6. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are No. 6 in our power rankings. The Patriots won 14 games this past season and shocked the NFL world, dancing all the way to the Super Bowl, but their run to the big game was surely boosted by an insanely easy schedule, which can’t be disputed.
The Patriots do have some nice roster talent, and quarterback Drake Maye did come in second place in the MVP voting, but this team also needs to prove that they can hang with the best of the best with a ‘non fourth place’ schedule.
Their schedule does get a lot tougher this year, so only time will tell, but what the Patriots do have going for them is a top-tier head coach in Mike Vrabel, and a future Hall of Fame coordinator in Josh McDaniels.
The defense was stingy as well, and with Brown now in the mix on offense, that unit could take a step forward.
5. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills parted ways with Sean McDermott earlier this offseason in quite the major move. They promoted Joe Brady to that head coaching job, so as much as they made a change, a lot of things stayed the same, as Brady has been with the franchise for years now.
Fortunately for Brady, the Bills have won double-digit games each year since 2019 and have become one of the winningest teams in the NFL during the Josh Allen era, even swinging a major deal for DJ Moore this offseason.
The situation with the Bills is well-documented. This team will win a lot of games, probably win the AFC East, and will gear up for another playoff push.
But as they have done for years now, a playoff heartbreak could follow…
4. Houston Texans
I really love what the Houston Texans did this offseason. They shored up the offensive line with Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith, and also added a reliable running back in David Montgomery to the backfield as well.
The defense was and is the best in the NFL, and with the added additions from GM Nick Caserio this offseason, this roster doesn’t have a flaw. With that said, quarterback CJ Stroud has been rather average the past two seasons, so if he can’t elevate his game in 2026, the Texans will be in trouble.
However, I am not sure how many other quarterbacks in the NFL have the amount of talent around them that Stroud does, so a bounce back season could be inevitable.
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