The Seattle Seahawks won their division, claimed the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and torpedoed virtually every opponent en route to a Super Bowl victory last season. And nobody really talked about it until it was happening. The same mistake won’t be made this time around, as folks now understand just how good the Seahawks are.
But what about the other seven division winners from last season? Let’s dive into the best of the best from a year ago to see how the NFL’s hierarchy is shaping up in 2026, hopefully determining which teams have the best chance to achieve the ultimate football glory.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
How much difference will a slightly better supporting cast and a slightly better offensive playcaller make for 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers? And will any of it matter without Mike Tomlin’s defensive wizardry and voodoo-like ability to never, ever finish below .500 in a regular season?
Mike McCarthy is not a bad coach, but he’s a coach with a well-documented ceiling and a somewhat old-school approach, which is not what the Steelers needed in lieu of Tomlin. The relationship with Rodgers is a plus, but it’s a one-season plus. Rodgers will retire in a year and that connection will be severed. Moreover, Rodgers really isn’t good enough to make or break McCarthy himself.
The Steelers added Michael Pittman and second-round pick Germie Bernard to the receiver room. Rico Dowdle is an awesome No. 2 running back. Pittsburgh should compete in a vulnerable AFC North, but set your expectations low.
7. Carolina Panthers
Yes, the Panthers won their division last season at 8-9. And yes, the Panthers very well could repeat their success in 2026 — maybe even with a .500 record this time.
The NFC South is still a joke. That narrative may slowly be turning, as all four teams more or less appear to be trending in the right direction. Tampa nailed the draft. Atlanta hired a great coach. New Orleans has its QB of the future. Carolina, meanwhile, was just a gutsy, competitive team last season, even when operating at a frequent talent deficit.
This Panthers team comes up large in big moments. Bryce Young is never going to live up to his No. 1 pick billing, but he has put in the work to become… workable. Solid. You know, a real starter. Carolina beefed up its defense this winter and kept adding on the margins offensively. The Panthers won’t be bad, just don’t expect them in the Super Bowl.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
Hot take (maybe): Jacksonville was secretly the best team in the AFC last season. New England beat them out record-wise and Buffalo narrowly escaped with a first round victory in the playoffs because Josh Allen is the football equivalent of Superman. But the metrics painted Jacksonville as a top-10 offense and defense, with Trevor Lawrence making significant strides and Liam Coen injecting the whole team with a long-absent joie de vivre.
Unfortunately, this offseason took a more negative turn, as Trevor Etienne, Devin Lloyd and other key free agents walked, never to be (adequately) replaced. Jacksonville just looks weaker on the margins, with FanSided’s Cody Williams rightfully grilling their poor process, handing the Jags his lowest offseason grade in the entire NFL.
Still, the bones are strong, Coen is clearly a fantastic coach and Travis Hunter’s return to full health (and full-time move to defense) should help a ton. He’s a major talent, lest we forget. The Jags should stick around the upper fray again, but the league as a whole got better while Jacksonville stagnated, so there’s a chance they missed their brief window.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Are the vibes in Philadelphia great? Not really. The AJ Brown situation is still unresolved, although we could see the final shoe drop shortly. The Eagles are also still recovering from last season’s epic collapse, during which an elite defense was lost to time because the offense could not move the football across mid-field half as much as necessary to win important football games.
This will be a prove-it season for Jalen Hurts, just two years removed from winning Super Bowl MVP. We know Hurts can reach exceptional heights; he has two of the greatest individual Super Bowl performances in recent memory. That said, his stubborn avoidance of the middle of the field has clearly rubbed folks the wrong way and forced a change at O.C. Sean Mannion is going to spam crossers and get his receivers moving out in space; Hurts needs to prove he can adjust and embrace a new scheme. Because Mannion’s scheme can — and will — work if he does.
Still, we’ve seen the Eagles bounce back from odd letdown years to completely dominate the NFL before (see: 2024-25, again). It’s almost a pattern. If the Eagles play up to their capacity, with or without Brown, this ranking will look silly. We could get another parade down Broad Street.
4. New England Patriots
The Patriots were in the Super Bowl last season. No matter how poorly that went, the Pats won the AFC and finished runner-up in the title game, which is hard to complain about. Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting in his second season, which is under-discussed in its absurdity. The sky is the limit. His tools, agility and rapid processing improvement are wondrous to behold.
All that said, the vibes couldn’t be much worse in Foxboro right now. Maybe an AJ Brown trade comes along to raise a few spirits (and improve the roster), but Mike Vrabel’s offseason scandal really took the air out of the room. He is a proven head coach who knows his stuff and connects with players, but New England faced distractions at every turn this offseason.
Beyond the off-field stuff, New England has real questions to answer at receiver and on the O-line, much like last season. The Patriots made strides in the draft and free agency, with the seemingly inevitable Brown trade certain to address a lot of worries around the team. Still, after the offense completely buckled under pressure late in the postseason, it’s fair to wonder if New England is built to repeat. Their path to the Super Bowl in 2025 was historically easy.
3. Chicago Bears
This is probably too high for the Bears, but if there’s any team to be “too high” on right now, it’s Da Bears. Chicago went on an electrifying run to end last season and Caleb Williams nearly magicked his way to a Super Bowl berth, or at least an NFC Championship Game berth. Several of the most impressive throws of the last decade were made in a span of weeks by Williams.
Chicago’s defense was a mess, but the Bears nailed the draft and made smart swings in free agency. The O-line looks better. Tough schedule? Madden curse? Who actually cares? Not me. The Bears really do pass the vibe test; Williams with another offseason under Ben Johnson, with a more fine-tuned receiving corps, has a chance to accomplish special things.
If Williams can progress into the quarterback Bears fans expected with that No. 1 pick — a dual-threat, explosive playmaker, up there with the very best in football — there’s no reason Chicago can’t make noise in the NFC.
2. Denver Broncos
Denver was the top seed in the AFC last season. Narrator: They’re still good. Even better.
The Jaylen Waddle trade is a huge needle-mover for the Broncos. He adds an exciting new vertical element, with the route-running skills to become a dependable checkdown option, too. Bo Nix is not without his flaws, but the IQ, mobility and accuracy — with this kind of open-field weapon lined up wide — should shine beautifully.
Where the Broncos really won games last season, of course, was their smothering defense. There is no imminent sign of regression on that front. The Broncos kept the majority of their stars. Their defensive backfield is a hornets nest while Denver’s pass rush probably deserves even more credit than it gets.
On a fundamental level, the Broncos are built to win pretty and win ugly. That’s an important trait, and one not every NFL contender has — at least not to this establish a degree.
1. Seattle Seahawks
In hindsight, it’s remarkable how easily the 14-win Seahawks and their No. 1 defense just casually flew under the radar last season. All the conversations out of the NFC West seemed to focus on the Rams or Niners. Two other quality teams — both won a playoff game, at least — but the Seahawks came out on top. Seattle didn’t face many true tests on their journey to the mountaintop, either.
Seattle is more than capable of repeating. That’s easier said than done, of course, and the Seahawks did suffer some pretty substantial losses. Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III dipped for Kansas City, while offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak took the head coaching job in Las Vegas. Given how rapidly Sam Darnold progressed and settled in under Kubiak, that feels like the most consequential change.
Even so, this is an all-world defense and the Seahawks are keeping the same bones on offense, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba signed to a new long-term deal after his incredible 2025 campaign. The reigning champs tend to feel the best out of any fanbase. That’s how this business works.
More NFL news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
