The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks could be duking it out again atop the NFC in 2026, while the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are prime bounce-back teams. They all sit high in our initial offseason NFL Power Rankings.
Is it too early for our first round of TeamFB7 NFL power rankings? Maybe.
Will that stop us? No, no it will not.
The remaining free agents are still finding homes for the 2026 season, with wide receiver Jauan Jennings signing on with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, but for the most part the preseason picture is clear.
Just for reference, these are the latest official Super Bowl odds from BetMGM: Los Angeles Rams (+800), Seattle Seahawks (+950), Baltimore Ravens (+1000), Buffalo Bills (+1000), Detroit Lions (+1500), Green Bay Packers (+1500), Philadelphia Eagles (+1500), Kansas City Chiefs (+1600), Los Angeles Chargers (+1600), Denver Broncos (+1700), New England Patriots (+1800), San Francisco 49ers (+1800) and so on …
That’s a good list. Ours varies a bit, but we will agree there is a deep pool of legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
We’ll roll out the power rankings in four parts, starting at the top with five “Super Bowl or Bust” teams for 2026.
JUMP TO: No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5
Post-Draft/Free Agency NFL Power Rankings
Super Bowl Or Bust
1. Los Angeles Rams
2025 Finish: 12-5, lost in NFC championship game
2026 Outlook: There’s a strong argument to be made that the Rams were the second-best team in the NFL last season, beating the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seahawks early in the season, falling to them in a 38-37 overtime loss in mid-December and then again in a competitive 31-27 loss in the NFC championship game.
And the Rams have only gotten stronger since then.
That’s true even despite how much we — and apparently coach Sean McVay (whether he denies it after the fact now or not) — loathed the draft plan of general manager Les Snead.
(Seriously, LESS Snead would have been a much better draft strategy than taking QB Ty Simpson at No. 13 and a third-string tight end in the second round for a team that literally only needed a third wide receiver and passed on prime opportunities to address that.)
But nonetheless, the Rams more than filled their other primary need this offseason in upgrading the secondary, trading for former Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and then signing fellow Kansas City standout corner Jaylen Watson as a free agent. Los Angeles ranked 19th in pass defense last season and should be much better in that regard.
Meanwhile, the Rams had the top offense in the NFL last season — 394.6 yards per game, 30.5 points per game — and return all the same firepower with reigning MVP QB Matthew Stafford, star WRs Puka Nacua (if he can stay out of trouble) and Davante Adams, productive RBs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum and solid TEs Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee.
Just imagine if they’d drafted WR Makai Lemon at No. 13 like they should have, though.
The Biletnikoff Award winner from USC and yards-after-catch maven would be operating out of the slot and running amok all over the middle of the field while also providing a capable replacement outside should either Nacua or Adams miss time (which is very likely).
Instead, they have Jordan Whittington (18 catches for 171 yards and 0 TDs) as the weak link of an otherwise elite collection of offensive talent.
But, hey, at least they got Simpson to maybe … potentially … try to replace Stafford whenever he chooses to retire (in a year or three?), despite scouts being split on whether he’s even a surefire NFL QB. And when you have a chance to take the worst-valued tight end pick (Ohio State’s Max Klare) in a draft exceptionally deep on TE talent, who could fault that? Oh, Les …
Nonetheless, Snead and Co. have assembled a terrific roster top to bottom with very few vulnerabilities on either side of the ball. They can also still scoop up one of the remaining free agent wide receivers — we suggested Deebo Samuel made sense in the slot for the Rams.
2. Seattle Seahawks
2025 Finish: 14-3, won NFC West, won Super Bowl
2026 Outlook: The NFC West should again be the best division in football in 2026 with the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers all legit Super Bowl contenders and the Cardinals … asking rookie running back Jeremiyah Love to carry an entire franchise on his back, which is at least more interesting than they were a year ago.
