NFL 2026 Season Preview - ATLANTA FALCONS

ATLANTA FALCONS                                                                                         

2025 Record - 8-9-0 

Head Coach - Kevin Stefanski 

2025 Offensive Rank - 333 YPG (14th); Rushing - 126 YPG (8th), Passing - 207 YPG (19th) SCORING - 20.8 PPG (24th) 

2025 Defensive Rank - 327 YPG (15th); Rushing - 127 YPG (24th), Passing - 200 YPG (13th) SCORING - 23.6 PPG (19th) 

Key Player Additions - Christian Harris (LB), Tua Tagovailoa (QB), Austin Hooper (TE), Avieon Terrell (DB), Jahan Dotson (WR), Da'Shawn Hand (DL), Jawaan Taylor (OL)

Key Player Losses - Kaden Elliss (LB), Kirk Cousins (QB), Leonard Floyd (DL), Darnell Mooney (WR), Tyler Allgeier (RB), Dee Alford (DB), David Onyemata (DL), Elijah Wilkinson (OL)

OFFENSE - With Tua Tagovailoa now with the team, the Falcons have choices between quarterbacks as a new season looms. Tagovailoa was with the Miami Dolphins for six seasons and last season he passed for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The Falcons went with Michael Penix, Jr. as Kirk Cousins is no longer with the team and Penix had 1,982 passing yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions last season in only nine games due to knee injuries that required surgery. In addition, veteran Cooper Rush was signed and is in training camp. As for the running game, Bijan Robinson had a big year, going for 1,478 yards (5.1 YPC) and scored seven touchdowns in addition to catching 79 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns. The wide receivers are Drake London (68 receptions, 919 yards, seven TD), Jahan Dotson (18, 262, one TD with Philadelphia) and rookie Zachariah Branch (Georgia) as well as tight end Kyle Pitts, Jr., who had a team high 88 receptions for 928 yards and five scores. Journeyman tight end Austin Hooper, who spent his first four seasons with the Falcons, returns after making 21 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns with New England last year. 

DEFENSE - James Pearce, Jr. (10 1/2 QB sacks), Cameron Thomas, Brandon Dorius (8 1/2 sacks) and Maason Smith man the front four while the linebackers are led by Jalon Walker and Christian Harris. In the secondary, safety Jessie Bates III (three interceptions and 98 tackles) teams with Xavier Watts (five INT and 92 tackles) and cornerbacks A.J. Terrell, Jr., rookie Avieon Terrell (Clemson) and Natrone Brooks for a unit that helped the Falcons to a plus-5 in the turnover category with 16 interceptions. 

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK - The Falcons have a new head coach this season as Kevin Stefanski takes over after six years as the top man with the Cleveland Browns. He will inherit a squad that was in the mix for the NFC playoffs a year ago while playing in a division that saw Carolina finish on top in the NFC South with a losing record. The battle for starting quarterback will get much attention and Penix has the inside track starting out as he has been there already. The Falcons are in good shape running the football as long as Robinson stays healthy and the offensive line does a decent job protecting the quarterback (only 26 sacks allowed in 2025) and opening holes for the ball carriers. The primary targets in the passing game are Pitts and London and some of the new faces will be involved for the quarterback to throw to this year. 

The defense was adequate a year ago, but needs to show improvement against the run as they finished 24th in the NFL in that area. On the other hand, they can get after enemy quarterbacks, getting 57 sacks last year, which was second in the league. The defensive backs get after it as well, but there is a tendency for them to get burned by big plays as they take risks with the aggressive, ball hawking style they play. This team should be in the mix in the division race again, where all four teams can win it this season. So do not be surprised if the Falcons host a playoff game in January by making it to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. 

