Late free agent moves continue to trickle in, Aaron Rodgers Watch drags on interminably in Pittsburgh and the 2026 NFL schedule isn’t even out yet (but will be later this week!).
Nonetheless, TeamFB7 could wait no longer to release its first edition of NFL power rankings a few days ago with our five “Super Bowl Or Bust” teams and continues here with the second tier of top contenders — teams 6-10 in what again looks like a wide-open race to the top.
A year after the Seattle Seahawks went from missing the playoffs to dominant Super Bowl champions and the New England Patriots came from totally out of nowhere to reach the Big Game, it wouldn’t surprise us if any of these five teams (or others still to come down the list) ends up as one of the last standing this season.
Before we carry on, a reminder of the rankings so far: 1. Los Angeles Rams, 2. Seattle Seahawks, 3. Buffalo Bills, 4. Baltimore Ravens, 5. Kansas City Chiefs.
JUMP TO: No. 6 | No. 7 | No. 8 | No. 9 | No. 10
NFL Power Rankings Tier 2: Contingent Super Bowl Contenders
6. San Francisco 49ers
2025 Finish: 12-5, lost in divisional round
2026 Outlook: Kyle Shanahan did as good a coaching job as any in the league last year, keeping the 49ers competitive and vying for the NFC’s No. 1 seed right down to the wire despite more incredibly bad luck injury-wise.
But that’s been San Francisco’s Achilles’ heel for years now — sometimes literally, in the case of star tight end George Kittle.
So much so that theories emerged that the team’s health must be negatively impacted by the electromagnetic fields emitting from an electrical substation near its practice facility. (General manager John Lynch said an independent scientific study found no likely link or increased risk.)
The 49ers’ two biggest defensive stars Nick Bosa (torn ACL) and Fred Warner (fractured/dislocated right ankle) were lost early in the season, followed by first-round rookie edge rusher Mykel Williams (torn ACL). Quarterback Brock Purdy missed eight games with a turf toe injury, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee and ankle) missed eight games, fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk never returned from 2024 knee surgery and went AWOL for non-injury-related reasons and Kittle tore his Achilles in the playoffs. Among other injuries.
If the 49ers could simply stay healthy, they are absolutely built to contend for a Super Bowl title.
Indeed, from 2019-23, San Francisco made the NFC championship game four times in five years and reached the Super Bowl twice.
Amazingly, oft-injured running back Christian McCaffrey was one star who stayed healthy all of last season, leading the team in both rushing (1,202 yards, 10 TDs) and receiving (102 receptions for 924 yards and 7 TDs).
And for a stretch late last season, Purdy was playing as well as any QB in the league.
There’s a lot to like on the offensive side here with those two leading the way, four starters back on the offensive line (all but left guard) and a substantially upgraded wide receiver corps that includes free agent splash signing Mike Evans (an upgrade from miscast former WR1 Jauan Jennings), No. 33 overall pick De’Zhaun Stribling (from Ole Miss), hopefully a fully-healthy Pearsall after teasing his potential the last two years and veteran depth addition Christian Kirk.
Kittle is sure to miss a significant chunk of the season in his return from that torn Achilles, but Jake Tonges really impressed when asked to step into a larger role at tight end. He’s a fine placeholder for as long as needed.
The only real question mark on the offensive side is that left guard spot with Spencer Burford leaving for the Raiders. The Niners signed former Dolphins starter Robert Jones on a cheap one-year deal and drafted Washington’s Carver Willis in the fourth round, so they have a couple options there — if they don’t upgrade further with one notable free agent remaining as a logical fit.
San Francisco ranked top 10 in both yards and points last season despite the slew of setbacks, meaning there’s no reason this can’t be a top 5 offense in the NFL in 2026 … if the Niners finally get some luck on the injury front.
Defensively, the team stayed middle-of-the-pack despite losing its two best players for most of the season. Getting Bosa and Warner back is as big an upgrade as any team made defensively over the offseason. The 49ers also signed linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who spent last season with the Broncos after six seasons in San Francisco. When healthy — which has been a struggle for him — Greenlaw is an asset in the middle of the defense.
