8. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars come in at No. 8 in our power rankings, and the one thing I keep coming back to with this team is that they lost both Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency, who were two of their top-5 players.
I do believe those losses are going to hurt big-time, and the other thing that I'm coming back to is there now being a year's worth of film out on this offense led by Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence.
I do not believe this team is going to regress as radically as, let's say, the Washington Commanders did from 2024 into 2025, but a slight regression could be coming after what appeared to be a lightning in a bottle season.
7. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears did a total 180 in the 2025 season, winning 11 games and winning the NFC North title. I am not sure 11 games would be enough to win the NFC North in 2026, but the Bears should still be hanging around that division race for the entire season.
Caleb Williams took a giant step forward in 2025 and not only took way fewer sacks, but his was, overall, playing a more efficient brand of football. Yes, the completion percentage has to increase, but this is his de-facto second year in the league (if you forget about the dysfunctional rookie season), and he's also now with Ben Johnson for a second year.
There is a natural progression that could take place, and if the defense can even be average in 2026, the Bears are going to be a huge threat.
6. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots schedule does get a lot tougher this year, so that could mean another 14-3 season is off the table, but with how solid the coaching staff is and how much talent the roster has, the Patriots could still win 10-12 games and remain near the top of the AFC.
Drake Maye might also simply be legit, so while many of us liked to make fun of the Patriots having a 'Mickey Mouse' schedule last year, there is also a chance that the team is going to again win a ton of games.
5. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo going from Sean McDermott to Joe Brady could be a huge move that finally gets this team over the hump, and with how stable this franchise has been, it'd be a massive shock if they were't an 11-13 win team in the 2026 season.
The playoff failures are a thing, but this franchise has not had a problem winning games in the Josh Allen era.
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