NFL Teams 2026: Best and Worst Case Scenarios

We're ticking down the days until the NFL is back at the forefront of our lives, but we're still a few months away from routinely parking ourselves on the couch on Sundays. While we still have the summer months ahead of us, football season will be here before you know it, and if you're like most fans, you're daydreaming about the possibilities of what the 2026 season may bring.

Could this finally be the year your team hoists the Lombardi Trophy? Or is fear of the floor falling out from under the franchise starting to seep in? These are the sorts of questions pinging around the heads of just about every fan as they let the burgers cook a little too long on the grill.

Well, they're also questions we're asking ourselves. So, we're going to run through every team in the NFL and present a best- and worst-case scenario for each heading into the 2026 season.

Arizona Cardinals

Best-case : Year 1 of the Mike LaFleur era gets off to a splendid start. Not only does LaFleur prove himself to be one of the bright young coaches in the NFL, but third-round rookie Carson Beck solidifies himself as the quarterback of the future. Now, the Cardinals have their two pillars in place, thrusting their rebuild into hyperdrive.

Worst-case : The Cardinals become rudderless. Beck doesn't show any signs of being a franchise centerpiece, leaving them with no long-term answer under center. Arizona struggles mightily in a stout NFC West and ends up with the worst record in the NFL.

Atlanta Falcons

Best-case : The quarterback battle and change of scenery bring out the best in Tua Tagovailoa , who becomes the latest veteran to enjoy a late-career resurgence. With a new regime in place, headlined by first-year coach Kevin Stefanski, Atlanta gets the most out of its highly skilled roster and wins the NFC South for the first time since 2016.

Worst-case : One of Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr . wins the upcoming quarterback battle by default, with neither truly rising to the occasion. That leaves the QB room muddled and leads to yet another in-season change at the position. Nothing sticks, and the Falcons continue to be held back by inadequate play under center.

Baltimore Ravens

Best-case : The arrival of Jesse Minter as head coach does exactly what Ravens brass hoped it would: fix the defense. With Minter reestablishing Baltimore's DNA on that side of the ball, the organization dominates the conference, leading to an AFC North title and the No. 1 seed. Lamar Jackson stays healthy and finally gets over the hump to win the Super Bowl .

Worst-case : Baltimore's defense doesn't make the strides it hoped for under Minter, with Trey Hendrickson , the team's offseason prize to bolster the pass rush, looking like a player past his prime at age 31 and coming off a season-ending hip injury in 2025. Derrick Henry finally starts to show cracks, lowering the offense's ceiling. That leads to the Ravens missing the playoffs for the second straight year.

Buffalo Bills

Best-case : After losing ground in the division, Buffalo climbs back atop the AFC East, and Joe Brady proves to be exactly the right choice at head coach. He has the Bills playing to their talent level, Josh Allen remains the best quarterback in the NFL, and DJ Moore becomes the second coming of Stefon Diggs in this offense. That leads to a deep playoff run that ends with the Bills winning Super Bowl LXI.

Worst-case : Brady doesn't move the needle the way the organization hoped, and Buffalo continues to come up short of its ultimate goal of reaching the Super Bowl. To make matters worse, the Bills continue to look up at New England in the division and let another year of Allen's prime slip away.

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Carolina Panthers

Best-case : Carolina doesn't just back into a division title as it did in 2025; it takes it by force. The offseason additions of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd help make the Panthers defense one of the more feared units in the conference. Bryce Young also continues to build on the momentum he generated last season and leaves no doubt that he is a quarterback Carolina can build around for the foreseeable future. The Panthers win back-to-back division titles for the first time since the 2014-15 seasons and finish above .500 for the first time since 2017.

Worst-case : Young regresses from his career-best season in 2025. That leads to another sub-.500 season for Carolina and, this time, others in the division don't allow the Panthers to sneak into the playoffs or win the NFC South. To make matters even more dire, they are firmly on the hunt for a new quarterback next offseason.

Chicago Bears

Best-case : After going 11-6 and winning the NFC North last season, Chicago builds on that success in Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era. Caleb Williams emerges as a legitimate MVP candidate, wins double-digit games once again and leads the Bears to consecutive division titles for the first time since 2005 and 2006.

Worst-case : The breakout 2025 campaign proves to be more flash than substance, with Chicago falling behind the Lions and Packers in the NFC North race. That results in the Bears missing the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons.

Cincinnati Bengals

Best-case : First and foremost, the dynamic trio of Joe Burrow , Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins stay healthy, keeping the team's floor high. Beyond that, the changes Cincinnati made to its defense effectively turn the unit around overnight. The additions of Dexter Lawrence and Boye Mafe provide some much-needed veteran leadership, while in-house players like Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart also rise to the occasion. The Bengals win the AFC North for the first time since 2022, return to the Super Bowl and win it.

