Seattle will have a battle once again in the NFC West division with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers this season and perhaps all three of those teams will again make the NFC playoffs. The Seahawks blasted the 49ers, 41-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs and then outlasted the Rams, 31-27 in the NFC Championship game prior to their Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. Meanwhile, the Patriots made some moves with their offense and have some new faces at wide receiver in A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, to accompany quarterback Drake Maye, who was last seen running for his life in the Super Bowl loss against Seattle. The opening game should be an interesting affair for sure, but look for the Seahawks to prevail over the Patriots yet again.
On Thursday Night Football, the Rams and 49ers will face each other for some reason all the way over in Melbourne, Australia. That game should be a good one as these fierce rivals go at it with the Rams featuring premier defensive player Myles Garrett, who is the single season sacks record holder. Last year, Garrett (with the Cleveland Browns) totaled 23 quarterback takedowns and he will be teaming with Aaron Donald, a future Hall-of-Fame player who came out of a three-year retirement to join his former team in their quest for a Super Bowl title. The 49ers have a strong defense as well, which should be bolstered by the return of edge rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner from injuries that kept them out of action for most of last season.
It will be a fun start to what should be an entertaining and unpredictable NFL season.
There are so many questions to be answered in the next four and half months as the 32 teams battle it out to see who will emerge as the Super Bowl champions at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on February 14, 2027 in Super Bowl LXI.
Can the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals, with many new faces on defense, overcome their demons and finally get to the NFL promised land?
Can the Buffalo Bills, led by quarterback Josh Allen, finally reach the Super Bowl after so many playoff disappointments?
What about the Baltimore Ravens and their beleaguered QB Lamar Jackson, the same can be said about them?
Will quarterback Patrick Mahomes (coming off major knee surgery) and the Kansas City Chiefs bounce back in 2026 and reclaim their throne atop the AFC?
What about the Denver Broncos in the competitive AFC West division? Can they ride their strong defense and will third year QB Bo Nix show more improvement as he looks to overcome a severe ankle injury that kept him out of the AFC title game last January?
Will the Philadelphia Eagles win a third straight NFC East title with QB Jalen Hurts now devoid of one of his top wide receivers, A.J. Brown who went to the New England Patriots this off-season?
Can quarterback Aaron Rodgers lead the Pittsburgh Steelers back to the AFC playoffs in this his 22nd and final NFL season?
Can the Chicago Bears continue to be late-game miracle workers with third year quarterback Caleb Williams, who dubbed himself the "Ice Man" during the frosty weather run last January in the NFC playoffs?
Will the Detroit Lions make a comeback effort in the 2026 season and get back to the playoffs after tumbling to NFC North division cellar?
Will the NFC South division winner actually have a winning record this season?
So many questions to be answered and it will play out over the 18-week schedule from now until early January. So here goes as Heftyinfo looks to predict how the divisional races will shake out and which teams will go at it in the post-season before two teams eventually square off in the Super Bowl in February.
(Teams listed in italic bold are the number one playoff seeds and get a bye; Wild Card teams listed in bold)
NFC
East - 1. Philadelphia 2. Dallas 3. N.Y. Giants 4. Washington
North - 1. Detroit 2. Chicago 3. Minnesota 4. Green Bay
South - 1. Tampa Bay 2. New Orleans 3. Carolina 4. Atlanta
West - 1. L.A. Rams 2. Seattle 3. San Francisco 4. Arizona
AFC
East - 1. Buffalo 2. New England 3. N.Y. Jets 4. Miami
North - 1. Baltimore 2. Cincinnati 3. Pittsburgh 4. Cleveland
South - 1. Jacksonville 2. Houston 3. Indianapolis 4. Tennessee
West - 1. Denver 2. Kansas City 3. L.A. Chargers 4. Las Vegas
NFC PLAYOFFS
Wild Card Round - Philadelphia over Dallas; San Francisco over Detroit; Seattle over Tampa Bay
Divisional Round - L.A. Rams over San Francisco; Seattle over Philadelphia
NFC Championship Game - L.A. Rams over Seattle
AFC PLAYOFFS
Wild Card Round - Denver over Houston; L.A. Chargers over Baltimore; Kansas City over Jacksonville
Divisional Round - Buffalo over L.A. Chargers; Denver over Kansas City
AFC Championship Game - Buffalo over Denver
SUPER BOWL LXI
Los Angeles Rams over Buffalo Bills
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