It\u2019s never too early to look ahead to next season. After the 2025\u201326 NFL campaign wrapped with the Seattle Seahawks\u2019 29\u201313 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, FOX Sports\u2019 Nick Wright released an early 2026 tiered breakdown of every team.<\/p>\n
Death spiral
\n– Teams: Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets
\n– Wright\u2019s view: He doesn\u2019t see a clear path for these clubs to climb out of their current troubles.<\/p>\n
One playoff team?
\n– Teams: New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants
\n– Wright\u2019s view: At least one of these six squads has a real chance to be competitive in the playoff chase.<\/p>\n
Their fans believe
\n– Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts
\n– Wright\u2019s view: Supporters of these franchises are convinced a postseason berth is coming.<\/p>\n
Anxious off-season
\n– Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
\n– Wright\u2019s view: Moves and drama this offseason could produce an unpredictable regular season for these teams.<\/p>\n
They are actually the same
\n– Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys
\n– Wright\u2019s view: He sees parallels between the two \u2014 strong passing attacks and receiver talent, but organizational issues and defensive shortcomings that may hold them back.<\/p>\n
Just enough to make you believe
\n– Teams: Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans
\n– Wright\u2019s view: Each has reasons for optimism \u2014 recent deep runs, star players returning from injury, or rising young talent \u2014 yet each also carries lingering doubts.<\/p>\n
Was it a fluke?
\n– Teams: New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens
\n– Wright\u2019s view: The main question for both is whether their 2025 results were the start of something real or a one-season anomaly.<\/p>\n
JV Seahawks\/Rams
\n– Teams: Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears
\n– Wright\u2019s view: These clubs showed flashes and played tight, entertaining games, but remain inconsistent and not yet elite.<\/p>\n
Hunters finally
\n– Team: Kansas City Chiefs
\n– Wright\u2019s view: Despite a down year, the Chiefs\u2019 pedigree and quarterback play keep them among the elite, and they remain a team to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n
Will they be able to break through?
\n– Teams: Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars
\n– Wright\u2019s view: All three have flirted with postseason success and could be poised to take the next step.<\/p>\n
Closer than you think
\n– Team: Los Angeles Rams
\n– Wright\u2019s view: Their postseason win and competitive play suggest they\u2019re nearer to contention than many assume.<\/p>\n
Champions
\n– Team: Seattle Seahawks
\n– Wright\u2019s view: As reigning Super Bowl champions, Seattle returns intact with no major departures expected and their title status secure.<\/p>\n
Fan Take: Early tiers like this set the tone for offseason conversations and shape expectations for fans, bettors and front offices alike. They also highlight where the league might be headed \u2014 whether toward renewed dynasties, wide-open parity, or rising contenders that could reshape the next season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s never too early to look ahead to next season. After the 2025\u201326 NFL campaign wrapped with the Seattle Seahawks\u2019 29\u201313 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, FOX Sports\u2019 Nick Wright released an early 2026 tiered breakdown of every team. Death spiral – Teams: Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, New […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[859],"tags":[860],"class_list":{"0":"post-42847","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-nfl"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}