NFC 2026 Season Preview

Dallas Cowboys

Playoff Contenders | Offseason Grade: B | Floor: 9-8 | Ceiling: 11-6

Outlook: 

The Dallas Cowboys had one of the league’s best offenses last season. Headlined by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens, Dallas had the second-most yards per game and seventh-most points per game last season.

The defense was the Cowboys’ issue.

They allowed the most points per game, the most passing yards per game, and the third-most total yards per game. This offseason, they added a lot to that unit. They acquired Rashan Gary, Von Miller, and Malachi Lawrence to bolster the pass rush, and drafted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs in the first round.  

New York Giants

Miss Playoffs | Offseason Grade: B+ | Floor: 6-11 | Ceiling: 9-8 

Outlook:

After another disappointing season in 2025, Big Blue made wholesale changes this offseason. The biggest move was hiring longtime Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh is a proven coach with a winning track record. In his 18 seasons, Baltimore had a losing record only three times.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart showed a lot of promise as a rookie, so they added more weapons around him, including Isaiah Likely, Darnell Mooney, and rookie Malachi Fields.

The Giants’ defense struggled mightily last season, especially at stopping the run. After trading Dexter Lawrence, they signed D.J. Reader, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, and drafted Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese with the fifth overall pick.

If Dart takes a big leap in his second season and the defense improves under the new coaching staff, Big Blue could have a bounce-back season in 2026 and find themselves competing for the playoffs. 

Washington Commanders

Miss Playoffs | Offseason Grade: B | Floor: 6-11 | Ceiling: 9-8 

Outlook:

After reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2024, the Commanders had an underwhelming 5-12 season in 2025.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels had an incredible rookie season, but injuries limited him to just seven games last season.

Washington’s defense was also one of the worst in the league. They gave up the most total yards per game, the fifth-most passing yards per game, and the third-most rushing yards per game. This offseason, the Commanders improved their defensive line by signing pass rushers K’Lavon Chaisson and Odafe Oweh. With the first-round pick, they selected standout Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.

On offense, they added tight end Chig Okonkwo and wide receiver Stefon Diggs to give them more pass-catching weapons alongside Terry McLaurin. If Jayden Daniels can stay healthy for a full season and the defense becomes a serviceable unit, the Commanders are another team that could rebound and find themselves in the playoff picture again. 

– Jake Sands

NFC North 

Chicago Bears

Miss Playoffs | Offseason Grade: C- | Floor: 7-10| Ceiling: 11-7 

Outlook:

The Chicago Bears were the NFC North Champions last season. As impressive as they were last season, luck was on their side.

Late-season injuries for the Green Bay Packers, a total roster collapse, poor play from the Detroit Lions, and horrendous quarterback play from the Minnesota Vikings allowed the Bears to snag the division at the end of the season.

What is the Bears’ reward for winning the division last season?

According to ESPN, the Bears have the HARDEST strength of schedule in the entire NFL this season at .550. In general, reigning champions should never be disrespected to this level of being projected to miss the playoffs, but this division is too competitive to ignore.

The Packers and the Lions will be mostly healthy to start the season, and the Vikings improved their roster the most on paper, which, to be fair, is not saying much. It is unfair, but the reigning NFC North Champions are the underdogs this season, looking to prove everyone wrong who does not respect them.

Detroit Lions

Playoff Contenders | Offseason Grade: C+ | Floor: 11-3 | Ceiling: 14-3

Outlook:

Last season, the Detroit Lions lost OC Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears, C Frank Ragnow to retirement, and many injuries from mid-season onward.

They may have been last in the division, but they still finished over .500 with a 9-8 record. Hiring Drew Petzing as the new offensive coordinator could spark the offense despite losing RB David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, especially since, according to ESPN, they have the sixth-easiest strength of schedule in the NFL at .467.

Ironically, the rest of the NFC North is why their strength of schedule isn’t the easiest in the entire NFL. The Lions have a lot of “free” games against opponents, so as long as they take care of business and are competitive with the other NFC North teams, they should be the favorites to win the division this season.

Green Bay Packers

Playoff Contenders | Offseason Grade: D+| Floor: 8-9 | Ceiling: 13-4

Outlook:

The Green Bay Packers are a harder team to predict. It looked like the Packers were going to run away with the division until late-season injuries took a heavy toll, leading to their last four losses.