There’s no reason at all the Seahawks can’t repeat as Super Bowl champions, other than the reality that it’s a rarely achieved feat. The Chiefs (after the 2021-22 seasons) are the NFL’s only back-to-back champs of the last two decades.
But it can be done, sure, and Seattle is certainly still well enough equipped to make a run at it.
Mike Macdonald’s team has steadily gotten better throughout his two seasons as head coach, really taking its defensive dominance to another level the final month and a half of last season before that incredible playoff run and overwhelming 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
Macdonald belongs in the conversation for best coach in the NFL — albeit over a short sample size, but the way he transformed that franchise and gave it a true identity again is hard to ignore and definitely not a fluke of any kind.
The Seahawks should be a top contender for many years to come, especially with one of the game’s best general managers in John Schneider managing it all.
The cost of winning a Super Bowl is that other teams overpay for free agents off a championship roster, and that happened to Seattle with RB and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III leaving for the Chiefs (3 years, $43.05 million — fourth-highest average annual contract value for a RB), rotational edge rusher Boye Mafe and his 2 sacks and 31 tackles leaving for the Bengals (an absurd 3-year, $60-million contract), key safety Coby Bryant signing with the Bears (3 years, $40 million) and cornerback Riq Woolen heading to the Eagles (1 year, $12 million).
Seattle is going to be just fine, though.
The Seahawks used the final pick of the first round to draft Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price to replace Walker (with Zach Charbonnet due back at some point in 2026 after tearing his ACL in the playoffs). Price was the consensus No. 2 RB in the draft behind his Fighting Irish teammate Love.
The rest of the offense is back in full, led by QB Sam Darnold (who can no longer be doubted after back-to-back excellent seasons), NFL receiving leader and Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba (119 catches for 1,793 yards and 10 TDs in 2025) and the entire starting offensive line intact.
Complementing JSN, veteran wideout Cooper Kupp also returns and the team re-signed Rashid Shaheed, who should have a bigger role on offense in addition to his elite work on special teams. Don’t forget AJ Barner, who looks like a burgeoning top-10 tight end after breaking out in his second season with 52 catches for 519 yards and 6 TDs.
Seattle ranked third in the NFL in scoring last season at 28.4 points per game and should again be one of the league’s best with that collection of talent, but it did lose offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (now the Raiders’ head coach). Brian Fleury, an assistant for the rival 49ers the last seven seasons, takes over as OC.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ “Dark Side Defense” gave up an NFL-low 17.2 PPG and ranked sixth at 285.6 YPG allowed and brings back its ferocious front seven and most of its elite secondary. That group includes second-team All-Pros in DT Leonard Williams, LB Ernest Jones IV and CB Devon Witherspoon.
To address the losses on the back end, Seattle drafted TCU safety Bud Clark in the second round and three cornerbacks, including Arkansas third-rounder Julian Neal.
It would be zero surprise at all to get a Rams-Seahawks rematch in the NFC championship game.
3. Buffalo Bills
2025 Finish: 12-5, lost in divisional round to Broncos (33-30)
2026 Outlook: In firing longtime head coach Sean McDermott after seven straight playoff appearances (eight in nine years overall), including two AFC championship games and a 98-50 overall record, the message was made clear that the Bills expect to compete for Super Bowls in QB Josh Allen’s prime.
They elevated offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach, which both maintained continuity for Allen — who has won his lone MVP and finished third in his two seasons with Brady as full-time OC — while still providing a fresh energy and voice in the locker room overall.
Buffalo also got Allen some much-needed help at wide receiver, trading for reliable veteran D.J. Moore from the Bears and drafting UConn standout Skyler Bell in the fourth round (one of the best values of the draft).
Moore had success playing for Brady in Carolina and is just 29 years old. He posted receiving lines of 96-1,364-8 and 98-966-6 his first two seasons in Chicago before getting usurped by the Bears’ emerging young talent last year (50-682-6). Bell, meanwhile, had 101 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 TDs for UConn last season and ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He shouldn’t have been on the draft board still at pick No. 125.