TEAM SCHEDULE 

Week One - at Pittsburgh 

Week Two - vs. Carolina 

Week Three - at Green Bay 

Week Four - at New Orleans 

Week Five - vs. Baltimore 

Week Six - vs. Chicago 

Week Seven - vs. San Francisco 

Week Eight - at Tampa Bay 

Week Nine - at Cincinnati (Madrid, Spain)

Week Ten - vs. Kansas City 

Week Eleven - BYE 

Week Twelve - at Minnesota 

Week Thirteen - vs. Detroit 

Week Fourteen - at Cleveland 

Week Fifteen - at Washington 

Week Sixteen - vs. Tampa Bay 

Week Seventeen - vs. New Orleans 

Week Eighteen - at Carolina   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFL 2026 Season Preview - HOUSTON TEXANS

HOUSTON TEXANS                                                                                                 

2025 Record - 12-5-0 

Head Coach - DeMeco Ryans  

2025 Offensive Rank - 327 YPG (18th); Rushing - 109 (22nd), Passing - 218 YPG (14th) SCORING - 23.8 PPG (13th)

2025 Defensive Rank - 277 YPG (1st); Rushing - 94 YPG (4th), Passing - 184 YPG (6th) SCORING - 17.4 PPG (2nd) 

Key Player Additions - David Montgomery (RB), Reed Blankenship (DB), Logan Hall (DL), Evan Brown (OL), Foster Moreau (TE), Braden Smith (OL), Wyatt Teller (OL) 

Key Player Losses - Tytus Howard (OL), Nick Chubb (RB), Derek Barnett (DL), Christian Kirk (WR), Tim Settle, Jr. (DL)

OFFENSE - The Texans have fourth year quarterback C.J. Stroud back for another season and in 2025 he passed for 3,041 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions while missing three games. The backup quarterback is Davis Mills, who had five TD passes (one interception) along with 915 passing yards. The running game will see David Montgomery (716 yards, 4.5 YPC, eight TD) coming over from the Detroit Lions and he will team up with Woody Marks, who had 703 rushing yards (3.6 YPC) and two touchdowns last season. The wide receivers are Nico Collins (71 receptions, 1,117 yards, six TD), Jayden Higgins (41, 525, six TD), Xavier Hutchinson (35, 428, three TD) and perhaps Tank Dell, who is looking to come back from bad knee injuries. The tight end is Dalton Schultz, who led the Texans with 82 receptions last year, good for 777 yards and three touchdowns. 

DEFENSE - With Will Anderson, Jr. (12 QB sacks) and Danielle Hunter (15 sacks) manning the front line, the Texans have solid players and also in the mix is Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai. The linebackers are Henry To'oTo'o (93 tackles) and Azeez Al-Shaair, who led the team with 103 tackles. The secondary features four players who each had four interceptions last season, as cornerbacks Derek Stingley, Jr., Kamari Lassiter (91 tackles) and Jalen Pitre, along with safety Calen Bullock (also four picks) helped the Texans pick off 19 passes a year ago, which was third best in the league. Other impact players in the defensive backfield are Reed Blankenship (free agent from Philadelphia) and Jaylen Reed. 

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK - After making the playoffs for the third straight season, the Texans are looking to advance past the divisional round for the first time in team history in the upcoming 2026 season. The playoffs are definitely the goal for Head Coach DeMeco Ryans as he knows this team has plenty of talent and the potential to do better in January. 

The Texans need quarterback C.J. Stroud to step it up once the post-season happens and to help balance the offense, they brought in running back David Montgomery to help a rushing attack that was 22nd in the NFL last season. The passing game is adequate with good primary wideouts and the Texans were in the middle of the pack in scoring last year, averaging just under 24 points per game. The defense is the strength and as long as the key players are healthy, Houston should thrive again in that area. The Texans can create turnovers and were a plus-17 last year (2nd in NFL) while also getting 47 sacks and leading the league in total defense and they also finished second in scoring defense. 

Again, barring injuries to the mainstay players in 2026, the Texans should be right there in the AFC South race with Jacksonville (who finished first in the division last year) as well as the AFC playoff picture. As long as the offense can keep up with the defense once the playoffs roll around, this team has the potential to go further when it matters most, but that falls on the shoulders of Stroud, who is looking to get back to the play he showed in his rookie season three years ago. This team has to show they are capable of playing up to the level of the hype surrounding them. 

