The 2026 NFL Season promises to be a special one, as 2025 was filled with unexpected events and wild finishes. While it seems like it'll never get here, training camps across the league are rapidly approaching, and preseason football is right around the corner.
We're truly almost through with the offseason, as the regular season is now in view, and teams will soon begin the biggest preparations for the new year. Training camp is a time when the Super Bowl champion is truly built, and where tough roster decisions are made.
Let's get into some fresh record predictions for each team with training camp approaching.
Updated record predictions for each team as training camps loom
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens: 12-5
The Baltimore Ravens should be just fine in 2025. Swapping out John Harbaugh for Jesse Minter was a wise move, and it's reasonable to think that their injury totals regress to the mean in 2026. Furthermore, the Ravens haven't had any troubles winning a ton of games in previous years. Lamar Jackson's health is definitely something to keep an eye out for here, but as long as this team doesn't begin the year in the cellar, it'll be successful.
Cincinnati Bengals: 11-6
The revamped Cincinnati Bengals defense should be good enough for this team to snap their playoff-drought streak, a place they have not been since the 2022 NFL Season. Cincy has an elite offense and would really just need the defense to be league average. That's truly all this team needs. Joe Burrow also does need to remain on the field for a full 17 games, but seeing an improvement on defense would stabilize everything else.
Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-10
It might be finally time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to finish with a losing record. Aaron Rodgers was average at best last year and is now a year older and likely a year worse. Mike Tomlin's non-losing season streak is totally irrelevant since he's out of the picture, as well, and on paper, the Steelers just don't scare you much of anywhere.
Cleveland Browns: 4-13
Cleveland's quarterback situation might just be the worst in the NFL right now, and unless one of Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders somehow morphs into a franchise passer, this team is going to struggle all year and might be able to scrape together a handful of wins if they are lucky.
Browns bring up the back in the AFC North in our latest predictions.
AFC South
Houston Texans: 12-5
The Houston Texans started 0-3 in the 2025 season but still managed to win 12 games. However, due to the unexpected breakout season of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans fell short in the division. This year should be a bit different, as the Texans shored up the offensive line in free agency and also added some help at running back in David Montgomery.
Houston's defense even got better with key additons of Kayden McDonald and Reed Blankenship. On paper, this could be the best team in the AFC, and if quarterback CJ Stroud is able to come close to his 2023 performance in 2026, Houston could truly win it all this year.
Jacksonville Jaguars: 10-7
Losing both Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd is going to hurt the Jaguars, and while this team did win 13 games last year, part of me almost wonders if what we saw from this group last year is similar to what we saw from the Washington Commanders back in 2024. I do not think the Jags are going to only win a handful of games in 2026, but it's worth wondering if a slight regression is coming.
There is now a full year's worth of film out of this team on both sides of the ball, and the roster, while solid overall, doesn't appear to be that overwhelming at any position.
Indianapolis Colts: 8-9
The Indianapolis Colts were 7-1 at one point in 2025 before things reallly fell apart, and I am not sure if this team did enough to prevent another 'so-so' season. Daniel Jones was playing lights-out in the first half of the season last year but is now working his way back from another major injury, and he's largely been a bad quarterback for much of his career.
The Colts clearly know how to win some games, but nothing appears to be quite good enough for this team to truly take that next step and get into the playoffs in what is clearly a loaded AFC.
Tennessee Titans: 4-13
The Tennessee Titans are on the right track, but it could take a couple of seasons before we see this team truly blossom. I am personally high on Cam Ward making a leap in year two with Brian Daboll calling the plays, but the roster definitely still needs a bit of work, and the coaching staff is entering year one together, so this could be viewed as the de-facto year one of the rebuild.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills: 11-6
After years and years of playoff heartbreaks, the Buffalo Bills had to do something different this offseason. Moving on from Sean McDermott and promoting Joe Brady to head coach was a good start, and we could be entering a season where the head coach did end up being the problem. McDermott was a very good head coach and did get the franchise back on track, but it's clear that a ceiling was continually hit in that era.
Buffalo knows how to win games and have won double-digit games in the regular season each year since 2019, so even this major shift should still not prevent the Bills from doing well this year. Obviously, at this point, the regular season is what it is for Buffalo - the playoffs is really where things begin.
New England Patriots: 10-7
New England should end up regressing a little bit, as the schedule does get a lot harder, and while the Patriots were able to take advantage of their weaker schedule in 2025, it's not nothing that their slate is tougher. It's absolutely a vaild talking point. This is still a good football team that did get better on offense this offseason, but schedules matter.
The Patriots also did seem to be overwhelmed at times in the playoffs when tougher opponents were faced, so we could see this team fall more into the 'good not great' category in 2026.
New York Jets: 4-13
Trading for Geno Smith was a thing that happened, and somehow, Smith could end up being an upgrade over the quarterbacks the New York Jets ha in 2025, but I still struggle to see how Smith does anything worthwhile with the team.
