Houston Texans
CJ Stroud is entering a pivotal season with immense pressure on him. While Stroud's upcoming season is one to watch, the Houston Texans defense and its potential dominance this season may be even more intriguing.
The Texans' defense was already elite last season, finishing second in points allowed and first in yards allowed and EPA per play. Head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio have done an incredible job of building this defense.
The defensive line features Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr, who together make a strong case to be the best EDGE duo in the league. Houston adds veteran Jadaveon Clowney and 2nd round rookie Kayden McDonald to make this defensive line even better than it was a year ago.
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is a legit stud alongside three-year veteran Henry To'oTo'o. And the elite Derek Stingley Jr., with Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre, and Calen Bullock, come together to form one of, if not the best, secondaries in the league.
Stroud and this offense will need to take a step for this Texans team to advance further in the playoffs but it'll be exciting to see just how good this defense will be in 2026.
Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts were having a fantastic season, starting 8-2. After the bye week, Indianapolis collapsed, losing 7 straight to end the year. The abrupt losing streak was in part due to a Week 14 Achilles injury to Jones that kept him out for the remainder of the season.
With Jones fully recovered from his injury, the seven-year veteran will be back under center for the upcoming season. Jones was having a solid season and seemed to have revived his career before his injury, throwing for over 3,100 yards, 19 touchdowns, over 8 yards per attempt, and completing 68 percent of his passes, contributing to a 100.2 passer rating.
We saw glimpses of what a Jones-led Colts team could look like. And, to the surprise of all of us, it wasn't completely mediocre. The question on everyone's mind: Can Jones complete his career revival and claim to be the franchise QB of this Indianapolis franchise?
Jacksonville Jaguars
Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. signed with the New Orleans Saints this offseason, leaving 260 carries available for the upcoming season. Entering his second season, Bhayshal Tuten is expected to step into a lead-back role for Jacksonville in 2026. Tuten was drafted in the fourth round out of Virginia Tech in last year's draft and had limited opportunity and production, carrying the ball 83 times for 307 yards, an unremarkable 3.7 yards per carry.
Although Tuten's draft profile focused on his elite speed and big-play ability, he operated as a goal-line and short-yardage back for Jacksonville, tallying 5 rushing touchdowns, all inside the 5-yard line. This context is important, as it makes his yards per carry heavily misleading.
Jacksonville will need Tuten to thrive in his new role as the primary ball carrier if they want to advance deep into the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs
2025 was easily the worst season in the Patrick Mahomes era, missing out on the playoffs with a 6-11 record. What was especially unexpected was this offense ranking 21st in points. The production, and specifically the explosion, we're accustomed to seeing with this Kansas City offense, was abysmal, as they were 26th in explosive play rate.
Mahomes missed the last 3 regular-season games, and Rashee Rice, Kansas City's top receiver, missed 9 games throughout the season. Mahomes and Rice return for 2026, and with the addition of running back Kenneth Walker, we should see massive improvement in this offense.
Walker's addition will directly fuel a more explosive offense, as he had 33 explosive runs last year, ranking 3rd among all running backs. In fact, Walker had 11 more explosive runs than all Kansas City running backs combined last year.
However, with Mahomes coming off a serious ACL injury, a thin receiving corps behind Rice, who struggles to stay on the field, and tight end Travis Kelce entering his age 36 season, this offense has to prove it can return to its vintage ways.
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