TEAM SCHEDULE 

Week One - vs. Buffalo 

Week Two - vs. Cincinnati 

Week Three - at Indianapolis 

Week Four - vs. Dallas 

Week Five - at Tennessee 

Week Six - vs. Jacksonville (London, England)

Week Seven - vs. N.Y. Giants 

Week Eight - BYE 

Week Nine - at L.A. Chargers 

Week Ten - at Cleveland 

Week Eleven - vs. Indianapolis 

Week Twelve - vs. Baltimore 

Week Thirteen - at Pittsburgh 

Week Fourteen - at Washington 

Week Fifteen - vs. Jacksonville 

Week Sixteen - at Philadelphia 

Week Seventeen - at Green Bay 

Week Eighteen - vs. Tennessee 

 

 

NFL 2026 Season Preview - GREEN BAY PACKERS

GREEN BAY PACKERS                                                                                          

2025 Record - 9-7-1

Head Coach - Matt LaFleur

2025 Offensive Rank - 333 YPG (15th); Rushing - 120 YPG (15th), Passing - 213 YPG (17th) SCORING - 23.0 PPG (16th)

2025 Defensive Rank - 312 YPG (12th); Rushing - 118 YPG (18th), Passing - 194 YPG (11th) SCORING - 21.2 PPG (11th) 

Key Player Additions - Javon Hargrave (DL), Zaire Franklin (LB), Tyrod Taylor (QB), Skyy Moore (WR), Benjamin St-Juste (DB), Brandon Cisse (DB) 

Key Player Losses - Malik Willis (QB), Romeo Doubs (WR), Rashan Gary (DL), Rasheed Walker (OL), Colby Wooden (DL), Quay Walker (LB)

OFFENSE - Jordan Love is the quarterback and passed for 3,381 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions last year and he is entering his fourth season as the starter in Green Bay. Veteran Tyrod Taylor is in camp this year and will likely be the primary backup after Malik Willis left in free agency. Josh Jacobs rushed for 929 yards (4.0 YPC) and scored 14 touchdowns overall and leads the rushing attack while coming back from knee injuries. Chris Brooks and Marshawn Lloyd are tapped as the backup runners. The wide receiving corps saw top pass catcher Romeo Doubs leave in free agency, leaving second year man Matthew Golden (29 receptions, 361 yards), Christian Watson (35, 611, six TD) and Jayden Reed as the primary targets. Tight End Tucker Kraft was having a sensational season until a bad knee injury ended things and he is looking to rebound to form after hauling in 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns a year ago. 

DEFENSE - The Packers defense centers around linebacker/edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is on the injured list (knee) as training camp began. Parsons missed the final three regular season games and playoffs last year but did have 12 1/2 quarterback sacks while making a difference. Javon Hargrave (3 1/2 sacks with Minnesota in 2025) comes on board this season at defensive end and will team with Devonte Wyatt (four sacks) and rookie Chris McClellan (Georgia) up front. The linebackers playing along with Parsons include Edgerrin Cooper (117 tackles), Lukas Van Ness and Zaire Franklin, who had two sacks with Indianapolis last season. The safeties are Xavier McKinney (two interceptions and 102 tackles) and Evan Williams, who picked off three passes a year ago. The cornerbacks include Keisean Nixon, rookie Brandon Cisse (South Carolina) and Benjamin St-Juste, who played for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025 and had one interception. Green Bay was solid on defense last year, but only tallied 36 sacks and had a meager seven interceptions.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK - Playing in the rugged NFC North division presents challenges and the Packers will be looking to return to the NFC playoffs again this season while looking for more consistency on offense, where the running game struggled at times last year. Head Coach Matt LaFleur (once again) is rumored to be on the "hot seat" as the season nears and making more noise in the post-season would help his cause to eliminate that. 

Having Parsons back on the defense as soon as possible would be a huge boost as the team struggled down the stretch last season, losing the final four regular season games without him and then blew an 18-point lead in the wild card game playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. As for the offense, Love played decent enough in 2025, but will have different primary receivers this time around without Doubs (free agent departure), meaning Christian Watson, Jaylen Reed and Matthew Golden must step up along with a return to form from tight end Tucker Kraft, who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. Good balance on offense would be a big boost as long as Jacobs gets back on track running the football. 

