Bold predictions for each of 32 NFL teams for 2026 season

The NFL season is rapidly approaching. After this weekend, there will be one preseason game left for each of the 32 teams to get through before making it to the games that count.

What better time to make bold prediction for every team? Some of them will be risky business while others might seem obvious. Either way, there will be plenty of interest in how every team does this year.

Will coaches make it to the end of the season or see their time end? What players will thrive and what players will nosedive.

Some bold predictions for the 2026 NFL season:

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Not exactly going out on a limb here, but the Cardinals will finish last — again — in the NFC West. Tight end Trey McBride will have the most receptions, yards and touchdowns for anyone at the position.

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Neither Michael Penix Jr. nor Tua Tagovailoa will reach double figures in starts. Penix should be the QB once he is totally recovered from last year’s injury. Tagovailoa is simply a player who is always waiting to get hurt. Not so much fragile as just having taken the brunt of too many hits already.

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Derrick Henry will become the seventh running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season at the age of 32. Six others, including John Riggins twice, has reached four figures at an age older than 32.

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James Cook will rush for fewer than the 1,621 yards he has in 2025 and will not lead the NFL in rushing again.

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The Panthers will finish with a record that is better than .500 for the first time since the 2017 season.

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The Bengals will finally put it all together and win the AFC North. Much of that will because the NFL will have no answer for Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, who respectively will have career years.

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When your choice is Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders that means the Browns will finish last for the third straight season in the AFC North.

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The Bears will come back to earth in 2026. Consider them this year’s version of the Washington Commanders. They are more likely to finish at .500 or below for the seventh time in eight years than to repeat last year’s 11-win, NFC North championship.

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CeeDee Lamb will have his sixth straight 1,000-yard receiving season, and George Pickens will again join him by going over the 1,000-yard mark. They will top last year’s combined 168 catches easily.

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The Broncos will not repeat last year’s performance and win 14 games. They will be tested by the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs as they try and repeat as AFC West champs.

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The Lions will rebound from last year’s 9-8 season and win the NFC North. Jahmyr Gibbs will crack the 2,000-yard mark, combining rushing and receiving.

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The Packers will finish better than .500 for the eighth time in nine seasons. Josh Jacobs will come up short again as he seeks his fifth 1,000-yard season.

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For the ninth time in nine seasons, a different running back will lead the Texans in rushing. Woody Marks did it last year with 703 yards as a rookie. This season, it will be David Montgomery, who will have a big year after coming over from the Detroit Lions.

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Jonathan Taylor will have his fourth season of more than 1,400 rushing yards. Alex Pierce will struggle and won’t reach 1,000 receiving yards and will average less than 20 per catch for the first time since 2023.

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The Jaguars will not repeat their 13-4 season from 2025 but they will not revert back to the 4-13 campaign of 2024.

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Buoyed by the addition of Kenneth Walker III in the backfield and a healthy Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs will return to the playoffs. Travis Kelce, however, will not lead the team in receiving for the eighth time in nine years. Time to share the wealth more often.

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Try as the will, the Raiders are not going to dig themselves out of last in the AFC West. The good news is they will be so bad early there will be little risk in going from Kirk Cousins to Fernando Mendoza at QB.

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Another year, another season of the Justin Herbert hype not delivering a division title.

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Matthew Stafford will not repeat as NFL MVP. As much of a favorite as LA is in preseason Super Bowl rankings, this will be a much tougher test to win it all than anyone suspects, with or without Aaron Donald.

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The Dolphins will continue to have the longest drought in the league without a playoff win. The last one was in 2000 for those who are keeping track.

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With Kyler Murray at QB, Justin Jefferson will leadin Viking receivers for the seventh straight seaon, and he will have more than 100 catches and close to 1,500 yards.

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The Patriots will not win the AFC East again, they will finish ahead of the Dolphins and Jets.

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Tyler Shough will throw for 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. Chris Olave will catch more than 10 of those scoring passes.

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John Harbaugh’s aura will not be enough to will the New York Giants to a playoff spot in his first season.

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Geno Smith will lead the New York Jets to the first pick in the 2027 NFL draft much in the same way he led the Raiders to that spot in 2026.

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Saquon Barkley will have more than 1,500 rushing yards and 15 combined touchdowns.

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Mercifully, the Steelers will not make the playoffs in Aaron Rodgers‘ final season. The good news is DK Metcalf will have more than 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2023 in Seattle.

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Deebo Samuel will have a monster year rushing and receiving in his return to the Niners.

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With Kenneth Walker III off to KC, and Zach Charbonnet recovering from knee surgery, the Seahawks are going to be hard-pressed to repeat last year’s total of 2,096 rushing yards. The pair was good for 1,757 of those.

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The Buccaneers will miss Mike Evans and will not improve on last year’s 8-9 mark.

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To the surprise of no one, Robert Saleh will not have any magic in Tennessee and this team is destined for a last-place finish.

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Jayden Daniels will remain healthy and will put up stats close to what he did as a rookie.

This article originally appeared on The List Wire: Bold predictions for each of 32 NFL teams for 2026 season