I also do have questions about Aaron Glenn as the head coach, as he looked in way over his head last year. If nothing else, General Manager Darren Mougey did seem to improve the roster big-time, and especially on offense, the Jets suddenly have a ton of quality, young talent that could pave the way for a major quarterback addition in next year's NFL Draft.
Miami Dolphins: 2-15
The Miami Dolphins are a mess, but it's clear that the team knows it and wants to actually undergo a proper rebuild, which is the right thing to do. The Dolphins have a bottom-5 roster, brand-new coaching staff, and new front office, so there may not be much of a path to more than a few wins this year.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: 12-5
The Denver Broncos could win fewer games in 2026 but still be seen as the same tier of team as they were in 2025. Denver got by with a ton of one-score, late-game victories, and that might not be sustainable. Adding wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the mix could ease things up on offense, allowing Denver to get ahead and stay ahead.
And it's reasonable to think that this team could drop one or two of their one-score bouts in 2026 after being wildly successful in them in 2025. This league is simply too good for something like that to sustain itself for multiple years in a row.
Los Angeles Chargers: 11-6
The Los Angeles Chargers could finish 11-6 for the third year in a row. The team did bring in Mike McDaniel to run the show on offense, which was a great move, but the team didn't noticeably improve the offensive line, and losing their stud coordinator in Minter to the Ravens head coaching job could lessen the upgrade that McDaniel should be on offense.
Overall, the Chargers feel like the same exact team they have been in each year of the Jim Harbaugh era thus far. They're good, but not quite great, and that's the issue.
Kansas City Chiefs: 9-8
Another team in that tier should be the Kansas City Chiefs, who overpayed big-time for Kenneth Walker III in the offseason and still have major concerns at wide receiver, tight end, and all over the defense. The secondary got a lot weaker with the departures of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, and no move of note was made at wide receiver.
Patrick Mahomes is also coming back from a major knee injury, and it really doesn't feel like the Chiefs' roster got that much better. Even when Mahomes was healthy in 2025, Kansas City wasn't a special team and was very beatable. I think we see more of the same in 2026.
Las Vegas Raiders: 5-12
The Las Vegas Raiders snagged Fernando Mendoza this offseason and could have just drafted the league's next franchise quarterback, but with Kirk Cousins in the mix, it's clear that the Raiders want to take this slow, so this rebuild could end up really taking off in 2027. The fans might have to be patient this year, as the offense as a whole is still a bit of a mess, and it always seems like Vegas' defense is falling short.
NFC North
Detroit Lions: 13-4
The Detroit Lions had gone 27-7 in the regular season across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and were 7-4 at one point in 2025 before a late-season collapse. This team is plenty good enough to get right back on track in 2026, capturing the NFC North title for the third time in four seasons.
We simply need to see the defense playing a bit better and for the injuries to not be as frequent. That may seem much easier said than done, but the Lions have finished with a winning record four years in a row now, and head coach Dan Campbell will know how to direct this ship in a rebound season. The roster is also too good for Detroit to only again win nine games.
Chicago Bears: 12-5
Chicago wins one more game than they did in 2025 in our latest predictions but fall just short in the NFC North. With how loaded this division could be, a strong 12-5 record could absolutely only be good for second place. In 2024, we saw Minnesota win 14 games but finish second in the division. Chicago's offense took a major step forward this past season with Ben Johnson running the show, and GM Ryan Poles' defensive personnel moves indicate that the unit could become more efficient on a down-to-down basis, which is needed.
Green Bay Packers: 9-8
Could the Packers again win nine games? Jordan Love, their starting quarterback, has won exactly nine games in all three seasons of his starting career. And once again, the Packers feel like the same team they have been in recent years - perfectly good enough to rack up wins, but not good enough to do anything more.
Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
I really, really want to believe in the Minnesota Vikings this year, as adding Kyler Murray to the quarterback room was a fun, awesome move by the front office. It's clear that they hope Murray turns into their 2024 version of Sam Darnold, but when I look at the rest of the NFC North and how good the NFC can be, I just do not see enough wins to go around.
Minnesota did win nine games last year, finishing the season having won five in a row. The parity will be too strong for this team to overcome in 2026, though, regressing by one win and finishing last in the division.
NFC South
New Orleans Saints: 9-8
Yeah, let's send it - the New Orleans Saints will win nine games this year and capture the NFC South title. Tyler Shough played quite well down the stretch and does appear to be trending in the right direction. The Saints also added key pieces on offense to help a year two breakout in guys like David Edwards, Travis Etienne, and Jordyn Tyson.
The defense was also sneaky good last year, and with the NFC South being a wide open, winnable, division, the Saints have a path to what some may consider a shocking division title this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-9
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won eight games in 2025, the same record as the NFC South-champion Carolina Panthers, but the Bucs lost out on the division race and failed to make the playoffs. Tampa Bay has been able to take ownership of the NFC South in recent years, but they have not won more than 10 games in a season in quite some time, proving that this current era of football is rather maxed-out.
Until something major changes - whether it be a head coaching or quarterback change, the Bucs will continue to hover around 8-10 wins most years. My best guess here is that if the team does again finish 8-9 or misses the playoffs, head coach Todd Bowles could be shown the door.