Green Bay has shown they can frustrate the critics in years past with bounce back seasons, but they can also be a let down when they struggle as they did last season. Having their key players stay on the field will make the difference this year whether they get back to the playoffs and even if they do make it there, there are better teams (on paper) in the NFC awaiting them. This is a big season in so many ways for the green and gold and once January rolls around, it will be interesting to see what shakes out. 

Stay tuned.  

 

TEAM SCHEDULE 

Week One - at Minnesota 

Week Two - at N.Y. Jets 

Week Three - vs. Atlanta 

Week Four - at Tampa Bay 

Week Five - vs. Chicago 

Week Six - vs. Dallas 

Week Seven - at Detroit 

Week Eight - vs. Carolina 

Week Nine - at New England 

Week Ten - vs. Minnesota 

Week Eleven - BYE 

Week Twelve - at L.A. Rams 

Week Thirteen - at New Orleans 

Week Fourteen - vs. Buffalo 

Week Fifteen - vs. Miami 

Week Sixteen - at Chicago 

Week Seventeen - vs. Houston 

Week Eighteen - vs. Detroit  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFL 2026 Season Preview - INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS                                                                      

2025 Record - 8-9-0 

Head Coach - Shane Steichen 

2025 Offensive Rank - 346 YPG (9th); Rushing - 118 YPG (17th), Passing - 228 YPG (9th) SCORING - 27.4 PPG (8th)

2025 Defensive Rank - 350 YPG (23rd); Rushing - 102 YPG (7th), Passing - 248 YPG (30th) SCORING - 24.2 PPG (20th) 

Key Player Additions - Arden Key (DL), Colby Wooden (DL), Akeem Davis-Gaither (LB), Derrick Nnadi (DL), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (WR), Cam Taylor-Britt (DB)

Key Player Losses - Zaire Franklin (LB), Nick Cross (DB), Kwity Taye (DL), Michael Pittman, Jr. (WR), Kenny Moore (DB), Neville Gallimore (DL), Braden Smith (OL), Germaine Pratt (LB) 

OFFENSE - The Colts will have Daniel Jones back at quarterback and he passed for 3,101 yards last year (in 13 games) with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions before suffering season ending leg and Achilles injuries. Backup QB Anthony Richardson may or may not be on the roster when the season starts. The running back position is anchored by Jonathan Taylor and went for 1,585 yards and scored 20 touchdowns (18 rushing) last year while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The wide receivers include Alec Pierce, who opened training camp on the injury list after off-season ankle surgery. Pierce had 47 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. Also in the mix are Josh Downs (58, 566, four TD), Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. The tight ends are Tyler Warren, who had 76 receptions for 817 yards and four scores in his rookie year, and veteran Mo Alie-Cox. 

DEFENSE - Defensive Tackle DeForest Buckner (four QB sacks last year) looks to be ready to go as training camp opens following neck surgery and he is is big part of the front seven. Grover Stewart is another tackle and the ends are Laiatu Latu (8 1/2 sacks, three interceptions) and Arden Key. Adetomiwa Adebawore (four sacks), Derrick Nnadi and Colby Wooden will also be available on the line. Akeem Davis-Gaither comes over from Arizona to play linebacker alongside Jaylon Carlies and rookie CJ Allen (Georgia) as well as Austin Ajiake. The secondary has safeties A.J. Haulcy and Camryn Bynum (four INT) as well as cornerbacks Sauce Gardner, Mekhi Blackmon (two picks) and veteran Charvarius Ward, who only played in seven games last season due to concussion issues. 

