6. New England Patriots
The reigning AFC Champion New England Patriots are back to contend for a title once again in the 2026 season, even though they may have played the "easiest" schedule out of any team in the league last year.
Even though the Patriots have been criticized heavily for the way they won their games en route to the Super Bowl, they still won the games, and that can't be taken from them. The offensive performance in those games was horrendous, however, which is why we saw New England go out this offseason and make bold moves to upgrade that side of the ball.
They used their top draft choice on offensive tackle prospect Caleb Lomu, whose role this year remains uncertain. They also brought in Romeo Doubs in free agency before swinging the blockbuster deal to get AJ Brown from the Eagles.
For a team that was the most explosive passing attack in the NFL last season without either of those guys, Drake Maye has to be feeling giddy about what he can do entering his third NFL season.
The Patriots played extremely well last year as a team defensively, but roster-wise, there has to be some concern about the play of their edge rushers. K'Lavon Chaisson caught fire at just the right time last year, but the Patriots let him go and replaced him with Dre'Mont Jones.
We'll see what the 2026 season brings for rookie Gabe Jacas, one of the most underrated players in this class. The Patriots also added the seemingly ageless Kevin Byard, who had 7 interceptions with the Bears last season, and is now reunited with Mike Vrabel in Foxboro.
5. Buffalo Bills
You could almost rank the Buffalo BIlls and New England Patriots 5a and 5b in whatever order you would choose. It's really hard to differentiate these two rosters right now, but if the Bills had gotten by Denver in last year's Divisional Round, who among us would have picked the Patriots to beat Buffalo in the playoffs?
Not me.
Buffalo's roster is really balanced on both sides of the ball, and led by superstars on the offense. Of course, Josh Allen doesn't need any introduction. He's a perennial MVP candidate, who is joined in the backfield by James Cook, a perennial NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate at this point.
Now, the Bills have DJ Moore at the wide receiver position as an every-down threat for Allen, and the addition of Moore should open up things for both Khalil Shakir and maybe even Keon Coleman, who is getting a fresh start this offseason.
Buffalo has a fantastic offensive line, and they have the pieces defensively to win a championship, especially in the secondary. The biggest question right now is whether or not they have the pieces in the pass rush department to make a deep run. They added Bradley Chubb in free agency and TJ Parker in the NFL Draft to try and address those questions.
This roster is not without weaknesses or flaws, but it's hard to find anything really glaring, especially if their offseason acquisitions work out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google