Third-round pick Romello Height, out of Texas Tech, is an intriguing addition to the edge rusher unit while the Niners also added help at defensive tackle (Oklahoma’s Gracen Halton) and cornerback (Washington’s Ephesians Prysock) on Day 2 of the draft.
The biggest loss defensively is coordinator Robert Saleh, who left to become the Titans’ head coach, but San Francisco got a proven replacement with former Falcons and Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris (who won a Super Bowl as defensive coordinator for the Rams).
7. Philadelphia Eagles
2025 Finish: 11-6, lost in wildcard round
2026 Outlook: We broke this down more in-depth in our Eagles pre-draft analysis, but it’s worth repeating here just what a rollercoaster the Jalen Hurts/Nick Sirianni Era has been in Philadelphia.
2022: The Eagles reach the Super Bowl in Sirianni’s second season, Hurts finishes second in MVP voting and is rewarded with a 5-year, $255-million contract extension that briefly makes him the highest paid player in the league.
2023: After a 10-1 start, the Eagles lose five of their final six games and get embarrassed in the wildcard round in a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers. Philly fans are seemingly ready to see both Sirianni and Hurts go.
2024: The Eagles win the Super Bowl, led by free agent addition Saquon Barkley’s 2,000-yard rushing season. Hurts is named Super Bowl MVP in the dominant 40-22 win over the Chiefs. All is “sunny in Philadelphia” again.
2025: The Eagles never really find their footing, finishing 11-6 and losing at home in the wildcard round to the 49ers. Sirianni is blasted for sticking with embattled first-time offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo through the season, while Hurts’ critics return in full force (especially amidst star WR A.J. Brown’s strained relationship with the team).
2026: ???
Patullo is gone, replaced by former Packers QBs coach Sean Mannion. Can he revive an offense that tumbled to 24th in the league last year at 311.2 yards per game and 19th in scoring at 22.3 points per game after ranking top 8 in both categories (367.2 YPG/27.2 PPG) in 2024?
Can he get Barkley back to being Barkley after the running back’s production and efficiency dipped severely to 1,140 rushing yards on 4.1 yards per carry (down from 5.8 in 2024)?
Can he get Hurts to embrace running again and make the QB remember that his dual-threat abilities are what got him that massive contract and what make Philly hard to defend — and that without it he’s a league-average NFL passer at best?
With regard to the theme of this power rankings tier, the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes are contingent upon all of that — and more — happening.
Even with Brown, the star receiver, expected to be traded (reportedly to the Patriots) next month, the Eagles have all the pieces to be a top-5 NFL offense.
Assuming that trade indeed happens, the Eagles still have DeVonta Smith (5,019 receiving yards and 31 TDs through five seasons) and restocked the depth chart in signing veteran free agent Hollywood Brown, trading for the Packers’ Dontayvion Wicks and trading up to draft USC’s Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon in the first round.
They also have a top-10 tight end in Dallas Goedert (60-591-11) while drafting high-upside Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers in the second round to be his complement (and eventual successor).
Meanwhile, one factor that could help the offensive woes as much as any would be a healthy season from the offensive line, which returns all five starters after an injury-plagued 2024.
Six-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson missed the final seven games and the playoff loss with a Lisfranc foot injury, three-time Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson was never truly the same after undergoing minor knee surgery in training camp and returning quickly for Week 1, and ditto for center Cam Jurgens after back surgery last offseason.
Having that unit at full strength would be the ultimate difference-maker.
Defensively, the Eagles lost some key pieces with edge rusher Jaelan Phillips signing with the Panthers, oft-injured linebacker Nakobe Dean landing with the Raiders and Reed Blankenship joining the Texans.
But elite defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has more than enough to work with, including new edge rusher Jonathan Greenard (acquired from the Packers; 24.5 sacks over the 2023-24 seasons before a down 2025) and free agent cornerback addition Riq Woolen (from the Super Bowl champion Seahawks).
This season mostly hinges on the O-line staying healthy, Hurts recommitting to the play style that made him great, Mannion doing his part to revive the offense and Sirianni having a lot more answers if things go sideways than he did last year.
