Month: May 2026

The New England Patriots finished in last place in the AFC East in 2023 and ‘24, winning just four games each season. But they engineered a dramatic turnaround in 2025, exploding for 14 wins in the regular season to secure their first division title since 2019. New England’s rags-to-riches storyline was one of the biggest of the season, but it was hardly unprecedented. In fact, the NFL has a rich history of teams rising from the ashes in a single year. The 2025 Patriots, who went on to reach the Super Bowl, were the 26th NFL team since 2002 to go from worst to first in a single season. Who will be the 2026 version of the Patriots? Which team has the best chance to go from last to first in its division — and potentially make a deep postseason run? In descending order, I rank the fourth-place finishers from last season by the likelihood they will win their division in 2026: Not only do the Cardinals still have major roster issues — they don’t have a clear QB1 — but they also happen to play in the toughest division in football. The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl last season. The Los Angeles Rams, who had the league’s best offense in 2025, reached the NFC Championship Game (where they lost to Seattle). The San Francisco Niners have won at least 12 games in three of the past four seasons. Arizona has some exciting offensive skill players to build around, including running back Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. The team took a flier on Miami QB Carson Beck in the third round. New head coach Mike LaFleur, the former Rams offensive coordinator, brings hope of an optimistic future. But the Cardinals’ chances of competing for the NFC West crown in 2026 are unrealistic. On paper, the Jets have had a strong offseason. They upgraded at quarterback with Geno Smith. WR1 Garrett Wilson has pass-catching help in first-round tight end Kenyon Sadiq and second-round receiver Omar Cooper Jr. No. 2 overall pick David Bailey provides pass-rush juice on the edge. The floor of the secondary has been raised with the additions of five-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and second-round pick D’Angelo Ponds as well. But challenging for the AFC East title is a huge reach. The Bills still have Josh Allen. Mike Vrabel’s off-the-field issues could be a distraction for the Patriots, but New England still has one of the best teams in the NFL. The Jets have a great chance of climbing out of the cellar in this division, though, if for no other reason than the Dolphins look like the least competitive team in the AFC East. Brighter days could be ahead in Las Vegas. The Raiders have the present and future secured at the quarterback position in Kirk Cousins and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Their revamped defense still has five-time Pro Bowl edge Maxx Crosby in the fold, as his trade to Baltimore was nixed. So Vegas should be more competitive in 2026. But the AFC West features three playoff-caliber teams, including the Denver Broncos — who were a win away from the Super Bowl last season — and a Kansas City Chiefs team that’s getting Patrick Mahomes back. The Raiders making noise in this division would be a surprise. With star quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow healthy for the Ravens and Bengals, respectively, the Browns’ chances of competing for the AFC North title are unlikely. But if Cleveland can get competent play from the quarterback position — Deshaun Watson has emerged as the favorite to start over Shedeur Sanders — this becomes a team to watch. The wide receiver and offensive line rooms have been revamped. Plus, the Browns still boast one of the best defenses in football. The Titans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The top of the AFC South is somewhat fragile. For the Jacksonville Jaguars, a first-place schedule and losing key starters like linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency could set the team back in Year 2 under Liam Coen. The Houston Texans, meanwhile, still have questions on offense, despite having arguably the NFL’s best defense. With new coach Robert Saleh, Tennessee has raised its floor substantially. Its defense has a chance to be good, particularly on the defensive line. The cast of pass-catchers around QB Cam Ward is respectable. If Ward makes a big Year 2 jump, the Titans become a wild card. It’s a new age in New York with John Harbaugh. The Super Bowl-winning coach has inherited a talented roster that’s added two top-10 picks (LB Arvell Reese, OL Francis Mauigoa). Harbaugh has also brought in two former Ravens — All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard, tight end Isaiah Likely— who figure to be pivotal in setting a new culture. The Philadelphia Eagles are a candidate to step back in 2026. For the Dallas Cowboys, their defense is a bit of a wild card. The Washington Commanders are trying to rediscover their 2024 magic. With one of the NFL’s best coaches, the Giants could be in the mix for the NFC East crown — as long as QB Jaxson Dart makes a second-year jump. No division is more wide open than the NFC South, which had three eight-win teams in 2025. If quarterback Tyler Shough takes a step in Year 2, the possibilities open up for New Orleans. No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson is expected to be a top-end wide receiver alongside star Chris Olave, and free-agent acquisition Travis Etienne Jr. is one of the better running backs in the NFL. The Lions are too talented to finish in last place in the NFC North again. Sure, they weren’t even bad in 2025 — they were above .500 with nine wins — but with a fourth-place schedule, it feels inevitable that Dan Campbell & Co. will get back into NFC contention with a double-digit win season. The Chicago Bears, who won the division last year, could cool off a bit with a first-place schedule. The Green Bay Packers face uncertainty regarding the health of edge Micah Parsons (ACL tear in December) and tight end Tucker Kraft (ACL tear in November) and the void created by receiver Romeo Doubs’ departure in free agency. The Minnesota Vikings aren’t even sure who their starting quarterback will be. Watch out for the Lions.