After 6 long months of waiting, the 2026 NFL season has finally arrived. 32 teams have Super Bowl dreams in their heads, but only one will be able to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy in February. Let’s take a look at our pre-season picks starting with the AFC.
AFC East – The New England Patriots surprised a lot of critics with a young team led by Mike Vrabel in his first season as head coach. With his track record as a three-time Super Bowl champ as a player, he motivated his team to almost winning another ring. But Seattle had other ideas. They’ll be hard pressed to repeat the task with virtually the same group, especially with a division that has made a number of personnel moves.
After a third straight year of being bounced out of the playoffs, the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady takes over at the helm and looks to get Josh Allen and company more scoring power. They have most of their best players back, so they should be able to contend with New England for the top spot in the division.
The Miami Dolphins are also starting off fresh with a new head coach and a new QB. Jeff Hafley takes over for Mike McDaniel as head coach, and Malik Willis signed a three-year deal to become their starter at QB. The problem for the Fish is trying to come together on both sides of the ball. They lost a lot of key players, and it could be tough waters to swim through.
As for the Jets, head coach Aaron Glenn got the benefit of the doubt from team owner Woody Johnson after a rough first year as head coach. They bring back Geno Smith as their starting QB. They drafted him in the 2nd round back in 2013, and he struggled in his first go-round with the club, going 12-18. Gang Green is hoping to get the player that had success in Seattle to lead the way.
Sometimes it takes a change in leadership to get a team over the hump, and in the Bills case, a new coach and a new stadium, may be just what the doctor ordered.
Smooth’s Pick: Buffalo (12-5)
AFC North – The Pittsburgh Steelers begin the 2026 season by hiring only the four head coach in 56 years. Mike McCarthy re-teams with Aaron Rodgers, who won a Super Bowl with Green Bay back in 2008. But this Steelers team needs a lot of adjustments to get back to the playoffs.
The Baltimore Ravens also begin the season with a new head coach. Jesse Minter comes over from the Chargers to succeed longtime head coach John Harbaugh. He will have Lamar Jackson, who hopes to have an injury-free season.
The Cincinnati Bengals are also looking to a bounce-back season from their QB Joe Burrow. The last few years have been injury plagued. They did make a big splash at defensive tackle picking up Dexter Lawrence from the Giants, and that should shore up their front line to stop the run.
As for the Cleveland Browns, Todd Monken takes over as head coach, and he has a lot of work ahead of him. Most notably, who will be the starting QB. He has Shedeur Sanders who came on strong at the end of 2025, or he can go to veteran Dashaun Watson, who hasn’t played since 2024.
All four teams have a chance to win the division, but with the moves they made on defense, and a fully healthy QB, the Bengals could be looking at a bounce-back year.
Smooth’s Pick: Cincinnati (12-5)
AFC South – Liam Coen led the team to a 13–4 record and the AFC South division title in his 1st year as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He will be hard pressed to equal the feat, or even improve the team’s stature this season. But with Trevor Lawrence and virtually the same lineup in place, the Jags are certain to be the favorites in 2026. However, the division has improved drastically, with each team making important moves in order to take the top spot.
The Tennessee Titans made a lot of moves that signaled they could be back to being competitive. Robert Saleh gets another shot at head coach and brings in former Giants skipper Brian Daboll to run the offense. They also signed WR Wan’Dale Robinson and DB Cordale Flott from the G-Men off of free agency.
The Houston Texans are coming off an injury-plagued season, as CJ Stroud had to miss three games due to a concussion. Despite missed time, the Texans still made the playoffs as a wild card and knocked off Pittsburgh in the wildcard before losing to New England in the divisional. This is an important year for Stroud, as the Texans need to get over the hump.
The Indianapolis Colts secured Daniel Jones as their starter at QB. He started the 2025 season strong, and it was looking like the Colts were going to breeze into the playoffs, but an injury to DJ and a poor showing down the stretch ended their playoff hopes. A health “Danny Dimes” is gonna be important for the Colts to contend.
The AFC South is another competitive division that could come down to the final few weeks of the season. I like the defense of the Texans to hold off the Jags to take the title.
Smooth’s Pick: Houston (10-7)
AFC West – Denver was poised to head to Super Bowl 60, but a broken ankle by QB Bo Nix during the Divisional playoff ended those hopes. A full recovery gives the Broncos a chance to get to the next level. Now that their free of that bad Russell Wilson contract, they pulled off a massive block-buster trade with Miami, acquiring star WR Jaylen Waddle. This will give the Broncos an even bigger presence in passing, and makes them the favorites to repeat as division champs.
