Top 10 NFL offenses in 2026? Bears, Bills, Rams headline my projection

I have my reservations about including the Ravens in this ranking, especially at the expense of offenses like the Chargers’ under new OC Mike McDaniel. There are potential vulnerabilities for Baltimore at wide receiver and on an offensive line that has to protect a two-time MVP who might be slowing down at least a bit as he approaches his 30th birthday. Then again, it felt like everything went wrong for the Ravens last season -- resulting in the firing of a Super Bowl-winning head coach who had been with the team for 18 seasons -- and they still ranked 11th in OPPG (24.1) amid all the turmoil. Let’s keep in mind the Lamar Jackson-led group ranked among the top three in OPPG in 2023 and 2024 before last season’s injury-plagued debacle. It’s not difficult to envision things moving in the wrong direction if the learning curve for new HC Jesse Minter and OC Declan Doyle is steeper than expected, but for now, I’m counting on enough of a bounce-back for Baltimore to sneak back into the top 10.

I’m willing to risk living in the past here because I can’t get what Kyle Shanahan pulled off in 2025 out of my head. The Niners were shorthanded at wide receiver for the entire season, and QB1 Brock Purdy missed almost half the year. Despite the heavy reliance on backups at key spots, San Francisco still ranked ninth in OPPG, making the playoffs and then winning a postseason game on the road. It’ll be a much different look at wide receiver this year. The team signed future Hall of Famer Mike Evans -- who is already dealing with an injury of his own -- and is hoping to squeeze at least one more quality year out of old friend Deebo Samuel. Second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling was a camp revelation. George Kittle might even play in Week 1, which would be a remarkably quick recovery from a January Achilles tear. If Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams can stay healthy and avoid any major drop-off in performance, there should be enough in the cupboard for Shanahan to work his magic. He made it happen last year with less.

Denver has been hanging out on the fringe of the top 10 in OPPG since Bo Nix arrived in 2024, ranking 11th in ‘24 and 14th in ‘25, respectively. I don’t see head coach Sean Payton, who was acquired from the Saints in 2023, going a fourth straight season without finishing among the top 10. Nothing is more crucial to the team’s success than getting Nix back healthy after losing him to a broken ankle in last season’s Divisional Round, and the signals have been all good on that front. The piece that could put the Broncos over the top is marquee offseason addition Jaylen Waddle, who gives the receiving corps the juice it had been lacking. They still have a stalwart possession receiver in Courtland Sutton and arguably the league’s best offensive line. A running-back-by-committee approach might give fantasy managers headaches, but it should provide the desired balance on offense. The ingredients are there for Payton to prepare a delicious stew.

There’s a case to be made that the Patriots’ offense is better than it was last season, when it tied for fifth in OPPG. New England has reigning MVP runner-up Drake Maye at quarterback and perhaps a top-10 wide receiver (if Maye plays to his potential) now thanks to the acquisition of A.J. Brown. That combination alone puts the Patriots light-years ahead of a lot of the competition. Adding WR Romeo Doubs didn’t hurt, either. I’m still not sure the offensive line won’t come back to bite OC Josh McDaniels, though. Aside from the signing of oft-injured left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, though, the Pats didn’t do much to help the O-line for 2026. First-round OT Caleb Lomu does not appear ready for prime time at the moment. I like the one-two RB punch of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson and TE Hunter Henry is eternally solid, but as the Seahawks demonstrated in Super Bowl LX, the whole unit collapses when the blocking doesn’t hold up, and that’s going to be a legitimate fear when the league’s better defensive fronts come calling.

The Bengals have ranked no lower than eighth in OPPG in all three of Joe Burrow’s healthy seasons, and he hasn’t missed multiple games in consecutive seasons yet. So, by my calculations, Cincinnati is due for a return to the top 10 in 2026! Burrow is clearly feeling a sense of urgency and optimism heading into the season. There’s good reason for both, with Burrow set to turn 30 this season and the league’s second-best (at least in my book) receiver duo returning in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Camp sensation/former CFL Grey Cup winner Dohnte Meyers is a fun story at the position, too, and they have the foundation of a sturdy ground game with RB Chase Brown coming off an 1,000-yard season. If the offensive line can perform at something close to a league-average level -- which is within reach but not a lock -- the Bengals shouldn’t have a lot of trouble putting the ball in the paint.