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Each year, the release of the NFL schedule brings hope to all 32 fan bases, as everyone charts out how their favorite team can make the playoffs. Well, now it’s time for us to determine whether those hopes are valid. As the NFL released its full regular-season schedule on Thursday, we’re predicting the records for all 32 teams. The Los Angeles Rams remain the favorite to win the Super Bowl following Thursday’s schedule release, but are we sure they’re destined to make another run with Matthew Stafford in 2026? Will the Seattle Seahawks have a strong enough regular season to show they’re a true threat to repeat as Super Bowl champions? We’re planting our flags on the answers to those questions and how every team will perform in the 2026 regular season. AFC East Record prediction: 11-6 Ralph Vacchiano: The Buffalo Bills still have Josh Allen, have improved their defense and probably have a stronger overall team. But the schedule is sneaky dangerous for Joe Brady’s first season as head coach. They already have the eighth-toughest schedule based on last year’s records, but even that’s deceiving because the slate is filled with teams that underachieved in 2025 — like the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens (whom the Bills face at home). Add in road trips to Green Bay, Denver and Los Angeles to face the Rams, and there won’t be many breaks. It’s a good thing for them that half the AFC East remains terrible. Record prediction: 5-12 Greg Auman: This is actually an optimistic projection, taking the Dolphins to clear their extremely low over-under of 4.5 wins after going 7-10 last season. The Miami Dolphins have done a full rebrand – new coach, new general manager, new quarterback – and that’s not likely to all take shape in the first year. Looking for easy wins, they have the New York Jets twice and the Las Vegas Raiders. They’ll be an underdog everywhere else, so five wins means Malik Willis holds up well in his first full season as an NFL starter, and Miami’s defense overcomes a young and underwhelming front seven. The reasonable Year 1 challenge for Jeff Hafley’s team is to stay ahead of the Jets and set things up to be competitive in 2027, when they have $145 million in 2027 cap space (only the Jets and Arizona Cardinals have more), so you want to be seen as a franchise on the rise that doesn’t have to overpay to import free-agent talent. Record prediction: 10-7 Henry McKenna: It’s like night and day when looking at the New England Patriots’ home schedule and their schedule on the road. They’ll face five playoff teams on the road, including the Seattle Seahawks (and not including the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs, who seem primed for comeback years). It’s actually rare for a Super Bowl loser to miss the playoffs altogether, and I don’t think that’ll happen here — not as the Patriots continued to invest in their weakness on offense and built even more depth to their defense. For now, the Patriots must be pleased to have added wide receiver Romeo Doubs and rookie offensive tackle Caleb Lomu. The biggest prize, however, is sure to be A.J. Brown, expected to join New England in a trade later this offseason. Still, the Patriots won’t match their 14-win season last year. Record prediction: 6-11 McKenna: The New York Jets will definitely want to draft a quarterback in 2027. But head coach Aaron Glenn needs to post results this year in the win column. And that’ll take priority, particularly given the Jets have multiple first-rounders, so they can package picks to move up — if they do win more games than expected. Their offense looks young and loaded, with the exception of veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Their defense is totally rebuilt in Glenn’s image. The Jets have a lot of potential easy wins, from the Miami Dolphins (2x), Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals. And I think they can steal a game or two away from more impressive teams. AFC North Record prediction: 12-5 Vacchiano: It’s been 28 years since the Baltimore Ravens suffered back-to-back losing seasons, and don’t expect it to happen now that Jesse Minter has taken over for John Harbaugh. With a healthy Lamar Jackson, they are still the class of the AFC North. And they have a great chance to pad their record with games against teams from two of the NFL’s weakest divisions (the NFC South and AFC South). More than half their games are against teams that missed the playoffs last year, and maybe only one — a road trip to Buffalo — is against an obvious Super Bowl contender. If they can avoid the slow start that’s doomed them the last two seasons, this team has a shot to build a lot of momentum and hit the postseason on a roll. Record prediction: 11-6 Ben Arthur: With a healthy Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals win at least nine games. Their offense is that good in a vacuum. But as we know, what’s held Cincinnati out of the playoffs the last couple of seasons, has been its defense, which ranked 31st in yards allowed and 30th in points given up in 2025. To the Bengals’ credit, they’ve been aggressively building up that side of the ball this offseason. They’ve remade their defensive line with Dexter Lawrence II, Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen. They added a reliable veteran in Bryan Cook at safety. I don’t think the moves Cincinnati has made are enough to get it back into the AFC’s upper echelon, but the team should be back in the postseason mix. Record prediction: 6-11 Vacchiano: The Cleveland Browns revamped their offensive line, added some young receivers and even strengthened their top-tier defense. But new coach Todd Monken still has the same old problem at quarterback. The only good news is that he might have some space to figure that out against what, based on last season’s records, is the easiest schedule in the league. They face only five games against 2025 playoff teams. Four of their road games are against teams that drafted in the top eight. They only play four teams all season that had a winning record last year. If, by some