This post is late because of Wednesday’s opener. No matter the result from the first games, I’m not wavering my pick because a 17-game season always has interesting endings by Week 18. It took some time to think over, but I have my predictions for teams that’ll finish in the NFC and AFC standings. I would like to get all of them right, but it’s the NFL. What would anyone expect from it? Hope you enjoy my projected standings. Y’all have a great day!

DIVISION WINNERS

1) RAMS

It’s probably too easy and too obvious. As of right now, the Rams seem more poised for an NFC Championship return and hopefully a return home for the Super Bowl for the second time. They have plenty of returning pieces while adding a few more, including Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald (out of retirement), to hopefully fulfill Matt Stafford’s final year(s) with another Super Bowl ring.

2) COWBOYS

The Cowboys had a very quiet offseason. It’s kinda scary thinking about it when Jerry Jones isn’t that involved and the drama’s down to nearly zero. Is that a good thing? Probably a great thing for Dallas fans. If it continues during the season, they might actually be a…Super Bowl contender. As long as Dak Prescott, the offensive linemen, running backs, and key receivers stay healthy, and the defense plays average football, they have a shot.

3) PACKERS

It’s such a wild and unpredictable season for the NFC North and hard to pinpoint a division winner. The obvious is the Bears, but Caleb Williams was picked on the Madden cover and it’s already afoot in Chicago. Detroit could be in line for a playoff return, but the offensive line and the slow subtle injuries on defense hurts their consistency to be successful. Minnesota may have a shot for the playoffs, but it’s unclear at their quarterback position. Heck, they have Carson Wentz hoping for an answer. Hence, Green Bay may have the best shot with enough balance on offense and a strong defense led by Micah Parsons. As long as injuries and hard conservativeness by coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t take over, Green Bay has the best chance to win the division.

4) SAINTS

Call me crazy, but I’m giving New Orleans a chance this season. For the last two seasons, their defense was the strength and at least competed to give the team an opportunity. That position should be sustainable, but the offense intrigues me too. How is Tyler Shough in Year 2 as the full-time starter? What is the rest of the offense like as a whole? We know for sure they have a better shot with maybe lesser questions than the Bucs, Panthers, and Falcons combined. Let’s hope at least New Orleans WANTS to win the division title because last season didn’t seem that way for any of them.

WILD CARD

5) 49ERS

Injuries, injuries, and more injuries have surrounded the 49ers roster. I don’t care what the reasons are, it hindered their Super Bowl opportunity, and the curse is f***ing real. However, they managed still won 12 games and a wild card game with a battered roster, still put up double-digit wins in some of their past seasons, and still went on a run. Maybe this year is different with key players returning despite more injuries affecting other parts of their roster. If key players like Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey🙏🏾, Trent Williams, Mike Evans, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner can just stay healthy the entire 2026-2027 season, watch out for the Niners.

6) GIANTS

There may be plenty of optimism for New York after getting a sneak peek at what their team looks like as a competitive team. They got a solid defense even without Dexter Lawrence, they have a literal hard-nosed back in Cam Skattebo, Jaxson Dart, and pass catchers led by Malik Nabers who will eventually return to the field. If Jaxson Dart can avoid the blue tent, if Cam Skattebo can play with his head metaphorically, and Malik Nabers can avoid another serious injury, New York may find their way in the postseason over the Commanders and Eagles. If the Knicks can win it all, why not the Giants again!?

7) VIKINGS

I picked them last season, and it didn’t work out at the quarterback position, but maybe this season will be different. After JJ McCarthy didn’t work out at the starting position, Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz were brought in to hopefully put some needed juice into this offense. Kyler Murray has been up and down at times and Carson Wentz is a volatile quarterback. Either one can either make the offense more interesting or much worse. If they can just manage the offense with so many blessed weapons on the outside, they can win more games that way. Defense should be fine but must improve in certain areas to help maintain Brian Flores’s defense.

DIVISION WINNERS

1) BRONCOS

What an unfortunate ending to the Broncos’ season after Bo Nix’s injury in the Bills’ win. This felt like Denver’s Super Bowl run last season, and this one could be there’s too with a healthy Bo. Their running back room is deep as long as they stay healthy. Their receiver room got better after adding Jaylen Waddle. Their defense is surrounded by experienced players led by their elite cornerback Patrick Surtain II. If the Chiefs aren’t the Chiefs, this is Denver’s division again.

2) BILLS

Buffalo’s Super Bowl window must be stuck open because they’re always in it. The problem is that they can’t go through it. It’s either Joe Burrow and the Bengals, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the unfortunate circumstances when they feel oh so close in clutch situations, or key injuries on defense. They fired their head coach and promoted Joe Brady to be in charge. They return most of their defense from injury while adding CJ Gardner-Johnson, they added DJ Moore to help out their receiving corps, and they built their new stadium. After everything happening during the offseason, there should be no excuse to compete for the Super Bowl except maybe feeling the challenges from Denver, Houston, and a resurgent Joe Burrow with a hopeful defense. Otherwise, the only team holding Buffalo back…is Buffalo.

3) BENGALS

Like Dallas, the Bengals had a quiet offseason despite adding a couple of much-needed pieces on defense with Boye Mafe and Dexter Lawrence. That hopefully sparks them as a whole and gives the pass coverage a break. The offense has Joe Burrow for a full offseason for the first time in a bit. He has his weapons together and the offensive line should hopefully solidify as one. What’s even better is their easy schedule. If they can dominate that as a whole, they should be back to low-key Super Bowl contenders in no time.

4) TEXANS

Houston will always go far with their defense, but can they go further with their offense? CJ Stroud suffered some hardships from their offensive line that’s similar to Deshaun Watson’s situation but much worse with key receivers injured too. Stroud may have taken the blame, but what could he have done with such a downtrodden offense that has nobody and no consistent run game. Speaking of run game, they added David Montgomery to hopefully give Stroud a break too. They also added Kayshon Boutte from the Patriots to hopefully get some needed backup if any of his main targets go down again. Unless Jacksonville gets the jump on Houston again, the Texans should be back to competing for the AFC South title.

WILD CARD

5) CHARGERS

The Chargers have enough on their roster to compete for the playoffs, division winners or not. The only thing holding them back again is their offensive line. Tyler Biadasz is on IR for a knee injury. They had a similar situation happen to them before last season and they really want to avoid that. They must if they want Justin Herbert to perform at a high level again. Otherwise, they have everything needed to compete for the postseason as long as they stave off losses from the Chiefs and Raiders.

6) STEELERS

Parts of their defense is older but should still be about as productive as last year as long as they avoid injuries. The main question is the offense. They were poor on performance for the last few seasons. Even though they brought in Aaron Rodgers last year, it didn’t do much to improve the team as a whole so moving on from Mike Tomlin was the right decision in the end. They hired Mike McCarthy to hopefully turn around this offense. If anyone knows anything about big Mike, it usually takes a season for a turnaround. However, they added Michael Pittman, Riley Nowakowski (NFL draft), and Rico Dowdle to help get a jumpstart on improvement. If they can just spark the offense even a little bit, they’re back in the postseason with at least a winning opportunity.

7) TITANS

I went on a limb and picked the Titans. It’s crazy to pick them, but anything’s possible in the AFC. Cam Ward’s talented and has weapons that gives him a chance. If the offensive line can just protect and block a little better, he can do anything to get the ball moving. The overall responsibility will be on the defense for the time being since Robert Saleh tends to make that side much better. If they can also stay healthy, that’s enough to create problems for opposing teams. Tennessee’s magic number is 7-8 wins to have a chance for the seventh seed.