NFC Predictions 2026-27

Ladies and gentlemen, after far too long... the Pro Sports League Podcast is back! We took a summer off after the NHL Playoffs as pro sports went into their shared offseasons. We also celebrated our accurately predicted Stanley Cup Champions (Carolina Hurricanes) and some other life achievements. Now, it's back to work. We're back with another season of NFL Predictions and starting it off with the elite NFC Conference. We hope you enjoy our concise yet expert analysis of all 16 teams, and be on the lookout for the AFC Predictions coming soon!

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

Payton: (10-7) - 2nd place

It’s a good time to be a Cowboys fan. Jerry Jones did an impressive job this offseason to fix what was a putrid defense in 2025. Caleb Downs will go down as the best player in this draft class, mark my words. I like EDGE Rashan Gary to have a career resurgence in Dallas and DT Quinnen Williams should thrive in the new 3-4 defense. I’m calling their opener at NYG a must win. Returning all 11 starters on a top 5 offense. Is Dak elite? Maybe…

Bell Ringer: (12-5) - 1st Place

If someone didn’t show up to work for 30 years straight, you would be right to assume they wouldn’t show up after 31. The last time the Cowboys made the NFC champ game was 1996. But for many reasons, I think this is the year they go back. A great O-Line, two elite WRs, a savvy QB, and a revamped defense are the makings of a deep run.

New York Giants

Payton: (7-10) - 3rd place

I freaking love the Harbaugh brothers. Unfortunately, this leads me to overhype their teams every year, so I’m going to pump the breaks on the Giants despite how young and exciting they are. Carving out a role for top pick LB Arvell Reese and a second year leap for rusher Abdul Carter are must haves. Physical mismatch WR Malachi Fields out of Notre Dame was a brilliant draft pick. Look for the Giants to go on a run midseason against an easy schedule. Don’t be surprised if they win the division… next year.

Bell Ringer: (5-12) - 3rd Place

While everyone is hyped up about Coach Harbaugh and his gang of young, fiery players, I become a bit skeptical. The team is still very hollow. A bad O-Line, trading away D-Line pieces, a QB that doesn’t protect himself, and much much more. They’ve been bad for a long time. I unfortunately think that trend will continue for another year.

Philadelphia Eagles

Payton: (11-6) - 1st place

The Jalen Hurts slander is nonsensical and unintelligent. He’s had 5 offensive coordinators in 5 seasons. For comparison, Tom Brady had OC Josh McDaniels for 9 straight in New England. This is gonna be a dang good football team, provided a healthy offensive line. Rookie WR Makai Lemon out of USC needs to deliver as AJ Brown’s replacement on the inside. Don’t miss Week 3 Monday Night Football at Chicago and Week 4 at home against the Rams.

Bell Ringer: (11-6) - 2nd Place

Ever since they whooped the Chiefs 40-6 in the Super Bowl, the Eagles have significantly regressed. Locker room issues, on-field fights, and general mishaps have plagued this team. I still think they have one of the better defenses in the league, but a tough schedule will keep them out of the playoffs via head-to-head tiebreakers.

Washington Commanders

Payton: (4-13) - 4th place

Don’t punish yourself by watching the Commanders this season. The skill positions are borderline unplayable, with Terry McLaurin being the lone bright spot. To make matters worse, LT Laremy Tunsil is out for the year with a nasty tricep injury. Get out soon Jayden Daniels, Washington is where careers, and our tax dollars, go to die.

Bell Ringer: (4-13) - 4th Place

QB Jayden Daniels’s sensational rookie season ended with a beatdown in the NFC champ game. The year after, he and his team were hampered by injuries. This year, they’re about as thin as you can get. They’ve lost explosiveness with age and injuries, and they haven’t replenished much. I think they’re lacking in a lot of areas.

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears

Payton: (12-5) - 1st place

Begrudgingly, I was right when I said that the Bears are the new Chiefs. Caleb to Colston is Mahomes to Kelce 2.0. Watch out for RB Kyle Monangai - in this league of multi-millionaires, he runs like the rent is due. I’m concerned about where the season-ending injury of key offseason acquisition S Coby Bryant leaves what was already a very patchy defense, and on a broader level, the talks of the Bears moving to Indiana are a distraction. But even so, this offense can shred its way deep into the postseason. Chicago will finally have a 4,000 yard passer!

Bell Ringer: (11-6) - 2nd Place

The Bears thrilled fans in Caleb Williams’s sophomore season, which included winning the NFC North and making it to the Divisional Round. A large part of their success hinged upon his ability to extend plays and their defense playing lights out. Unfortunately, that same defense has been shelled out, but the pieces are still there.