8. Houston Texans
2025 Finish: 12-5, lost in divisional round
2026 Outlook: The Texans were the only team to enter the 2026 NFL Draft without a single urgent need to fill — while yet still managing to upgrade in a couple key spots and stash more talent.
Simply put, this is one of the most well-built rosters in the league under general manager Nick Caserio, and the Texans’ winning 10 straight games before losing in the divisional round to the Patriots was not a fluke.
With strong leadership at the top in Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans, arguably the NFL’s best defense (league-low 277.2 YPG allowed last season, second in scoring defense at 17.4 PPG) and upgrades on the offensive side, the Texans should be a lock for the playoffs. More to the point, they should realistically consider anything less than the AFC championship game a disappointment.
To very quickly spotlight that defense, it includes:
– The highest-paid non-QB in football in edge rusher Will Anderson (with a fresh 3-year, $150-million extension), who finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting with 54 tackles, 12 sacks, 20 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles.
– Fellow elite pass rusher Danielle Hunter (15 sacks last season; 114.5 for his career).
– An interior of the defensive line led by veteran Sheldon Rankins (ranked 18th out of 134 DTs by PFF last year), Tommy Togiai (ranked 15/134) and second-round draft pick Kayden McDonald (Ohio State), who some felt was the best DT in the draft.
– One of the best secondaries in the league with cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. (two-time first-team All-Pro, 14 interceptions last three seasons) and Kamari Lassiter (91 tackles, 7 TFLs, 4 INTs, 17 passes defended, Pro Bowl last season), safeties Calen Bullock (9 INTs in two seasons, Pro Bowl) and free agent addition Reed Blankenship (274 tackles and 8 INTs last three season for the Eagles) and nickel Jalen Pitre (74 tackles, 4 INTs, 12 PDs last year).
– And returning starters at linebacker in Pro Bowl selection Azeez Al-Shaair (103 tackles, 2 INTs) and Henry To’oTo’o (95 tackles, 9 TFLs).
It’s the other side of the ball that will be the X-factor one way or the other for Houston in 2026.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud is coming off an absolutely abysmal postseason performance. The Texans beat the Steelers in the wildcard round despite Stroud fumbling 5 times (losing 2 of them) and tossing an interception. They could not overcome his 4 INTs in the divisional round loss to the Patriots, however, as the QB was the single biggest reason Houston didn’t play in the AFC championship game.
Stroud, the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, has to take a leap in 2026 for the Texans to be taken seriously as a true Super Bowl contender. He nonetheless threw for 3,041 yards, 19 TDs and 8 INTs in 14 games (missing three due to a concussion) and has flashed the upside of his big arm plenty in three seasons. The potential is undeniably there.
To help him, the Texans invested big in upgrading the offensive line. They signed former Colts right tackle Braden Smith (2 years, $20 million) and former Browns guard Wyatt Teller (2 years, $16 million) and then traded up to No. 26 in the draft to take Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge to be their new center.
The Texans also upgraded at running back, trading with the Lions for veteran David Montgomery to bolster a position that relied mostly on fourth-round rookie Woody Marks (703 rushing yards on a meager 3.6 YPC) last year.
Meanwhile, the talent is already in place at wide receiver if it can stay healthy.
Nico Collins has three straight 1,000-yard seasons but has missed nine games in that time. Tank Dell looked like an emerging standout as well until a brutal knee injury (torn ACL, MCL, LCL and dislocated kneecap) late in the 2024 season required multiple surgeries and cost him all of 2025. And Jayden Higgins showed promise as a second-round rookie, catching 41 passes for 525 yards and 6 TDs.
Add in tight end Dalton Schultz (82-777-3) and that’s plenty of playmakers for Stroud to work with in 2026.
Our advice: believe in Stroud to continue to grow and confidently take the over on Texans wins in 2026 (set at 9.5, per BetMGM).
9. Denver Broncos
2025 Finish: 14-3, won AFC West and No. 1 seed, lost in AFC championship game
2026 Outlook: It was all there for the Broncos. Hosting the AFC championship game in the snow with a strong defense and what had felt like a season of destiny full of fourth-quarter comebacks and close wins.
