2026 Season Preview
Who Takes the Tabor Trophy?
The Saints defend. Thirty-one teams take aim.
The draft is over, all 32 rosters are set, and everybody has a reason this is going to be their year. New Orleans has a better reason than most: the Saints are defending champions, with a league-record four titles already in the collection. The rest of the league would appreciate a turn with the Tabor Trophy.
Here’s the preseason call on all 32 teams: who wins each division, who sneaks into January, and who gets the last laugh with the Tabor Trophy.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
11–6–01st in division
Division winner · No. 2 seed
Christian McCaffrey, Ja’Marr Chase and Matthew Stafford is a pretty good way to start a season. Elliot Abzug added Mark Andrews in the draft, giving Buffalo another player who can turn a quiet afternoon into a win with one touchdown. Justice Hill is the concern; McCaffrey will have to do most of the work at running back. But there is enough firepower elsewhere to survive a few lean weeks from that second spot. The AFC East will be a grind, and Buffalo looks best equipped to come out on top.
Miami Dolphins
9–6–22nd in division
Wild card · No. 5 seed
All right, maybe Brad Tenem and Jon Chasin had a reason for taking so long at the draft. Bill Pierro may still want to see the receipts. Joe Burrow gives Miami a chance every week, while Christian Watson and Harold Fannin Jr. were useful first-round additions. Dallas kicking and Denver’s defense should win their share of close games, too. The question is whether Jonathon Brooks and Woody Marks give them enough at running back. Nine wins and two ties get the Dolphins in. Even their projected record involves making people wait.
New York Jets
9–7–13rd in division
Wild card · No. 6 seed
Give Jahmyr Gibbs the ball and see what happens. That is a perfectly respectable plan for Gregg Schlossman’s Jets, especially with Gibbs leading the running-back projections. Courtland Sutton, Terry McLaurin and first-round pick George Kittle mean this does not have to be a one-man show. Sam Darnold should keep things moving at quarterback, while Keaton Mitchell is the player who could turn a good team into a really annoying opponent. The Jets finish behind Buffalo and Miami, but there is room for all three in the playoffs.
New England Patriots
9–8–04th in division
Wild card · No. 7 seed
Bill Pierro and Erik Haag get another reason to watch Miami, this time in the standings instead of across the draft table. Omarion Hampton leads a promising group that includes Trevor Lawrence, Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. Rachaad White, taken at the start of Round 2, gives Hampton some help in the backfield. Tight end looks thin, and New England may need its best players to cover that gap more often than Bill would like. Nine wins earn the last AFC spot. Hopefully the playoff draft moves a little faster.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
11–6–01st in division
Division winner · Bye · No. 1 seed
Chase Brown and third overall pick Bhayshul Tuten should make Baltimore a tough weekly assignment. Add Jayden Daniels, and Bill Parkinson and Joe Pravato have three players capable of carrying an afternoon. Michael Pittman Jr. is the more familiar face at receiver, where rookies Ted Hurst and Caleb Douglas could be fun, frustrating, or both in the same game. The Rams’ defense gives Baltimore another way to scrape out a win when the offense goes quiet. Eleven wins take the division and the AFC bye. That extra week should come in handy.
Cincinnati Bengals
8–8–12nd in division
Misses playoffs
Three first-round picks bought Cincinnati Carnell Tate, Jayden Reed and a new quarterback slot with the Raiders. Justin Chillemi certainly gave himself something to watch. Tate and Reed join Rashid Shaheed at receiver, with Dallas Goedert offering another chance at a touchdown. Running back is harder to get excited about: Rhamondre Stevenson needs to carry most of the load alongside Najee Harris. This team will have a few Sundays when the young receivers make everything look easy. There probably will not be enough of them to get Cincinnati into the playoffs.