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK - It was definitely an up and down season for Indianapolis in 2025 as they started very strong (7-1) and then fell apart due to numerous injuries, most notably QB Daniel Jones as they went 1-8 to finish under the .500 mark. Shane Steichen is entering his fourth year as Indy head coach and is looking to guide the team to a playoff appearance for the first time in six years. If Jones can play like he was last season before the injuries, the Colts could indeed be in business as they averaged 34.7 points per game in the hot start. The offense has a good mix with Taylor leading the running attack and the line provided good protection for the quarterbacks, only allowing 29 sacks last year. 

The defense was terrible against the pass, ranking 30th overall and was torched for big plays throughout the season. The run defense, led by Buckner and company up front, was solid against the run, finishing in the top ten in the NFL in that area. More pressure on opposing quarterbacks could go a long way to helping out the secondary, which had just 14 interceptions. As many as eight new names are on the roster on defense in 2026 and 16 defensive players are gone from a year ago. So if things can mesh with the many new faces on defense in 2026, the Colts may be well improved. 

Whether or not this team can contend for an AFC playoff spot is questionable, but they showed what they can do with everyone healthy. The key will be doing well in divisional games as Jacksonville and Houston both were playoff teams last season. The first three games are against strong opponents and then the game in London, England in Week Four against Washington happens and that will test the Colts. Consistency on defense and keeping their top players on offense on the field will go a long way toward success this year. The playoffs are questionable, but not impossible.   

 

TEAM SCHEDULE 

Week One - vs. Baltimore 

Week Two - at Kansas City 

Week Three - vs. Houston 

Week Four - vs. Washington (London, England) 

Week Five - at Pittsburgh 

Week Six - vs. Tennessee 

Week Seven - at Minnesota 

Week Eight - at Jacksonville 

Week Nine - vs. Dallas 

Week Ten - vs. Miami 

Week Eleven - at Houston 

Week Twelve - vs. N.Y. Giants 

Week Thirteen - BYE 

Week Fourteen - at Philadelphia 

Week Fifteen - at Tennessee 

Week Sixteen - vs. Cincinnati 

Week Seventeen - at  Cleveland 

Week Eighteen - vs. Jacksonville  

NFL 2026 Season Preview - CHICAGO BEARS

CHICAGO BEARS                                                                                         

 

2025 Record - 11-6-0 

Head Coach - Ben Johnson

2025 Offensive Rank - 370 YPG (6th); Rushing - 145 YPG (3rd), Passing - 225 YPG (10th) SCORING - 25.9 PPG (9th) 

2025 Defensive Rank - 362 YPG (29th); Rushing - 135 YPG (27th), Passing - 227 YPG (22nd) SCORING - 24.4 PPG (23rd) 

Key Player Additions - Coby Bryant (DB), Devin Bush (LB), Garrett Bradbury (OL), Scotty Miller (WR), Cam Lewis (DB), Neville Gallimore (DL), Dillon Thieneman (DB)

Key Player Losses - DJ Moore (WR), Jaquan Brisker (DB), Andrew Billings (DL), Kevin Byard III (DB), Drew Dalman (OL), Tremaine Edwards (LB), Nashon Wright (DB), Olamide Zaccheaus (WR) 

OFFENSE - Third year quarterback Caleb Williams is back after a good season in 2025, when he passed for 3,942 yards along with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Williams also rushed for 388 yards and scored three touchdowns. Running backs D'Andre Swift (1,087 yards, 4.9 YPC, nine TD) and Kyle Monangai (783, 4.6, 5 TD) will look to lead a solid rushing attack which was third in the NFL last season. The wide receivers are Rome Odunze (44 receptions, 661 yards, six TD), Luther Burden III (47, 652, two TD) along with tight ends Colston Loveland, who led the team with 58 receptions last year for 713 yards and six touchdowns and Cole Kmet, who had 30 receptions for 347 yards and two scores. Scotty Miller, Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker will look to add depth.  

DEFENSE - Defensive End Montez Sweat (10 sacks), Gervon Dexter (six sacks) and Austin Booker (4 1/2 sacks) lead the way up front along with linebackers Devin Bush (124 tackles and three interceptions with Cleveland), D'Marco Jackson and T.J. Edwards. The secondary features Coby Bryant (free agent from Seattle) at safety and he had four interceptions last year along with Elijah Hicks and rookie Dillon Thieneman (Oregon). The cornerbacks are Jaylen Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon. The Bears defense led the NFL with 23 interceptions a year ago and had the best plus/minus turnover rate with a plus-22 in the 2025 season. 

