Now that I have thoroughly analyzed the upcoming college football season, it is time for me to publish my seventh annual NFL preseason football guide. Much like my college preview, I have gone through and analyzed every NFL team’s regular season and postseason, as well as selected my disappointment and surprise teams, upsets to watch out for, and over/under win totals to bet.

The records below include all regular season games but do not include playoff games, which will be analyzed in a later entry. The teams marked in bold font are the ones predicted to make the 2026 NFL playoffs. Without further ado, here are my AFC regular season predictions, with analysis, for my fifth annual NFL preview guide.

AFC East

1	Buffalo (12-5)– division winner

Last Year’s Record: 12-5 (My 2025 prediction: 12-5)- absolutely nailed my preseason projections for the Bills in 2025!

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at LA Rams (October 12)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Las Vegas (October 18)- this looks like a classic letdown spot with my prediction above about the Bills knocking off the Rams

Bottom Line: Quite simply, the Bills have had some of the worst playoff luck of all-time, as they have now lost a divisional playoff game or a conference championship game overtime or by a field goal in four of the last five seasons. There has to be one year where the Bills catch their fair share of breaks, right? This team has been getting increasingly close a Super Bowl over the past half decade, and maybe bringing in a new coach is all they need to turn around the bad juju from year’s past. Spoiler alert: I am picking the Bills not only to win the AFC East in 2026 but also to win the entire AFC and BEYOND this season.

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2	New England (9-8)

Last Year’s Record: 14-3 (My 2025 prediction: 9-8)

Positional Strength: Defensive Backfield

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Buffalo (December 6)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at NY Jets (December 27)

Bottom Line: There is a huge difference between a team that receives a 4th place schedule based on their divisional order of finish from the prior season and a 1st place schedule, and the Pats are about to see that. They were able to overachieve last year thanks to an extremely favorable schedule in which they played a whopping 14 against squads that ended up with a losing record in 2025! This season, they only play five games against sub .500 teams from last season. That is basically like playing in the Sun Belt conference in one season in college football and then going to play in the SEC the following year. Don’t get me wrong, the Pats are still extremely talented and well-coached, but I think they fall just short of a playoff berth in 2026, as they make the difficult transition from being the hunter to being the hunted this year in the AFC.

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3	Miami (5-12)

Last Year’s Record: 7-10 (My 2025 prediction: 8-9)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Buffalo (January 3)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Las Vegas (September 13)

Bottom Line: Expect a major rebuilding year in South Beach from a squad that is breaking in a brand new head coach, quarterback, receiving corps, defensive coordinator, and secondary in 2026. However this squad still has too much talent in the run game and on defense to plummet all the way down to the bottom of the entire NFL like many experts are forecasting.

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4	NY Jets (5-12)

Last Year’s Record: 3-10 (My 2025 prediction: 5-12)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Denver (December 13)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Miami (October 25)

Bottom Line: Every year is supposed to be the season the Jets take a big step forward and every year they fall woefully short, as this franchise has now gone a full decade without a winning season. And if they couldn’t turn things around with Aaron Rodgers or Justin Fields at the the helm, I don’t see it happened in 2026 with Geno Smith at quarterback.

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AFC North

1	Cincinnati (13-4)– division winner

Last Year’s Record: 6-11 (My 2025 prediction: 12-5)

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Baltimore (October 25)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Atlanta (November 8)- weird things always happen in the overseas games!

Bottom Line: I have become somewhat of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” with the Cincinnati Bengals, as I have consistently picked them to return to championship contention ever since their 2021 Super Bowl run and every year it seems to get derailed by key injuries and other issues. This year, I do think the Bengals are able to turn things around not just because Burrow is healthy again but because they finally took legitimate strides to upgrade their defense with the acquisitions of Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, and Kyle Dugger. Expect the Bengals to reclaim the AFC North title for the first time in four seasons in 2026.