Allen now has arguably the best set of passing targets he’s had in his career with Moore, slot standout Khalil Shakir (72-719-4), the tight end duo of Dalton Kincaid (39-571-5 in 12 games) and Dawson Knox (36-417-4) and some combination of veteran Josh Palmer, talented but frustrating third-year WR Keon Coleman and Bell. (Palmer could be a trade candidate this summer).
Add in reigning NFL rushing leader James Cook (1,621 rushing yards and 12 TDs) and four returning starters on the offensive line — with an intriguing in-house candidate to take over at left guard in Alec Anderson if he can hold off fourth-round pick Jude Bowry from Boston College.
With the much-needed talent upgrades at WR and Brady now having final say on everything on the Buffalo sideline, the Bills should in theory be a more aggressive passing attack after ranking middle of the pack at 216.6 passing yards per game. Pair that with the same elite rushing attack (Allen’s contributions included) and Buffalo could challenge for the top offense in the NFL after ranking an impressive fourth last year (28.3 PPG, 376.3 YPG) despite the limited WR depth.
For those reasons, Allen is our preseason favorite for MVP.
Defensively, Jim Leonhard takes over as coordinator after serving as an assistant for the Broncos the last two years. He’s well-regarded and was an elite DC in college at Wisconsin (2017-22).
Buffalo added veteran edge rusher Bradley Cubb (8.5 sacks, 47 tackles last year) and retooled its secondary, signing former Bengals safety Geno Stone (104 tackles in 2025; 13 INTs over last three seasons) and well-traveled nickel C.J. Gardner-Johnson (320 tackles, 20 INTs in seven NFL seasons) and drafting Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the second round.
4. Baltimore Ravens
2025 Finish: 8-9, missed playoffs
2026 Outlook: The Ravens are in a very similar situation as the Bills after firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh following 180 wins, 12 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title (way back in the 2012 season).
The mandate is clear — ownership believes the team had plateaued under Harbaugh and is built to win the Super Bowl this season with fresh leadership in the form of head coach Jesse Minter.
That will hinge greatly on whether two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson can stay on the field after being limited to 13 games last season by multiple injuries (most notably an early-season hamstring strain).
To help protect Jackson and clear holes for star running back Derrick Henry, the Ravens upgraded both guard spots in signing free agent John Simpson (a starter for Baltimore in 2023 before moving onto the Jets) and drafting Penn State’s highly regarded Olaivavega Ioane in the first round.
The only problem in that plan is that the team didn’t effectively replace Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who signed a record-setting contract with the Raiders. Baltimore missed out on the top center prospects in the draft and chose not to take one at all.
As it stands, a trio of unproven options — Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, Corey Bullock and perhaps seventh-round pick Evan Beerntsen (a guard from Northwestern) will compete for the position — though it would not surprise at all to see another move made in the coming months.
Baltimore also got Jackson some help in the passing game, taking intriguing WR value picks in USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane and Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt in Rounds 3-4 of the draft. They should get a chance to immediately compete for roles behind WR1 Zay Flowers on the depth chart.
The Ravens led the NFL in total offense in 2024 (424.9 YPG) and ranked third in scoring (30.5 PPG) before sliding all the way to 16th (332.2 YPG)/11th (24.9 PPG) with Jackson missing so much time last season.
There’s no reason Baltimore can’t be a top 5 offense again in 2026.
The Ravens also slid defensively last year — to 25th in total defense (354.5 YPG) and 18th in scoring defense (23.4 PPG).
A lot of that had to do with a diminished pass rush that ranked tied for 28th in the league with just 30 sacks.
To address that, Baltimore spent big in free agency to sign former Bengals star Trey Hendrickson (4 years, $112 million), who led the NFL with 35 sacks over the 2023-24 seasons before injuries limited him in 2025.
