Can it really ever be too early for 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions? The score of every Regular Season game has been predicted, and here are the results. Thanks to:
The Buffalo Bills are predicted to have the best point differential in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions. After finishing with the league’s best rushing and third-ranked scoring offense, they’ve added to their offensive ceiling with the likes of wide receiver DJ Moore. Their underrated defense is also being spruced up. It ranked seventh in 2025-26, and they’ve filled holes via the 2026 NFL Draft. For example, they drafted EDGE TJ Parker and cornerback Davison Igbinosun with their first two selections this year.
The New England Patriots are no doubt on a great track, but a neutral observer cannot deny the relatively easy schedule last year, and that their playoff run hit every green light possible. The team has the sixth-ranked strength of schedule this upcoming season. It’s still a great team, but the steeper test may give the Bills a year of ruling the AFC East in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The New York Jets were a failure last season, and have decided to recycle an old plan that didn’t pan out in the first place. Just one year after anointing Justin Fields their saviour, quarterback Geno Smith is now back at the helm. Even their once-feared defense fell off a cliff, finishing 25th last season.
If the Jets are a failure, the Miami Dolphins are a disgrace. Last year’s QB1, WR1, and WR2 are gone, along with the head coach and any playoff aspirations. Their 26th-ranked offense is predicted to finish even worse in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The Cincinnati Bengals were a mess last year, including quarterback Joe Burrow, who played just eight games, his fewest of any season. Not only that, their 31st-ranked defense could never be relied on. Don’t expect the defense to dominate, but they’ve made attempts via the draft. Their first two selections were EDGE Cashius Howell and cornerback Tacario Davis. The Bengals have invested heavily in their offense, and if Burrow stays healthy, they rank near the top again in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The Baltimore Ravens are in the argument for the biggest letdown last season, going from Super Bowl contender to missing the playoffs. After missing just one game over the previous two seasons, quarterback Lamar Jackson played just 13 last year, including his lowest AVG since his rookie campaign. If the team can improve its 27th-ranked passing offense, it’ll be a more dangerous, well-rounded team, having finished last year with the second-ranked rush attack. Management took a home-run swing in the offseason to improve their porous defense, in particular, the 30th-ranked pass protection. When trade plans didn’t work out with Maxx Crosby, the team went out and got another beast, OLB Trey Hendrickson.
The Pittsburgh Steelers took a hit to their reputation last season, in more ways than one. Firstly, they seemingly let quarterback Aaron Rodgers call the shots, which resulted in a 25th-ranked offense. One may consider the Steelers a dominant, defensive team in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions; however, they dropped to 29th last year. After moving on from head coach Mike Tomlin’s 18-year tenure, there may also be some growing pains under the new direction of Mike McCarthy.
The Cleveland Browns were undone by their lack of offense last season, finishing second-to-last in PPG. There’s nothing to suggest a major shift in their fourth‑ranked defense, and they are one of four teams to receive an A-grade for their selections this year. Names like OT Spencer Fano, WRs KC Conception and Denzel Boston, and S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren highlight their draft class, and that’s just the opening two rounds.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in tough to match last year’s 13 wins, but they’re expected to win the division again in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions. They may enjoy the 22nd-ranked strength of schedule this season, but that’s actually the most difficult of all four teams in the division. A swing of just a couple of games could drastically change this prediction. With a C-grade draft, the team is relying largely on internal progression.
The Houston Texans have feasted on this weak division for a long time, and it’s starting to catch up. They’ve been failing to find an offensive line for years. On one hand, they’ve revamped the line again this year; on the other, they’ve failed enough times that they don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. Their C+ draft grade doesn’t scream game-changing. Lucky for the Texans, they can continue to lean on their league-leading defense.
The Indianapolis Colts’ offense stepped up last season, scoring 27.4 PPG; however, their 23rd-ranked defense left little room for error. A lot lies on quarterback Daniel Jones in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions. He had a resurgence during his debut season with the team last year, including a career-best AVG and QB rating. An Achilles injury erased him and the team from relevance late in the year. The Colts still managed to bolster their defense despite lacking a first‑round pick, selecting LB CJ Allen and S AJ Haulcy with their first two picks.