miracle, they can find a competent quarterback, this could be a real bounce-back season for the Browns. Just don’t hold your breath waiting for that miracle to happen, even against a slate this soft. Record prediction: 8-9 Vacchiano: So much of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is riding on the old shoulders of Aaron Rodgers — whether he plays again, or whether he can defy his age for one more season. Whoever their quarterback is will immediately have a tougher challenge if Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow can stay healthy, making the AFC North games much more of a minefield. The Steelers also have to go on the road to New England and Philadelphia, and even their trip to Jacksonville won’t be easy. Playing the NFC South and AFC South gives them plenty of soft spots in the schedule. But finishing first last season gave them their division’s toughest schedule. Given their fragile state, stuck between contending and rebuilding, that’s not much of a prize. AFC South Record prediction: 11-6 Auman: The Houston Texans opened 2-4 last year and then won 10 of 11 behind the best defense in the NFL. Can an overhauled offensive line help them find a top-10 offense to match? The AFC South should be a two-horse race with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Houston’s second-place schedule might actually be tougher than Jacksonville’s, facing the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers, all projected to win more games than their division’s defending champs. Can C.J. Stroud get back to the promise of his rookie year? Adding running back David Montgomery should give the offense more balance after an ineffective run game in 2025 that ranked 29th in yards per carry. Getting Stroud up to 25-plus touchdown passes might be the difference between good and great, with the Texans likely on the road in the AFC divisional round again in 2026. Record prediction: 5-12 Arthur: The Indianapolis Colts’ gamble on Daniel Jones is risky — coming off an Achilles tear in December, there’s no telling how quickly he can get back to the level he was playing at in the beginning of the 2025 season, if at all. Sure, Jonathan Taylor is still around to carry a big load, but the pass game also has a big void with Michael Pittman Jr. out of the picture. And it’s difficult to have confidence in the defense, either. The Colts still have a hole at edge rusher opposite Laiatu Latu. Linebacker Zaire Franklin is gone (traded to the Green Bay Packers), and reliable nickelback Kenny Moore could be joining him, too. Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon was confident in running it back with coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard in 2026, but there are too many unknown variables. Record prediction: 10-7 Auman: Everyone expects the Jacksonville Jaguars to take a step back after a wildly successful 13-4 debut season under Liam Coen. Can the defense come close to 31 takeaways this year? Can Trevor Lawrence match (or exceed) a career-best 29 touchdown passes? Jacksonville let two of its top young stars leave in free agency in running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd, so will they be missed? Is Travis Hunter the playmaker they drafted him to be, or a non-factor again? With a quiet free agency, no first-round pick and a few reaches in the draft, you can argue they lost more talent than they added in the offseason. But the Jaguars had six wins of 14-plus points in the final eight weeks of the regular season; no other team had more than three in that span. If that’s who the 2026 Jaguars are, they’ll win much more than 10 games. Record prediction: 6-11 Arthur: Arguably the NFL’s most talent-deficient team the last two seasons, the Tennessee Titans have raised their floor substantially in the span of a few months. Their defense should be more than competent, particularly on the defensive line. Cam Ward now has a respectable receiver room around him, highlighted by No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate. That should lead to at least a couple more wins in 2026. Having a last-place schedule (again) will help. But how much of a step does Ward take in Year 2? That’s the big question. The Titans’ future hinges on it. Ward’s showing against some of the NFL’s best defenses as a rookie is reason for optimism. AFC West Record prediction: 11-6 McKenna: It’s a tough draw, adding the superpowered NFC West onto a schedule that doubles up on the outstanding AFC West. If not for that tough schedule, I would’ve increased the Denver Broncos’ win totals significantly. That’s why I envision this season being a bit of a slog for Denver. The addition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is thrilling, and he should be a truly sensational option across from Courtland Sutton. The defense might not perform at the same level as last year — just because there tends to be variance from year to year with defenses — but this team should still be really excellent. They were, after all, a Super Bowl favorite, if not for Bo Nix’s injury. If their quarterback stays healthy, this team will again make a deep playoff run. Record prediction: 8-9 McKenna: Out of an abundance of caution, the Kansas City Chiefs probably won’t start quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Week 1. He might be ready ahead of schedule. But the risks are too significant, whether that’s the quarterback suffering another injury, or simply that he doesn’t quite look the same right away. Justin Fields will be in the building to buy Mahomes some time. And while Fields doesn’t strike fear into opponents, coach Andy Reid will find the best ways to use the toolsy, dual-threat quarterback. But this is a team that’s firmly on the fringe of the playoffs, between Mahomes’ injury and the general uncertainty about personnel on offense. Do they have the right wide receiver? Do they have the right tackles? Can Travis Kelce do much more than rotational play? That’s a lot of questions. And with his ACL recovery, Mahomes will have fewer answers than normal. Record prediction: 4-13 Eric D. Williams: In his first year as a head coach, Klint Kubiak’s primary job is to make