This is standard territory for the Cowboys. They have finished among the top five teams in OPPG in four of the past five seasons, with Dak Prescott’s injury-shortened 2024 campaign the lone deviation. Prescott seems to still be in his prime after ranking among the top five quarterbacks in QBR and passing EPA last season. Dallas boasts the game’s top wide receiver duo, with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens performing at an All-Pro level. RB Javonte Williams kicked the injury bug that bit him earlier in his career and broke out in his first year in Big D, ranking ninth in the league with 1,201 rushing yards. If there’s one potentially fatal flaw, it’s at offensive tackle, with Dallas trading for Steelers castoff Broderick Jones, who is coming off a neck injury, in an attempt to shore things up at the position before the season begins. Barring pass protection on the edges becoming a thorn in its side, Brian Schottenheimer’s crew should be slicing through defenses again.

It’s pretty simple. If the new-look offensive line keeps Jared Goff well protected, the offense should have no trouble finishing among the elite. Detroit has ranked among the top five teams in offensive points per game for four straight seasons, the longest such active streak in the NFL and one that survived a midseason change at play-caller last year. To keep the run alive, it will take a successful transition from right to left tackle for Penei Sewell, solid play from rookie RT Blake Miller and an at least passable showing from the interior while starting C Cade Mays is out with a wrist injury. There is more uncertainty up front than we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from this unit, but it certainly helps to have elite weaponry in the form of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs. A healthy year from TE Sam LaPorta would kick things up a notch, too, although he missed time in August with a hip issue after a back injury cratered his 2025 campaign. If it all comes together under new OC Drew Petzing, the Lions could easily end up leading the league in OPPG, and the schedule looks very favorable, with Detroit facing only one top-10 scoring defense from last season in the first nine weeks.

I’m fully investing in the Bears’ growth from within by placing them so high on my list. Obviously, I’m expecting a major jump for Caleb Williams in Year 3 (I picked him to win MVP, after all). He’s already flashed the talent to reach the NFL apex, and he has one of the league’s better offensive lines blocking for him. Left tackle has been a question mark this summer, but it appears Ozzy Trapilo will be back much sooner than what was expected when he suffered a patellar tendon rupture in January. The Bears felt strongly enough about Luther Burden III’s progress to trade DJ Moore this offseason, and I’m banking on Colston Loveland picking up where he left off last season, as one of the most productive tight ends in the game. Let’s not forget we might not have seen 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze’s best yet. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai -- when Monangai returns from injury -- form one of the better RB duos in the game. More than anything, though, I believe in Ben Johnson’s expertise and maniacal energy to get the best out of his burgeoning superstars, especially Williams.

I’m not BREAKING NEWS here, but as long as Josh Allen is healthy, the Bills are going to hold a coveted spot in any conversation of the league’s best offenses. There’s a reason I put him alone in Tier 1 of my fantasy QB rankings. Buffalo ranked third last season in OPPG despite being extremely thin at wide receiver, and it’s hard to imagine the crew taking a step back in 2026 after adding DJ Moore to the mix via trade in March, even if Moore’s prime years might be behind him. The offensive line returns intact aside from a change at left guard, and should continue to be a top-10 unit. With Allen and 2025 NFL rushing king James Cook pacing it, the ground game has more than enough firepower. Buffalo made a change at head coach but will have the same play-caller it's had the last two and a half seasons with Joe Brady being promoted. It would be awfully hard to mess things up with Allen at the helm after ranking among the top six in OPPG for six consecutive seasons.

The Rams hype might be nauseating to some of you at this point, and I get it. They are the offseason darlings, but primarily because of the moves they made on defense, including acquiring reigning DPOY Myles Garrett and welcoming three-time DPOY Aaron Donald out of retirement. On offense, Los Angeles is basically running it back with the same squad that finished first in the league with 29.6 OPPG last season, and I guess I’m going to need to see someone knock the Rams from their perch before I start valuing any offense more than Sean McVay’s. Surely, there are things that could go wrong and lead to their dethroning. Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford seems to be getting better with age, and if he stays healthy in his age-38 season, I have no reason to predict a sudden decline. WR1 Puka Nacua appears to be in a better place than he was early this offseason, but injuries and off-field issues have sidetracked him in the past. There have been similar concerns around LT Alaric Jackson, and losing him for any significant time would be tough to manage. Kyren Williams and Davante Adams remain key cogs in the machine, and there’s depth at tight end for McVay to get creative with his personnel usage. We haven’t seen a team rank first in OPPG in back-to-back years since the Denver Broncos in 2012-13, but that streak is in peril because of Stafford and Co.