8. Jacksonville Jaguars
Losing Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency is going to hurt this team in 2026, and even beyond that, a team winning 13 games in back-to-back seasons is largely not common. The Jacksonville Jaguars burst onto the scene last year, hitting their stride in the back half of the season.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was playing out of his mind during this stretch, and he actually ended the season as an MVP candidate. Liam Coen quickly established himself as a top head coach, but the Jaguars were not able to get past Buffalo in the Wild Card Round.
While this team is quite solid on paper, the roster isn’t overly threatening. There is also reason to believe a regression could be coming. Take the 2024 Commanders, for example - that team burst onto the scene and won a lot more than most expected, but being an unknown commodity really works in certain teams’ benefit.
Now that there is an entire year’s worth of film out on this team, coupled with losing two key players in free agency, a slight drop-off could be what hits this team. The Jags will still be good enough to get into the playoffs, but Super Bowl contention will evade them.
7. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are No. 7 in our power rankings. Despite again being among the most injured teams in football, the 49ers went 12-5 in 2025 and actually did have a legitimate chance to win the NFC West.
Better injury luck would do wonders for this team, and despite not drafting that well, the Niners are aggressive enough with other forms of player acquisition to field top-tier rosters. In the offseason, the team brought back an old friend in Dre Greenlaw, and also signed a pair of veterans at wide receiver in Mike Evans and Christian Kirk.
They swung a trade for Osa Odighizuwa as well, to beef up the defensive line. The only thing that could hold this team back is another injury-riddled year, which has unfortunately been a theme in the Kyle Shanahan era.
San Francisco made a run to the Divisional Round in 2025, but was overwhelmed by the Seattle Seahawks.
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