Cleveland Browns
8–8–13rd in division
Misses playoffs
There is plenty to like about Jaxson Dart and Rome Odunze, even if Cleveland does not have the star power of some of its neighbors. Mike Grossman gets a workable backfield from J.K. Dobbins and Tyler Allgeier, while rookies De’Zhaun Stribling and Kenyon Sadiq give him a couple of chances to beat expectations. The catch is needing several young players to become reliable at once. Cleveland and Cincinnati finish with the same record, with the Bengals winning the division tiebreaker. Both wind up watching the playoffs, probably arguing about which close loss cost them.
Pittsburgh Steelers
7–9–14th in division
Misses playoffs
George Pickens can make Pittsburgh dangerous in a hurry, and Kyler Murray gives Erik Andersen another player with a big afternoon in him. Blake Corum and Jacory Croskey-Merritt should keep the running backs respectable. It gets less comfortable after that. Darnell Mooney and Isaac TeSlaa need to contribute regularly, and the tight-end projection for Evan Engram leaves Pittsburgh asking for help elsewhere. The Steelers should knock off somebody who thought they had an easy win coming. Doing it often enough to reach January is a tougher sell.
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars
10–7–01st in division
Division winner · No. 4 seed
The commissioner has Patrick Mahomes, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson. Scott Linzer did not need to sneak anything into the rulebook to put together a pretty good team. Jauan Jennings rounds out the receivers after arriving in the second round, and Travis Etienne Jr. should do most of the scoring at running back. Seth McGowan and Mike Gesicki are the spots that could leave Scott staring at his phone on Sunday. The bigger names should cover enough of those quiet weeks to deliver ten wins and the AFC South title.
Indianapolis Colts
8–9–02nd in division
Misses playoffs
Brock Bowers and Malik Nabers give Indianapolis two players most of the league would happily take. Jakobi Meyers was a sensible draft addition around them, and RJ Harvey and Jordan Mason should give the Colts something at both running-back spots. The Pittsburgh quarterback slot is less reassuring. Brian Rooney, Steve Love and Angelo Policastro may spend a few Sundays wondering how a team with Bowers and Nabers still came up short. An 8–9 finish leaves them second in the division, close enough to replay the frustrating games all winter.
Houston Texans
7–10–03rd in division
Misses playoffs
James Cook, Tony Pollard and Jared Goff give Houston a good chance to put up a respectable score before the receivers do much of anything. That is fortunate, because the receivers are the concern. First-round pick Quentin Johnston leads a group that needs help from Zavion Thomas and DeMario Douglas. Mike Vino has a better team on paper than the 7–10 record suggests, but the schedule hands him some frustrating afternoons. This looks like a team that will check another matchup’s scores and wonder why it could not have played either of those guys.
Tennessee Titans
7–10–04th in division
Misses playoffs
Justin Herbert, Josh Jacobs and Jaylen Warren should keep Tennessee in plenty of games. Tucker Kraft helps, too, especially against teams getting very little from their tight end. Charlie and Brett Biletsky need the receivers to do more. Keenan Allen, Keon Coleman and Jahan Dotson leave the Titans well behind the stronger groups in the league. Allen’s second-round selection needs to pay off if this team is going to surprise anyone. Seven wins leave Tennessee behind Jacksonville, with too many Sundays spent waiting for a receiver to find the end zone.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs
10–6–11st in division
Division winner · No. 3 seed
Jadarian Price and Cam Skattebo give Seth and Ian Denson a young backfield worth getting excited about. Taking Price second overall was a big investment, and Colston Loveland adds another player who could make a real difference at his position. C.J. Stroud should be solid enough at quarterback. Jordan Addison leads a receiving group that also needs something from Ja’Kobi Lane and Antonio Williams. The Chiefs do not have to be perfect to win this division. Ten wins and a tie should do it, with a home playoff game waiting at the end.