Detroit Lions

Payton: (11-6) - 2nd place

It was all Ben Johnson. Period. Their 9-8 record last year was good enough for dead last in the NFC North. Good news? A cupcake schedule for the Lions in ‘26. I really like what they did overhauling the offensive line through the draft and free agency - Jared Goff got harassed last year. Bad news? The secondary is ravaged with injuries and former CB Terrion Arnold kidnapped people in the offseason. This franchise has been getting consumed by a slow burn ever since Dan Campbell’s meltdown against the Niners in the NFC title game.

Bell Ringer: (12-5) - 1st Place

Their disappointing season last year can be blamed on the sheer amount of turnover they had with players and coaching staff, but you can’t keep a good man down. HC Dan Campbell is setting up the Lions for a bounceback. If they can get back to their high-scoring ways, then this team will be hard to keep up with. I like what I see.

Green Bay Packers

Payton: (10-7) - 3rd place

Spreading doom and gloom about the Green Bay Packers has become the most popular thing since sliced bread this offseason. People forget that at halftime of the game against the Broncos in December, this was the best team in football. Now, will the playoff loss against Chicago haunt me until my dying breath? Yes. But none of that will matter when the two best players on this team, Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft, return to full strength. DC Jonathan Gannon is going to elevate the defense significantly. No one is gonna want to play these guys in the wild card round.

Bell Ringer: (7-10) - 4th Place

This is my hot take of the year. I think the Packers finally collapse. They’ve held onto dear life, sneaking in as the #7 seed 3 years in a row, but this year is far too competitive. With injuries, off the field issues, and a coach that always calls the wrong play, a lot has to go right in Green Bay. Although, their trend is quite the opposite.

Minnesota Vikings

Payton: (6-11) - 4th place

If you ever feel like you’re bad at your job, just remember that this franchise gave away SB champ Sam Darnold for… ahem… JJ McCarthy… who has since been replaced by the even more diminutive Kyler Murray. Week 1 is enormous taking on Green Bay at home, followed by road trips against Chicago and Tampa. It’s impossible to come back from down 0-3 in the NFC.

Bell Ringer: (8-9) - 3rd Place

Two words: who knows? The Vikings’ struggles can be blamed on a front office that routinely shoots itself in the foot. Just when things are going their way, they steer the team off a cliff and start over. I don’t get it. They have some superstar players, but with age and a poor supporting cast, it’s hard to have much faith in Skol Nation.

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons

Payton: (7-10) - 4th place

I can’t believe it’s been 8 straight losing seasons for Atlanta! Kevin Stefanski is going to right the ship, but not this year. You just can’t operate in today’s NFL without an elite starting quarterback. According to reports out of camp, Tua has already played himself out of the starting job, leaving the other oft-injured lefty Michael Penix set to take over after a few weeks, possibly even right away, despite being in the process of recovering from an ACL tear. All the other pieces are in place centering around All-Pro RB Bijan Robinson. Once maligned TE Kyle Pitts finally broke out last season. New GM and former Falcon QB Matt Ryan will be fighting the urge to come down from the box and suit up.

Bell Ringer: (6-11) - 4th Place

I was really high on the Falcons last year, but like always, they disappointed. This year it’s hard to justify either way of thinking about them. Will they excel and play up to their potential, or will they come crashing down once again? We don’t know. The locker room and QB situation are quite disfunctional, so I will err on the side of caution this time.

Carolina Panthers

Payton: (7-10) - 3rd place

The divisional champs were just a sliver away from pulling off an inexplicable wild card round upset against the LA Rams. Their reward? A murderous schedule. Also, I just don’t understand the hype - objectively this is a bottom 10 skill position group led by a game manager at best in QB Bryce Young behind an offensive line experiencing major turnover. Hard ceiling, low floor for Carolina.

Bell Ringer: (7-10) - 2nd Place

Hmm, this one stings a bit. I really want to pick Carolina to win this division again, but with a grueling schedule and preseason injuries, they’re hard to predict. The Panthers proved to be a tough out last postseason, especially with their top-rated pass defense. I think they will shine again, but I don’t know if the magic is still there.

New Orleans Saints

Payton: (9-8) - 2nd place

Every Sunday is gonna feel like Mardi Gras with Tyler Shough at QB. The Saints won 4 out of their last 5 and will be by far the most fun team to watch in this dreadful division. Free agent signee RB Travis Etienne will lighten the load for Alvin Kamara and juice up this offense. I don’t like their opening slate at Detroit and at Baltimore. The matchup against Pittsburgh in Paris feels like a must win. HC and play caller Kellen Moore will light up the NFC South for years to come. Dome football is fun!

Bell Ringer: (9-8) - 1st Place

I reluctantly pick the Saints to win the division this year not because they’re a good team, but because everyone else in this division is too volatile. On paper, the Aints are .500. With a little luck, I think they push it to 9 wins, which will be just enough to sneak into the playoffs. They’ve got a good core of young players that are poised to break out.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Payton: (9-8) - 1st place

This is a really good football team that got completely obliterated by injuries in 2025.