However, the Chargers will still have something to say about that. They had a number of injuries to their offensive line, which prevented the team from improving. That was a top priority for head coach Jim Harbaugh. They aggressively overhauled the interior line and brought in a completely new stable of tight ends to anchor their physical, run-first scheme.
Losing Patrick Mahomes for the season due to a ruptured Achillies led to Kansas City having their worst finish since Andy Reid became head coach in 2011. That also led to a major reshuffling of their roster. They traded away All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and completely overhauled the backfield by signing elite running back Kenneth Walker III. Mahomes will be hopefully be back by week 1, as well as TE Travis Kelce, but for how long and how effective will they be?
As for the Las Vegas Raiders, they’re back to square one with a new head coach, and a new hope for the future with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Klint Kubiak will bring him along slowly, with Kirk Cousins starting at QB. The Silver and Black also went with defense with their other draft picks. DE Keyron Crawford and DB Jermod McCoy are expected to contribute. But overall, it’s gonna take a few years to get to respectability.
Injuries were a major part of the division’s storyline last season, and it’s expected to be a three-team race. Whoever has the least number of injuries will take the top spot. I like KC to make a return to the playoffs, but not as a division title holder.
Smooth’s Pick: Denver (11-6)
AFC Playoff Predictions
#1 Buffalo
#2 Cincinnati
#3 Denver
#4 Houston
Wildcard Teams: #5 New England, #6 Jacksonville, #7 Kansas City
Wildcard Weekend
Kansas City over Cincinnati
Denver over Jacksonville
Houston over New England
Divisional Round
Buffalo over Kansas City
Denver over Houston
AFC Championship
Buffalo over Denver
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NFC East – The Philadelphia Eagles are looking at returning to the Super Bowl after falling off the wagon in 2025. They made some changes, including the loss of WR AJ Brown via trade. Hollywood Brown will take over his key receiving slot. But the Eagles still have the right pieces in place with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and a solid defense, and that should keep them in the top 5 spot in the Power Rankings. The rest of the division isn’t as stable.
The Dallas Cowboys are right on their heels despite missing the playoffs last season. They made some big deals in the off season, acquiring LB/DE Rashan Gary from Green Bay, signing veteran pass rusher Von Miller. They also secured WR George Pickens to a long-term deal. The big question mark now will be how many good years will they have with Dax Prescott under center?
Washington Commanders took a step back after a surprise appearance in NFC Championship game two seasons ago. Injuries played a big part in their downturn. Head coach Dan Quinn responded by making a complete overhaul of the roster, including signing Stefan Diggs to give young QB Jayden Daniels a highly revamped supporting cast.
As for the Giants, they’re starting off fresh with new management. New head coach John Harbaugh comes in to try to get the G-Men back to their winning ways. We’ll have more about their chances on a special edition of the NY Giants Pre-Season Outlook coming soon.
As I said before, this is a two-team race, between the Eagles and the Cowboys. With experience on their side, I think the Eagles will still come out on top.
Smooth’s Pick: Philadelphia (12-5)
NFC North – Once again, this division looks like a log jam between three of the four teams. Following an 11-6 campaign in 2025 under head coach Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears navigated an active 2026 offseason defined by high-profile roster attrition, most notably trading away star wide receiver DJ Moore, and executing a series of calculated defensive line and secondary reinforcements. Despite the moves, they’re still the top NFC North contenders.
The Green Bay Packers, also had to make some radical decisions, as the team had a number of free agents at the end of last season. They let Rashan Gary walk, while using their cap flexibility to inject proven veteran talent into the defensive trenches and secondary. The moves still put them in contention with Chicago. However, the challenge will all depend on the health of QB Jordan Love.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions were left with question marks after another disappointing finish last season. The front office shook up the offense by orchestrating a player-for-player trade involving running back David Montgomery, while heavily focusing their salary cap assets on rebuilding the interior offensive line and defensive secondary. This will be an important season for head coach Dan Campbell, who up to this point hasn’t lived up to his Super Bowl expectations.
As for the Minnesota Vikings, they can only wonder if they made the right decision not signing Sam Darnold two years ago. JJ McCarthy was a disaster as his replacement at QB, and they were forced to sign free agent Kyler Murray to a one-year deal, and he looks like the starting QB during week 1. Jauan Jennings comes over from San Francisco to assist Justin Jefferson at WR.
Divisional matchups will be the key to taking the title. I think the Bears can still pull it off, but they’ll have one less win to make it happen.
Smooth’s Pick: Chicago (10-7)
NFC South – This is one of the weakest divisions in the NFL, and like last season a team with a below .500 could well win the division. Carolina pretty much won the NFC South thru attrition. Bryce Young finally blossomed into the #1 overall pick he was supposed to be. They did fall to the Rams in the Wildcard round, and looking ahead, they have a good chance to repeat. General manager Dan Morgan completely overhauled the defense via elite free-agent signings while reshuffling the quarterback room and offensive line depth.