sure there are no hiccups in No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza’s development. That’s why the Las Vegas  Raiders signed Kirk Cousins, so they don’t have to rush the Indiana product onto the field if he’s not ready. Raiders general manager John Spytek did a nice job of improving the roster through the draft and free agency with signings like center Tyler Linderbaum, and defensive draft picks in safety Treydan Stukes and cornerback Jermod McCoy. The Raiders also benefited from the Ravens rescinding a trade for Maxx Crosby, getting the team’s best player back on the roster. But there will be an uphill climb for Las Vegas to escape the bottom of the AFC West. Record prediction: 10-7 Williams: Securing the services of offensive innovator Mike McDaniel was one of the biggest signings in the league this offseason. McDaniel will design an offense that gets the most out of talented signal caller Justin Herbert, while also doing a better job of keeping him clean. The Los Angeles Chargers will miss departed defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, now the head coach in Baltimore. The Bolts could have used another playmaker on offense and another pass rusher on defense, but head coach Jim Harbaugh will have his team buttoned up and in position to make the playoffs. One-and-done in their first two postseasons together, Herbert and Harbaugh must figure out how to make it happen once they get there. NFC East Record prediction: 6-11 Arthur: An elite offense got the Dallas Cowboys seven wins last season. So, with the same offense and an improved defense entering 2026, getting above .500 should be more than doable. It helps that the NFC East isn’t as threatening as it was a year ago at this time. But their non-division schedule is brutal. The Cowboys have the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. Away, they’ll see the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. Apart from the Texans, all those teams have offenses that are good to great, ones that should pose big challenges for a first-time defensive coordinator in Christian Parker. The Cowboys’ offense won’t have an easy going, either. Expectations are high in Dallas, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see it take a step back. Record prediction: 7-10 Vacchiano: The New York Giants are expecting big things in the first year of the John Harbaugh era and their second year with Jaxson Dart, especially after enduring one of the NFL’s toughest schedules last season. They’re more in the middle of the pack this year, but the NFC East could be much tougher to navigate. They also play seven 2025 playoff teams, and they have to go on the road to face the defending Super Bowl champs (Seattle Seahawks), plus tough trips to Houston, Philly, Detroit and Los Angeles (the Rams). They do have a chance to build up some equity at home, where they face the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints, so that will help. But the rough road could put a cap on any overall improvements that they make. Record prediction: 12-5 Vacchiano: The Philadelphia Eagles are as loaded as ever, and if they can just get some consistency up front and a little better play out of their offense, they’ve got a chance to be a Super Bowl contender. They sure will have to run the gauntlet of contenders to get there, though. They’ve got home games against the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, plus road trips to San Francisco, Chicago and Jacksonville. The NFC East is better too, but the Eagles are still the class of that division, by far. And they can fatten up their record on AFC South teams, too. But they will be tested constantly this season against some of the NFL’s elite. If nothing else, it’ll be very clear where they stand heading into the playoffs. Record prediction: 6-11 Vacchiano: The Washington Commanders are counting on the healthy return of Jayden Daniels to vault them into contention, but even that could be tough unless the complete rebuild of their league-worst defense actually works. They’ll find out because they face six of the top 11 offensive teams from last season, plus two more teams (Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals) that could be in the top 10 this year. In fact, outside of road trips to Arizona and Tennessee, they don’t face anyone who doesn’t have a legit shot at the playoffs in 2026. Daniels’ return will surely give them a boost, but they are plugging in so many new pieces, including two new coordinators, that they might need time to figure it all out. But this schedule really doesn’t give them any breaks. NFC North Record prediction: 11-6 McKenna: The Chicago Bears have something special in Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. And 11 wins is actually quite generous, given their schedule, the toughest in the NFL (in terms of opponents’ combined winning percentage in 2025). Williams and Johnson have continued to develop the level of trust that’s instrumental for long-term success in the NFL. Even with the Bears winning a lot of close victories (and even with those sorts of teams tending toward regression), I believe in what Johnson is building. I believe in the ways the coach is developing Williams. And I see a clear path from general manager Ryan Poles in building up the offense last year (still reaching maturity) before addressing the defense in a big way this year. