7. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions can win a shootout with anybody, which is great news because they’re going to have to all season long.
The Lions have one of the best, most explosive, most dynamic offenses in the NFL. Jared Goff is playing at an MVP level, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs are cheat codes, and Detroit is a threat to put up 30-plus points every week as a result.
Right now, they are giving up 29.6 points per game, which means that even one of the most elite offenses in the NFL has a very thin margin for error. They have to be perfect every week, because that defense is going to give up a ton of points and a ton of yards.
That’s just the world the Lions are living in right now. You also wonder how long that world is going to include tight end Sam LaPorta, whose contract situation has now become a full-blown distraction.
6. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have the best defense in the NFL, but the offense is still finding its way.
No pressure, but the entire running game seems to hinge on how well Zach Charbonnet can come back from an ACL injury he suffered in the playoffs.
The Seahawks are undoubtedly the real-life example of Wolverine staring longingly at a photo in bed, but they are looking at a photo of Kenneth Walker. Good times, good times…
Walker has turned around the Chiefs’ running game for the better, and his departure in Seattle has done the opposite. The Seahawks need to figure something out, and it’s going to have to start against Walker and the Chiefs on Sunday night.
5. Carolina Panthers
Who would have thought 2-3 years ago that the Panthers and Bryce Young would boast arguably the best and most explosive passing attack in the entire NFL in 2026?
Maybe the one guy who stopped Bryce Young for an autograph at practice the day he was benched for Andy Dalton. Not many others, though.
The Panthers have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, but they also have one of the most inconsistent, “Jekyll and Hyde” defenses in the league. One week, you might get a dominating effort out of that group. The next, you might see 40 or 50 points hung on them.
Okay, to be fair…they haven’t given up 40 or 50 since Week 1 against the Bears when the Bears scored 59. And to their credit, only giving up 26 to the Lions is an actual accomplishment. But you don’t get to play backups every week like they did against the Falcons and Eagles.
They are entering a stretch against the Bucs, Packers, and Broncos that will be a huge swing for their season overall.
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