Tampa Bay navigated a massive transition period defined by the heartbreaking departure of a franchise icon. Mike Evans, who set a franchise record for consecutive 1,000 yards receiving sign with San Francisco in the off season. Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin will split the passes thrown from Baker Mayfield. Head coach Todd Bowles heavily prioritized seasoned veteran physical playmakers to revamp their defensive depth chart.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank was not pleased with Raheem Morris’ work as head coach and dismissed him after the season concluded. Kevin Stefanski gets another shot at head coaching after a disastrous tenure in Cleveland. He’ll have a choice between Michael Penix Jr. and free agent signee Tua Tagovailoa at QB. Bijian Robinson signs a big extension, along with WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts.
As for the New Orleans Saints, they saw a little bit of life from QB Tyler Shough after he went 5-4 late in the season. However, the team faced severe financial constraints, and the front-office was forced to execute heavy roster cuts and rely almost entirely on budget-friendly, one-year deals and internal promotions to field a competitive depth chart. Despite the shortcomings, they could very well be a team that could surprise a lot of people.
For all four teams, they’ll likely be underdogs in most of their matchups outside the division. So, one team is going to have to take advantage and control the NFC South. Having said that, I like the Bucs to capture the title.
Smooth’s Pick: Tampa Bay (9-8)
NFC West -The Seattle Seahawks stunned NFL critics by putting together a strong defense and an offense that executed with the right personnel. Sam Darnold was the right QB at the right time, throwing career highs in passing yards and TDs. WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba also had a career year in receiving yards on their way to a Super Bowl championship. But a repeat isn’t certain, as they lose RB Kenneth Walker III to free agency.
The Rams made a huge splash in the off-season acquiring edge rusher Myles Garrett from Cleveland. They also picked up defensive backs Trent McDuffee and Jaylen Watson from the Kansas City Chiefs. Matthew Stafford also signed a one-year deal in what will likely be his final season in the NFL. They’ll be a strong contender to knock off the Super Bowl champs.
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off their worst season under head coach Kyle Shanahan. The good news is they didn’t have many players leaving as free agents. But they did bolster their receiving corps with the signing of WR Mike Evans. With Trent Williams and Dre Greenlaw secured with extensions, they were able to trade draft capital to fortify their interior defensive front. They look to return to the playoffs.
As for the Arizona Cardinals, they have a new coach with Mike Lefleur taking over. The Kyler Murray era is over, and with that, lots of uncertainty at QB. Jacoby Brissett will be the starter, with rookie Carson Beck as his 3rd string heir apparent. That means leaning more on the run game. They drafted Jeremiah Love as the 4th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. They also signed Tyler Allgeiger as a free agent. John Conner is coming off injury from last season, but if he’s anywhere near 100% percent his presence will be a positive. As for their defense, that’s another story.
Three of the four teams in this division have a chance for the post season, and they’re also Super Bowl contenders. However, there’s one team that made some important moves that put them one step ahead.
Smooth’s Pick: LA Rams (12-5)
Playoff Predictions
#1 LA Rams
#2 Philadelphia
#3 Chicago
#4 Tampa Bay
Wildcard Teams: #5 Seattle, #6 Green Bay, #7 San Francisco
Wildcard Weekend
Philadelphia over San Francisco
Chicago over Green Bay
Seattle over Tampa Bay
Divisional Round
LA Rams over Philadelphia
Seattle over Chicago
NFC Championship
LA Rams over Seattle
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LA Rams vs. Buffalo – I think the change was needed in Buffalo, as Sean McDermott was given plenty of chances, but failed to get the Bills over the hump. They have a favorable schedule this season, and a home AFC Championship game should send them to their first Super Bowl in more three decades. The Rams made some key moves during the off season, and they should be able to return to the Super Bowl. Their defense will be the key to their success, and if Aaron Donald decides to return for another ring, I can’t anyone beating them the last two months of the season .
Smooth’s Pick: LA Rams (34-13)
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And finally we want to give you three coaches that are on the “hot seat” this season
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati – His Bengals made some moves on defense, and we have them winning the division. But a slow start could put Taylor on the unemployment line.
Dan Campbell, Detroit – He’s come close three years in a row, but with a tough NFC North and an even tougher schedule, it’s Super Bowl or bust.
Aaron Glenn, NY Jets – We said he was given the benefit of the doubt by the team owner. But right now, the odds are against him. He needs to show progress in the first 5 games of the season, or it’s a pink slip
From Woody Johnson.
It’s gonna be a long season, and we can’t wait for week 1 to get started. We’ll see you late
Smooth's NFL Football Picks 