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK - It was a season for the ages in 2025 as the Bears staged so many comeback wins, including a huge effort against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round as they overcame an 18-point deficit to win.  Second year Head Coach Ben Johnson proved to be a difference maker with his offensive prowess and the way he showed Caleb Williams how to do it in crunch time. The big question for this year will be can the Bears do it again? 

The offense looks solid coming into training camp, but the defense will have to step up after being one of the worst units in the league last year. The Bears did lead the NFL in takeaways but that cannot be the foundation for a defense again after finishing 29th overall, allowing 362 yards per game while getting just 35 sacks. The team let their three leading tacklers go during the off-season as well as the three players who had the most interceptions, so the replacements coming into this season must be ready to go, including Devin Bush at linebacker and highly touted rookie defensive back Dillon Thieneman and Neville Gallimore on the defensive line. 

Playing in the NFC North, the Bears were able to win the division last year, but Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota all had winning records and this division traditionally is very competitive. If the Bears want to get back to the post-season, they will need to remain strong with the running game and show much more consistency on defense. Relying on fourth quarter heroics for a second straight season could lead to disappointment when January rolls around, but as long as Williams is healthy and playing well, this team should be in the mix for the playoffs again.   

TEAM SCHEDULE 

Week One - at Carolina 

Week Two - vs. Minnesota 

Week Three - vs. Philadelphia 

Week Four - vs. N.Y. Jets 

Week Five - at Green Bay 

Week Six - at Atlanta 

Week Seven - vs. New England 

Week Eight - at Seattle 

Week Nine - vs. Tampa Bay 

Week Ten - BYE 

Week Eleven - vs. New Orleans 

Week Twelve - at Detroit 

Week Thirteen - vs. Jacksonville 

Week Fourteen - at Miami 

Week Fifteen - at Buffalo 

Week Sixteen - vs. Green Bay 

Week Seventeen - vs. Detroit 

Week Eighteen - at Minnesota  

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFL 2026 Season Preview - KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS                                                                     

2025 Record - 6-11-0

Head Coach - Andy Reid 

2025 Offensive Rank - 321 YPG (20th); Rushing - 107 YPG (25th), Passing - 214 YPG (16th) SCORING - 21.3 PPG (21st)

2025 Defensive Rank - 302 YPG (10th); Rushing - 106 YPG (9th), Passing - 196 YPG (12th) SCORING - 19.3 PPG (6th)

Key Player Additions - Kenneth Walker III (RB), Justin Fields (QB), Alohi Gilman (DB), Khyiris Tonga (DL), Emmett Johnson (RB), Mansoor Delane (DB)

Key Player Losses - Trent McDuffie (DB), Isiah Pacheco (RB), JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR), Jaylen Watson (DB), Jawaan Taylor (OL), Leo Chanel (LB), Mike Danna (DL), Derrick Nnadi (DL) 

 

OFFENSE - The Chiefs will welcome back Patrick Mahomes at quarterback this season after he suffered a season ending knee injury last December. In 2025, Mahomes passed for 3,587 yards with 22 touchdowns and eleven interceptions. He also rushed for 422 yards (6.6 YPC) and scored five rushing touchdowns. The running game will be revamped this season with former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III joining the team following a big season in which he was named Super Bowl MVP. Walker rushed for 1,027 yards and scored five times while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Rookie Emmett Johnson (Nebraska) will also look to revitalize the Kansas City running game. The wide receivers include Rashee Rice (53 receptions for 571 yards and five touchdowns), Xavier Worthy (42, 532, one TD) and Tyquan Thornton. Tight End Travis Kelce is back for his 14th season and last year he caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns. Noah Gray (21 receptions, 178 yards) is also available at tight end. 

