4. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills again saw their Super Bowl hopes dashed, but this time, it was at the hands of Bo Nix and the Broncos. At some point, something has to change, right? Well, that isn't a guarantee, but the Bills have continually been atop the NFL hierarchy for years now. They're no strangers to the playoffs and are probably more motivated than ever to get over the hump.
Sean McDermott is out of the picture, too, and that could always yield better results. Until Buffalo crumbles or something major happens, they'll typically always be thought of as a contender.
3. Seattle Seahawks
Repeating as Super Bowl champions is hard, and it's virtually impossible if you don't have a top-tier, fringe or future Hall of Fame quarterback. The Seahawks are going to be returning many of the same faces, but that doesn't mean anything.
The Seahawks did just see the Los Angeles Rams get a lot better, and it's not like the 49ers were far off. Seattle should again win a ton of games and will likely be a top-5 team for the entire season, but they drop here, as getting back to the Super Bowl is probably doubly as hard as getting there just once.
2. Denver Broncos
The Broncos were within one game of the Super Bowl and would have probably beaten the Patriots in the AFC title game had Nix not gotten hurt. Denver is returning many of the same faces from 2025, but Jaylen Waddle is now in the picture, which is an awesome, win-now move for the team.
Denver's schedule is going to get a bit tougher, but this team has the makeup to win it all. The Broncos might have the best collection of talent in the trenches in the NFL, and not only that, but the roster is flat-out excellent, and Nix is still ascending.
1. Los Angeles Rams
Adding Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to the secondary, the Rams shored up their primary weakness and did just see Matthew Stafford win the MVP in 2025. All things considered it would be hard to bet against the Rams in 2026.
Stafford probably has another strong year or two in him, and General Manager Les Snead probably isn't done with making aggressive moves. The Rams stand atop our Super Bowl power rankings for 2026.