We saw a ton of parity in the NFL during the 2025 season, as not many predicted that the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks would be in the Super Bowl, as both teams were totally out of the playoffs the prior season.
If this ends up being the case in 2026, there could be a flat-out unexpected Super Bowl matchup for the second year in a row, and this is what makes the NFL so great. Given how many talented teams there are across the league, it feels nearly impossible that we'd see the same 14 teams in the playoffs this coming season.
Let's talk about a few non-playoff teams from the 2025 season that could return in 2026.
Could these non-playoff teams return to the playoffs in the 2026 NFL Season?
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens made a huge move this offseason to fire John Harbaugh and hire Jesse Minter. Minter joins the Ravens after two awesome years as the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator, and I cannot be the only one who thinks that the Ravens hiring Minter feels like them correcting course from letting Mike Macdonald depart as the Seahawks head coach.
The Ravens did struggle to stay healthy in the first part of the 2025 season, but still nearly won the AFC North if not for a missed field goal, so it's not going to be a stretch to see this team back in the playoffs in 2026 if the injuries regress to the mean, and Minter's defensive prowess could help that unit get back on a track, as well.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals underwent a defensive overhaul this past offseason, and even if this unit is average, the Bengals elite offense should be good enough to help this group win 10+ games. Given how prolific that side of the ball can be, you aren't asking much from the defense, right?
As long as Joe Burrow stays healthy, this team is plenty good enough to get back into the postseason.
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