You know football season is right around the corner when power rankings start coming out.

In just over a week, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will square off in a Super Bowl rematch to kick off what should be a thrilling 2026 season. We may have an idea of what the league will look like, but the truth is, nobody really knows how it’s all going to shake out.

While I was drafting my power rankings, I realized just how deep the league is this year. There are some teams in the 20s that I think have a real shot at making the playoffs, so we could see about 2/3 of the league fighting for playoff spots come the end of the season.

I’m totally ready to completely rewrite my power rankings after Week 1, but it’s always fun to look back at the end of the year and see how wrong you were before the season began.

With that said, let’s get into my preseason power rankings.

32. Miami Dolphins

Outside of De’Von Achane and the idea that Malik Willis could be good, what is there to like about the Miami Dolphins? Not much. They have next to no playmakers on offense, and their defense has more holes than Swiss cheese. There’s a reason they made seven waiver wire additions this week.

31. Cleveland Browns

I think the Cleveland Browns have a decent roster. There are a lot of young, talented players that are fun, but when you look at their quarterback situation, there’s no reason to be optimistic about this team. Whether it’s Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson, I don’t care. Neither of them is any good.

30. Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals could have one of the most fun offenses in the league this year with Jeremiyah Love, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Michael Wilson, especially if their offensive line can hold up (which is a big ask), but their defense is terrible. They aren’t going to get any stops, and you can’t ask Jacoby Brissett to average 30+ points per game if you want to win consistently.

29. New York Jets

Much like the Browns, I actually think the Jets have some fun pieces. Kenyon Sadiq, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall are all young and have a high ceiling, and defensively they have some veterans, such as Demario Davis and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who can help them out, but I don’t trust Geno Smith or Aaron Glenn, and I still think there are a lot of holes on this roster. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Glenn is gone before the season is over.

28. Tennessee Titans

There’s been a lot of hype around Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans this offseason. Robert Saleh came over as head coach and brought in Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator, but there wasn’t a lot to get excited about in the preseason. They did run a very vanilla playbook, which could’ve played a role in that, but their preseason performance was discouraging, which is why they’re a bit lower than they would’ve been a couple of weeks ago.

27. Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders have a higher ceiling than most teams this low in my rankings, but there are still holes to fill, primarily along the offensive line and on defense. I’m excited to see Fernando Mendoza come in at some point and to see Klint Kubiak in his first year as head coach, but they’re still a year or two away.

26. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have a better roster than most teams, but who is going to play quarterback? Tua Tagovailoa hardly made the roster, and Michael Penix Jr. is coming off a torn ACL and has never shown that he’s capable of being a franchise quarterback. No quarterback = no success in the NFL.

25. New York Giants

I’m way lower on the New York Giants than most people. Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo are fun, but they have glaring needs along the offensive line, at wide receiver behind Malik Nabers, and in the secondary. This is another team that can be competitive in a year or two, but they’re not going to be this year.

24. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers may have made the postseason last year, but they were an 8-9 team, so let’s not act like they were great. I know they made some big additions this offseason, but they’ve also lost a lot of pieces to injury during training camp, and their schedule is much tougher than it was last year. This is shaping up to be a very disappointing season for Carolina.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers

This is where I started to realize how deep the league is this year. From here, every team has a real chance to make the playoffs, but there has to be someone at the bottom, and for me, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have a good roster, but that’s it. It’s good, not great, and I think their ceiling is lower than pretty much everyone above them.

22. Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts could come out of the gate red hot like last year, and I wouldn’t be too surprised, but I do think it will take some time for Daniel Jones to be fully comfortable coming off his torn Achilles, and I don’t love Indy’s defense. The reason they’re about Pittsburgh is that I think their offensive ceiling is much higher.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the decline. They won eight games last year and missed the playoffs, and I don’t think they got much better this offseason. But the real reason they’re this low is because of Todd Bowles. I do not think he’s a good (or even average) NFL head coach, and until he’s gone, Tampa won’t be successful again.

20. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have been the 7-seed in the NFC for the past three years, and for the first time in a while, they got worse this offseason. Add on the fact that Micah Parsons is going to miss the first month of the season, and we have no idea how long Josh Jacobs will be out, and I just don’t see this team getting back to the playoffs in a pretty loaded NFC.

19. Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders were a hard one to place. They underperformed last year, and I think they had a really strong offseason, adding guys like Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Stefon Diggs, Sonny Styles, and others. If Jayden Daniels stays healthy, this could be a playoff team in 2026.

18. Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are another team with some QB drama, but they have the structure in place to be a solid team even if Kyler Murray is below average. They kept pretty much all their key pieces on a defense that quietly finished top-10 in the league last year, and they have guys like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on offense. If Murray is average, they’ll be in the hunt for the NFC North.

17. New Orleans Saints

The NFC South’s top team doesn’t even crack the top-16. That’s how bad the NFC South is going to be this year. But I do think the New Orleans Saints have a chance to shock a lot of people and be one of the better teams in the NFC. Their offense has a lot of firepower, and their defense should be right around average. If Tyler Shough takes a step forward, they could upset a few teams and host a playoff game.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars

It’s hard to say that a team peaked in their first year being competitive, but I think the Jacksonville Jaguars peaked last season. They won 13 games, but now they have a much tougher schedule; they lost two of their best players to free agency and had one of the worst drafts in the league. I don’t see this team being any better than they were last year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be competitive.

15. Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are returning a lot of key pieces from the team that made the playoffs a year ago, but they do get their two star tackles back, which should help their offense improve. While I think this team is good and should be in the playoff hunt, I also think there were a lot of other teams that improved this offseason and leapfrogged them in the order.

14. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs should be much more competitive than they were a year ago, but I don’t think they’ll be back in the hunt for the Super Bowl. Their offense should improve with Kenneth Walker and (hopefully) a full season of Rashee Rice, and their defense should be top-10 once again, but I just have a bit more faith in the teams I have above them.

13. Dallas Cowboys

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys had one of the best offenses in football, but missed the playoffs because of their defense. They spent a lot of time and money this offseason upgrading that side of the ball, bringing in guys like Rashan Gary, Caleb Downs, Jalen Thompson, Cobie Durant, and others, and I think it will make a massive difference. They should be in the playoffs this year.

12. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears earned the 2-seed in the NFC last season and nearly made the NFC Championship game, and they should be quite competitive again this time around. Caleb Williams has taken a step forward, and their offense should be great again, but I do still have some concerns about this defense, which is why they’re 12th.

From this point on, I believe all of these teams are capable of representing their conference in the Super Bowl, but I feel like least confident in Chicago doing so.

11. San Francisco 49ers

On paper, the San Francisco 49ers have a really, really good team. Offensively, they have Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle (and preseason hero De’Zhaun Stribling), and then on defense, they have guys like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. Their roster is loaded, but they have a brutal schedule, and we all know that they’re likely to suffer at least one major injury. Still, if they’re healthy, they could win the NFC.

10. Baltimore Ravens

I’m high on the Baltimore Ravens this year. They had a down year in 2026, which resulted in long-time Head Coach John Harbaugh getting the boot, but they brought in Jesse Minter, who I really like, and added some key pieces to their roster to improve some of their weaknesses. The Ravens will be a playoff team in 2026, but…

9. Cincinnati Bengals

I don’t think Baltimore wins the AFC North. I think that honor will go to Cincinnati, who, like Dallas, had a really great offense last year, but were brought down by their defense. They also made some changes on that side of the ball, adding guys like Cashius Howell and Bryan Cook, and when Joe Burrow is healthy, we know how dangerous this offense can be. The Bengals could win a lot of games this year.

8. Philadelphia Eagles

2025 was a down year for the Philadelphia Eagles, and they still won 12 games and made the playoffs. With a new play caller coming in, their offense should be able to iron out some of their issues and get closer to their 2024 form. They’re a dangerous threat in the NFC this year, but I don’t think they’re top dogs.

7. Detroit Lions

I am very high on the Detroit Lions this season. Their offense is going to be as good as it has ever been, and if their defense can stay healthy this season (unlike last year), they should be able to compete for the NFC North crown. The Lions are a lot like the Cowboys and Bengals, but I think their defense is much more reliable when all 11 guys are healthy.

6. New England Patriots

Last year’s Super Bowl runner-ups only got better this offseason, adding guys like A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, but with a tougher schedule ahead of them, we’re going to see a bit of a falloff. New England could very well be back in the Super Bowl this year, but I have three other AFC teams ahead of them.

5. Seattle Seahawks

The Super Bowl champs come in at No. 5 on my list. The Seattle Seahawks were able to retain a lot of key pieces, but they’re going to feel the loss of Kenneth Walker, Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant, and Tariq Woolen, who were all a big part of their Super Bowl victory. I’m also not a big fan of what they did this offseason, so it feels like a small Super Bowl hangover is coming to Seattle.

4. Denver Broncos

I don’t understand why the sportsbooks are so low on the Denver Broncos. They went 13-4, won the AFC West, made the AFC Championship (and likely the Super Bowl if Bo Nix hadn’t gotten hurt), didn’t lose any major pieces this offseason, and traded for Jaylen Waddle. Why is their win total at 9.5? It makes no sense. This is one of the best teams in football, and they should be in the Super Bowl hunt again.

3. Buffalo Bills

As long as Josh Allen is under center, I’m going to believe the Buffalo Bills are one of the best teams in the league. They had a down year last year and still took the 1-seed in the AFC to overtime in the Divisional Round and lost because of a very questionable interception call. With Joe Brady taking over and giving this team a new identity, I think they could go far.

2. Houston Texans

I am way higher on the Houston Texans than pretty much everybody else, but for good reason. Their defense was the best in the NFL last season, and they went out and added guys like Reed Blankenship and Kayden McDonald while retaining pretty much everybody else. Their offense has concerns, but with a revamped offensive line and run game, I think C.J. Stroud will take a step forward and get them over the hump.

1. Los Angeles Rams

But of course, the No. 1 team in my power rankings is the Los Angeles Rams. Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, and Trent McDuffie form a core that is leagues above any other team in the league. Unless they suffer multiple major injuries, they should be the runaway favorites to win it all this year.