The 2026 NFL regular season is nearly upon us. In less than a month, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will square off in a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday night to open the season before the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers duke it out in Australia on Thursday.

With the season drawing nearer, I’ve been going through each division over the past two weeks and predicting every team’s record. With all eight divisions complete, it’s time to put it all into one central location and figure out what the NFL playoff picture could look like this year.

Every division this year is up for grabs, and I wouldn’t be shocked if we see at least six new division winners. Heck, I wouldn’t be that surprised if every division had a new winner. So with all of that said, let’s get into my predictions and see who I think is going to make the playoffs this year.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: 10-7 (5-1) 👑

Philadelphia Eagles: 10-7 (4-2)

New York Giants: 6-11 (1-5)

Washington Commanders: 8-9 (2-4)

Starting in the NFC East, I have the Dallas Cowboys coming out on top with a 10-7 record, just edging out the Philadelphia Eagles. Offensively, Dallas obviously has the upper hand with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams leading the way. Defensively, I give the advantage to Philly, but I think the Cowboys made up a ton of ground on that side of the ball this offseason.

As for the other two teams, I expect Washington to be a bigger threat this year, but I still think they’re a few pieces away from competing in the NFC again. As for New York, I am not a believer in them this year. Sure, they have some fun pieces with Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, but I don’t love the coaching staff John Harbaugh built, and I think there are a few too many holes on their roster.

It should be a very tight battle between Dallas and Philadelphia, and I have the Cowboys coming out on top.

Full NFC East predictions.

NFC North

Chicago Bears: 10-7 (3-3)

Detroit Lions: 12-5 (3-3) 👑

Green Bay Packers: 7-10 (3-3)

Minnesota Vikings: 8-9 (3-3)

The NFC North is probably one of the biggest toss-ups in the league. All four teams have strong rosters that can be competitive, but I personally think Detroit will come out on top.

The Lions have the best offense in the division, and if their secondary can stay healthy, their defense should be much better than last year. I do think the Bears could give them a run for their money, but their schedule is harder than Detroit’s, and I think they’re lacking on offense compared to Detroit.

A lot of you will be surprised to see Green Bay at 7-10, but they’ve been in purgatory for the past three years, just sneaking into the playoffs as the 7-seed, and I think they got worse this offseason while a lot of NFC teams got better.

Minnesota is probably the most intriguing team in the division. They have a really good defense and a lot of solid pieces on offense, but they need strong quarterback play. Will Kevin O’Connell be able to extract the most out of Kyler Murray as he did with Sam Darnold? If so, they could win this division.

Right now I have the Lions winning, but all four teams have a shot.

Full NFC North predictions.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints: 9-8 (4-2) 👑

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-10 (2-4)

Carolina Panthers: 6-11 (4-2)

Atlanta Falcons: 5-12 (1-5)

The NFC South also feels like a complete toss-up, but not because all the teams are good, but because all the teams are bad.

Okay, that might be a bit harsh, because I do think the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers all have solid rosters, but they’re all held back by one major issue. The Saints have holes in their secondary, the Buccaneers lack high-end playmakers on offense outside of Emeka Egbuka, and the Panthers have Bryce Young under center. I think all three teams could win the division, but the Saints have the easiest schedule of the three, so I’m going with them.

The NFC South always seems to be one of the worst divisions in the sport, but somebody has to win it, and I think New Orleans is trending in the right direction while the others are trending down.

Full NFC South Predictions.

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams: 14-3 (5-1) 👑

Seattle Seahawks: 11-6 (4-2)

San Francisco 49ers: 9-8 (3-3)

Arizona Cardinals: 2-15 (0-6)

The Seattle Seahawks may have won the Super Bowl last year, but the Los Angeles Rams were very close to making it themselves, and they went out and added Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and others while losing very few players in free agency. They are clearly the best team in the NFC this year, in my eyes.

I do think my prediction for the San Francisco 49ers is a bit harsh, but they have a tough schedule and always seem to have major injuries. If they stay fully healthy, they could factor into the NFC West race, but it’s hard to see that happening, given how many camp injuries they’ve already suffered.

This feels like a two-horse race between Seattle and Los Angeles, but I think the Rams take the division pretty comfortably.

Full NFC West predictions.

NFC Playoff Picture

1. Los Angeles Rams

2. Detroit Lions

3. Dallas Cowboys

4. New Orleans Saints

5. Seattle Seahawks

6. Philadelphia Eagles

7. Chicago Bears

The NFC playoffs are set. The Rams take the 1-seed by a comfortable margin over the other division winners – the Lions, Cowboys, and Saints. The Rams will get the first-round bye, leaving the Lions to host the Bears, the Cowboys to host the Eagles, and the Saints to host the Seahawks in the Wild Card round.

