Since last year, the National Football League (NFL) has undergone major changes. Teams that once found themselves among the top of the rankings are now not even in contention, injuries have affected nearly every team and playoff tensions have been heating up.
The American Football Conference (AFC) has a complete new look from last year. The two teams that had the best (Chiefs) and the third best (Ravens) records in the AFC are now eliminated and fighting for a spot, having the biggest fall-off between the years. As well, teams that once were at the bottom have now shot up to the top and are dominating, Jaguars and the Patriots.
Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs found themselves tied for the best record in the NFL pre-playoffs, making a run that would eventually end in the Super Bowl as they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. Nevertheless, a phenomenal season. This year though, the Chiefs have not found themselves in such a spot. Now out of the playoffs following a loss to the Chargers in week 15 they will have to come back stronger next year. While they haven’t had too much injury trouble, outside of key player Rashee Rice who has just made a return, they just have not been executing. They have an 18 percent late game execution rate, the lowest in years, and are averaging 3.7 yards per carry. 30th in the NFL, they are simply not doing what they need to do to win games. While they are struggling, it is not all impossible to return to the status and dominance they have had the past few years.
Another team finds themself fighting for a playoff spot: the Baltimore Ravens. Yet not as bad as the Chiefs, they still must put up a fight if they want to make the playoffs. Coming off a 12-5 season in 2024, winning the American Football Conference (AFC) North division, winning their first Wild Card game, they would eventually fall short to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round. This year, they have found success after starting with a 1-5 record and they have gone on a tear going 5-2 these past weeks to put them at 6-7. Their best chance to give themselves a taste of what they had last year would be to win out the AFC North, meaning beating the rest of their opponents, those of which include the three top teams:the Patriots, Packers and Steelers. If they were to not win out, they would need the Steelers to lose most of the rest of their games. Mainly the big thing is beating their divisional rivals: the Steelers and the Bengals; they would then win the tiebreaker over teams like the Colts and the Texans if they continue to play how they are playing. The Ravens are yet another team that if they can put it all together, they have a good chance to restore themselves as a top team in the NFL.
The Jaguars went from having a 4-13 record in the 2024-2025 season, not making the playoffs, having one of the worst records in the league, to now being at the top of the AFC South. New head coach, Liam Coen is credited with the team’s come up, with his implementation of the philosophy FAST (Fundamentally Sound, Attacking, Situational Masters, and Tough). Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has found a rhythm, star running back Travis Etienne has been incredible, their offensive and defensive line has been top-notch and their defense has been letting up less points. With their progress from last year to now, they are looking for a deep playoff run which is most definitely in the cards for them.
Zero to hero; the New England Patriots are now looking like one of the best teams in the league. The Patriots have been mediocre the past couple years, seemingly always towards the bottom of the league. That is the complete opposite of what has been happening this year. The Patriots are 11-3, leading the AFC East and being tied for the second best record in the league. Their quarterback, Drake Maye, has been playing at MVP (Most Valuable Player) pace. The pieces around him; TreVeyon Henderson and Stefon Diggs, have been efficient. Their defense is proving to be one of the hardest in the league. All of this is making them one of the best teams in the league and giving them a shot to potentially win the Super Bowl.
The National Football Conference (NFC) has had a near identical amount of change as the AFC. The Commanders, Vikings and Lions all have either totally been eliminated from the playoffs or are fighting for a spot. Whereas the Bears have found success this year, proving to be a tough team in the league. Some are more comfortable in their position than others, whereas teams like the Commanders and the Vikings have already been completely eliminated.
In the 2024-2025 season, the Minnesota Vikings went 14-3, clinching the Wild Card, although then going on to lose that game. Having their best record in the past decade, fans held optimism. That would end on December 14, 2025 when the Browns lost to the Bears, fully eliminating them from their chances of making the playoffs, with their record of 6-8. A big change that altered their success was their quarterback position. Last year they had Sam Darnold who had a breakout year after rookie J.J. McCarthy was injured. Having a career revival, leading the Vikings, he would come short to the Rams eventually leading the Vikings to make the decision to allow him to sign to a new team (the Seahawks) in the offseason. Figuring their 10th overall pick, McCarthy, would be ready to step in this year, the future didn’t look all too bad. That is until they started to play. McCarthy has been mediocre, to say the least, being far below average in nearly every category. Still, he is young and the team has promising pieces, but will they be able to bounce back next year?
On a more personal note, the team most of us root for, the Washington Commanders, have been eliminated from contention. Finding themselves at the bottom of the league year after year they erupted in the 2024-2025 season, fans among the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) were once again prideful for the team that represented them. Behind the leadership of new head coach, Dan Quinn, the performance of star rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, roster depth and grit, the team made it to the NFC Championship before getting eliminated. Still, they fostered a great season looking forward to going even further this 2025-2026 season. This would not end up being the case as the Commanders are now 4-10 and out of the playoffs. They have been injury-ridden; quarterback Jayden Daniels, tight end Zach Ertz, star wide receiver Terry Mclaurin and a mix of other crucial players have all missed significant time. Having roughly the same team, fans would have hoped this to be the year Washington could have brought home a Super Bowl. There is still a lot to look forward to, with a bad record a high pick will be secured, we will still have the same pieces, as long as injuries don’t haunt us again the 2026 season could go very well in our favor. Fans continue to hold optimism for what is to come ahead!
The Detroit Lions held a 15-2 record last season, tied with the Chiefs for the best in the league. However when it came to the playoffs, they did not perform. Being the one seed and losing in the first round the Commanders was a horrible way to go out. After this, their offensive and defensive coordinator both left, leaving them with their head coach and new coordinators to try and bring them back to where they were. This would not turn out so well as they have been a lot less inefficient on both sides of the ball compared to last year. This, paired with injuries on the offensive and defensive line, have made them not as good as they were last year. While they still have a pretty good chance to make the playoffs, the inconsistency and struggles they have been having may not take them that far.
The Chicago Bears have gone from being the bottom of the league to now being in the lead of the NFC North. They have a complete new coaching staff, a top-tier offensive line, an elite running back duo in D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai and quarterback Caleb Williams is emerging as a threat. After years of being mediocre, Chicago finally has something to look forward to assuming the Bears keep this path.
With only two teams being locked in for the playoffs, them being the Rams and the Broncos, and twelve teams officially eliminated, that would leave 18 teams and with there being 14 in the playoffs, a lot is still able to happen.