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2	Baltimore (11-6)– wildcard team

Last Year’s Record: 8-9 (My 2025 prediction: 10-7):

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Buffalo (November 1)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Carolina (November 22)

Bottom Line: The firing of John Harbaugh was one of the most puzzling offseason coaching moves in a long time, as the man led this franchise to the playoffs in six of the past eight seasons. Now, they replace him with a first-time head coach, Jesse Minter, who must somehow reinvigorate this aging roster filled with a multitude of key starters on both sides of the ball that find themselves in the twilight of their respective careers (RB Derrick Henry, TE Mark Andrews, OL Ronnie Stanley, DL Calais Campbell, LB Trey Hendrickson, CB Marlon Humphrey). The Ravens will still be a tough, physical team with a dangerous quarterback that can keep them in any game, but this squad’s Super Bowl window appears to have closed for the time being.

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3	Pittsburgh (8-9)

Last Year’s Record: 10-7 (My 2025 prediction: 8-9)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Cincinnati (November 15)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Cleveland (October 1)

Bottom Line: If there is ever a year where the Steelers incredible 22 year streak of .500 or better seasons comes to end, this has to be it. They break in a new head coach for just the third time in the past 58 years while also relying a quarterback on the verge of retirement and a running game that lost its feature back (Kenneth Gainwell) in the offseason. I don’t think the Steelers will be terrible in 2026, but I think they do finally dip below .500 for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.

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4	Cleveland (5-12)

Last Year’s Record: 5-12 (My 2025 prediction: 3-14)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Quarterback

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Cincinnati (December 6)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Atlanta (December 13)

Bottom Line: I feel kind of unimaginative and lazy when I predict a team to finish with the exact same record they did last season, but that is exactly what I am doing with this year’s Browns. First of all, the Browns quarterback room is a mess, as they will be starting Deshaun Watson, who has not played a full season of winning football at that position this decade. They also break-in a new head coach, two new coordinators, and an entirely new offensive line this season. Still, Myles Garrett and the defense are talented enough to keep this squad from completely bottoming out. Expect another lackluster, but not disastrous season, in Cleveland.

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AFC South

1	Houston (9-8)– division winner

Last Year’s Record: 12-5 (My 2025 prediction: 9-8):

Positional Strength: Defensive Backfield

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Buffalo (September 13)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Cleveland (November 15)

Bottom Line: Despite the troubling regression of quarterback C.J. Stroud over the past couple of seasons, the Texans have still found a way to win a playoff game each of the past three seasons. I think they will once again find themselves in the postseason in 2026 thanks to their superb defense (# 1 total defense in the NFL last season) and their improved rushing attack with new running back David Montgomery.

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2	Jacksonville (8-9)

Last Year’s Record: 13-4 (My 2025 prediction: 7-10)

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Philadelphia (October 11)- nobody has more experience playing overseas than the Jags!

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Tennessee (November 15)

Bottom Line: The Jags were one of the great surprise stories of the season last year in the entire NFL, as rookie head coach Liam Coen flipped this squad’s record from 4-13 in 2024 to 13-4 and led them to a division title. I expect a slight regression from this squad this year, as I believe this squad is less talented in 2026 following the departures of star linebacker Devin Lloyd, running back Travis Etienne, and two key starters in their secondary (Greg Newson and Andrew Wingard).

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3	Tennessee (7-10)

Last Year’s Record: 3-14 (My 2025 prediction: 5-12)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Philadelphia (September 20)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at NY Giants (September 27)- obvious letdown spot after aforementioned upset over the Eagles.

Bottom Line: How bad does Tennessee’s firing of Mike Vrabel look now, as the now two time NFL coach of the year took the Pats to the Super Bowl last year, while the Titans moved on from Vrabel’s replacement, Bill Callahan, in 2025 after just a season and a half of terrible football. Robert Saleh comes in as he new head coach after an unsuccessful tenure with the Jets, which seemed to indicate to me that he is one of those guys that fits better as a coordinator than he does as the main boss. Still, I think the Titans take a slight step forward in 2026 thanks to the further development and progression of quarterback Cam Ward, but this team lacks the overall firepower on offense to make a serious playoff push this season.

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4	Indianapolis (6-11)

Last Year’s Record: 8-9 (My 2025 prediction: 7-10)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Baltimore (September 13)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Cleveland (January 3)

Bottom Line: The Colts have toiled in mediocrity the past three seasons finishing within a game of .500 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 and failing to make the playoffs in each of those seasons. Now, I actually have Indianapolis taking a slight step back in 2026, as I just can’t trust the injury prone Daniel Jones at quarterback, especially now that he doesn’t have star receiver Michael Pittman to throw to. Also, keep in mind, this squad enters 2026 with a whole of negative momentum, as they ended the 2025 campaign on a seven game losing streak following a promising 8-2 start last season.

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AFC West

1	LA Chargers (12-5)- division winner

Last Year’s Record: 11-6 (My 2025 prediction: 11-6)- another perfect preseason prediction for me!

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Seattle (October 4)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Houston (November 8)

Bottom Line: The Chargers, like the Bills discussed above, seem like one of those teams that is on the verge of a run to the Super Bowl throughout this decade but have managed to consistently come up short despite having one of the most talented rosters in the league. Los Angeles does face a few more obstacles than Buffalo does in that they don’t have a committed fan base, they play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL, and they don’t have a proven starting running back. However, any team that possesses one of the league’s best coaches, quarterbacks, and defenses should be one of the most formidable squads in the NFL, which is why I am calling for this year to be the year that the Chargers finally win the AFC West for the time since their run of four straight division titles from 2006-2009 under coach Norv Turner.

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2	Denver (11-6)– wildcard team

Last Year’s Record: 14-3 (My 2025 prediction: 12-5)

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. LA Rams (September 27)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at NY Jets (December 13)

Bottom Line: If it wasn’t for the meteoric rise of the New England Patriots, the Broncos would have been the comeback story of the year last year in the NFL as legendary head coach Sean Payton led Denver to their first division title in ten seasons and to the cusp of the Super Bowl. With that being said, I do expect the Broncos to take a slight step back in 2026, thanks to a brutal schedule that features nine road games and only two home games against teams with losing records last season that are not named Kansas City.

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3	Kansas City (11-6)- wildcard team

Last Year’s Record: 6-11 (My 2025 prediction: 13-4)

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at LA Rams (December 3)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Las Vegas (October 4)- the Chiefs always seem to struggle with the Raiders, especially on the road.

Bottom Line: The Broncos, Pats, and Jags were the three biggest surprises in this conference in 2026 while the Chiefs were undoubtedly the biggest disappointment. The Chiefs suffered through their first losing season in the 13 year tenure of Andy Reid which culminated in a season-ending ACL tear for Patrick Mahomes late in their week 15 matchup against the Chargers. For the first-time in over a decade, this squad enters the season with a ton of question marks regarding Mahomes’ health, Travis Kelce’s age, the offensive line’s productivity, and the loss of several key defensive backs. With that being said, this squad got a huge boost in the run game in the offseason with the acquisition of Super Bowl winning running back Kenneth Walker III from Seattle. Expect the Chiefs to go back to being very good in 2026 but to fall short in their annual quest for another Super Bowl title.

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4	Las Vegas (4-13)

Last Year’s Record: 3-14 (My 2025 prediction: 5-12)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Buffalo (October 18)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Cleveland (November 29)

Bottom Line: Speaking of question marks, no team enters the 2026 season with more uncertainty than the Las Vegas Raiders, who have a new head coach and offensive coordinator and also don’t know who they will be starting at either quarterback (Cousins or Mendoza) or running back (thanks to Ashton Jeanty’s injury) to start the season. Maxx Crosby does return to anchor a functional defensive unit, but there are just too many questions on offense for me to call for this team to finish anywhere but the bottom of the AFC West.

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