Tom Rock's NFL power rankings entering the 2026 season

1. RAMS. The only team that may be more “all in” than the Rams in any sport may be the neighboring Dodgers. They certainly seem intent on winning one more Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford at quarterback and brought in reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to make that happen. After that, who knows where things go. Stafford might leave. Sean McVay might, too. For now, though, the Rams are the clear cream of the league.

2. BRONCOS. If Bo Nix hadn’t gotten hurt on one of the last plays of that divisional playoff game, we probably would be talking about the Broncos as the defending Super Bowl champs. They definitely would have beaten the Patriots and would have at least given the Seahawks a better fight. Instead, they feel weirdly under the radar. Don’t expect that to last.

3. BILLS. We are about to learn just how much Sean McDermott was holding the Bills back these last few years. He’s really one of the few changes for this perennial playoff team (if you don’t count the stadium, that is), and putting Joe Brady in charge of the team rather than just the offense could be the key to fully unleashing Josh Allen.

4. TEXANS. The Texans have built a roster with such an imposing and terrifying defense that C.J. Stroud needs to be merely mediocre for them to be championship contenders. Adding David Montgomery should help take the pressure off the quarterback, too. If Stroud can’t make it work this year, it may be someone else’s job next year.

5. SEAHAWKS. We’re usually inclined to put the defending Super Bowl champs in the top spot to start the ensuing season, but to be honest, it took a little while to remember that Sam Darnold and the Seahawks had won it all. They may be the most forgettable winners in recent history. Letting the Super Bowl MVP (running back Kenneth Walker III) walk in free agency doesn’t help their quest to return. Seattle has a chance to be really good again with a defense that can carry the team. The Seahawks also could wind up being the third-best team in their own division.

6. BEARS. There is no reason to believe that the upward trajectory of the Bears will veer off course in Caleb Williams’ third season as the starting quarterback. Last year was about seeing what they had and finding out what they needed; in the offseason, they went out and got those parts.

7. EAGLES. Are the Eagles better than they were last season? That’s hard to say. But they seem happier, and that probably will  count for a lot within what might be the most psychologically fragile locker room in the league.

8. BENGALS. If Joe Burrow can stay healthy, the Bengals could have their best team since they lost to the Rams in Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, thanks to some reinforcements on defense. It will be interesting to see how Dexter Lawrence plays for a team with which he feels valued.

9. LIONS. This feels like a now-or-never season for the Lions. There shouldn’t be any more reasons for Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs to keep coming up short, but if history tells us anything, it’s that this organization will find one or two.

10. JAGUARS. No more secrets about the Jaguars. They are good. Trevor Lawrence is starting to inch toward the top of his potential. Whether they can handle the weight of expectations is the big question for them to answer.

11. RAVENS. A lot of the identity that made the Ravens annual contenders left in the offseason (with a lot of it coming to the Giants). But they still have Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry and added Trey Hendrickson on defense.

12. KANSAS CITY. It’s definitely odd to see KC this low, but truth be told, they probably should be lower. The magic of Patrick Mahomes is about the only thing that keeps them from getting into the teens. They probably need an overhaul to enter the second stage of Mahomes’ dominance.

13. PACKERS. The Packers have reached the playoffs all three years of this era with Jordan Love as the starter, but each time it has been as the No. 7 seed, and they haven’t gotten past the divisional round. That’s got to change, or maybe it’s time to start putting some heat under Matt LaFleur’s tundra.

14. COWBOYS. This probably isn’t the team to end the three-decade Super Bowl drought, but the defense should be better than it was a year ago (it’s hard to imagine it being worse) and Dak Prescott has looked loose this summer.

15. PATRIOTS. A Super Bowl team that had the runner-up in the MVP race in Drake Maye, added A.J. Brown and improved its offensive line shouldn’t have as many questions about it as the Patriots do.

16. 49ERS. No one seems to get hit with high-profile injuries the way the Niners do, and this summer, that even included their head coach. They already have lost Ricky Pearsall for the season, George Kittle is coming back from an Achilles injury, and every time Christian McCaffrey touches the ball, he can go to the end zone . . .  or on IR.

17. PANTHERS. It’s hard to see the Panthers making as big a leap forward as they did last season, but they should be able to at least keep some momentum moving in that direction in a winnable division.

18. CHARGERS. The pairing of Jim Harbaugh with Mike McDaniel definitely gives the Chargers the quirkiest coaching staff in the league. Whether it will be enough to allow Justin Herbert to finally fulfill his promise remains to be seen.

19. COLTS. Jonathan Taylor’s contract situation is resolved and Daniel Jones seems to be back from a torn Achilles, so maybe the Colts can pick up where they left off when their quarterback got hurt and their surprisingly positive 2025 season was derailed.

20. STEELERS. Mike McCarthy reached and won the Super Bowl only once when he had Aaron Rodgers in his absolute Hall of Fame prime in Green Bay. Good luck turning the Steelers into anything close to a contender with what Rodgers now has left as a 42-year-old who already has his eyes on the exit.

21. VIKINGS. The Vikings have been good the last few years despite bungling just about all of their quarterback decisions, from letting Sam Darnold walk to counting on J.J. McCarthy. Now they turn the offense over to Kyler Murray.

22. COMMANDERS. Jayden Daniels went from superstar to afterthought to NIL lawsuit punchline pretty quickly. Where he lands in his third NFL season will dictate not only the immediate future for the franchise but its long-term direction.

23. SAINTS. Tyler Shough was the best rookie quarterback in the league last year, and if he and Kellen Moore can make second-year strides, the Saints could be a team to scare some of the old-guard contenders.

24. BUCCANEERS. Baker Mayfield desperately wants to be paid like an elite quarterback, but the Bucs were right to hold off on giving him that because this year’s team probably won’t give him the weapons and balance he’s had in the past.

25. GIANTS. John Harbaugh definitely raises the standard for a team that hasn’t had many of those in recent years. Everything hinges on Jaxson Dart staying healthy and improving. If he can do both, they could move up this list quickly. If he can’t do either, it’ll be another miserable season.

26. FALCONS. Bijan Robinson is so dynamic and fun to watch, but it’s hard to be optimistic about a team whose quarterback depth chart lists Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. and Cooper Rush.

27. TITANS. The Union of Bald Former New York Coaches has a new headquarters in Nashville. Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll either will cash in or crash out on Cam Ward’s sophomore season.

28. JETS. Don’t confuse Geno Smith making the offense better than last year’s with Geno Smith making the offense good. There still are so many holes for this team to plug, and they will remain on a long-term timeline until they get their franchise quarterback in the spring.

29. BROWNS. There are so many reasons why Deshaun Watson shouldn’t be the quarterback of this team, especially after they dumped the production and leadership of Myles Garrett. And yet . . . 

30. CARDINALS. No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love should provide a nice spark and the Cardinals still have Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. But relying on Jacoby Brissett to make it all work doesn’t seem like a sturdy plan.

31. RAIDERS. Fernando Mendoza and Klint Kubiak have a really good chance to turn the Raiders around; it just won’t happen for them this year. Sorry, Maxx Crosby, but you’re stuck there for another trudge of a season.

32. DOLPHINS. The Dolphins had to tear their roster apart but   forgot to build it back up. We’d be curious to see how Malik Willis would function as a full-time starting quarterback with a decent team around him. This ain’t it.