The 2026 NFL Season kicks off in a month. Every year, the league is good for a few surprises. In this article, I’m going to try to predict what some of those potential surprises could be in this upcoming season.
The first bold prediction for the 2026 NFL season is that the New England Patriots won’t be a playoff team. Despite the team winning 14 games in 2025, there’s a lot left to desire. Their opponents in 2025 finished with a combined win percentage of .391.
That ranks among the easiest schedules in the last 50 years. This year, New England faces the sixth-hardest schedule based on opponents’ win percentages for 2025. Instead of playing a last-place schedule like they did last year, they get a first-place schedule.
What concerns me is how Drake Maye will handle stiffer competition. The recent playoff run was a bit concerning. He finished the postseason run throwing for six touchdowns, with four interceptions, and 828 yards in four games. He also took 21 sacks and had seven fumbles, which feels like the biggest weakness to his game.
Yes, the competition was tough, but that’s what Maye is going to face more in this upcoming season. The first four games alone will present the Patriots’ problems, as all of them are against playoff teams.
Another reason to believe that New England will take a step back is that they didn’t address their biggest problem: the offensive line. In the offseason, they made moves at the skill position, such as acquiring wide receivers AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs. They did add offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, which is a good addition.
The issue, however, is that Vera-Tucker has not been available most of his career. Out of 85 possible games, he’s only played in 42. It feels like a gamble to rely on a player who plays only half of his games to fix a team that gave up the 10th most sacks.
The final straw is the dreaded “Super Bowl hangover”. In the last 11 years, the loser of the big game failed to make the postseason the following year six times. History is not on the Patriots’ side.
These concerns, coupled with the Mike Vrabel drama, make them a prime candidate to take a massive step back in 2026. Do you agree?
On Wednesday, August 5th, Aaron Donald had an official workout with the Los Angeles Rams. Head coach Sean McVay showered the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year(DPOY) award winner with high praise and stated that he can make the team. If that happens, the rest of the league is in trouble.
Los Angeles, at the moment, has Myles Garrett. He is the reigning DPOY and just broke the single-season sack record for a player with 23. Donald, as mentioned, has won the DPOY award three times. Both of these guys are used to being double- and triple-teamed at times.
What happens when they both are on the field? Offenses can’t double both of them because that would leave one offensive lineman against three other defensive linemen. Always bringing a running back and tight end to chip would severely hamper the offense’s ability to generate big plays.
It would be unprecedented to see two players of this caliber line up right next to each other. The best example we got in recent history was when the Rams signed Von Miller in 2021. That team ended up winning the Super Bowl behind seven sacks in the big game. Miller and Donald each had two.
This pairing would top that. The only setback is how long it would take Donald to get in game shape. If it’s relatively soon, they have a shot at breaking the 1984 Chicago Bears’ single-season sack record of 72. With the extra games, teams have come close.
The Denver Broncos in 2025 had a chance as they ended with 68 sacks. If any team can actually break the record, it will be these Rams. This is the second bold prediction for the 2026 NFL season.
The 2026 NFL season can’t get here soon enough. The best part of every season is the moments that completely leave the fans in awe. Whether it is a good team missing the playoffs, a bad team making the playoffs, or a record being broken, it’s always fun to be a witness.
For this year, what are your boldest predictions?
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