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has way more tools to improve that unit. This Bears team will be more consistent — and, in turn, better. Record prediction: 10-7 Arthur: On paper, the Detroit Lions’ offense is worse off. Standout RB2 David Montgomery is out of the picture. There are shuffling parts on an O- line that struggled in 2025. But with a fourth-place schedule, Detroit is poised to have a bounce-back year. Of the Lions’ 11 non-division games, just three are against teams that made the playoffs last year — New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers. Their road slate includes favorable matchups: Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. The Lions clearly have a path to double-digit victories. It remains to be seen, though, if they can get back into the NFC’s elite with all the personnel changes. Record prediction: 10-7 Arthur: The Green Bay Packers’ path to being one of the NFC’s top contenders is filled with “ifs.” If Micah Parsons is healthy. If Tucker Kraft is healthy. If 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden steps up at receiver, filling the void left by Romeo Doubs’ departure. Throw in the fact that they have a second-place schedule, too. But Green Bay is somewhat fortunate with its game slate. Outside the division, games against the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins should be wins at home. On the road, the Packers have the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, which doesn’t provide the best home-field advantage. This should be a double-digit win season for Green Bay. Record prediction: 7-10 McKenna: The discount for Kyler Murray was incredible. The quarterback-value contract did not, however, embolden the Minnesota Vikings to go out and fix their many problems. In fact, they shipped off edge Jonathan Greenard, one of their best players, in a trade. And without much of a free agency class (due to cap constraints), the Vikings will have to rely upon their rookie defensive linemen Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange to contribute right away. Given Banks’ injury history (a 300-pound man with foot issues), I have concerns. Last year was the year when they were supposed to contend. Because that flopped, this might have to be their get-right year. NFC South Record prediction: 8-9 Auman: Adding Kevin Stefanski as head coach should be good for an Atlanta Falcons offense that ranked 24th in scoring last year, but they didn’t sign a free agent making more than $5 million a year (and that was tackle Jawaan Taylor), and they lost four free agents making at least that much. They didn’t have a first-round pick due to trading up for edge rusher James Pearce Jr. last year, so there isn’t much of an influx of talent. Do they want Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix to be the starting quarterback? Or neither and draft another in 2027? Atlanta lost seven of eight games in the middle of 2025 – win just one more of those and it’s somehow division champs. The NFC South is close enough that any of the four teams can enter 2026 with confidence, but it still feels like a ninth straight year missing the playoffs. Record prediction: 9-8 Auman: Could the Carolina Panthers have a better record than 2025 and still miss out on a division title? Finishing first last year means they get to play the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, and it’s hard to see them going better than 1-2 in those games. Carolina actively upgraded its defense, writing big checks to land edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. The Panthers put their top two draft picks into both sides of the line of scrimmage, addressing clear needs. Head coach Dave Canales has given up play-calling duties, so there’s uncertainty in how a first-time playcaller in Brad Idzik can handle that challenge. Bryce Young’s three NFL seasons have seen his touchdown pass total rise from 11 to 15 to 23 – if he can continue that rise in 2026, the Panthers aren’t far from repeating as division champs. Record prediction: 8-9 Auman: The New Orleans Saints were the opposite of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, opening 2-10 then surprising with four wins in the final five weeks. Can quarterback Tyler Shough sustain that strong finish over a full season? New Orleans actively upgraded the offense around him, signing running back Travis Etienne and guard David Edwards before drafting receiver Jordyn Tyson and adding much-needed depth at receiver and tight end. Can the return of linebacker Kaden Elliss offset the loss of Demario Davis? Can a young secondary step up after losing key names over the last two years? A last-place schedule is a major help, giving them the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants as three winnable games. All four NFC South teams went 3-3 in division, so if anyone can just take care of business in those games, the division title could go with that. Record prediction: 10-7 Auman: Can the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stay healthy in 2026? They pushed through injuries in their 6-2 start and were scuttled by them in losing seven of eight down the stretch, a collapse that nearly cost Todd Bowles his job. The defensive front is much improved – a healthy defensive tackle Caliah Kancey, vet Al-Quadin Muhammad and rookies Rueben Bain Jr. and Josiah Trotter will make life easier for the secondary. How do they adjust to losing two franchise icons with Lavonte David retiring and Mike Evans signing with the San Francisco 49ers? Can the offense under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson look more like 2024 under Liam Coen, with Kenny Gainwell sparking what should be a solid running game? The NFC South plays the NFC North this year — three years ago, the Bucs won the division going 3-1 against the North when the rest of the division went 2-10. If they can even go 2-2, it could be the difference in a tightly bunched division. NFC West Record prediction: 4-13 Williams: Playing competent and competitive football under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur is the goal for the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona ignored the pocket protectors, eschewing positional value in favor of taking, who many NFL scouts I spoke with believed was the best player in the draft, running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3. Intimately familiar with a diversity of run game schemes, LaFleur will build an offense that best uses Love’s unique skill set. Not finishing last in the NFC West would be a big win for the Cardinals. Record prediction: 9-8 Williams: The Los Angeles Rams pushed all their chips into the middle of the table for the 2026 season, making a blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for versatile slot corner Trent McDuffie and signing his teammate, outside cornerback Jaylen Watson, in free agency, significantly upgrading a