Los Angeles Chargers
9–8–02nd in division
Misses playoffs
A.J. Brown and Sam LaPorta are the names that jump out for Dave Smith’s Chargers. TreVeyon Henderson should do most of the scoring at running back, while rookies Denzel Boston and Omar Cooper Jr. give the receiving group a chance to grow. Bryce Young and Isiah Pacheco are less reassuring. This is not one of the stronger rosters on paper, but a few close games go the right way and Los Angeles gets to 9–8. That is a good result for this group, even with New England taking the last playoff spot.
Denver Broncos
8–9–03rd in division
Misses playoffs
Lamar Jackson can cover a lot of problems, and Ed and Bob Seiden may need him to do that a few times. Jameson Williams, Chris Godwin Jr. and first-round pick Xavier Worthy give Denver a useful receiving group. The running backs are less convincing. Rico Dowdle does most of the work, with Samaje Perine projected for a much smaller share. Brenton Strange does not give the Broncos much of an edge at tight end. Denver can beat a good team when everything clicks, but 8–9 reflects how often it will need that to happen.
Las Vegas Raiders
5–11–14th in division
Misses playoffs
Drake Maye, Kenneth Walker III and Rashee Rice are a good place to start. Dave Angarola also picked up Jalen Coker in the first round, giving the Raiders another receiver who could help. The trouble is how much the rest of the roster asks of those players. Jaylen Wright and Rashod Bateman have modest projections, so a quiet day from the stars can be difficult to survive. The 5–11–1 forecast is rougher than this roster deserves on paper. A few close games going the other way would make a big difference.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
9–8–01st in division
Division winner · No. 4 seed
Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith make it fairly obvious which NFL games Jason Chillemi will be watching. When Philadelphia gets rolling, this TLFL team could be miserable to face. Travis Kelce was a first-round addition who gives Jason another familiar name to lean on. The rest of the roster is thinner: Kendrick Bourne and Jordan Whittington trail Smith by a lot, and Tyjae Spears is the second option at running back. Nine wins still take the NFC East. Nobody asks how pretty the division title was once January starts.
Dallas Cowboys
8–9–02nd in division
Misses playoffs
The Cowboys should get a lot of useful Sundays from Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift and David Montgomery. It is the receiving group that makes this harder to buy as a playoff team. Josh Downs leads the way, while Cooper Kupp and third-round pick Tank Dell need to give Jason Bart more than their projections suggest. Cade Otton is unlikely to make up the difference by himself. Dallas finishes one win behind Philadelphia at 8–9. There will probably be one particularly irritating dropped touchdown that Jason remembers longer than all the others.
Washington Commanders
8–9–03rd in division
Misses playoffs
Derrick Henry and Drake London ought to be enough to make any opponent pay attention. Alec Pierce and first-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson give Washington a pretty good receiving group behind London, too. The problem is finding points in the other spots. Kaelon Black has a small projected role, and the Atlanta quarterbacks do not offer much of an advantage. Shaun Manu and Troy Newsom will win some games that look difficult on paper, then lose one they thought they had. That sounds about right for an 8–9 season.
New York Giants
7–10–04th in division
Misses playoffs
Ashton Jeanty is the player who can make Brady and Kyle Osborne forget about the weaker spots for a few hours. Tyler Warren helps at tight end, and first-round picks Parker Washington and Deebo Samuel give the Giants a decent pair of receivers. Malik Willis adds some intrigue at quarterback. Tank Bigsby and Cyrus Allen will need to turn smaller NFL roles into enough points to matter here. The Giants have interesting players; the weekly total may still come up short too often. Seven wins put them fourth in the NFC East.
NFC North
Green Bay Packers
10–6–11st in division
Division winner · Bye · No. 1 seed
Jonathan Taylor can rescue a Sunday that is going nowhere, which is a useful quality for Andy Blair’s best player. Chris Olave and Tetairoa McMillan give Green Bay a strong receiving pair, and Jordan Love makes the top of this roster easy to like. Ray Davis is a thinner second option at running back, and the Jets’ defense does not help much on paper. Still, the schedule falls Green Bay’s way. A 10–6–1 record wins the division, and the conference tiebreakers deliver the bye. Andy should accept that gift without too many questions.