I’m not going to get into playoff predictions just yet – you’ll have to wait until next week for those – but I think these seven teams would make for a very interesting playoff.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: 13-4 (5-1) 👑

New England Patriots: 12-5 (5-1)

New York Jets: 3-14 (1-5)

Miami Dolphins: 1-16 (1-5)

The AFC East is going to come down to two teams: the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins won’t come anywhere near the division lead, so it truly is a two-horse race.

While the Patriots had a great run last year, and I think they did get better by bringing in guys like A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to their already explosive offense, their schedule is much tougher than it was a year ago. Meanwhile, the Bills finished 12-5 in a “down year,” and they too got better this offseason. With their schedules pretty much even, I think Buffalo ends up edging out New England for the division crown.

Full AFC East predictions.

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-10 (3-3)

Baltimore Ravens: 12-5 (4-2)

Cincinnati Bengals: 13-4 (5-1) 👑

Cleveland Browns: 2-15 (0-6)

I’m very low on the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. Yes, they won the division last year, but the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals got much better, and while the Steelers made some solid additions, I just don’t see Aaron Rodgers leading this team to back-to-back division titles.

I think the North ultimately comes down to Baltimore and Cincinnati. Both teams have terrific offenses when everybody is healthy, but I do give the slight edge to Cincinnati on that side of the ball. However, I definitely give the edge to Baltimore when it comes to defense, but just like Dallas, I think the Bengals got much, much better defensively this offseason.

This is a division that could come down to the final week, but I think the Bengals just beat out the Ravens and take the division with 13 wins.

Full AFC North predictions.

AFC South

Houston Texans: 15-2 (5-1) 👑

Jacksonville Jaguars: 11-6 (4-2)

Indianapolis Colts: 7-10 (2-4)

Tennessee Titans: 4-13 (1-5)

The Houston Texans are “my team” this year. Everyone knows they’re going to be good, but I think there’s a real chance they finish with the best record in the league at 15-2. Their defense is young and talented and will probably be the best unit in the league once again this season. I do have concerns about C.J. Stroud, but if their upgraded offensive line can protect him better and David Montgomery can give them some semblance of a run game, I think he could have another 2023-type season.

The only real threat to Houston in the AFC South is the Jacksonville Jaguars. I don’t think the Indianapolis Colts will be able to get off to a hot start like they did last year, mainly because it’s basically impossible for someone coming off a torn Achilles to feel 100 percent comfortable right out of the gate so that leaves Trevor Lawrence and Co. to challenge the Texans, but I don’t think they’re quite good enough to do that.

The Texans are one of my favorite teams this year, so I’m planting my flag and saying they finish 15-2.

Full AFC South predictions.

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs: 11-6 (3-3)

Denver Broncos: 13-4 (5-1) 👑

Los Angeles Chargers: 10-7 (4-2)

Las Vegas Raiders: 4-13 (0-6)

The AFC West has three teams that have a legit shot at winning the division. The Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Chargers could all make a push, but I think the Broncos are clearly the best team.

Did Denver have a super exciting offseason? Not really. Their only major addition was trading for Jaylen Waddle, but that filled one of their biggest needs. They needed another offensive playmaker, and they went out and got one of the best ones available.

I expect the Chiefs to bounce back and be competitive, but they just don’t have as good of a roster as Denver. Same goes for Los Angeles. With their two star tackles healthy, their offense should improve, but I just don’t think they’re nearly as good as the Broncos personnel-wise.

This should be one of the more entertaining divisions, but I still think Denver wins it by two games.

Full AFC West predictions.

AFC Playoff Picture

1. Houston Texans

2. Buffalo Bills

3. Denver Broncos

4. Cincinnati Bengals

5. New England Patriots

6. Baltimore Ravens

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Texans obviously earn the first-round bye in this scenario, but behind them, I have a three-way tie between the other division winners, all of whom sit at 13 wins. I broke down the tiebreakers, and it ended up giving Buffalo the 2-seed, Denver the 3-seed, and Cincinnati the 4-seed.

This means in the Wild Card round, Buffalo would host Jacksonville, Denver would host Baltimore, and Cincinnati would host New England.

I think the NFC is the deeper conference, but the AFC is much more top-heavy. I truly think any team could win this conference if this ends up being the playoffs. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Jacksonville marched into Denver and beat the Broncos, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if the Broncos represented the AFC in the Super Bowl.

It’s going to be a hard conference to pick playoff games for, but next week, I’m going to have to.