Carolina Panthers: 6-11
I just cannot buy into the Carolina Panthers much. Bryce Young played the best football of his career in 2025 yet was still rather mediocre, only passing for 200 yards or more in four games. He went 8-8 as a starter, but there is just no way this team again wins the NFC South with an 8-9 record, right?
Unless Young takes another major step forward, Carolina won't accomplish anything of note this year. But to give Young credit, he did take a sizeable step forward from 2024 into 2025. Perhaps his third year with Dave Canales yields even better results, but I am wary of that taking place. He's a very limited player at the position and might have a ceiling as a top-20 guy.
Atlanta Falcons: 4-13
The Atlanta Falcons did win eight games last year, but a ton of change did hit the franchise this offseason, and the quarterback position is still shaky, at best. Ideally, Tua Tagovailoa is able to channel his 2022-2024 Dolphins form, or, better yet, Michael Penix Jr figures out how to takeoff in year three.
But with both quarterbacks having injury concerns and not really playing well in 2025, it could be a major uphill battle for the Falcons to not finish in last place.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles: 10-7
The Philadelphia Eagles could maintain their streak of consecutive seasons with double-digit wins, but also not amount to much this year. With AJ Brown out of the picture and the team needing to hire yet another new offensive coordinator, this could be the year where things really turn for the worse on offense.
Jalen Hurts has been a limited quarterback his entire career, as he's failed to throw for 4,000 yards or more than 25 touchdown passes in a season. With Brown no longer in the mix, the explosive piece of their offense is gone. What the Eagles do have going for them is a roster talented enough to scrape together a solid season, but I would not mistake this team as a Super Bowl contender this year.
Dallas Cowboys: 10-7
The Dallas Cowboys sported one of the worst defenses in the league in 2025, yet still finished with seven wins and did have a top-10 scoring offense. Like the Bengals, the Cowboys really just need the defense to play average football, and they'll be fine. The Cowboys offense would be good enough to lead the team on a deep playoff run if the defense can do just that.
And Dallas was 6-5-1 at one point in 2025, so let's not pretend like this team is some sort of dysfunctional mess. They aren't and should be able to win a few more games this year.
Washington Commanders: 9-8
Washington won 12 games in the 2024 season but regressed and won just five games in 2025. They could finish somewhere in the middle this year. The Commanders did get very active in free agency in shoring up the weaker spots on the roster, but you still would have liked to have seen more done on offense, specifically at wide receiver.
I'm not sure where the Commanders stand out as a threatening team, and it does feel like that magical 2024 season is way in the distance at this point. The Commanders bounce back a bit, but only finish with nine wins.
New York Giants: 4-13
The New York Giants finish with four wins in our latest predictions. While I am high on what the Giants have done this offseason, the things that were put in place or changed could take a bit of time to get going. Jaxson Dart is the main piece here, as he played well as a rookie, amassing 24 total touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Dart will need to learn how to better protect himself in year two, and the roster as a whole could use another strong offseason's worth of additions.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams: 13-4
The Los Angeles Rams not winning the NFC West would feel like a massive shock at this point. They not only added to the secondary with the additions of McDuffie and Watson from the Chiefs, but they also swung what could be one of the biggest trades of all-time in Myles Garrett.
And this is already a team that had the best scoring offense in the NFL. The Rams could not have been more aggressive if they tried, as this does feel like a repeat of the 2021 season, where the Rams assembled the NFL's version of a super-team and won it all.
Heck, they might be able to pry Aaron Donald out of retirement, too.
San Francisco 49ers: 11-6
The San Francisco 49ers are a funny team. Not typically that strong in the NFL Draft, the 49ers still find a way to stand among the best teams in the league. After a 12-5 season in 2025, the 49ers surely hope to build on that in 2026.
However, we have them at an 11-6 finish in 2026, but will finish in second in the NFC West. Having finished third last year, the 49ers were clearly a slight tier below Los Angeles and Seattle, but 2026 could see the playing field even out a bit more.
Seattle Seahawks: 11-6
Seattle losing Walker and Riq Woolen in free agency is going to hurt. While the defense should still be elite, the Super Bowl hangover is a real thing, and while the Seahawks are clearly still a playoff team, a slight regression could come, but it wouldn't be anything notable.
This team is well-built and might be the most wel-coached group in the NFL as well. I do have questions about the top-heavy wide receiver room and running back room without Walker, but there is enough solidified on this roster for a potential 11-6 season to be attainable. Mike Macdonald has gone 24-10 in his two years in the regular season as the team's head coach and should have another double-digit win season coming.
Arizona Cardinals: 3-14
Perhaps the worst team in the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals come in at 3-14 in our latest record predictions. The Cardinals just don't have much going for them right now and are going to struggle all year, but the flip side of this is the team potentially landing one of the top picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, which could end up being a legitimate quarterback prospect.
Overall, there isn't any hope for the team in 2026, so fans may simply have to be patient until next season.