AFC 3rd seed: Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos were the top seed in the AFC last season, and only an injury to Bo Nix prevented them from likely representing the AFC in the Super Bowl against Seattle.
Denver's magical run last season is being perceived by many as a happy accident because of their unreal record in one-score games. But the Broncos' ability to finish games last season felt a lot different than the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs, who felt like they were teetering on the brink of disaster each week.
There is an art form to finishing in the NFL, where most of the games come down to one score anyway. The Broncos mastered it.
They know they have to be better (and more balanced) offensively this season after finishing 1st in the league in pass attempts and 19th in rushing attempts. But this team returns 94 percent of its snaps from a season ago, and added star receiver Jaylen Waddle to help Bo Nix entering his 3rd NFL season.
They'll be a tough team to take down every week, especially with the continuity and star power they have on that defense.
NFC 3rd seed: Green Bay Packers
Predicting the winner of the NFC North is a really tough race to call before the season gets going. Every team seems to have some distinct strengths, and every team seems to have a fatal flaw.
The Vikings' current issue is at quarterback, so they were almost immediately ruled out. The Bears' defense needs to take a significant step forward. The Lions have plenty of issues on the defensive side of the ball as well, especially in the defensive backfield.
The Packers lost a number of key veterans this offseason, but I see this team flipping the script late in the season. Maybe Green Bay takes a while longer to get going this season, but unlike in the last couple of seasons, maybe they finish hot instead of on a losing streak. Including playoffs, they lost three straight games to end the 2024 season and five straight to end the 2025 season.
With Micah Parsons likely opening the year on the PUP list, the Packers will need a strong October and November to keep pace in the North, but I think they finish strong and win the division this season.
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