The Tennessee Titans’ offense was expectedly trash last year, but dropping 19 spots in the defensive rankings took them even further away from relevance. Given such widespread poor performance, one might expect it to be easy to draft for their needs, yet they still came away with only a C+ grade.
After a wild overtime AFC Divisional win over the Bills, the Denver Broncos fell on hard luck when quarterback Bo Nix was ruled out for the conference finals against the Patriots. They finished strong defensively and are predicted to do well in the upcoming season in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions. After finishing second overall last year, the Broncos’ defense is predicted to allow the fewest points of any playoff team in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers share several similarities: a defense‑first approach and a conservative but efficient offense. The issue for the Chargers has been that Denver is doing it marginally better on both sides of the ball. One major concern is their 26th-ranked offensive line, which they hope has been addressed in this year’s draft. Inclusive of their offensive line picks, but not their draft, they selected C Jake Slaughter, OT Travis Burke, plus guards Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey.
It may have been the end of a dynasty last year for the Kansas City Chiefs, but don’t write them off quite yet. With a list of future NFL Hall of Famers on the payroll, the Chiefs will be starving after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The team also made one of the biggest splashes in the 2026 NFL Draft, moving to sixth overall to select cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a new quarterback, a revamped roster, and drafted some promising the pieces. The thing is, doesn’t that sound just like last year’s fiasco? Fans may be counting their chickens before they hatch again, but those eggs do look promising. It’s a wait-and-see for their first overall draft pick, quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Is it fair to expect him to more than double their win total from last year, with an offense that finished last in the league?
The Dallas Cowboys finished the 2025-26 season with the second-ranked offense and have made some promising moves to address their issues. The team drafted S Caleb Downs and EDGE Malachi Lawrence in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to address the league’s worst passing defense. Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb have had a productive relationship for years, so it’s nice to see the Cowboys finally build a feasible team around them over the last couple of seasons.
It may be surprising to see the Philadelphia Eagles below the Cowboys, but this is actually one more win than last year. They may not have the dominant game-changing defense from their recent Super Bowl runs, but they were still one of eight teams to allow under 20 PPG last season. Most of the drama around the team stems from wide receiver AJ Brown. Could the Eagles’ first-round draft pick, WR Makai Lemon, be the answer to those questions? The value Brown brings, along with their A-grade draft class, puts the team in a strong position in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The New York Giants have an exciting upstart of young talent who appeared to have great chemistry, only for injuries to tear apart the positivity of the 2025-26 season. Even with a slew of injuries, they finished the season with a respectable 13th-ranked offense. One would expect some natural progression on the offense, and the Giants drafted some players to help their 26th-ranked defense. Included in their selection class were two linebackers, a cornerback, and a defensive tackle, including the fifth-overall pick, LB Arvell Reese, from Ohio State. Seven wins would increase last year’s total by three.
The Washington Commanders are in a tough position, needing to prove their run a couple of years ago wasn’t a fluke, and last season was the one-off. That will be a tough task, especially as the weakest team in a relatively strong division. The Commanders started strong in the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting LB Sonny Styles from Ohio State with the seventh-overall selection. The team, however, had no second or fourth-round picks, so there’s only so much this draft can do for their 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The Detroit Lions went from choking their playoff run a couple of seasons ago to missing the playoffs altogether last year. A lot of that has to do with being in the deepest division in the NFL, missing last year’s postseason with a winning record. They had the fifth-ranked offense at the end of the 2025-26 Regular Season, but their defense let them down. Allowing 24.3 PPG, five of the Lions’ seven draft picks were on defense, hoping to improve.
The Green Bay Packers watched a true maturation of quarterback Jordan Love last season, including the fewest interceptions and highest QBR since becoming the starter. They may have had one of the weaker-graded drafts, but don’t forget the reason for that: LB Micah Parsons. With the team’s natural progression and additions via the draft and offseason, a two-win increase isn’t a stretch in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The Chicago Bears rode the wave that was quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense finally clicking, all the way to a Wild Card win last year. The biggest issue was that their defense had no business making the postseason, ranking 29th overall. It’s always difficult to repeat an unexpected offensive surge, especially when giving teams time to study. The Bears are still dangerous, and their B-grade draft is a great step, but they’ll be in tough to repeat last year’s win total. They’re a strong team in for a steeper test. These 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions contain just two fewer wins than last year.