 
DEFENSE - Chris Jones (seven QB sacks) leads the defensive front along with end George Karlaftis (six sacks) while linebackers Nick Bolton (team high 154 tackles) and Drue Tranquill (103 tackles) man the front seven. In the secondary, safety Chamarri Conner (107 tackles) will team with Alohi Gilman (free agent from Baltimore) and cornerbacks Mansoor Delane (rookie - LSU) and Kristian Fulton will likely start. In addition, Jadon Canady (rookie - Oregon), Jayden Hicks and Melvin Smith look to help round out the secondary.

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK - Kansas City had a rough season in 2025, losing their final six games and Head Coach Andy Reid knows this team can and likely will be back this season as AFC contenders to reach the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes being healthy and returning to top form is the key to everything as the Chiefs look to get back on top of the AFC West division. The running game should get a shot in the arm with Walker coming along this year and as long as Mahomes can still scramble, the running game should be better this season. The passing game is looking to maintain the consistency it has shown in recent years with Mahomes back in camp and reportedly getting the full go ahead after knee surgery. 

The defense was steady last year, ranking in the top ten overall while allowing just 19.6 points per game. Creating more turnovers would be a big boost in 2026 as the Chiefs only had ten interceptions last season and were minus-one in that category. A more fierce pass rush would also help after the team had just 35 sacks last year. If the Chiefs are to get back to being top contenders in the AFC, Mahomes will be the man to lead the way. This team could very well make it back to the Super Bowl, but it won't be easy playing in the tough AFC West, where the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers loom large. The Chiefs should get back to the playoffs, how far they can go from there will rest on Mahomes being his usual brilliant self and the defense maintaining consistency. 

 

TEAM SCHEDULE 

Week One - vs. Denver 

Week Two - vs. Indianapolis 

Week Three - at Miami 

Week Four - at Las Vegas 

Week Five - BYE 

Week Six - vs. L.A. Chargers 

Week Seven - at Seattle 

Week Eight - at Denver 

Week Nine - vs. N.Y. Jets

Week Ten - at Atlanta 

Week Eleven - vs. Arizona 

Week Twelve - at Buffalo 

Week Thirteen - at L.A. Rams 

Week Fourteen - at Cincinnati 

Week Fifteen - vs. New England

Week Sixteen - vs. San Francisco 

Week Seventeen - at L.A. Chargers 

Week Eighteen - vs. Las Vegas  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like Other Media In This Country, ESPN Continues To Go Off The Rails

 

The media landscape in the United States of America has, for quite some time,  been going off the rails. 

The latest example of this is ESPN, the so called world wide leader in sports. That company, which is owned by Disney (ESPN, LLC is 72 percent owned by The Walt Disney Company, 18 percent by Hearst, and 10 percent by the National Football League as of March 11, 2026) continued with staff layoffs this week and some big names were axed, including longtime baseball guy Karl Ravech and also NFL insider Tom Pelissero, who was a big kahuna with NFL Network, before they were absorbed by ESPN in recent months. Along with them, Ryan Clark (NFL Live on ESPN), Cam Newton, David Lloyd (SportsCenter), Stephania Bell, Bart Scott (NFL coverage) and Charles Davis, who like Pelissero, was with NFL Network before the merger, were also let go. And just three years ago, the ESPN network fired Suzy Kolber while NFL Network let go of Michael Irvin from the Sunday GameDay Morning show, which stunned many viewers. 

These media/corporate mergers are bullshit and should be condemned as such as the news media and the like continue to go in the direction of monopolies in this country. Monopolies were declared illegal a long time ago and back in the early 1980s, the phone companies were broken up into several smaller entities to prevent such things from happening. But that was back when the U.S. had a moral compass and big business was regulated so it couldn't just run rampant and go roughshod on the citizens of this country in pursuit of their greed. 

That is not the case any longer. 

Ever since that God forsaken decision by the U.S. Supreme Court called "Citizens United" in 2010 that allowed corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money into political campaigns, this country has gone to hell in rapid fashion. The SCOTUS got it all wrong with that one, but remember that current SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas was in on that one and he has been taking bribe money from Southern millionaire mogul Harlan Crow for decades, so that explains a lot. Point is the rule of law in this country has gone out the window for the most part and that is the main reason for who is in the White House right now and why the media sucks in this country. 

