8. Houston Texans
Houston comes in at No. 8 in our rankings. The defense did get embarrassed by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, but that unit has been quite good for years now and might sport the best overall talent of any defense in the sport. The offense did look quite good at times, and while CJ Stroud wasn't able to go blow-for-blow with Allen, in the end, scoring over 30 points at home will end up being a recipe for success.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
The main thing to keep an eye out for with the Cincinnati Bengals is if this defense does end up playing better as the season goes on, as the offense is excellent, and we have seen this team make multiple deep playoff runs in the Joe Burrow era. Fortunately, the early returns from the defense seem decent, as they forced a plethora of turnovers against Tampa Bay in Week 1, helping them to victory.
The Bengals could soon end up having one of the better overall operations in the league if the defense can find a way into the top half.
6. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are typically at least borderline Super Bowl contenders most years. After a blowout of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, the Niners have to be feeling quite good. The injuries are a concern, as they consistently seem to be among the most injured in the NFL, but the coaching is excellent, and the top players on this team are also among the best at their respective positions.
This team was in the Super Bowl as recently as the 2023 season.
5. Denver Broncos
The Broncos surely did not expect that type of loss coming, but there might not be a team in the NFL that has more depth than the Broncos, and this roster is also littered with Pro Bowl and All-Pro players. Denver started 0-2 in 2024 and 1-2 in 2025 and made the playoffs both years.
They actually have a losing September record since the start of 2024, but win over 70 percent of their regular season games in the following months. The Broncos will be fine in the long-term.
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