NFL team previews 2026: Predictions, rankings, depth charts - ESPN

The 2026 NFL season kicks off Wednesday with a Super Bowl rematch featuring the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Then, on Thursday, the NFL will have its first-ever regular-season game in Australia, where the Super Bowl-favorite Los Angeles Rams will take on the San Francisco 49ers (8:35 p.m. ET, Netflix).

To welcome back football, we're previewing every single team in the league. Our NFL Nation reporters identified strengths and concerns for all 32 rosters, and then they laid out what would make 2026 a successful season. Analyst Matt Bowen gave a fantasy nugget for each team, analytics writer Seth Walder made 32 bold predictions, and ESPN Research provided QB stats to know.

Plus, our Football Power Index predicted chances for every team to win its division, make the playoffs and more. The model even suggested best- and worst-case scenarios for all 32 teams, based on the 90th- and 10th-percentile outcomes across thousands of simulations, respectively.

This is everything you need to know for the start of the season, which will conclude Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, for Super Bowl LXI on ESPN.

Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LV | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SEA
SF | TB | TEN | WSH

Chances to make the playoffs: 84.9%
Chances to win division: 50.4%
Projected wins: 11.3
Strength of schedule: Third hardest
2025 record: 12-5

Biggest strength: The passing game. There are several options to choose from on this star-studded roster, but it's hard not to pick the reigning MVP. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off the best season of his career and will