The NFL regular season is over and here is where I have all 32 teams as 14 head to the playoffs and the remainders take a breather before planning for their futures, quite a few of which will include new head coaches at the helm in 2026.
- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS --
Seattle scored just one touchdown in the battle for the NFC's one seed and it was more than enough because their defense is a marauding bunch of bullies who can dominate the best in the game. If defense really does win championships, the 'Hawks are the team to beat.
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS --
The Patriots demolished the Miami Dolphins in Week 18 and you have to give them credit for doing that regularly in 2025… beating the teams they are supposed to beat. Drake Maye is supported by a growing ground attack, meaning New England look pretty complete.
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS +2
The Jags have now won eight games in a row and they are absolutely brimming with confidence. Listening to some of their key players talk this week, I took away two things. They love playing for Liam Coen and winning the AFC South was not the end goal. They want more.
- DENVER BRONCOS -1
Denver probably closed off half their offensive playbook against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but I'm still concerned that they didn't score a touchdown against an opponent resting so many key starters. Can this team win a shootout? Will they need to with that D?
- BUFFALO BILLS +2
With Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow sitting at home during the AFC playoffs, Josh Allen might never have a better chance at a Super Bowl run. Yet this opportunity comes at a time when the 12-5 Bills feel more beatable than in recent years.
- LOS ANGELES RAMS +2
Matthew Stafford ended the season with 46 touchdown passes, 12 more than his closest rival (Jared Goff) and 15 more than fellow MVP contender Drake Maye. Once they get into the must-win games, I think the Rams will once again show they are one of the NFL's elite.
- CHICAGO BEARS -1
For the Bears to continue what has been a special season, they have to find a way past a familiar foe as they meet Green Bay for the third time. I cannot wait to see what Caleb Williams does on the big playoff stage. I think he is and will be box office for many years.
- HOUSTON TEXANS +2
The Texans boast the kind of defense that can wreck the entire season of a higher seed within the space of three hours. But will they get enough out of quarterback CJ Stroud to make a serious Super Bowl run in the coming weeks?
- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES --
The offense is still a real worry. That unit is ranked 24th in the NFL and has punted after three plays a league-high 28 percent of the time. Saquon Barkley has ramped up his production over the last month, but any Super Bowl repeat will likely be powered by the defense.
- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS -6
The fact that these 49ers are in the playoffs with 12 wins is an incredible testament to the coaching prowess of Kyle Shanahan. Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey are the keys to the offense and this team is going to need to score plenty of points in the postseason.
- LOS ANGELES CHARGERS --
The Chargers may have lost back-to-back games heading into the playoffs but the second of those came in Denver with quarterback Justin Herbert and other key starters on the bench. This is still a dangerous team on its day, with a high-end passer and a super-tough defense.
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS +2
The Steelers are something of an inconsistent enigma. They get bogged down on offense against Baltimore and then wake in the fourth. And sometimes they get run all over on D and then they toughen up. But they have 10 wins and are playoff-bound. Is Mike Tomlin now safe?
- GREEN BAY PACKERS -1
That bleeping you can hear is the sound of the Green Bay Packers reversing into the playoffs. After losing four in a row, the Packers will be keen to get quarterback Jordan Love back into the line-up. And they still have it well within their locker to beat Chicago in round one.
- BALTIMORE RAVENS -1
The Ravens fired John Harbaugh after he led the team for 18 seasons. That makes him the biggest name to hit the head coach open market since Andy Reid left Philadelphia. Baltimore are about to find out what's behind door number two and it's not always better. Worrying.
- DETROIT LIONS --
Dan Campbell's men fought to the very end with a win over Chicago in Week 18, but this 9-8 season has to go down as a huge disappointment. The defense crumbled for the second year in a row and the head coach has to find a coordinator who can take back play calling duties.
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS --
We have to give credit to the Vikings, who rolled through three different quarterbacks yet still managed to record nine wins. But should they have let Sam Darnold leave? And how will they cope when – as expected – defensive coordinator Brian Flores departs for a new role.
