NFL Season Preview 2026-2027

NFL 2026 Season Preview — by BIGGG Sports

Season Expectations

The new NFL season kicks off this week, with the Seattle Seahawks defending their title after beating the Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX back in February — their second Lombardi Trophy. New England reinvested hard to get back there, trading for A.J. Brown to pair with Drake Maye, but they’re not the only team who went shopping: the Rams pulled off one of the biggest trades in NFL history to land Myles Garrett from Cleveland, and the ripple effects of that deal (Jared Verse going back to Cleveland, McDuffie and Watson leaving Kansas City) touched half the league.

It’s also been an unusually brutal offseason for head coaches — ten teams have a new one. The headline moves: Mike Tomlin is out in Pittsburgh after nearly two decades, replaced by Mike McCarthy, who now pairs with a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers. John Harbaugh left the Ravens after 18 years to take over the Giants, with Ravens defensive coordinator Jesse Minter promoted in his place. Kevin Stefanski left Cleveland for Atlanta, and Cleveland countered by hiring Todd Monken away from Baltimore’s offense. In Kansas City, the story isn’t the coaching staff but Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from a torn ACL/LCL, which has the reigning also-rans (the Chiefs stumbled to 6-11 last season) hoping just to have him back for Week 1.

Green Bay’s Jared Verse and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett deal aside, we’d flag the Rams as the team with the most complete roster on paper, Seattle as the champions with no obvious holes, and Denver, Jacksonville and New England as the teams we think are built to make it back to the final four.

Week 1 Schedule

Wednesday 9 September (US) / Thursday 10 September (CEST)

• Patriots at Seahawks — 2:20am CEST, Thu 10 Sep (NBC)

Thursday 10 September (US) / Friday 11 September (CEST)

• 49ers at Rams — 2:35am CEST, Fri 11 Sep (Netflix, played in Melbourne, Australia)

Sunday 13 September (CEST, same day)

• Bears at Panthers — 7:00pm CEST
• Buccaneers at Bengals — 7:00pm CEST
• Saints at Lions — 7:00pm CEST
• Bills at Texans — 7:00pm CEST
• Ravens at Colts — 7:00pm CEST
• Browns at Jaguars — 7:00pm CEST
• Falcons at Steelers — 7:00pm CEST
• Jets at Titans — 7:00pm CEST
• Cardinals at Chargers — 10:25pm CEST
• Dolphins at Raiders — 10:25pm CEST
• Packers at Vikings — 10:25pm CEST
• Commanders at Eagles — 10:25pm CEST

Sunday 13 September (US) / Monday 14 September (CEST)

• Cowboys at Giants — 2:20am CEST, Mon 14 Sep (NBC, Sunday Night Football)

Monday 14 September (US) / Tuesday 15 September (CEST)

• Broncos at Chiefs — 2:15am CEST, Tue 15 Sep (ESPN, Monday Night Football)

The Teams, One by One

AFC East

Bills — Joe Brady steps up from OC to replace Sean McDermott, and brought in DJ Moore and Bradley Chubb to finally surround Josh Allen with a real supporting cast. Dolphins — a total teardown: Tua, Tyreek and Waddle are all gone, Malik Willis is the new starter, and Jeff Hafley arrives from Green Bay to rebuild from scratch. Patriots — back after a Super Bowl LX defeat with A.J. Brown now catching passes from Drake Maye; the roster’s better, the pressure on Mike Vrabel is higher. Jets — Geno Smith returns home at quarterback and the defense has been almost entirely rebuilt after recording zero interceptions last season.

AFC North

Ravens — John Harbaugh’s 18-year run is over; Jesse Minter takes charge with a 30-year-old play-caller and the job of getting Lamar Jackson comfortable fast. Steelers — Mike Tomlin’s gone, Mike McCarthy’s in, and a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers gets one more shot with a defense that finished 26th last season. Browns — Todd Monken replaces Kevin Stefanski, Myles Garrett is gone to the Rams, and the quarterback picture between Deshaun Watson and rookie Shedeur Sanders is as unresolved as ever. Bengals — Joe Burrow’s supporting cast finally got defensive reinforcements (Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen) after a season the run defense fell apart.