Chicago Bears
8–9–02nd in division
Misses playoffs
Luther Burden III, Brian Thomas Jr. and eighth overall pick Jordyn Tyson make Chicago an appealing team for anyone who likes watching young receivers. Adam Abzug also has Breece Hall, with Chris Rodriguez Jr. filling the other running-back spot after a second-round selection. Cam Ward needs to make progress, and T.J. Hockenson leaves the Bears behind some of the better teams at tight end. There is room for this group to beat expectations. For now, 8–9 feels fair: competitive, occasionally exciting, and still a little short of the playoffs.
Detroit Lions
6–10–13rd in division
Misses playoffs
Javonte Williams and Davante Adams give Detroit a fighting chance, with Matthew Golden adding another receiver worth watching. Jason Loscalzo and Frank Califano need those players to have plenty of good weeks, because the rest of the roster leaves some work to do. Geno Smith trails most of the starting quarterbacks in these projections, and Tommy Tremble is a tough spot at tight end. Alvin Kamara needs to make his fourth-round selection look like a bargain. There will be some good Sundays, but 6–10–1 feels more likely than a playoff run.
Minnesota Vikings
6–11–04th in division
Misses playoffs
Welcome to TLFL, Evan Linzer. Being the youngest owner by far should at least mean nobody runs out of advice for you. Evan and Sam Tabor have a good start with De’Von Achane and Zay Flowers, plus useful rushing help from Kyle Monangai. Daniel Jones needs to have a good year, and the receivers behind Flowers are a concern. First-round pick Malachi Fields could make this forecast look cautious if he comes along quickly. Six wins would be a tough introduction. Evan should keep track of exactly who enjoys that prediction the most.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10–6–11st in division
Division winner · No. 3 seed
Keith Linzer is usually an easy target for the room. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brock Purdy and first overall pick Jeremiyah Love make the football criticism a bit harder this year. Chuba Hubbard gives Love some help in the backfield after arriving early in Round 2. Pat Bryant and Chris Bell need to do enough that St. Brown is not carrying all three receiver spots himself. Ten wins and a tie take the division. Everyone will still find a reason to pick on Keith, but he might finally have a pretty good answer.
Carolina Panthers
10–7–02nd in division
Wild card · No. 5 seed
Brad Eisenstein has Bijan Robinson and Quinshon Judkins, the fourth overall pick, in the league’s best projected running-back pairing. He will presumably celebrate by trying to make a trade before anyone else has finished checking their roster. Jaylen Waddle, DK Metcalf and Khalil Shakir give Carolina plenty to work with at receiver. The Arizona quarterback slot is less exciting, but it does not need to win games on its own. Ten wins leave the Panthers behind Tampa Bay in the division. Nobody should be especially pleased to draw them in January.
New Orleans Saints
8–6–33rd in division
Wild card · No. 6 seed
Four Tabor Trophies, including the one everybody is trying to take away this year. Brian Rosengarten and Josh Dubrow have earned a little confidence, especially with Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb and DJ Moore forming the league’s best projected receiving trio. The rest is less glamorous. Brian Robinson Jr. and Malik Davis leave the Saints short at running back, and the Cleveland quarterbacks are unlikely to carry them through many quiet weeks from the receivers. An odd 8–6–3 record still gets New Orleans into the playoffs. The champions are not going away that easily.