Green Bay lost a lot of quality players, including LB Quay Walker to the Las Vegas Raiders and EDGE Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys. Micah Parsons will miss at least the first four games, and it is still unknown whether RB Josh Jacobs will be suspended for a certain number of games. If everything goes right, the Packers can still be the Super Bowl contenders they were supposed to be last season.

Minnesota Vikings

Playoff Contenders | Offseason Grade: B- | Floor: 7-10 | Ceiling: 12-5

Outlook:

The Minnesota Vikings had some of the worst quarterback play last season. Despite J.J. McCarthy‘s inconsistent performance and his inability to stay on the field with injury, Carson Wentz getting hurt, and Max Brosmer showing no signs of promise despite beating the Detroit Lions (with 3 net passing yards), the Vikings still finished the season 9-8.

The Vikings signed QB Kyler Murray to the minimum, so they have already improved at QB. The Vikings most notably traded EDGE Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Vikings are banking on EDGE Dallas Turner continuing to break out with his impressive performances last season.

The Vikings are a very well-rounded team, so as long as Kyler Murray performs, they should be more successful than last season. 

-Bakti Graves

NFC South 

Atlanta Falcons

Miss Playoffs | Offseason Grade: C- | Floor: 3-14 | Ceiling: 7-10

Outlook:

This team did little to improve its roster after a disappointing season that ended on a high note.

After winning their final four games, the Falcons have since most notably moved on from Kirk Cousins, lost Jalon Walker for the season, and will miss James Pearce Jr. for the first eight games of 2026 due to his suspension.

Atlanta has one of, if not the worst, QB rooms in the entire NFL. Whether it’s Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr., this team’s ceiling is capped heavily.

Their 15th-ranked overall defense lost its two best pass rushers, and neither QB is good enough to lead this team to a playoff berth, especially with a thin WR room.

Carolina Panthers

Miss Playoffs | Offseason Grade: B+| Floor: 4-13 | Ceiling: 8-9

Outlook:

Going into year four of Bryce Young, he remains one of the league’s worst quarterbacks in nearly every major statistic and advanced metric.

Carolina won all eight of its games as underdogs and finished 2025 with a -69-point differential. Both of these scream an incredibly inept, inconsistent team with little to look forward to in 2026.

However, they did bring in Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips, both top free agents from the 2025 cycle. But those two can only save so much.

A first-place schedule, unluckily brought about by a lucky division title, an RB room with no true RB1, an LB room without a number two, a pass rush without Nic Scourton, and an offense with essentially only Tetairoa McMillan, will bring an unforgiving shadow to the Panthers in 2026. 

New Orleans Saints

Playoff Contenders | Offseason Grade: A | Floor: 7-10 | Ceiling: 11-6

Outlook:

The New Orleans Saints are the most complete and improved roster in the NFC South. Their offseason was one of the best in the NFL.

Their 9th-ranked total defense lost future Hall of Fame LB Demario Davis, but they brought in Kaden Elliss as a replacement. To bolster the second-worst-ranked special teams in terms of EPA/play, they brought in punter Ryan Wright.

On the offensive side of the ball, they added LG David Edwards and RB Travis Etienne, and drafted three wide receivers who all look like immediate impact players. The question is whether Tyler Shough is who we all think he is.

Although Jordyn Tyson is out for the foreseeable future, an offense led by Tyler Shough, All-Pro Chris Olave, and Travis Etienne will undoubtedly be an exhilarating unit to watch all year-round. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Miss Playoffs | Offseason Grade: B- | Floor: 6-11 | Ceiling: 10-7

Outlook:

Baker Mayfield is the best quarterback in the NFC South. The Buccaneers surely have the most experienced roster in the NFC South.

But with experience comes age.

Tampa Bay is an old team prone to injuries and lacking depth at almost every position. When he isn’t injured, Mayfield looks like a top-8 talent. The issue is, he hasn’t been healthy in years. And no indication that will magically change this year.

The addition of Reuben Bain might’ve been the steal of the 2025 Draft. He instantly becomes a dominating force versus any OL in the NFL. Bain, along with a promising young star in Emeka Egbuka, raises Tampa’s floor.

