8. Dallas Cowboys
If not for a horrific defense, the Dallas Cowboys would be competing for the NFC East title - Dak Prescott has been on fire this year and the trio of Javonte Williams, George Pickens, and CeeDee Lamb has been great.
Dallas has the formula to get back on track in 2026, but the front office has to bring in the right players on defense. The good thing here is that the issues are pretty much all personnel related, and personnel can always be improved.
7. Detroit Lions
Once winners of 15 regular season games in 2024, the Detroit Lions are 8-8 and are out of the playoffs this year. The defense has taken a huge step back, as the offense has had to carry the load. It's a sad ending to what was a fun breakout story starting in 2022 for Detroit. The Lions could be a logical team to bounce back in 2026, though.
6. Green Bay Packers
Locked into the seventh seed in the NFC playoffs, the Green Bay Packers are no. 6 in our power rankings. Micah Parsons is out for the year, and the team has just seen injuries begin to pile up, but this is still a good team. Now the seventh playoff seed for the third year in a row, you have to begin to wonder if this is the Packers' ceiling?
If so, that is a massive issue...
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Winners of the NFC East this year, the Philadelphia Eagles have taken a step back from the Super Bowl team in 2024, but Philly is still solid overall. They won't make it back to the big game this year, but a playoff win could be possible.
You can just tell that this team was hit with the 'Super Bowl hangover' this year - Philly just doesn't have that bite they had in 2024.