defense that let them down in the NFC Championship Game at Seattle. However, Matthew Stafford is 38 years old and played all 17 games last season for the first time since 2021. And slated to back Stafford up is surprising first-round pick Ty Simpson, who has never taken an NFL snap and is a play away from leading a team that is the current betting favorite to win the Super Bowl. The Rams also must make sure Puka Nacua’s off-the-field issues are in the rearview mirror. Record prediction: 10-7 Williams: The San Francisco 49ers improved on offense with the additions of veteran receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, and the return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw in free agency should help bring intensity and juice back to the defense. The returns of Fred Warner and Nick Bosa from season-ending injuries should help that as well. San Francisco still has one of the most talented teams in the league. But the 49ers are also one of the older teams, and it’s hard to see them staying healthy for an entire season. Looks like the Super Bowl window of this version of Kyle Shanahan’s team is closing. Record prediction: 11-6 Williams: The Seattle Seahawks have the league’s Offensive Player of the Year returning in wide receiver Jackson Smith-Njigba and everyone else on offense, other than Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III. They also lost some important players defensively in free agency, like cornerback Riq Woolen, safety Coby Bryant and edge rusher Boye Mafe, but the foundational pieces remain and the Seahawks still have one of the youngest rosters in the league. The bottom line is that the Super Bowl window is still wide open, and the Seahawks have a chance to appear in back-to-back NFL title games for the first time since the 2013-2014 seasons.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With the 2026 NFL schedule now released, we know what the regular season will look like. But of course, we don’t know how it will end — or which 14 teams will make the playoffs. That’s what I’m here to tell you. And I’m not just here to tell you who will make the playoffs. Let’s also go through the postseason with a Madden-like simulation to imagine what might happen, from the wild-card games to the Super Bowl. I’m going to project the scores in every playoff game, because there’s no detail too small for a way-too-early playoff prediction bracket. This is the fun time of the year, when every team can win the Super Bowl. I’ll take a crack at predicting who will win. And how they’ll do it. AFC Playoff Standings The most obvious omission is superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. And my reasoning is fairly simple. First, Mahomes is coming back from an ACL injury that he suffered in December. Even if he returns in Week 1 (and I’m dubious), he won’t be the same player until late in the year — and maybe even 2027. Second, the AFC West is one of the best divisions in the NFL, especially because the Las Vegas Raiders should improve drastically this year. And third, the Chiefs’ roster sorely lacked talent last year, and you could argue they traded their third-best player, cornerback Trent McDuffie, this offseason. The AFC South feels like a coin flip between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans. I’ll take the Jags, in large part because I trust coach Liam Coen, and because of Texans quarterback. C.J. Stroud’s playoff collapse. But Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and Coen figured something out last year, and I think they can sustain their success. The Bengals, meanwhile, invested in their defense this offseason and should see a real return on that investment. Their schedule is easy. They’ve assembled talent. All they have to do is avoid the slow start that has plagued them seemingly every year under coach Zac Taylor — and I like them to win at least three of their first five games going into their Week 6 bye. Don’t count me as a believer in the Pittsburgh Steelers — or Aaron Rodgers, if he returns. I have even less faith in the playoff-hopeful Indianapolis Colts and Daniel Jones, who’s returning from a torn right Achilles tendon. NFC Playoff Standings Every one of my NFC playoff permutations left out an elite team, which made for an impossible decision. In this case, it was the Green Bay Packers who didn’t make the cut. It genuinely pains me to leave them out, because they’re as good as any of the other teams in the NFC’s playoff pool. Also left out were the Washington Commanders, a team that, if quarterback Jayden Daniels is healthy, could see a real surge, particularly if all their new defensive pieces come together. Even after making the NFC Championship Game two years ago, they’re somehow a sleeper in their conference. Ultimately, I couldn’t bet against the Chicago Bears — which, admittedly, is a little bit crazy. They won several close games last season to finish at 11-6, and those sorts of teams tend to regress. But over the offseason, I spoke to head coach Ben Johnson about the team’s plan to fend off regression and I came away convinced that Chicago is here to stay. Johnson and third-year QB Caleb Williams should take a big step forward. But most importantly, I think defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit will improve drastically, which is what this team really needs in order to finish with a similar record as last season. As for the seeding order, the NFC West is about as hard to predict as can be. The 49ers get the edge because they have a weak schedule and they put together a solid free-agency class, which includes veteran receiver Mike Evans. But the NFC’s top seed could just as easily be the Rams or Seahawks (again). As usual, the NFC South is up for grabs. And as usual, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the consensus favorite. But the Saints have a hilariously easy schedule. In his first season at the helm, coach Kellen Moore got the New Orleans offense humming, admittedly against bad defenses last year. And given all that the Saints did to invest in their continued reboot, with receiver Jordyn Tyson, guard David Edwards and running back Travis Etienne, I think