There was a ton of parity in the NFL during the 2025 season, and there's no reason to believe why that can't keep up in 2026 and beyond. Not many expected the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots to represent each conference in the Super Bowl.
Both teams totally missed the playoffs in 2024. If that same pattern holds for 2026, we could see two teams from this power rankings list that make the Super Bowl, and it really would not be a shock when you see who tops our latest list.
Let's keep the NFL power rankings train rolling and power-rank all 18 teams that did not make the playoffs in 2025. We're ranking the team based on how talented they are right now.
Power-ranking every non-playoff team for the 2026 NFL Season
18. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals could truly become the first 0-17 team in NFL history - it's that bad. The Cardinals could end up seeing a likely brutal season paying off in 2027, as next year's NFL Draft is supposedly quite deep at the quarterback position, which is what this team needs.
But there are major holes all over the roster, so even getting a stud rookie quarterbck would not be enough.
17. Cleveland Browns
Another team with a dysfunctional quarterback situation, the Cleveland Browns are likely staring down another non-playoff season, but if nothing else, General Manager Andrew Berry has brought in some nice young pieces in recent drafts, so the talent evaluation appears to be strong, and the team now has extra capital from the Myles Garrett trade.
There is a glimmer of hope for the Browns, but it'll come in future years.
16. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are clearly rebuilding. They parted with a slew of key former players, brought in a new front office, and also brought in a new coaching staff. This is going to take some time, but the Dolphins are at least embracing a clear path in a deliberate direction, which is something that they've needed to do for years now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google