I still like their WR corps of Godwin and Egbuka, despite losing franchise player Mike Evans in free agency. The Bucs got the steal of the draft with Miami Hurricane EDGE Reuben Bain falling all the way to Tampa at pick 15. One might even say it was piracy… I’ll see myself out. New LB Alex Anzalone was team captain in Detroit and will set a relentless tone for this defense. TE Cade Otton needs to produce at a much higher level. Baker will play himself into a new contract behind a healthy offensive line.

Bell Ringer: (7-10) - 3rd Place

Are you noticing a trend? This division is consistently the wackiest in all of football. Incompetency, flashes of greatness, and unpredictability are common descriptors. While the Bucs have some good pieces, their hesitancy to commit to anybody long-term has me worried. I think a poor start to the year will signal a significant impending overhaul.

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals

Payton: (2-15) - 4th place

As a Packers fan, I often ask myself “what could possibly be more depressing than rooting for a team coached by Matt LaFleur?” Today, I have the answer. Rooting for a team coached by the second best in the LaFleur family. Mike LaFleur’s tenure in Arizona began with starting QB Jacoby Brissett holding out for more money. I realize that this might seem confusing for those that have seen Brissett play the sport of football, but when your next best option is Carson Beck, I suppose you get desperate.

Bell Ringer: (3-14) - 4th Place

I mean at some point you just have to feel bad for them. Being stuck in a division with these 3 giants of the NFL? Yikes. The Cardinals legacy of failure to field winning teams and develop players has plagued them for over 100 years. With this roster up against the hardest schedule in all of football, they’ll be lucky to win 3 games all season.

Los Angeles Rams

Payton: (14-3) - 1st place

Aaron Donald, Myles Garret, Trent McDuffie - quite the offseason for a team that was already a whisker away from the NFC title. If the Lombardi was handed out in August, it would be heading to LA. Second round pick TE Max Klare is a guy that really stood out to me at Ohio State, adding depth to a stacked position group that the evil genius Sean McVay is using to exploit and smash defenses. The Rams didn’t do much to address their Achilles heel from 2025 - the special teams room. The only other opponent that can stop them is injuries.

Bell Ringer: (14-3) - 1st Place

What more needs to be said? They’re a superteam. There are too many star players to even name for this short article. Their defense might go down in history as the best one ever assembled, and QB Matt Stafford is aging like fine wine. My only concern is the strength of their O-Line, but they’ll run circles around every opponent they face.

San Francisco 49ers

Payton: (10-7) - 3rd place

I hear the Bell Ringer’s concerns (the injuries have been staggering - with first round EDGE Mykel Williams and WR Chrsitian Kirk already on the IR to start the year). But, the Niners can lean heavily on their leadership this season. Key FA signee WR Mike Evans is a pro’s pro, setting a drastically different tone than the locker room cancers of old (Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk). LB’s Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw will hold this defense together in light of DC Robert Saleh’s well deserved departure to coach the Titans. I’m looking out for Ole Miss wideout De’Zhuan Stribling and trade acquisition DL Osa Odghizuwa to play key roles.

Bell Ringer: (11-6) - 3rd Place

This is a risk. As a lifelong 49ers fan, I can’t help but notice the glaring holes on this team (O-Line) on top of a tumultuous offseason. They’re an experienced team, which is proven to be beneficial, but they need some more young playmakers to put them over the top. Championships aren’t won by scraping by with old players and limited depth.

Seattle Seahawks

Payton: (12-5) - 2nd place

I feel like the Seahawks flew under the radar more than any Super Bowl champ in my lifetime. Head coach Mike Macdonald sets the tone for this organization and deserves all the credit in the world. Seattle is drama free, and the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. Much has been made of RB Kenneth Walker’s FA exit to Kansas City, but I think first round workhorse RB Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame very adequately fills that hole. There are no weaknesses on this roster, all the way down to K Jason Myers and the best special teams unit in football.

Bell Ringer: (13-4) - 2nd Place

The reigning champs are being counted out by a lot of people, in my opinion. While everyone is enamored with the Rams, I think Seattle is quietly primed for another deep run. The league’s best defense lost a few pieces, but the core is intact. The offense won’t be outdone either as they return a majority of that Super Bowl starting lineup.

Predicted Playoff Bracket

Payton

1. Rams

2. Bears

3. Eagles

4. Bucs

5. Seahawks

6. Lions

7. Cowboys

NFC Champion: Rams

Bell Ringer

1. Rams

2. Lions

3. Cowboys

4. Saints

5. Seahawks

6. Bears

7. 49ers

NFC Champion: Rams

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