AFC South

Texans — a rebuilt offensive line is the whole story here, protecting C.J. Stroud after a rough playoff exit, on top of an already excellent defense. Jaguars — Travis Hunter’s role between cornerback and receiver is still the big question, with Bhayshul Tuten stepping into a bigger backfield role. Colts — everything hinges on Daniel Jones’ Achilles recovery, with Jonathan Taylor also playing out a contract year. Titans — Cam Ward gets a new coaching staff (Robert Saleh, Brian Daboll) and better weapons in year two, on a team still a long way back from 3-14.

AFC West

Broncos — largely running it back after a 14-3 season, with Bo Nix returning from a broken ankle and Jaylen Waddle added to the receiving room. Chiefs — Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from a torn ACL/LCL is the only story that matters after a stunning 6-11 collapse; Eric Bieniemy is back as offensive coordinator. Chargers — Mike McDaniel arrives to run the offense for Justin Herbert, with the line finally healthy and a new pass rusher in Akheem Mesidor. Raiders — No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza sits behind veteran Kirk Cousins to start, easing in what Vegas hopes is its long-term answer at quarterback.

NFC East

Eagles — A.J. Brown is gone to New England, Sean Mannion is the fourth different offensive coordinator in four years, and Jalen Carter’s contract situation is still unresolved. Cowboys — a genuinely drama-free offseason for once, headlined by top-11 pick Caleb Downs and a defensive rebuild after finishing last in points allowed. Giants — John Harbaugh’s tough camp brought a wave of Achilles injuries, but four first-round picks in two years (Abdul Carter, QB Jaxson Dart) point to a real young core. Commanders — Jayden Daniels returns from a triple injury list to a new offensive coordinator, behind a defense that was rebuilt after finishing last in yards allowed.

NFC North

Lions — Jahmyr Gibbs becomes the true workhorse back, but the offensive line is in transition and the injury list (LaPorta, Branch, Joseph) is long. Packers — Micah Parsons is out for a chunk of the year, Rashan Gary was traded, and Josh Jacobs’ off-field situation looms over a promising roster. Bears — Caleb Williams needs a more consistent Year 2 under Ben Johnson, with the pass rush behind Montez Sweat still unproven. Vikings — Kyler Murray was brought in to (most expect) win the job over J.J. McCarthy, on a defense thinned out badly by Jonathan Greenard’s departure.

NFC South

Buccaneers — Mike Evans is gone to San Francisco and Lavonte David has retired; Baker Mayfield plays this one out in a contract year under a coach on the hot seat. Falcons — Kevin Stefanski takes over with both Tua Tagovailoa and an injury-recovering Michael Penix Jr. in the quarterback room. Saints — Tyler Shough’s promising late-season form, plus new weapons in Travis Etienne and rookie Jordyn Tyson, have this roster trending up. Panthers — big money went to the front seven (Jaelan Phillips, Devin Lloyd) while Bryce Young enters a make-or-break Year 4.

NFC West

Rams — the Myles Garrett trade was the move of the offseason; with Stafford, Nacua and Adams still there too, this is the roster we think has the fewest holes in football. Seahawks — the reigning Super Bowl champions return most of their core under Sam Darnold, trying to quietly go back-to-back without the target on their back becoming a distraction. 49ers — health is everything: Bosa, Kittle and Warner are all working back from injury, behind the fifth different defensive coordinator in five years. Cardinals — Mike LaFleur takes over a rebuild that added Jeremiyah Love in the draft, with the quarterback picture around Jacoby Brissett still unsettled.

Note: our sports team put this preview together in the run-up to kickoff. Injuries, roster moves and depth-chart changes can and will shift some of this once the season is underway.