Typically, there are three team tiers in the NFL. The top tier is the Super Bowl contenders and teams that are largely, perhaps almost universally seen as being capable of winning it all. The middle tier, as I like to call it, is the 'irrelevant middle.' These teams aren't good enough to be a contender but aren't bad enough to be one of the worst teams in the league.
And, finally, the bottom tier are those teams that just do not have much path to success and are either rebuilding or need to rebuild. Each year, you can divide all 32 teams into these three buckets, but sometimes, teams shock you and end up in a different bucket than you or I thought.
We recently talked about teams that are primed to disappoint. Let's dive into teams that are going to shock the world and break out.
Power ranking teams most likely to break out in the 2026 NFL Season
5. Cincinnati Bengals
Winning just six games in 2025, the Cincinnati Bengals come in at no. 5 in our power rankings. Once again, the defense let the team down, but one again, Joe Burrow suffered another major injury. Believe it or not, the Bengals have made the playoffs just two times in the Burrow era, now having missed the postseason for three straight years.
This is getting ridiculous at this point, but the Bengals have added to the defense and do own the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and there is reason to believe that a top defender will be picked. When you think about it, like another team on this list, all the Bengals need is for the defense to be average, and they'll win 12 games.
4. New York Giants
The New York Giants hiring John Harbaugh as head coach was a slam-dunk move, and not only that, but Jaxson Dart did play quite well last year during a bit of a break out rookie season. Dart does need to learn how to protect himself better, but a veteran head coach, seasoned coaching staff, and solid roster is going to make for a really respectable 2026 campaign for the G-Men. This team is probably still a solid year away from the playoffs, but they can indeed double the win total and flirt with eight wins in 2026.
3. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans did see Cam Ward play quite well down the stretch in 2025, and this situation is a bit similar to the Giants as we just discussed above. The Titans brought in Robert Saleh as the next head coach, but perhaps more importantly, Saleh hired Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator.
Daboll has a heck of a track record with young quarterbacks, and there is a lot to build on with Ward, a quarterback that does possess a little bit of everything. Not only that, but the Titans had a metric-ton of cap space this offseason and were simply able to buy talent.
While the AFC South could be a tough mountain to climb, the Titans do have the foundation in place to stack some wins and perhaps even make an appearance in the Wild Card race. If they can float around .500 for part of the 2026 season, do not be surprised.
2. New Orleans Saints
Yet another team that had a rookie quarterback in 2025, the New Orleans Saints are no. 2 in our power rankings, but the Saints were the most impressive of these teams, nearly ending the season on a five-game winning streak.
Like Dart and Ward, Tyler Shough played his tail off at times in 2025, and the Saints filled two major offensive holes in free agency with David Edwards and Travis Etienne. The defense also got a lot better and should be a top-10 unit in 2026.
1. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are first in our power rankings, and this is the second team on this list that lost a ton of games primarily due to the defense. With Christian Parker in as the defensive coordinator and a couple of notable new faces in Rashan Gary and Jalen Thompson, the Cowboys are already on the right track.
The front office has two first-round picks to work with in 2026 and could simply snag two top defenders to get that unit on the right track. Quarterback Dak Prescott also played out of his mind in 2025 and is consistently one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league.
The Cowboys definitely get beat up in the media, but let's not pretend like this team hasn't improved this offseason and is on the right track.