With the schedules now out and official for the 2026 NFL Season, it marks another notable milestone that we've crossed this offseason. There is still a long way to go, as there are about four solid months before the regular season.
In 2025, we saw the AFC turn into one of the more competitive conferences, and it ended up fielding some shocking results. The New England Patriots winning the AFC East was something that not many of us saw coming, for example.
And with some lesser-thought-of teams slowly on the right track, and there being a chance of regression from the top teams, the AFC could again look crazy in 2026. Let's make some ceiling and floor record predictions for each team in the conference for 2026.
Ceiling and floor record predictions for every AFC team for the 2026 NFL Season
Baltimore Ravens
Ceiling: 13-4
Floor: 9-8
You almost wonder if the Baltimore Ravens regret letting Mike Macdonald leave the team, as hiring Jesse Minter as the head coach feels like the franchise trying to correct that mistake. Minter is a defensive mastermind, and it's not like the Ravens haven't won a ton of games before.
The ceiling is obvious - Lamar Jackson stays healthy, the offense is electric, and the defense plays top-5 football. On the flip side, Minter's tenure starts off pretty rocky, and making the jump from coordinator to head coach feels bigger than expected.
Buffalo Bills
Ceiling: 14-3
Floor: 10-7
Another top AFC team with a new head coach, the Buffalo Bills promoted Joe Brady to replace Sean McDermott, and the argument here for Buffalo's ceiling and floor feels largely similar to what we just said for the Ravens. There should be a high floor here, given how good the Bills have been, but if Brady figures this thing out early on, the Bills don't miss a beat.
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