12. Green Bay Packers
The injury to Micah Parsons was a devastating blow to the Packers’ season. They lost five straight games from that point, and just blew a substantial lead in the second half against the Chicago Bears on the road in the playoffs.
Injuries were obviously brutal for the Packers this season, including the loss of Parsons and the team missing Jordan Love due to a concussion late in the year. But this is a team that expected to be at the top of the NFC, and they’ve been bounced in the Wild Card round. We’ll see how GM Brian Gutekunst responds.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers play Monday vs. Texans
Based on everything I’ve been consuming from other outlets, it feels like there is no opinion more unanimously held going into Wild Card weekend than this: The Steelers are lucky to be here, and nobody thinks they’re beating the Texans.
It’s the opinions you’re most certain of that you should question every now and again. Maybe the Steelers’ matchup against the Texans is one we shouldn’t overthink, but as inconsistent as they were in the regular season, this might have been their best possible Wild Card draw.
10. Philadelphia Eagles
What an ugly end to the year for the Philadelphia Eagles, but really not unexpected at all. Everything we saw from the Eagles this season was amplified in the playoffs, especially the offense's inability to get anything going consistently. There will be a lot of major changes happening for this team in the 2026 offseason, with an AJ Brown trade all but a certainty at this point.
Beyond that, what kind of coaching changes might we see from Nick Sirianni? How will the Eagles address the elephant in the room that is Jalen Hurts this past year, if at all?
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars should be considered one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL moving beyond this season. A healthy Travis Hunter will be a massive offseason addition for this team, and I expect GM James Gladstone to be extremely aggressive in pursuing whatever upgrades are needed to get this team over the hump.
Especially since they don’t have a 1st-round pick. The Jaguars have proven they are more than just ahead of schedule: They’re in a championship window. It was an outstanding first year in Duval County for Gladstone and Liam Coen.