My 2026 NFL Power Rankings
- Linus O'Howell
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
With us now firmly through Preseason, it’s the perfect time for me to confirm my Power Rankings ahead of the 2026 NFL Season! If you’re unsure of how these articles work, I combine Offensive, Defensive, and Quarterback Rankings to give us an overall table! Let’s get started with the worst team in the NFL (in my opinion)!
32. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns weren’t very good last year, going 5-12 as they finished bottom of the AFC North! Heading into this season, Cleveland look to have the worst offense in the entire league; their Quarterback room is shambolic, and whilst their defense isn’t as bad, they’ve lost Myles Garrett! As a result, The Browns have dropped 7 places from last year’s rankings (after being 12th in 2024)!
31. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans were one of the worst four teams in the entire league last season, going just 3-14! Heading into this season, Tennessee look pretty rubbish across the entire team, but particularly on offense! Ultimately, The Titans have dropped 1 place from where I had them last year, and funnily enough, I said the exact same thing in last year’s article!
30. Las Vegas Raiders
Not only did the Las Vegas Raiders finish bottom of the AFC West last year, but a torrid 3-14 record meant they ended up getting the Number 1 pick in the Draft! Heading into this season, Las Vegas definitely have a Top 5-worst defense, with Rookie QB Fernando Mendoza being someone that’s going to need time to adapt to the league! Ultimately, The Raiders have dropped 6 places from their 2025 rankings, which isn’t at all surprising!
29. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins weren’t actually that horrendous last season, finishing third in the AFC East with a record of 7-10! Heading into this season, though, it firmly seems like Miami have both one of the worst offenses in the league, whilst they literally have the worst defense in the entire NFL! As a result, The Dolphins have dropped 11 places from last year’s rankings, and the only reason that they’re not lower is because I have a bit of belief in Malik Willis!
28. New York Giants
The New York Giants finished 4-13 last year, with them actually missing out on the Number 1 Overall Pick due to the fact that they won their final two 2025 season games! Heading into this season, New York don’t exactly have a particularly good offense or defense, but there is a little bit of hope in the form of second-year Quarterback Jaxson Dart! Ultimately, though, The Giants have dropped 8 places from last year’s 20th spot!
27. New York Jets
The New York Jets managed just 3 wins in the entirety of the 2025 NFL Season, with that ultimately allowing them to take Linebacker David Bailey with the second-overall pick! Heading into this season, New York’s offense looks better, with Geno Smith the new starting Quarterback! However, their defense sucks! All in all, though, The Jets have risen 2 places from where I had them last year, which is at least a small positive!
26. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals weren’t just miles off the rest of the teams in their same division; they ended up as the worst team in the entire NFC! Heading into this season, Arizona’s offense looks decent, outside of the Quarterback position, whilst their defense sucks! Whilst I do believe that being in the NFC West has contributed to The Cardinals’ terrible record, they still have to drop 5 places from last year’s 21st-place!
25. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders were one of the biggest disappointments in the 2025 NFL Season, winning just 5 games after making the NFC Championship Game the year prior! Heading into this season, the hype surrounding Jayden Daniels has died down quite a bit, whilst Washington’s defense is pretty poor! As a result, The Commanders have dropped 11, yes, 11 places from this time last year!
24. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers stunned everyone last season, winning the NFC South despite going only 8-9 in the Regular Season! Heading into this season, Carolina look to have a Playoff-worthy defense, but I still have massive doubts about Bryce Young! Ultimately, The Panthers have risen 7 places from their 2025 ranking, but I still don’t think they’re very good, even if they do enter this season as the reigning NFC South Champions!
23. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears were one of last season’s breakout teams, going 11-6 to win the NFC North before they eventually lost in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs! Heading into this season, Chicago’s offense will be hyped up, but I’m still not sure about Caleb Williams, whilst their defense actually isn’t that good! Now, it is a little bit odd that The Bears have actually dropped a place from last year’s ranking, but I will highlight the fact that this team won seven 1-score games last season, so they could easily falter this time around!
22. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints finished bottom of the NFC South last season, winning just 6 of 17 games to ultimately take the 8th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft! Heading into this season, New Orleans look to have improved their team, with them now boasting a Playoff-contending defense! As a result, there’s reason to be more optimistic if you’re a Saints fan, as I have them rising 10 places after being last 12 months ago!
21. Kansas City Chiefs
After years of brilliance, the Kansas City Chiefs completely fell off last season, going just 6-11 as they finished miles off the Playoffs! Heading into this season, Kansas City’s hype has massively died down, with a weakened offense that includes Patrick Mahomes, who comes back after tearing his ACL at the end of last season! Ultimately, combining question marks surrounding Mahomes and the fact that they were pretty useless last year, The Chiefs have dropped a massive 16 places from last year, which is very telling!
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
A 10-7 record was finally enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the AFC South again, although their losing streak in the Playoffs got extended to 7 games! Heading into this season, Mike Tomlin has officially left Pittsburgh, whilst their offense is only getting worse! As a result, The Steelers have dropped 7 places in comparison to their ranking over the last two seasons!
19. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans were incredible on defense last season, going 12-5 as they ultimately fell short in New England (in the Divisional Round)! Heading into this season, there’s no doubt that Houston have a Top 3 defense, but their offense still sucks, whilst it’s incredibly unclear what you’re going to get from C. J. Stroud! Ultimately, the fact that The Texans have dropped 13 places from my 2025 rankings does seem a bit extreme. However, is being middle of the road that much a surprise given where their offense and defense rank?!
18. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars came out of nowhere to win the AFC South last season, but their 13-4 record couldn’t help them win a Playoff game! Heading into this season, Jacksonville look to have a very strong defense at their disposal, but I still have massive question marks surrounding Trevor Lawrence! In the end, though, gaining 8 places from last year’s rankings is pretty good going from The Jaguars!
17. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings managed to have a positive season in the sense that they went 9-8 last year, but it wasn’t that positive given the fact that they missed the Playoffs entirely! Heading into this season, Minnesota potentially have a Top 6 defense, meaning they’re going to be hard to beat! However, their Quarterback room is still a disaster! Because of this, The Vikings have dropped 2 places from this time last year!
16. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers completely choked last season, losing their final 4 games of the Regular Season before they fell apart in the final quarter of their Wild Card game against the Chicago Bears! Heading into this season, Green Bay’s offense looks kind of weak, whilst their defense has question marks surrounding them! Whilst The Packers could be good, them dropping 6 places from last year’s spot in the Top 10 isn’t that surprising!
15. Cincinnati Bengals
For the third straight season, the Cincinnati Bengals missed the Playoffs, going just 6-11! Heading into this season, Joe Burrow continues to be the shining light in a team with a defense that continues to look weak! Funnily enough, The Bengals dropped 3 places in my rankings between 2023 and 2024, 2024 and 2025, and amazingly, 2025 and 2026!
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers underdelivered based on expectations last season, going just 8-9 as they narrowly missed out on winning the NFC South! Heading into this season, a strong enough offense should give Tampa Bay the hope of returning to the Playoffs! Whilst perhaps a little surprising, The Buccaneers rising 3 places from last year’s rankings is a testament to what they can be!
13. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys were disappointing again last season, going just 7-9-1 as they missed out on the Playoffs for the second-straight season! Heading into this season, Dallas look to have a Playoff-worthy offense, although their defense could be better! After dropping 5 places last year, The Cowboys have fallen another 4 positions in this year’s rankings!
12. Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts were flying in the first half of the 2026 Regular Season, going 8-2, but an end-of-season collapse, mostly down to the injury of Quarterback Daniel Jones, meant they ended up 8-9 and missing out on the Playoffs entirely! Heading into this season, Indianapolis look to have a very good offense, whilst their
defense is Playoff-contending! You’d think that a terrible end to the season would result in me having The Colts drop a ton of places, but based on everything I’ve seen when things are working, I’ve actually got Indy 15 places higher than this time last year!
11. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers massively overachieved last year given all of the injuries they had to deal with, winning a Playoff game (in Philadelphia) before they eventually got sent packing by the Seattle Seahawks! Heading into this season, San Francisco’s offense is really strong; Brock Purdy is great, but their defense is still questionable! As a result, The 49ers have dropped 4 places from last year’s ranking, but they remain a Playoff contender!
10. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons’ 8-9 record wasn’t enough for them to win the NFC South last season, but it’s worth noting that they did win each of their final 4 games! Heading into this season, Atlanta potentially have a genuinely great offense, whilst their defense is good enough that they can win a lot of games this year, as long as either Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. deliver! Ultimately, The Falcons are my dark horse team this year, hence why they’ve risen a massive 18 places from last year’s 28th place!
9. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills came up short once again last season, losing to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round as they were forced to watch Rivals New England win the AFC Championship! Heading into this season, Buffalo are right on the edge in terms of whether their offense and defense is good enough for a deep Playoff run, but Josh Allen remains quality! Despite this, the fact that they failed to win the AFC East last year is enough for The Bills to drop 5 places from last year’s Top 4 ranking!
8. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots came out of nowhere to become AFC Champions last year, but the Super Bowl was just one game too much for them as they got completely overwhelmed by the Seattle Seahawks! Heading into this season, Drake Maye’s hype is incredibly high, but there are still questions regarding the overall quality of this team given the fact that they had a pretty easy schedule last season! In the end, though, rising 15 places from last year’s rankings is a big positive!
7. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers made the Playoffs as the AFC’s final seed last season, only for their offense to get completely trounced by the New England Patriots defense! Heading into this season, LA are 100% a Playoff team, but they need their offensive line to improve as Justin Herbert has no chance of winning otherwise! I’d say that The Chargers rising 1 place from last year’s rankings feels fair, although they need to play like it!
6. Baltimore Ravens
After they entered last season as my Number 1 team, the Baltimore Ravens completely flopped, missing out on the Playoffs entirely (after going just 8-9)! Heading into this season, Lamar Jackson remains my Number 1 Quarterback in the league, but Baltimore’s offense and defense has definitely regressed! As a result, The Ravens have dropped 5 places from last year’s P1!
5. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos had a brilliant Regular Season, going 14-3, only for a Bo Nix injury and crazy weather conditions to cost them in the AFC Championship game! Heading into his season, Denver have both a Top 6 offense and defense, with their defense in particular being elite! For me, The Broncos are the best team in the AFC coming into the 2026 NFL Season, which is why they’ve risen 6 places after being outside the Top 10 twelve months ago!
4. Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks were pretty special last season, going all the way as they lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LX! Heading into this season, The Seahawks keep hold of a Top 10 offense, whilst for me, their defense is still the one to beat! Whilst it may seem a little bit harsh that the reigning Super Bowl Champion aren’t Number 1 in these Power Rankings, The Seahawks have risen 12 places from where they were last year, and it's very rare that the Reigning Champions actually appear at the top of this list (other than when The Chiefs went back-to-back)!
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles won another NFC East Title last season, but their Super Bowl defense was quickly ended with a shocking Wild Card Round defeat to the San Francisco 49ers! Heading into this season, Philadelphia have both a Top 5 offense and defense, making them a potential force to be reckoned with! Despite the fact that The Eagles are no longer entering the season as the reigning and defending Champions, I haven’t moved them in my Rankings, meaning Philly appear on the Pre-Season Podium for the third time in four seasons!
2. Detroit Lions
Expectations were very high around the Detroit Lions 12 months ago, so it came as a massive shock when they finished bottom of the NFC North (albeit with a 9-8 record, needing only 1 more win to make the Playoffs)! Heading into this season, Detroit’s offense looks to be one of the absolute best in the entire league, with Jared Goff coming off the back of a pair of very strong seasons! Again, last season was a disappointment, but it doesn’t change my belief in The Lions organisation, hence the reason why they have also remained in 2nd for the second-straight season!
1. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams’ 2025 NFL Season was one where they were probably better than some Super Bowl-winning rosters of the past, but they just weren’t able to take down the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game! Heading into this season, LA have the Number 1 offense in the entire league, which includes reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, whilst Myles Garrett has been brought in to boost their defense significantly! For me, The Rams enter 2026 as the favourites to win Super Bowl 61, which is signalled by the fact that they’ve risen a joint-best 18 places between 2025 and 2026!
Comments