2. New Orleans Saints, NFC South
It's not that the New Orleans Saints are some great team, it's that the NFC South is a bit of a mess. The Carolina Panthers won just eight games in 2025 and won the division. That simply will not happen again. None of the four teams emerged as a legitimate threat, but the Saints do have a lot going for them this year.
Tyler Shough had an encouraging season and really played well down the stretch, as the Saints won four of their final five games. The team added Travis Etienne, David Edwards, and Jordyn Tyson on offense, already sporting a solid offensive line and wide receiver Chris Olave.
One thing I keep mentioning, though, is that the defense was sneaky good. Brandon Staley is the team's defensive coordinator, and that unit played quite well last year. The Saints do have enough in place to emerge as a breakout team, as Kellen Moore's first season was largely a success.
The Saints might not have to win more than nine games to win the NFC South, and with the other three teams all sporting some type of concern, this ranking spot is warranted.
1. Detroit Lions, NFC North
It should not be a shock that the Detroit Lions are first in our power rankings. In 2023 and 2024, Detroit went a combined 27-7 in the regular season, winning the NFC North both years. Last year, the Bears won the division with an 11-6 record, and all of Green Bay, Minnesota, and Detroit finished with nine wins.
This was the most competitive division in the NFL last year, and another bounce going a certain way would have allowed another team to win the division. The Lions have owned it for a little bit now, and not only sport the best quarterback, but also have the best roster among the four teams.
Simply put, Detroit is much, much better than their 2025 record and division standing indicated. Sure, it's not going to be easy for the Lions to retake this title in the 2026 season, but they've got all the necessary pieces to do it.
The Lions also actually had the best point differential in the NFC North, sporting the best scoring offense among the four teams. A 7-4 start seemed to have the Lions in a good spot to capture the title for what would have been a third year in a row, but a mini-collapse down the stretch made that impossible.
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