Believe it or not, the NFL season is now less than 10 weeks away, and training camps heat up at the end of the month. The Los Angeles Rams are widely expected to win the Super Bowl, especially after acquiring Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns.
And with the NFL season lurking around the bend, here are some bold takes to ponder.
1. The Patriots Miss the Playoffs
New England had one of the easiest schedules in NFL history last year — luck of the draw — and that won’t happen again in 2026. The quarterbacking faltered in the AFC Championship and during the Super Bowl, but nobody seemed to care.
The Patriots won’t replicate their 2025 campaign, instead finishing 9-8 or 8-9 and missing the tournament in January.
2. Patrick Mahomes Wins MVP Are you buying the smoke that smells like Josh Allen as the best quarterback in the NFL? That’s fair — he’s fantastic. But we’re quick to write Mahomes’s obituary. He will return, throw for 35-40 touchdowns, and voters will be eager to vote for him again as the MVP because of his adversity with injuries.
3. Sam LaPorta Traded to Patriots
The Patriots’ main tight end, Hunter Henry, is decent and actually played well in 2025. However, the Detroit Lions may not have the cash flow to extend LaPorta, who is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027.
In New England, he can pair with Drake Maye for the next 4-5 years. Everybody wins — besides the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets.
4. The Cowboys Overtake the Eagles in NFC East
There’s something wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles, and 2026 may be when all the symptoms come to a head. The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, have spent the 2026 offseason improving their defense. Dak Prescott is solid, Javonte Williams cooked in 2025, and the aerial playmaking is there. Dallas will surpass Philadelphia. The NFC East never stays in one form for very long.
5. The Packers Get the 8th Seed in NFC, Not Customary 7th
Green Bay has netted the seventh seed in the NFC for three straight seasons: 2023, 2024, and 2025. Is that sweet consistency, making the playoffs annually? Or getting lucky because the seventh seed didn’t show up until recently?
Regardless, the Packers will regress, earn the eighth seed, and search for answers in the 2027 offseason.
6. De’Von Achane Wins the Rushing Crown
The Dolphins have no business passing the ball much in 2026: their main pass-catchers are Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and Greg Dulcich. Out of necessity, Miami will run the football at an impressive clip, and Achane is the right guy for the assignment.
He’ll total over 1,600 rushing yards and win the crown. 7. Mac Jones Saves Somebody’s Season
The San Francisco 49ers are hanging onto Jones in case something happens injury-wise to Brock Purdy, a fair plan. But as the trade deadline looms in November, San Francisco will price-gouge Jones, who will be a free agent in March 2027, sending him to a club with an injured QB1.
There’s no way to know which team it is, but Jones will revive that squad’s postseason aspirations and will not disappoint.
8. Shane Steichen Is the First Coach Fired
The Colts are all-in to win a Super Bowl, particularly after trading two 1st-rounders for cornerback Sauce Gardner before the deadline last year. They’re also entrusting Daniel Jones to lead them to the Promised Land, and he’s coming off a torn Achilles, an injury without a straightforward recovery outlook.
By November, Indianapolis will have a 3-7 record or so and fire Steichen after four seasons. CBS Sports Jordan Dajani wrote last week, “The Colts had two major goals this offseason: extend Jones and pay wide receiver Alec Pierce. They accomplished both, as Jones signed a two-year, $88 million deal while Pierce became the highest-paid free-agent wide receiver in NFL history with a four-year, $116 million contract.”
“Jones is coming off the best season of his career while Pierce has established himself as an elite deep threat, but the question has to be asked: Are both players worth these contracts, and can they get the Colts back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020? If not, Indy could make a change at head coach.” Indianapolis is 25-26 on Steichen’s watch, ranking 19th in the league since 2023 in win percentage. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon will realize that’s not very good and put her handpicked coach in the saddle.
Sportsbooks expect the Colts to finish 7-10 or 8-9 this season.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
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