The Ravens also drafted Missouri EDGE Zion Young in the second round, though it remains to be seen what immediate impact he’ll make. The team has been rumored as a top landing spot for veteran free agent edge rusher Joey Bosa, who would certainly complete the offseason overhaul at that spot if signed.
Adding veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who managed 6.5 sacks for the Cardinals at 39 years old, should help as well.
The real X-factor, though, is of course Minter.
Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti had to hate seeing his former Ravens defensive coordinator Macdonald transform the Seahawks into Super Bowl champs in two years, feeling he should have moved on Harbaugh earlier to keep the rising star defensive wiz in house. Instead, the Ravens bring back Minter, who was a defensive assistant on their staff from 2017-20 before making his name as a DC under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan (winning a national title) and the last two seasons with the Chargers.
If Minter can put his stamp on a bolstered Ravens defense, and a healthy Jackson with perhaps something to prove takes the offense back to its former heights, then the Ravens are absolutely a top Super Bowl contender.
But the pressure is on from Day 1 after the bold move to fire one of the most successful coaches in the NFL.
5. Kansas City Chiefs
2025 Finish: 6-11, missed playoffs
2026 Outlook: The Chiefs “dynasty” didn’t end in 2025, but saying it hit a speedbump would be an understatement — more like a sinkhole.
The running game turned to dust like an Indiana Jones villain drinking from the wrong cup, as veteran Kareem Hunt ran out of gas and Isiah Pacheco never regained his burst after breaking his leg in 2024. The duo averaged a plodding 3.8 yards per carry and Kansas City ranked 25th in rushing (106.6 YPG).
A diminished passing attack compounded the problems, as expected WR1 Rashee Rice missed half the season due to suspension/injury, 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy continued to underwhelm (42-531-1 in 14 games) and future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce continued to age despite still leading the team with 76 catches for 851 yards and 5 TDs.
The offensive line wasn’t great either as right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s penchant for penalties rendered him one of the lowest graded tackles in the league per PFF.
And two-time MVP QB Patrick Mahomes’ eventual season-ending knee injury (torn ACL and LCL in mid-December) was just the punctuation mark on all of it.
That’s how the Chiefs ended up with their first losing season in 13 years under coach Andy Reid and snapped streaks of 3 straight Super Bowl appearances, seven straight AFC championship game appearances and 10 straight playoff appearances.
So what’s to believe Kansas City can get back to its winning ways in 2026?
Well, Reid is still in charge and Mahomes is aggressively aiming to be ready for the start of the season.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs overhauled the rushing attack, investing big in free agency for Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and getting incredible draft value on fifth-round pick Emmett Johnson. Johnson had 1,451 rushing yards on 5.8 YPC, 370 receiving yards and 15 total TDs last fall for Nebraska and was one of our favorite picks in the entire draft.
Kelce is back for another year, which is great if he isn’t asked to be the team’s No. 1 target as he turns 37 years old in the fall. The Chiefs didn’t draft a wide receiver until the fifth round (Cincinnati’s Cyrus Allen), though, so they’ll again be counting on Rice, Worthy and Tyquan Thornton to deliver, but there remains the potential they could sign one of the remaining veteran free agents — like, say, their former star Tyreek Hill.
Meanwhile, Kansas City let Taylor walk in free agency and is ready to give incumbent Jaylon Moore his shot at right tackle. It can’t hurt, honestly.
Defensively, the Chiefs lost their top cornerback tandem in McDuffie and Watson to the Rams, as noted up top, but they traded up to the No. 6 pick to snag LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. They then bolstered the defensive front with Clemson DT Peter Woods and Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas at picks 29 and 40.
Woods and seven-time Pro Bowl/six-time All-Pro selection Chris Jones make for an impressive tandem in the middle if the rookie proves ready to make an immediate impact.
Ultimately, though, getting Mahomes healthy with a vastly upgraded rushing attack and the potential still for Rice to settle in as a true WR1 is enough alone to sell the Chiefs as a viable Super Bowl contender.
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