The ceiling for the Minnesota Vikings feels fairly predictable. Besides quarterback Kyler Murray, the team has done nothing of interest this offseason. Furthermore, their C-grade draft class isn’t the most hopeful news. Vikings fans feel doomed to waste another year of one of the sharpest wide receivers in the league, Justin Jefferson. Murray is a wait-and-see, at best, and quarterback JJ McCarthy already feels like a bust for these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The New Orleans Saints held on to wide receiver Chris Olave, despite entering his fifth-year option season. That can only mean one thing: they’re going for it. Quarterback Tyler Shough surprised everyone last season when he took over the helm in December. His unexpected productivity included 13 touchdowns to six interceptions over five games. The Saints used their first‑round pick on WR Jordyn Tyson, giving Olave more space, and Shough another weapon.
The Super Bowl window for quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may just be closed now, with the team slipping slowly and steadily. They did benefit from EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. dropping to them with the 15th-overall pick in the draft, but that’s not nearly enough to address all of their concerns. The Buccaneers finished last season with the 21st-ranked offense and 19th-ranked defense. Outside of their rush defense, the team doesn’t have much else going for it in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions.
The Atlanta Falcons finished the 2025-26 Regular Season with the 14th-ranked offense and 15th-ranked defense, stuck in the muddy middle for most stats. The good, not great, team lifts fans’ hopes just enough to feel the pain at the end of the year. Their C+-ranked draft might just set some realistic expectations. There are dangerous weapons on the Falcons, but the foundation hasn’t been built to support them.
The Carolina Panthers took fans on a wild ride last year, including a Wild Card appearance. The team fluked into some wins and benefited from an underwhelming NFC South. Their 27th-ranked offense and 16th-ranked defense were just happy to be there. While they did get some promising prospects in the draft, it wasn’t necessarily at positions of need.
The Los Angeles Rams were one touchdown shy of the Super Bowl game last season, finishing the year with the best offense in the league. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is nearing the end of his career and is hungry to add a second Super Bowl win to his resume. Their middle-of-the-pack defense could be criticized, but it’s certainly on the right track. The young core was joined by veteran presence, jumping nine spots in the defensive rankings last season, and should take another step in the upcoming one.
The defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks are predicted to have another strong season in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions. Their top-ten offense and defense leave little to criticize. After bouncing through four teams in seven years and earning a choker label, Sam Darnold found his stride with the Seahawks. Darnold locked in down the stretch, finishing 2026 without a single interception, including the postseason. This is just one win shy of last season’s total, and considering the team is relying on a repeat performance from a late bloomer, it feels like a realistic ceiling.
The San Francisco 49ers are a strong team in a division with a couple of giants. The team had a couple of promising seasons ruined by injury havoc. Even so, quarterback Brock Purdy led the seventh-ranked offense, but as productive a player as he is, the ceiling is below carrying a team. The 49ers’ defense is the larger concern, finishing 20th overall. Without a pick until the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the team is relying heavily on returning to health, natural progression, and hitting with some of their later picks.
The Arizona Cardinals have the potential to be even worse this season, even if the record ends up predicted identically. The team had the second-worst ground game last year, so in one sense, drafting RB Jeremiyah Love was a smart decision. On the other hand, they have a crowded running back room and haven’t done much to give them more protection. Their quarterback room is also among the weakest, featuring Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and third-round pick Carson Beck.
The Broncos and Chargers are predicted to have identical records in the AFC West, with Denver winning the tiebreaker in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions. The Jaguars will enjoy the fruits of their lesser division, while the AFC West managed three representatives.
Both the 49ers and Packers are predicted to finish 11-6 in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions, with San Francisco winning the tiebreaker. The NFC South is a joke, while the West is likely to represent the conference once again. The Cowboys also won a tiebreaker over the Eagles to win the East.
If there was a favorite to dethrone a team in these 2026-27 NFL Playoff predictions, it’s the Packers. They lost the division by half a game and lost their Wild Card berth in a tiebreaker.
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