2026 NFL Preview (Part II)

When the Super Bowl was at SoFi Stadium five years ago, the Los Angeles Rams went all out to win the Super Bowl at home.  This year, with the Super Bowl at SoFi again, they're doing the exact same thing.  And the crazy thing about it is the Rams could easily do it again.  Because they were already arguably the best team in football.  Now future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald back, they're even better.

What's crazy about that, though, is how there are about seven different teams in the NFC thinking the same thing.  There are three potential playoff teams in the NFC West, with the Rams, 49ers and defending champion Seahawks all in the mix.  Ditto in the NFC North with the Lions, Bears and Packers.  Plus Dallas and Philadelphia in the East.  So, yeah, the NFC is crazy competitive.

And, unlike the AFC, there are very few really bad teams in the NFC.  That list is really limited to Arizona and New Orleans.  The Falcons and Commanders are a step below the others, but can still be scary and I wouldn't be surprised if they pull an upset or two during the season.  And you know John Harbaugh will make the Giants relevant again.  Whether that leads to a playoff appearance or simply not sucking remains to be seen.

So, we're gonna have some crazy division races in the NFC this season.  We'll also have some pretty good wild card teams.  I can also see a 10- or 11-win team missing the playoffs.  Especially since there are more than seven teams in the NFC that could be considered "playoff" teams.  And that's not including the potential sleepers, of which there's always at least one.

NFC East: Last season, the Eagles did something we hadn't seen in the NFC East in two decades--win consecutive division titles.  Of course, the Cowboys not being any good last season certainly helped Philadelphia's case, but they still won the division for the third time in four years.  The Eagles are still the best team in the NFC East, so it's easy to see them making it three in a row.  Although, I'm also expecting big things out of Dallas after two disappointing seven-win seasons by the Cowboys.

As for the Giants, the impact of John Harbaugh has already been seen.  I know it was just preseason, but this looks like a completely different team.  A playoff team?  Maybe not.  But they'll at least win more games than France or Norway at MetLife Stadium this season.  And Washington came back to Earth in 2025 after that surprising playoff run in Jayden Daniels' rookie year.  It seems more likely that the 2025 version of the Commanders is more accurate than the 2024 edition.

NFC North: The Lions suffered the same fate as the Chiefs last season.  Preseason Super Bowl expectations, ultimately missing the playoffs.  Detroit's situation was even stranger in that they were a last place team that finished above .500 (and only a half-game behind second-place Green Bay, who made the playoffs).  So, seeing the Lions bounce back to their 2024 form wouldn't be crazy at all.  In fact, I'd be more surprised if it didn't happen.

Of course, the Bears might have something to say about that.  Chicago's division title last season wasn't a fluke, and I fully expect them to be in the mix again.  And the Packers can hopefully look forward to a full year of Micah Parsons.  What a difference he made on that defense before his injury last year!  Minnesota, meanwhile, will be the best last-place team in the NFL.  If the Vikings were in another division, they wouldn't just be a playoff team, they'd be fighting for a division title.  But the NFC North is just that good top to bottom!

NFC South: Then there's the NFC South, which could give its AFC counterpart a run for its money.  There was a three-way tie at 8-9 last season, with the Panthers getting the division title on the tiebreaker.  It was the second time in four years the NFC South champion finished with a losing record.  But I guess the good news is it made for a tight division race.

This year, I think the NFC South will have a team finish above .500.  That team is Tampa Bay.  The Panthers are the only team I see challenging them for division supremacy, but even then, I don't think Carolina has enough to hold them off, especially since they'll be playing a first-place schedule.  I'm not high on Atlanta.  And New Orleans is still in the early stages of a rebuild.  The division should come down to the Bucs and Panthers.

NFC West: Seattle and the Rams don't play each other until Christmas.  They play again in Week 18.  Those two games could determine not just the division, but the overall NFC playoff seeding.  Just like it did last year, when the Seahawks rode the No. 1 seed in the NFC all the way to a Super Bowl title.  And, make no mistake, those games will matter.  Because these are two of the best teams in all of football!

Let's not forget San Francisco, either.  The 49ers always find a way to make you pay attention to them.  Being the third-best team in the NFC West is not a knock.  Because they'll be in the wild card conversation.  Arizona, like the Raiders, is stuck in a cycle of not being very good and playing in a division with three teams that are.  So, don't expect much from the Cardinals this season.  Although, their late-season matchup with Las Vegas could end up being for the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft.

Expect tight races in three of the four divisions.  I actually ended up having the Seahawks win the West by a game over the Rams, with the 14-3 Lions making the 13-4 Bears a wild card team.  Chicago won't be the wild card team that makes the deep playoff run, though.  That'll be the Rams.  When the Bucs won the Super Bowl at home, they were a wild card team and won three games on the road, knowing that the fourth would be in their own stadium.  Look for the Rams to do the exact same thing and go from wild card to Super Bowl.

In Super Bowl LXI, I've got the Rams meeting the Buffalo Bills.  And, just like Super Bowl LV, I can see the home field advantage making a huge difference.  It won't be the complete domination that we saw that night in Tampa, but the result will be the same.  I think the Los Angeles Rams are the best team in football.  The fact that they're hosting the Super Bowl this season is a coincidence, but it's something that will motivate them all season.  And their season will end the same way as it did five years ago.  Lifting the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium.