The NFL preseason is one of the most entertaining and hopeful moments for football fans each season. Fans of all 32 franchises have their hopes and dreams pointed upward as they calculate that every Draft pick, free-agent pickup, and last year’s hopefuls will be the league’s ascending stars, taking their team to the promised land of a Lombardi in February.
My cohort through the season, Ed Kleese and I, will talk each week about the historic moments of the 2026 season, and we’ll put on our tinfoil hats to predict game outcomes, but we’ll also offer periodic power rankings to chew on. We kicked it off with a couple of episodes dedicated to the preseason power rankings of each Conference.
It’s a different way to give NFL Power Rankings, as we are, in essence, projecting who, at a certain time, is the representative for each Conference in the Super Bowl.
2026 AFC Preseason Power Rankings Draft
| Overall | Team | Drafter | Summary Comments (Ed & Darin) |
| 1 | Los Angeles Chargers | Ed | Ed: Banking on the classic year-three Jim Harbaugh trajectory; assuming better health on the O-line, they take the #1 seed. Darin: Agrees they are a contender but warns about the brutal AFC West and Harbaugh’s historical tendency to regress after a hot start. |
| 2 | Buffalo Bills | Darin | Darin: Trading for DJ Moore gives Josh Allen the elite weapon he needs in Joe Brady’s offense to easily run through a weak division. Ed: Completely agrees, noting Allen’s phenomenal 29-to-6 career postseason touchdown-to-interception ratio. |
| 3 | Houston Texans | Ed | Ed: Boasts arguably the nastiest defense in the NFL with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson. Expecting a bounce-back from C.J. Stroud to easily hit 10-11 wins. Darin: Agrees they are the top defense but remains slightly skeptical of Stroud after his shaky playoff performance. |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | Darin | Darin: Breaking historical trends by picking them to win the North again. Returning Joe Burrow and adding Dexter Lawrence to a stable coaching staff makes them a 4-seed. Ed: Fully aligned. Points out the Bengals are 43-33 when Burrow starts and 7-16 without him. |
| 5 | New England Patriots | Ed | Ed: Expects Mike Vrabel to right the ship. Adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs gives a maturing Drake Maye enough weapons for 9-11 wins. Darin: Strongly disagrees. Predicts an 8th-place finish and missed playoffs due to a brutal schedule, O-line issues, and off-field coaching distractions. |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Darin | Darin: Confident that Mike McCarthy’s offensive system, combined with adding Michael Pittman and a deep defensive rotation, finally brings a playoff win back to Pittsburgh. Ed: Skeptical. Ranks them 11th, doubting Aaron Rodgers’ remaining arm strength and noting the franchise’s ongoing historic playoff win drought. |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ed | Ed: A pure bet on Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid getting re-energized. The roster isn’t earth-shattering, but Mahomes ensures they stay in the wild card hunt. Darin: Agrees they’ll grab the final 7-seed but expects them to take lumps in a highly competitive AFC West. |
| 8 | Denver Broncos | Darin | Darin: Believes Sean Payton has built a young, up-and-coming team capable of grabbing the 6-seed, though the division will be a grind. Ed: Believes Denver will be the first team out of the playoffs, remaining unconvinced that Bo Nix can push them over the hump. |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | Ed | Ed: Trusts Lamar Jackson’s consistency to guarantee at least 8 wins, with a good chance for 10-11 if the ball bounces their way. Darin: Ranks them 10th. Concerned about an aging core (Jackson, Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews) and a weakened interior offensive line. |
| 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Darin | Darin: Adding Devin Lloyd and leaning on a strong run game keeps them on the playoff bubble, though Houston will control the division. Ed: Has them taking a massive backslide behind Tennessee, viewing them as heavily overrated. |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | Ed | Ed: Extremely high on the all-star coaching staff of Robert Saleh, Brian Daboll, and Gus Bradley. Expects 7-8 wins and plenty of upsets. Darin: Believes the talent is too young and raw for immediate success, predicting a 5-6 win learning year. |
| 12 | Indianapolis Colts | Darin | Darin: Thinks stability with Daniel Jones at QB could push them toward a 9-win season and keep them on the playoff bubble. Ed: Views the Colts as an organization stuck in neutral, destined for another mediocre 8-9 finish. |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Ed | Ed: Highlights incredible organizational instability (14 head coaches since 2002). Believes the Mendoza/Cousins QB room won’t yield more than 6 wins. Darin: Thinks their new coaching staff will spark surprise upsets within the division. |
| 14 | Cleveland Browns | Darin | Darin: Even with Jared Verse replacing Myles Garrett, an ongoing QB controversy and offensive line turnover point to a bottom-of-the-North finish. Ed: Agrees entirely. Shilo Sanders and Deshaun Watson under Todd Monken won’t move the needle. |
| 15 | New York Jets | Ed | Ed: Predicts a 16th consecutive season missing the playoffs. Zero faith in Aaron Glenn’s coaching or Geno Smith as a starter. Darin: Agrees this is a movie the league has seen before, ending poorly. |
| 16 | Miami Dolphins | Darin | Darin: Views them as the unquestioned AFC doormat. Malik Willis will be running for his life under new coach Jeff Hafley. Ed: Highlights a terrible roster and a historically bad 25-year streak without a playoff win. |
2026 Nike x NFL Rivalries Collection
"Heads up: A few links in this description are affiliate links. That means if you click through and grab something, I might get a small cut that helps keep the lights on hereβat zero additional cost to you!"
2026 NFC Preseason Power Rankings Draft
| Overall | Team | Drafter | Summary Comments (Ed & Darin) |
| 1 | Los Angeles Rams | Darin | Darin: The clear NFC favorite. Adding Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie to pair with Aaron Donald fixes their defense, while Stafford and Puka Nacua run a potent offense. Ed: Completely agrees. A super-team loaded with Canton-bound talent. |
| 2 | Detroit Lions | Ed | Ed: A very soft first five games will springboard them to their fifth consecutive winning season and 11+ wins. Darin: Agrees they are loaded and primed, especially with a well-paid Jahmyr Gibbs. |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | Darin | Darin: Expects a massive leap in Caleb Williams’ second year under Ben Johnson, winning the North. Ed: Strongly disagrees. Cites their reliance on coin-toss wins last year and expects them to slide to 8th in the NFC as a fringe wild-card team. |
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys | Ed | Ed: Dak Prescott wins 75% of his NFC East starts. Adding Rashan Gary and Quinnen Williams makes their defense average, which is enough for 10-12 wins. Darin: Agrees they win the East, noting the defensive line upgrades fix their biggest weakness against the run. |
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks | Darin | Darin: The defending Super Bowl champs reloaded their defense and brought in solid running back depth. Mike Macdonald will keep them highly competitive. Ed: Predicts a classic Super Bowl hangover. History shows non-elite QBs (like Sam Darnold) struggle to repeat. |
| 6 | San Francisco 49ers | Ed | Ed: Deferring to Kyle Shanahan’s ability to consistently pull 11-12 wins out of battered rosters. Purdy, McCaffrey, and Mike Evans will find a way. Darin: Warns that Father Time is catching up to their aging skill players, expecting them to secure a lower wild card spot. |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | Darin | Darin: Predicts Kellen Moore leads this rising team to a division title. Chris Olave and De’Von Achane balance out an aging Alvin Kamara. Ed: Also picks them to win the weak NFC South, noting quiet but steady improvement late last year. |
| 8 | Green Bay Packers | Ed | Ed: The safest bet on the board. Consistent organizational success points to an easy 9 wins, provided Jordan Love takes the next step. Darin: Believes their ceiling entirely hinges on the health and effectiveness of Micah Parsons returning from injury. |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | Darin | Darin: Relying on their dominant offensive and defensive lines to control games and keep them right behind Dallas. Ed: Expects an official step-back season. Points to their dreadful offensive metrics last year and doubts a rookie receiver can replace A.J. Brown. |
| 10 | Washington Commanders | Ed | Ed: Believes a healthy Jayden Daniels, paired with Stefon Diggs and a totally revamped defense featuring Sonny Styles, guarantees 9 wins. Darin: Worried about Daniels’ durability, especially after losing Laremy Tunsil to a torn triceps. |
| 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Darin | Darin: Solid line play and Baker Mayfield keep them competitive, but they lack the explosive weapons to win the division. Ed: Views them as stuck in neutral under Todd Bowles, trending toward a mundane 6-7 win season. |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | Ed | Ed: Believes Kevin O’Connell will maximize Kyler Murray. If the offense is just average, their top-3 defense can push them toward 11 wins. Darin: Doubts Murray is the long-term answer and expects the brutal NFC North to hand them too many losses. |
| 13 | Atlanta Falcons | Darin | Darin: Kevin Stefanski’s arrival brings offensive structure, but an unresolved lefty QB controversy between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa spells disaster. Ed: Ranks them 15th. Believes it’s a terrible overall situation despite having Bijan Robinson. |
| 14 | New York Giants | Ed | Ed: John Harbaugh brings a stabilizing presence to a reeling organization, but Jackson Dart’s reckless playstyle limits them to 6-8 wins. Darin: Agrees Dart puts his body on the line too much for the NFL, anticipating a sophomore slump. |
| 15 | Carolina Panthers | Darin | Darin: Chuba Hubbard is a bright spot, but Bryce Young’s inconsistency keeps this young, raw roster trapped at 3-4 wins. Ed: Agrees on the low ceiling, though notes they flashed strong potential in last year’s playoffs before fading. |
| 16 | Arizona Cardinals | Ed | Ed: A brand-new coach, a brutal schedule, and a messy Jacoby Brissett/Carson Beck QB room point to a catastrophic 1-2 win season. Darin: Sees a slight glimmer of hope for 4-5 wins by December, but agrees it will be a very long year in the desert. |
Do you agree or disagree? Either way, we would love to get your feedback in the comments.