Worst-case : One or more pieces of the Burrow-Chase-Higgins trio miss extended time yet again, dramatically altering expectations for the season. While there are new faces on defense, it's the same result for Cincinnati on that side of the ball, leading to the Bengals missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year. That becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back and results in Zac Taylor being fired.

Cleveland Browns

Best-case : The QB battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders ends with Sanders on top. Not only does Sanders win the Week 1 job, but the second-year signal-caller runs with it and gives Cleveland the long-term answer at quarterback it has been starved for. Sanders and first-year coach Todd Monken begin building a strong foundation that changes how the rest of the league views Cleveland going forward. Suddenly, the Browns have a stellar young core with a 24-year-old quarterback at the center of it.

Worst-case : Watson wins the job over Sanders, but neither puts together an awe-inspiring training camp. Monken leans toward the veteran, but Watson continues to look like the version he's been throughout his time in Cleveland. That results in the Browns finishing last in the AFC North and owning one of the worst records in the NFL, leading to Monken being one-and-done. They enter the 2027 offseason once again searching for a new head coach and a new quarterback.

Dallas Cowboys

Best-case : With George Pickens back on the franchise tag, Dallas continues to have one of the best one-two punches at receiver alongside CeeDee Lamb . That helps Dak Prescott keep the offense among the most prolific in the league. The biggest changes come on the defensive side of the ball. First-round rookies Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence contribute at a high level from Day 1, as do the veteran additions. The Cowboys now have a defense that can match the offense's ceiling and get back atop the NFC East. They also finally make a deep playoff run, advancing as far as the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1995, the last time they won the Super Bowl. Could this finally be the year?

Worst-case : The defense remains a work in progress, which continues to put pressure on the offense to produce points. That'll be more difficult in 2026 if Pickens is unhappy with his contract situation and holds out. That derails Dallas, and it misses the playoffs for the third straight year.

Denver Broncos

Best-case : Bo Nix doesn't skip a beat after recovering from the season-ending ankle injury he suffered last postseason. In fact, he's better than ever after the Broncos gave him another top-tier pass-catching weapon in Jaylen Waddle this offseason. With RJ Harvey taking a leap in Year 2, Denver's backfield improves and the offense becomes a high-powered machine. When paired with the defense, the Broncos earn the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year and find themselves playing in Super Bowl LXI.

Worst-case : Nix is ready to go for Week 1 but is less than 100% because of his ankle. He struggles to get on the same page with Waddle, and the running game continues to be nonexistent, as it was down the stretch last season. As talented as the defense is, its numbers dip slightly from last year, tipping the scales in a negative direction. Kansas City bounces back and knocks Denver off its perch atop the division standings.

Detroit Lions

Best-case : After a down year in 2025, the Lions get right back into the thick of the Super Bowl conversation. The secondary returns healthy after an injury-riddled campaign, while the offense hums with Jahmyr Gibbs playing at an Offensive Player of the Year level. Detroit reclaims the NFC North, winning the division for the third time in four seasons.

Worst-case: The arrow continues to point in the wrong direction in the Motor City. Jared Goff starts to look like a quarterback entering the latter stages of his career, and the hiring of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing doesn't result in any substantial improvements. The defense again ranks in the bottom half of the league in key categories, and the Lions miss the playoffs for the second straight year, begging the question of whether their window has closed entirely.

Green Bay Packers

Best-case: After beginning the year on the PUP list, Micah Parsons returns to the Packers in mid-October, and the defense doesn't look back. The star pass rusher is fresh, healthy, and has Green Bay fielding arguably the top unit in the league. When paired with an offense that has Jordan Love playing at a high level -- thanks to the emergence of second-year wideout Matthew Golden and Christian Watson establishing himself as a true No. 1 option after inking a lucrative extension this offseason -- the Packers win the NFC North for the first time since 2021 and reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2020.

Worst-case:  Parsons returns to the field but isn't the same player he was before tearing his ACL, lowering the defense's ceiling. Meanwhile, the offense continues to deal with durability issues from Watson, limiting its explosiveness. Their division rivals all find success, dropping Green Bay to last place in the NFC North for the first time since 2005.

Houston Texans

Best-case: C.J. Stroud looks more like the quarterback he was during his rookie season. With his confidence restored, better protection along the offensive line and a stable running game with David Montgomery in the backfield, the offense erupts with Stroud at the helm. With the offense finally complementing the star-studded defense, the Texans win the AFC South and reach the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history.

Worst-case: Stroud continues to crater, and his playoff woes bleed into 2026. It gets so bad that Davis Mills makes an appearance with Stroud on the bench, firmly shattering hope that he can turn things around. Because of that, the Texans miss the playoffs and face existential questions next offseason.

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Indianapolis Colts

Best-

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-best-worst-case-outcomes-2026/)._