10. Philadelphia Eagles
It was looking dicey there for a second, but the Philadelphia Eagles closed things out and moved to 10-5 on the season with a win over the lowly Washington Commanders. Philly has now won the NFC East in back-to-back seasons, and it’s been years since the division has seen a repeat winner.
It’s not been a super easy season for the Eagles, though, as they have struggled on offense and are missing some juice along the defensive front. Things have not gone well for Kevin Patullo, and you struggle to see how Patullo returns in 2026.
There are also some notable limitations with Jalen Hurts as a passer, and it’s clear that Patullo is not able to consistently cover those up. Overall, Philly is a good team, not a great one. They are going to get at least one home playoff game, so that could help them win at least one postseason game this year.
But this team simply does not have that Super Bowl status to them this year - they will get bounced out of the playoffs at home point, make some key roster and coaching changes, and could be right back in the mix in 2026.
9. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers now move to 11-4 on the season, as they beat the Cowboys in Dallas in Week 16. It was an impressive win, as Dallas is usually a tough out at home, and the Chargers have been dealing with a subpar offensive line for most of the season now.
Justin Herbert has hung tough in there and has sometimes willed this team himself. I am not sure if the Chargers will be able to snatch the AFC West lead back from the Denver Broncos, but it’s still possible.
Los Angeles has to get the offensive line right this offseason, and I would also argue that the top-end talent just is not great. We can clearly see that the Bolts have the right coaching staff in place, and that is a tough thing to do in the NFL.
LA is probably looking at a top Wild Card seed this year, but anything can happen in the NFL. With a strong defense and a solid run game, LA could be a frisky team in the playoffs and might be able to win a game in the postseason, which is something Justin Herbert has never done.