- ATLANTA FALCONS --
Firing Raheem Morris was a head scratcher, to me. His team was eliminated from playoff contention on December 7, but they carried on playing hard; ending the year with four straight wins. I would have fancied Morris to guide a division champion in 2026.
- CAROLINA PANTHERS --
After seven straight losing seasons, the Carolina Panthers are back in the playoffs. This 8-9 campaign has been a season of progress, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. But I do have concerns about Bryce Young at quarterback. He still has much to prove.
- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS +4
Will Todd Bowles be one of those coaches who felt pretty safe until John Harbaugh got fired by the Ravens? It was a disappointing second half of the season from the Bucs as they went from 6-2 Super Bowl contenders to not even making the playoffs.
- INDIANAPOLIS COLTS -1
The Colts are running it back with Chris Ballard at general manager and Shane Steichen at head coach. Indy opened 8-2 but ended with seven straight defeats to miss the playoffs. Can they rebound and if they do, they will have to pay the currently-injured Daniel Jones at QB.
- DALLAS COWBOYS -1
For a few short weeks, the Cowboys captured some magic and boasted an exciting attack and a playmaking defense. But it didn't last long, culminating in a thrilling Thanksgiving Day win over Kansas City. However, this has to go down as a season of disappointment in Texas.
- CINCINNATI BENGALS -1
Joe Burrow has fired a shot across the bows of management. Improve things quickly or I'm probably going to demand a trade at some point in the future. Okay, he didn't say it that clearly, but the message was delivered. A big offseason awaits in Cincinnati.
- NEW ORLEANS SAINTS -1
The Saints finished 6-11 and will now have the eighth pick in the NFL Draft. There would be no point going after a quarterback in that spot and, besides, they have to be intrigued enough to see a second season from Tyler Shough; who was one of the league's best rookies in 2025.
- KANSAS CITY CHIEFS +1
Patrick Mahomes is going to be stuck in KC the entire offseason as he rehabs his torn knee ligaments and Travis Kelce is contemplating retirement. It feels like the end of the Chiefs' first dynastic run. Can Mahomes and the Chiefs do what Brady and the Patriots did and come strong again in future years?
- MIAMI DOLPHINS -1
One minute Mike McDaniel is getting involved in the search for a general manager, next he learns that John Harbaugh has been fired and the sleepless nights begin. Why wouldn't Miami want to turn the reins over to a proven programme-builder like Harbaugh?
- CLEVELAND BROWNS --
Two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski has been fired and whoever replaces him will get to work with a world-class defense while wondering who will lead their attack. Quarterback woes plagued Stefanski and a fix has to come in the next couple of seasons.
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS --
Dan Quinn has moved on from his offensive (Kliff Kingsbury) and defensive coordinator (Joe Whitt Jr) after a damaging 5-12 campaign. This ageing roster can get a quick injection of youth via the seventh pick in the NFL Draft. The biggest priority in 2026 will be keeping Jayden Daniels healthy.
- NEW YORK GIANTS +1
Could this be the landing spot for John Harbaugh? They have an exciting young quarterback in Jaxson Dart, playmakers on offense in Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and Malik Nabers. Add in a fearsome pass rush and those are good foundations for a new coach to build upon.
- TENNESSEE TITANS -1
With the fourth pick in the Draft and free agent dollars to throw around, the Titans can build in front of and around quarterback Cam Ward; who didn't quite survive a brutal rookie year. The hope will be that Ward's Week 18 shoulder injury is not too serious and he can rebound.
- ARIZONA CARDINALS --
A new coach will be heading to the Arizona desert soon enough following the firing of Jonathan Gannon. They will inherit a feisty group that will scrap and fight. But also a team that doesn't appear to have a long-term answer at QB given Kyler Murray's demise.
- NEW YORK JETS --
The Jets enjoyed brief periods of competitiveness, but they never lasted for too long and winning just three games was a fair reflection of their talent. They have no answer at quarterback and the once-proud defense did not record a single interception in 2025.
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS --
Pete Carroll is one and done as the Raiders' head coach and they simply must find a franchise quarterback with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If they hit on that player, there are others to work with in Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby (if he is not traded).
