With the 2026 NFL Schedule Release happening on May 14th, the schedule rumors and leaks will continue happening until the real thing goes down. The NFC was quite good during the 2025 campaign, too.
We did see some shocking finishes. Not many predicted that the Seattle Seahawks, for example, would win 14 games, earn the NFC West title, and make a run to the Super Bowl. And after a hugely successful 15-win regular season in 2024, the Detroit Lions fell back down to earth and won just nine games after a solid 7-4 start.
Anything can happen in the NFL, and that is especially true in the NFC. Let's predict the record for each NFC team ahead of the schedule release.
Predicting every NFC team's record in 2026 as the NFL Schedule Release approaches
NFC North
Detroit Lions: 13-4
After a nine-win season in 2025, the Lions should be able to figure things out, as we did see this team emerge as one of the true juggernauts in the league. it's likely that the 2025 season was more of an outlier, as the collapse they sustained down the stretch was unexpected.
Having started 7-4 in 2025, the Lions are a great team and have one of the best rosters in the NFL.
Green Bay Packers: 11-6
Green Bay has been one of the more 'good not great' teams in the NFL for multiple years now, and it's been the case in each year that Jordan Love has started for the team. Funnily enough, in Love's three years as a starter, he's won nine games each time.
It's an odd era right now, as the Packers can hang with most teams, but they don't appear to have enough to get over the hump. An 11-win season is on the way for the Packers in 2026.
Chicago Bears: 10-7
Chicago won 10 games and the NFC North in an aggressive breakout season in 2025. They'll come back down to earn a bit in 2026. The defense, last year, was quite inconsistent outside of the turnovers, and Caleb Williams' completion percentage dipping below 60 percent was a major concern.
And if both Green Bay and Detroit do improve, as we indicate in our predictions, there may not be enough wins to go around. Chicago still being able to win 10 games is rather solid.
Minnesota Vikings: 6-11
Kyler Murray is likely starting for the Minnesota Vikings, but will that be enough? Minnesota did have to revamp the defensive line a bit, and it's not clear if Murray's fit is solid with this team. Sure, Minnesota won nine games in 2025 and actually ended the year on a five-game winning streak, kind of back-dooring themselves into a winning season.
The 2026 season feels like too heavy a lift, though. Minnesota regresses just a tad.
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