Money. Money. Money.  

Having been a member of the fourth estate many years ago, I started seeing the writing on the wall back in the early to mid 1990s and exited stage left by my own choice. I wasn't selling out to corporate greed and being a puppet for the system. No way, no how. 

As a member of the media from 1989 to 1995 while also serving a role with a professional sports team, I was definitely in a unique spot, especially for that time when local media wasn't gushing to be in on the good side of said local sports teams. In other words, being boot lickers which was a term thrown at now Baseball Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson back in the early 1990s when he was blasted for his style of play calling for the Chicago White Sox. He even made fun of himself by waving black and white pom poms during a game to counter his many critics at the time. 

It really is sad to see the gradual takeover by corporate media in this country and that continues to ooze into the sports world after so many news media outlets have been gobbled up by these corporations that continue to want to dominate how things are presented to the masses. 

Remembering the late George Carlin comedy bit about it all.  

Infotainment was a term designated to the industry many years ago as the news coverage became more and more maudlin in presentation over time (a perfect example of that is right where I live in Chicago with the WGN Morning News on TV, which is an embarrassment with the way they present news) to viewing audiences. Entertain people like a bunch of clowns and in recent years, ESPN and also NFL Network Sunday pre-game coverage of pro football has gone off the rails with the stupidity and buffoonery of the skits they do. 

Just cover the games and enough with silliness and one-upsmanship presented to viewers. It really saddens me to have to write this way, but it is the candid truth and I am not swayed in presenting as such seeing how things are in modern day coverage. Bring on the bombastic Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith and others from NFL Network merger to entertain people is the way the suits at ESPN see things. 

No corporate boot licking here. Never has been and never will be. There have been numerous advertisers that reached out to me through the years to present themselves on this blog, but I politely refused. 

No monetization on Heftyinfo, which I started as a hobby in 2009 and continues to stay in that lane in my retirement as I see it as the best way for me.

The suits in charge at ESPN and other media in this country have no clue what they are doing as they only care about money. The hell with journalistic integrity.

It is sensationalism they are peddling disguised as journalism. 

Money, money, money is all they care about. Sell it at all costs to the stupid American public is their mantra. 

The hell with any ethics in news/sports coverage. 

Do what we demand or else . . . My way or the highway. 

Sounds a lot like Trump and company in Washington, D.C. politics. 

The greed has been around forever though as is human nature and it continues to get worse. 

I can remember when I was twelve years old and wanting to be involved in some capacity in sports to make a living when I was old enough to do so. I recall there were competing sports magazines at the time (and many of them to choose from at that) but in particular Sports Illustrated and Sport Magazine were the two main competitors for sports nuts back then. There were articles written in each publication in the 1977-78 time span about how greed was ruining sports. And how right they were nearly 50 years ago when those pieces were published. 

Fast forward to today as it continually worsened with the games and in particular college sports, which have become an abomination of what they were as an amateur status decades ago. That topic would require writing a book to go over that history. 

Again, having been a member of the media (sports coverage was my area) decades ago and also being a part of the three-peat NBA champion Chicago Bulls Organization (from 1987-1995) as the sound engineer/Bulls DJ at old Chicago Stadium and part of the first season in 1994-95 at the United Center in the Windy City, I was able to experience first hand the best of both worlds. Championship teams and the spoils of it all while also covering the events. Definitely a unique situation and many memories came from that time. Proud to have been a part of it all and again I speak from experience when I see the current state of events regrading the media in the present day. 

And it isn't good. 

Not from this retired American's vantage point. 

What will happen going forward remains to be seen, but as for the corporate greed which will only continue to escalate, I wish all involved the best. But they must do so at their own peril because what they have is definitely a gift and they should choose wisely in their role as the fourth estate or else one day they just might be on the wrong side of history. 

Be well sports and news brethren and in the words of media legend Edward R. Murrow . . . 

Good night and good luck.