they could find themselves at the top of the division. AFC Wild-Card Round Bye: Broncos NFC Wild-Card Round Bye: 49ers Wouldn’t it be crazy to have a road-team sweep in the NFC? There’s no way the Saints advance. And the Lions will likely have a record that reflects their weak schedule, which could leave them ripe for an upset in Round 1, particularly when matched up against former Detroit OC Ben Johnson, who knows the team’s system and personnel inside and out. Even with the Lions executing a pair of 2-point conversions, Dan Campbell can’t take down the coach he mentored. On the AFC side, the Patriots won’t have the same endurance this year — despite getting better over the course of last postseason. They seem like a team that will regress, which will look like a one-and-done playoff appearance. The Bills are going to be a team with a new-ish identity, particularly on defense, and I think that could make them as dangerous as ever in the postseason, even if it means generating the final stop in a shootout with the Ravens. And remember: Josh Allen is 2-0 against Lamar Jackson in the playoffs. The Chargers get an upset, fueled largely by their run game, which new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is going to turn into something special. AFC Divisional Round NFC Divisional Round The Bengals were — just a few years ago — one of the best-built teams in the NFL and a few points away from a Super Bowl win over the Rams. A lot has changed since then. The quarterback, Joe Burrow, has not. This feels like the season when his love for football returns. This feels like the season when the Bengals support him. As a result, Burrow takes Josh Allen down to advance to the AFC Championship Game. In a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game, the Rams get their revenge. L.A. was essentially one play away from beating the Seahawks in Seattle, and I think that the Seahawks would be lucky to see New Orleans in Round 1. Seattle looks bound for a regression year as it restocks the defense. (If the Seahawks saw anyone other than an NFC South team, they’d probably be one-and-done.) AFC Championship NFC Championship If quarterback Bo Nix didn’t break his ankle in the divisional round last season, the Broncos would have made the Super Bowl. They might have even made it if that crazy snow storm hadn’t blown into Denver so quickly and intensely. And it looked like, with Nix, the Broncos were the only great team in an otherwise unspectacular conference. So with the AFC still lacking (compared to the NFC), the Broncos get their second chance. And they’ll convert on it, taking care of Cincinnati, whose questions at cornerback might prove too severe to make a complete Super Bowl run. The Rams can’t quite make good on their second chance in the conference title game. Instead, Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford watch as the 49ers eke out a win in San Francisco, in part because they have home-field advantage and in part because they earned the NFC bye. The 49ers are a deep team. They have elite players at premium positions. They have a relatively easy schedule outside their division. This could be their year. Super Bowl LXI What a strange matchup of quarterbacks: Nix and Brock Purdy. What a logical matchup of coaches: Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan. What an excellent matchup of defenses. It feels like Payton and Nix are only coming to understand each other better. It feels like Broncos OC Davis Webb will be the hot head coaching candidate next offseason. And it feels like former Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle is the perfect addition to the Denver offense. (Don’t sleep on rookie tight end Justin Joly either!) That offensive unit proves to be too much against the 49ers, whose age might start to show at this point in the postseason. Running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and receiver Mike Evans might all be among the best at their positions, but they have plenty of wear and tear. That’s how the Broncos find their advantage, with their young and fast defense taking care of Purdy & Co. Payton gets his second Super Bowl victory. And he does it by making Nix look a little bit like Saints legend Drew Brees, including on the game-winning drive when the Broncos convert a two-pointer, rather than settling for a tie (and, likely, overtime).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

For over three decades, many of the NFL’s top regular-season matchups have taken place on FOX’s “America’s Game of the Week.” That will certainly be the case for the 2026 season, too. Several of the NFL’s best teams will be featured in “America’s Game of the Week” in 2026, with FOX Sports announcing the nine games that will be featured in that window as part of Thursday’s schedule release. Six of the matchups are between division rivals, including a rematch of one of last season’s epic playoff games. And this slate doesn’t even include what will happen on Thanksgiving Day, when the Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles on FOX, and Christmas Day, when the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams on FOX. So, as we now know where Tom Brady, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will be spending several Sundays this fall, let’s take a look at the early storylines we’re watching for in each of the America’s Game of the Week matchups announced on Thursday: The season launches with two NFC East showdowns. The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders met twice in the final three weeks of the regular season last year, and they’re back at it in their 2026 opener. The Commanders actually opened last year 3-2 and then went 2-10 the rest of the way. Can a healthy Jayden Daniels get back to his phenomenal rookie form of 2024? Washington’s pass defense ranked 31st in average yards per pass play, so it’s a major test for them to open against an upgraded Eagles pass game, which will likely be without A.J. Brown but added first-round pick Makai Lemon and veterans Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown at wide receiver. Watch out for running back Saquon Barkley, who has averaged 143 rushing yards in his last three games against Washington, with a combined five touchdowns. