go a long way, and given how much this team has won over the last four seasons, head coach Dan Campbell is going to find a way, right?
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