Buffalo Bills: 12-5
The Buffalo Bills made a bold move this offseason to replace Sean McDermott with Joe Brady, and, who knows, this could be the one move the team was missing to go on a Super Bowl run. Buffalo has suffered a series of playoff heartbreaks over the years, but they obviously were not going to go out and replace Josh Allen, their star quarterback.
Brady does have some urgent shoes to fill, but Buffalo has won double-digit games each year since 2019, so it would be a massive shock if they failed to reach that unofficial milestone in the 2026 season, right?
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks could be in for a very small regression in 2026, as they lost their starting running back in Kenneth Walker III, and also saw Riq Woolen walk out the door. Furthermore, the Super Bowl hangover is a thing, so it's really not unheard of for a team to win fewer games the year after winning it all.
Seattle will still be a very good team, but they'll see a dip in their win totals.
San Francisco 49ers: 12-5
Going 12-5 last year, the San Francisco 49ers have another 12-win season staring them in the face in 2026. The coaching staff, led by Kyle Shanahan, is elite, and this team simply knows how to win football games, even when being faced with a ton of injuries.
That was the case last year, so the 49ers are probably just hoping for slightly better health. They have made the Super Bowl two times in the Shanahan era.
Los Angeles Rams: 12-5
Maybe a lower win total than you were expecting, the Los Angeles Rams win 12 games in our latest predictions, but that would be enough to capture the NFC West title in our own record predictions.
The Rams added Myles Garrett in a trade, and it could soon go down as one of the best trades in NFL history. The defense was already in a solid spot overall, but now, coupled with the high-powered offense, it creates what could be the most complete team in football.
Detroit Lions: 13-4
The Detroit Lions are just one year removed from going 15-2 in 2024, and they do have many of the same players. The Lions won 27 regular season games in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as this roster is among the very best in the league, and I really believe the Lions are set to see the defense regress back to the mean a bit.
The Lions were 7-4 at one point in 2025, so let's not pretend like this 9-8 season necessarily felt like it, if that made sense. Expect Detroit to get back on track in 2026.
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