10. New England Patriots
Some New England Patriots fans may roll their eyes if you bring up the insanely easy schedule from 2025, but I do not see how that isn't a valid talking point, as the schedule gets a lot harder this year, so they simply will be facing better teams.
Beating up on bad teams is great and should be what any good team does, but it's a totally different discussion when the opponents, on average, are better on a week-to-week basis. The Patriots did add Brown to the WR room in a major trade with the Eagles.
And I'd also not rule out Romeo Doubs, a big free agent signing for them, to make a major impact. Both Brown and Doubs are big, physical receivers who should be able to consistently win outside matchups and get down the field.
The Patriots do have a lot of competent contributors on offense to have another strong year, and their defense is stout in the trenches, which is quite important. New England perhaps doesn't get ranked quite as high as some may have liked.
9. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears won 11 games last year thanks to Caleb Williams, who took a major step forward in 2025, Ben Johnson, who turned this franchise around, and the defense, which led the league in turnovers. The Bears defense was actually a bit shaky on a down-to-down basis, but those turnovers really helped.
Chicago will need to be a more efficient unit on defense in 2026, but if you think the offense can get better, which it will, the defense won't have to carry much of a load at all. I am not sure the Bears are quite there yet in terms of being a legitimate contender, but it's hard not to be high on this team for 2026.
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