Given how much of the offseason has gone so far for certain teams in the AFC, it would feel like a shock if the same seven teams again made the playoffs in the 2026 NFL Season. The AFC is really a talented, deep conference, as there are solid arguments for multiple non-playoff teams to make it in 2026.
It's still hard to believe that the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens all missed the playoffs in 2025. It feels like a rather safe bet that at least one of those teams would return in 2026, but I guess if all three missed it in 2025, there would be nothing stopping that from happening in the 2026 campaign.
Let's continue our NFL power rankings for this season and power-rank the seven AFC playoff teams. It's a rather clear divide, too.
NFL Power Rankings, 2026: AFC playoff team rankings for this season
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers just do not appear to scare you on paper at all for the 2026 season. Not only did they just barely get into the playoffs, but it was another embarassing first-round playoff loss last year, which was thanks to Houston.
Aaron Rodgers is a year older, and he was functional, at best, in 2025. Mike Tomlin is no longer in the picture, so this weird non-losing season streak that the Steelers were obsessed with is now in jeopardy. And, on paper, the Steelers aren't really excellent anywhere.
There is a lot of average and some spots of good, but the roster isn't built to win late in the season. I guess if you're a Steelers optimist, you can bank on this team being able to replicate 2025 into 2026, as many of the same players are in the picture, but this coming season again feels like another year where the Steelers max-out at 9 or 10 wins.
Pittsburgh is firmly our worst-ranked AFC playof team as the 2026 season rapidly approaches.
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