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t won more than one playoff game in any season for 30 years, but one thing they can hang their hat on is handling the Washington Commanders. They swept their divisional rival last year and have an 8-2 record since the start of 2021. Dak Prescott threw for 571 yards and five touchdowns and no interceptions against Washington last year, and if the Commanders are to get back to anything closer to their 2024 breakout, they’ll need to hold their own in the division. Can rookie linebacker Sonny Styles lead a defensive bounce-back year for Washington? The Commanders ranked dead last in total defense and 31st in the red zone, and this is a chance to show what’s changed against a dangerous offense. The Green Bay Packers have been a wild-card team three years in a row, and a home division game like this is a must-win if they are going to catch the Chicago Bears for an NFC North title. The two games at Soldier Field last year were epic for Chicago’s Caleb Williams — rallying from 10 down with two minutes left to win in overtime in the regular season, then another comeback from 11 down with five minutes to play for a huge win in the playoffs. Jordan Love had three touchdown passes in last year’s win over Chicago at Lambeau Field. After 32 touchdown passes in his first year as a starter, Love has had 25 and 23 in the last two seasons. Can he find a connection with second-year receiver Matthew Golden to get back to his 2023 form? A healthy part of the Lions’ slide from 15-2 in 2024 to 9-8 in 2025 was going from sweeping the Lions to being swept. Detroit’s defense dropped from seventh in points allowed in 2024 to 22nd, and the Packers averaged 29 points in the wins over the Lions. Can a retooled offensive line get Detroit back into playoff form? New Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon should have Micah Parsons back healthy by this game, though starting the season without him could get Green Bay out to a slow start. Detroit’s health is a key, and you’ll see how they’re better with defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike back after missing all of last season. For the first time since he joined FOX Sports in 2024, Tom Brady is set to call a game featuring the New England Patriots. Brady is slated to be in the booth when the Patriots host the Packers in Week 9 in Foxborough. For Green Bay, it gets featured on America’s Game of the Week three times in a span of five weeks, this time going on the road to face the defending AFC champs. New England flipped so much from 2024 to last year’s breakout success, but that included going 1-4 against NFC teams in 2024 and then 5-0 in the regular season last year. Brady went just 4-3 against the Packers in his career — one of his least successful career records — playing long enough to lose to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers alike. Drake Maye was especially good against NFC opponents last year, with 11 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. New San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans is just 1-3 at AT&T Stadium with two touchdowns in his four games there. Can his playmaking ability take San Francisco’s offense to another level? The 49ers ranked fifth in red-zone efficiency and first on third downs last season, and Evans could help them end a surprising drought — San Francisco hasn’t had a receiver catch 10-plus touchdowns in a season since … Terrell Owens in 2002. (Tight ends have done so, but no receivers). Dallas had the NFL’s worst scoring defense last year, allowing 30 points per game, so rookie safety Caleb Downs will lead the efforts to improve there. The Cowboys had just 12 takeaways in all of 2025, the third-lowest total in the league. The NFC West has perhaps three of the top eight teams in the NFL. Last year, the Seattle Seahawks bookended their regular season with the 49ers, losing the opener and then winning in Week 18, followed by a 41-6 thrashing in the playoffs. Seattle’s home-field advantage isn’t what it once was. The Seahawks were 34-6 at home from 2012-16 in their “Legion of Doom” heyday, but they were 16-18 at home from 2021-24 before bouncing back with a 6-2 mark (plus two home playoff wins) last season. Will the NFC West powers beat each other up enough that the division doesn’t get the NFC’s top seed? If the division is to send a team to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years, they might have to be road warriors in January. Alas, the Cincinnati Bengals defense — over the last two seasons, Cincinnati has seven games in which it has scored at least 33 points and lost. No other team in the NFL has more than two such games in the same span. Will that be the case for Joe Burrow and friends in 2026?  The Bengals acquired defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and imported Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen for their defensive front. If they can just get a top-20 defense, that might be enough to get them into the playoffs. Can Patrick Mahomes have a healthy bounce-back season after going 6-8 as a starter and throwing only 22 touchdowns? By this game, Kansas City Chiefs rookie corner Mansoor Delane should have played enough to have confidence trying to cover another LSU standout in Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase. The Ben Johnson Bowl is back. Chicago went 11-6 and won the division last year despite Johnson getting swept by his old team, including a 52-21 drubbing in Week 2 in Detroit. This is a game that could have major playoff implications, in the division and the conference. Watch for Chicago’s two second-year pass-catchers to shine, with tight end Colston Loveland leading the team in receptions as a rookie last year and receiver Luther Bolden emerging in the final month of his first season. Which quarterback will throw more touchdown passes in 2026? It’s a close call between Detroit’s Jared Goff (who threw 34 last year) and Chicago’s Caleb Williams, who threw for 27 himself.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports