The NFC may have actually been a better and more talented conference than the AFC last year, and when you look at some of the non-playoff teams in the NFC from 2025, it's easy to see just how competitive this conference could get in the 2026 NFL Season.
You could make an argument for most NFC teams to have a chance at the playoffs, but with just seven of 16 teams getting into the playoffs in each conference, we'll likely continue to see some good teams falling just short.
The Detroit Lions might be the best example of this of any team last year - the Lions were 7-4 at one point, fell apart down the stretch, and missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record despite having one of the best rosters in the league. Let's power-rank the seven NFC playoff teams as the 2026 season rapidly approaches.
Power-ranking the seven NFC Playoff Teams as the 2026 season approaches
7. Carolina Panthers
A very rare occurence in the NFL, a losing team made the playoffs last year, as the 8-9 Carolina Panthers just barely won the NFC South, a highly-competitive but highly-mediocre division. I do think there is a solid chance that all four teams actually finish with a winning record in the South in 2026, but that doesn't really impact the rankings here.
Carolina did progress nicely from the 2024 season, but this team still left a lot of meat on the bone. The roster absolutely got better in the offseason with key free agency additions in Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips, but a massive question mark still remains at quarterback.
Bryce Young did play the best football of his career in 2025, but his best, at least last year, was still rather mediocre, and it simply needs to improve again in 2026. If Young continues to play at the same level he did last year for 2026, the Panthers would be fools to invest in him long-term, but if another sizeable leap happens, Carolina is in business.
The team is built nicely along the offensive line and could see another defensive improvement, but the Panthers are missing that bite that other playoff teams have in the NFC. Young can help the Panthers create that bite, as the roster has really come into shape in recent years and is rather thorough, if nothing else.
For now, the Panthers are taking the last spot in our NFC playoff team power rankings. The worst of the best, if you will. All of Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Atlanta do have valid arguments to win the NFC South, so this division is one to keep an eye out for in 2026.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles come in at No. 6 in our NFC playoff team power rankings for 2026, and this franchise still has a cloud of unknown hovering over their heads for the new season. Two major things happened this offseason.
The team hired former NFL quarterback Sean Mannion as the new offensive coordinator in yet another change at that coaching position. Secondly, wide receiver AJ Brown was shipped to the New England Patriots, so an explosive element of the offense is now gone.
Many of their key players are a year older and might be a year closer to decline, and this could be especially true for guys like Saquon Barkley and Lane Johnson. Overall, Philly just does not pop off the page as a legitimate contender, as many of the same questions that plagued 2025, and their other down seasons are still very much present.
5. Green Bay Packers
Green Bay is fifth in our power rankings. Once again, this team jumps off the page as being 'good, not great.' The Packers have been a Wild Card team in each of the last three playoffs with Jordan Love as the starting quarterback, and Love has won exactly nine games in each year of his starting career, which began back in 2023.
It's just an interesting spot to be in for the Packers. The high-floor is present, but the ceiling doesn't appear to be that high. It also does not help that the Packers are in the loaded NFC North, and it's not a stretch to think that the Packers could end up being the third-best team in the division when we're thoroughly underway with the 2026 season.
Sure, they'll likely hover around 9-11 wins and make the playoffs, but I am not sure what this team does exceptionally well and why we should believe they'll win it all this year.
4. Chicago Bears
Chicago is No. 4 in our power rankings. After an active offseason rebuilding much of the defense, the Bears hope to take a positive step forward on that side of the ball. The Bears did turn the ball over a lot in 2025, but down-to-down, the defense was simply not good enough.
Fortunately, the offense appears to be in stellar hands with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, and much of the team's success in 2025 will hinge on if Johnson can get Williams to take that next step in his game. Chicago isn't quite in that top tier of NFC teams, as you'll see in the next slide, but they're right on the cusp.
3. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers get us started with the true best of the best in the NFC. The 49ers won 12 games last year, and, of course, finished third in the NFC West. Despite dealing with a ton of injuries all year, which feels like a yearly thing at this point, the 49ers made the most of it, but it was clear that this team struggled mightily to hang with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round.
Better injury luck is going to go a long way for the 49ers this year, and when healthy, this team is clearly good enough to make the Super Bowl, having been there in 2019 and 2023. Adding veteran wide receivers in Christian Kirk and Mike Evans to the mix is going to help out on offense, and the defense did see the return of Dre Greenlaw in free agency.
All in all, the roster is very good and primed to hang with the NFL's best in 2026, of course, if they aren't banged-up again.
2. Seattle Seahawks
Based on how our No. 1 ranked team did this offseason, it's not a stretch to bump the Seattle Seahawks down to the No. 2 spot. The Seahawks did lose guys like Riq Woolen and Kenneth Walker III in free agency, so those losses are not nothing.
However, this team did just win the Super Bowl and have the offensive and defensive infrastructure in place to be elite once again. Losing Klint Kubiak to the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job could impact the offense, and while this team is going to win double-digit games, a very slight regression would not be the biggest shock in the world.
1. Los Angeles Rams
It's not really a mystery that the Los Angeles Rams are going all-in, and even before the Myles Garrett trade, the Rams had already addressed two key needs in the secondary at cornerback. Adding Garrett to the mix could end up being the move that will thrust this team over the top.
The offense was and should still be elite with Matthew Stafford, that elite passing game, and a sound run game. The stellar offensive line brings it all together, as the Rams really do not have a clear roster weakness at this point.
The Rams come in as the top playoff team in our power rankings, but this also amps up the pressure to win it all. This does feel like the second Rams 'super team' since that star-studded squad back in 2021.