It all comes down to Baker and whether he can stay healthy all year. If he does, this team could contend for the division.

-Tristan Perkins

NFC West 

Arizona Cardinals

Losers | Offseason Grade: B+ | Floor: 2-15 | Ceiling: 8-9

Outlook:

2025 was a year to forget for most Cardinals fans in the valley.

Arizona needed changes following an injury-riddled season and only three wins. New head coach Mike LaFleur was hired, opening up a boatload of possibilities.

The addition of Jeremiyah Love, a potential superstar running back, is a home run selection. Arizona had one of the better drafts in the league, but the extension given to QB Jacoby Brissett wasn’t great.

A lot of potential with this team, but they do have the hardest schedule in the league. Certainly, headed in the right direction going into 2026. For now, the Cardinals are at the bottom of the West. 

Los Angeles Rams

Super Bowl Contenders | Offseason Grade: A+ | Floor: 11-6 | Ceiling: 16-1

Outlook:

Los Angeles keeps getting richer, and this offseason certainly showed that.

Aaron Donald is back, and the addition of Myles Garrett bolsters their defensive line immensely. The NFL hasn’t seen a pass rush duo this powerful in a long time.

The Rams’ biggest weakness last season was their secondary. They didn’t have a number one corner to compete one-on-one with the top receivers in the league. Knowing this, general manager Les Snead took a chance and traded for Trent McDuffie—an absolutely huge upgrade at corner, solidifying the back half of the Rams’ defense.

Last season, they had an explosive offense, but now their defense might be even better. Don’t expect many losses, as Super Bowl or bust is now the mindset in Los Angeles. 

San Francisco 49ers

Pretenders | Offseason Grade: C+ | Floor: 6-11 | Ceiling: 12-5

Outlook:

In what was an astonishing 2025 season for the 49ers, there was some trouble within the team. No, not Brandon Aiyuk, but the structure of the team as a whole.

The 49ers have been latching onto the same players for years now, and the gap has closed for this team. San Francisco’s average age is the fifth-oldest in the league, which usually doesn’t go well historically.

The 49ers did have some nice additions in the offseason. They signed Mike Evans to the squad, along with trading for Osa Odighizuwa to bolster the interior defensive line. Drafting De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round of the draft received some backlash. Despite that, Stribling has looked solid in the preseason. The 49ers also brought back veterans Dre Greenlaw and Deebo Samuel to add depth.

It’s hard to predict what the 49ers will be, given their injury history and the overall consistency of their roster. San Francisco has potential to find gold this season, but time is running out. 

Seattle Seahawks

Pretenders | Offseason Grade: D | Floor: 7-10 | Ceiling: 11-6

Outlook:

Seattle lost some key contributors after a dominant Super Bowl win.

Multiple players left in free agency to find a new home, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant, and Boye Mafe all signed with new teams. Seattle also lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, as he signed a new deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Seattle’s only new addition is Trevon Diggs, who has All-Pro status, but he’s fallen off that hill. Losing Klint Kubiak as the offensive coordinator might be the most daunting loss of them all. Don’t expect either side of the ball to produce nearly as much as last season.

–Holden Beers 

The Lead Staff’s NFC Championship Game/Super Bowl Predictions

Bakti:

NFCCG: Seattle Seahawks (W) @ Los Angeles Rams

Super Bowl: Kansas City Chiefs vs Seattle Seahawks (W)

Holden:

NFCCG: Chicago Bears @ Los Angeles Rams (W)

Super Bowl: Baltimore Ravens vs Los Angeles Rams

Jake:

NFCCG: Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams 

Super Bowl: Baltimore Ravens vs Los Angeles Rams 

Tristan:

NFCCG: Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Rams

Super Bowl: Los Angeles Rams (W) Vs. Houston Texans

Pham:

NFCCG: Lions vs Commanders

Super Bowl: Chiefs vs Lions

Jaime Suarez:

NFCCG: Philadelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams

Super Bowl: Baltimore Ravens vs Los Angeles Rams

Swiney:

NFCCG: Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions

Super Bowl: Los Angeles Rams vs Denver Broncos

Zeke:

NFCCG: Philadelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams (W)

Super Bowl: Houston Texans vs Los Angeles Rams (W)