Until it wasn’t. Quarterback Bo Nix’s broken ankle near the end of the Broncos’ overtime win over the Bills in the divisional round effectively ended the team’s Super Bowl hopes. They lost 10-7 in the snow to the Patriots with Jarrett Stidham throwing his first passes since 2023.
Nix returns for the Broncos in 2026, of course, but it’s hard to imagine their penchant for fourth quarter good fortune can be sustained.
Denver is going to need to be better offensively if it’s going to get back to the AFC championship game or hope to reach the Super Bowl.
Realizing that, the Broncos paid a hefty price to acquire wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins in exchange for a first-round pick, a third-round pick and a fourth-round swap.
It seemed like an overpay for a player who has never shown to be a No. 1 WR and didn’t live up to that bar last season when given the shot in Miami, with Tyreek Hill’s injury. Waddle totaled 64 catches for 910 yards and 6 TDs, although it should be said the Dolphins’ passing game was a mess with QB Tua Tagovailoa getting benched late in the year.
There’s no question the Broncos are a better offensive team with the speedy Waddle joining forces with Courtland Sutton (74-1,017-7) atop the depth chart.
Denver will also hope for a full season from running back J.K. Dobbins, who was very effective before a season-ending Lisfranc foot injury, rushing for 772 yards and 4 TDs on 5.0 YPC in 10 games. Rookie backup RJ Harvey wasn’t quite as productive, averaging just 3.7 YPC.
It stands to reason the Broncos will curtail Nix’s role in the run game (356 yards and 5 TDs) after his latest significant ankle injury (continuing a concern from his college career), so Dobbins and Co. will have to deliver. Fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman (out of Washington) could be an interesting part of the equation there.
Defense will remain the strength of Denver’s team, though, even losing standout defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers in free agency to the Titans. The Broncos return their top nine tacklers from 2025 and most of their defensive starters overall, while drafting Texas A&M defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim in the third round.
10. New England Patriots
2025 Finish: 14-3, won AFC East, lost in Super Bowl
2026 Outlook: First, there is the very real history of teams that lose the Super Bowl struggling the following season.
Then there is the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini affair scandal that just won’t go away and continues to hang over this team like a dark cloud.
Let’s just say the vibes aren’t overly encouraging for another Super Bowl run, if we’re being honest. Especially considering the favorable path the Patriots rode to the Big Game last year, playing an inordinate number of backup, bad and soon-to-benched quarterbacks, including facing Stidham in that AFC championship game win over the Broncos.
Everything went right for New England in 2025, and that already hasn’t been the case so far in 2026.
That said, we can’t knock the Patriots too far in the power rankings.
They still have QB Drake Maye, the NFL MVP runner-up last year, and should have a much-improved wide receiver corps for him to target. After already signing former Packers WR Romeo Doubs to a big contract this offseason, the buzz remains that the Patriots are expected to land A.J. Brown from the Eagles via trade next month.
That would be a game-changer from having a past-his-prime-but-still-productive Stefon Diggs as WR1 and a cast of No. 3-caliber WRs.
Also, expect a big jump in production from second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson after he overcame a slow start as a rookie to rush for 911 yards and 9 TDs on 5.1 YPC with 221 receiving yards and a score. He should easily outpace those numbers in Year 2.
The offensive line still has some questions (like second-year left tackle Will Campbell after his disastrous Super Bowl performance), but New England upgraded a bit this offseason in signing former Jets first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker to take over at left guard, allowing Jared Wilson to move inside to center.
Meanwhile, the defense is largely intact with a few changes.
The Patriots let edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson walk in free agency but signed veteran Dre’Mont Jones (most recently with the Ravens) and drafted Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas in the second round for a negligible swap. They lost safety Jaylinn Hawkins but signed veteran Kevin Byard. Etc.
There’s no reason the defense can’t again be a top-10 unit in the league, and the offense — which ranked second in scoring at 28.8 PPG and third with 379.4 YPG — could be even better.
So why are the Patriots 10th in our power rankings coming off a Super Bowl appearance?
Really, the Vrabel situation and its effect on the locker room is the unknown variable — along with what should be a much more challenging schedule in 2026.
If we have any team ranked too low so far, the Pats are the most likely one, but for now this feels like the right slot for New England.
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