Atlanta Falcons
6–10–14th in division
Misses playoffs
Nico Collins is the best reason to believe Atlanta could do better than this forecast. Michael Wilson and sixth overall pick Makai Lemon give him some help at receiver, and Kyle Pitts is another useful piece. Aaron Brand and Jason Simmons need much more from the backfield, though. Aaron Jones Sr. and Dylan Sampson together project for less than some teams get from one star runner. Tyler Shough can keep the Falcons competitive, but there are three difficult division rivals to get past. Six wins and a tie leave Atlanta fourth.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
10–6–11st in division
Division winner · No. 2 seed
Trey McBride nearly matches Arizona’s entire receiving trio in projected points. That is both a compliment to McBride and a fair explanation of the concern here. Bucky Irving and first-round pick MarShawn Lloyd give Paul Duer and Dave Colonna a respectable backfield, while Baker Mayfield keeps the offense moving. Tre Tucker leads the receivers, but that group needs to surprise a few people. The schedule is kind to the Cardinals, who reach 10–6–1 and win the NFC West. Paul and Dave should take the home playoff game and worry about style later.
Seattle Seahawks
9–8–02nd in division
Wild card · No. 7 seed
Josh Allen, Tee Higgins, Ladd McConkey and Mike Evans should make Seattle plenty of fun to watch. They will need to be, because Braelon Allen and Emmett Johnson have the smallest combined running-back projection in the league. Gunnar Helm does not offer much cover at tight end, either. Jason Rosengarten and Justin Oland are going to ask a lot of their quarterback and receivers. Some weeks, those four will be happy to oblige. Nine wins squeeze the Seahawks into the last NFC wild-card spot, where nobody gets points for having looked comfortable getting there.
Los Angeles Rams
8–9–03rd in division
Misses playoffs
Cliff Lee thought Scott was rushing only him at the draft. With Justin Jefferson and Kyren Williams already on the roster, perhaps the commissioner just wanted to see who Cliff would put around them. Kenneth Gainwell arrived in Round 1, Dalton Kincaid helps at tight end, and Bo Nix gives the Rams a respectable quarterback. Seattle’s defense is another plus. Germie Bernard and Jack Bech need to do enough behind Jefferson. An 8–9 finish is disappointing for this group, but at least Cliff will have a new complaint when the draft-clock discussion gets old.
San Francisco 49ers
5–12–04th in division
Misses playoffs
Dak Prescott is the best reason to expect San Francisco to hang around in games. Russell Bank spent first-round picks on KC Concepcion and Zachariah Branch, giving him two young receivers to watch alongside Romeo Doubs. Hunter Henry should chip in, but the backfield is a worry. Zach Charbonnet and Mike Washington Jr. trail most of the league’s running-back pairs in these projections. The rookies need to help quickly, and even that might not be enough every week. Five wins is a harsh forecast, though there is a better team here if a few things break right.
Projected playoffs
Road to the Tabor Trophy
AFC
1 RavensBye
Wild card
-
2 Bills Advances
7 Patriots
-
3 Chiefs Advances
6 Jets
-
4 Jaguars
5 Dolphins Advances
Divisional
-
1 Ravens Advances
5 Dolphins
-
2 Bills Advances
3 Chiefs
Conference championships
-
1 Ravens Advances
2 Bills
NFC
1 PackersBye
Wild card
-
2 Cardinals Advances
7 Seahawks
-
3 Buccaneers Advances
6 Saints
-
4 Eagles Advances
5 Panthers
Divisional
-
1 Packers
4 Eagles Advances
-
2 Cardinals
3 Buccaneers Advances
Conference championships
-
3 Buccaneers Advances
4 Eagles
Projected Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Baltimore Ravens
Keith Linzer wins the TLFL Super Bowl. Please allow the rest of the league a moment. The playoff drafts do the heavy lifting. Tampa Bay gets Derrick Henry in the divisional round, adds Lamar Jackson before the conference championship, then picks up Puka Nacua and Blake Corum for the Super Bowl. Baltimore counters with Kyren Williams, Davante Adams and Matthew Stafford, but Keith gets a little more out of his nine players. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jeremiyah Love help get Keith to January; the playoff drafts finish the job. The jokes will continue. Keith will just have the Tabor Trophy to point at.