Although the New England Patriots were defeated 29–13 by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, it does not put an end to their remarkable season. They improved from 4–13 and last place in the AFC East in 2024 to 14–3 in 2025 and became division champions and conference champions.
The Chicago Bears also moved from worst to first in the NFC North this season, going from 5-12 a year ago to 11-6 this season.
The bottom eight teams in their respective divisions are hoping to have similar success to what the Patriots and Bears achieved. Here is our ranking of the teams that have the best chances of moving from worst to first in their respective divisions next season.
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1. New York Giants (4-13)
The New York Giants have two things in common that propelled the Patriots and Bears from worst to first. They upgraded their head coaching position with the addition of John Harbaugh, and they have a talented quarterback who is entering his second year in Jackson Dart.
Often, quarterbacks make their biggest jumps from one year to the next, and with Malik Nabors coming back from a torn ACL, we should see a huge jump in Dart's production. In addition to Dart and Nabors, the Giants have talented players such as Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas.
The NFC East is winnable as both the Eagles and Cowboys have taken a step back this season, and the Commanders have a roster that is starting to show their age at certain positions. Big Blue will add an impact player with the fifth overall selection in the draft, giving them the best chance of going from worst to first.
2. New Orleans Saints (6-11)
Although they finished in last place in the NFC South with a 6–11 record, they finished the year strong, winning four of their last five games, including wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the division winners, the Carolina Panthers. In his 11 starts, rookie quarterback Tyler Shaw showed steady improvement as the season progressed and had three games with a passer rating over 100.
Head coach Kellen Moore is entering his second year on the job, and he and Shaw will have better command of the team in 2026. The team will likely add an offensive playmaker with the eighth overall selection to help boost their offense, which was ranked 23rd.third.
The best sign for the Saints' chances of winning the division is that there is no dominant team in the NFC South, as the other three teams finished 8-9 this season.
3. Detroit Lions (9-8)
The Lions were perhaps the most disappointing team this year as they missed the playoffs after winning the NFC North the previous two seasons. Poor offensive line play, losing safety Brian Branch to a torn Achilles tendon, and losing five of their last eight games ultimately cost them their chance to make the playoffs.
The Lions have two of the best skill position players in the league in Jahmir Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but for whatever reason, the team doesn't live up to expectations. It was clear that losing both of their coordinators played a big role in their regression.
If they replace some pieces on the offensive line and defense, they should contend for the division crown. However, they are in the most competitive division in the NFL as every team in the division had a winning record.
4. Cleveland Browns (5-12)
The Browns are hoping newly minted head coach Todd Monken can help turn the team's fortunes around. The biggest positive for the Browns is that they have one of the best defenses in the league, led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year and single-season sack king Myles Garrett. The bad news is that they had the 30th ranked passing offense and 31st ranked passing offense.
The Browns have two selections (6 and 24) in the first round.th Overall), which should result in two immediate impact players. What is good for Cleveland is that the two teams that dominate the division, the Steelers and Ravens, are going through coaching changes as Mike McCarthy is replacing Mike Tomlin, and Jesse Minter is replacing John Harbaugh.
If they can get better quarterback play from Shadure Sanders or whoever will be under center, it wouldn't be a shock to see them at the top of the AFC North.
5. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
New head coach Robert Saleh has the task of rebuilding a Titans team that has gone 6-28 over the past two seasons. This will be Saleh's second stint as an NFL head coach, and one thing we know from his background is that the Titans' defense will be much improved.
Saleh hired former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll as the team's new offensive coordinator and turned around an offense that was ranked 31st.scheduled tribe In the league. Daboll's top duty will be to help develop quarterback Cam Ward, in the same way he helped develop Josh Allen when he was offensive coordinator with the Bills.
Despite the experienced coaching staff, the Titans lacked talent compared to the rest of the division, which had two playoff teams in the Jaguars and Texans. No matter how much Ward improves in year two, it's hard to see them breaking ahead of the rest of the AFC South next season.
6. New York Jets (3-14)
The first year of the Aaron Glenn regime was an epic disaster as the defense failed to record an interception for the entire season, and their quarterback situation was as shaky as any team in the league with Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor. The Jets ranked last in passing offense (140.3 yards per game), and right now, it's anyone's guess who will be under center in Week 1. Additionally, the Jets' minus-203-point differential was the worst in the league.
The Jets currently have the second and 16th overall selections in the draft and they have a ton of options they can do with those selections. One positive for the Jets is that the other teams in the division have question marks of their own. Despite making it to Super Bowl LX, the first-place schedule will be tough for the New England Patriots after having one of the easiest schedules in the last quarter of a century. Both the Bills and Dolphins have new first-time NFL head coaches in Joe Brady and Jeff Hafley.
All that being said, it's highly unlikely the Jets will be able to compete with the Patriots and Bills.
7. Las Vegas Raiders (3-14)
The Raiders have the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, where they are expected to take Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza from Indiana. The Raiders have arguably the best tight end in football in Brock Bowers, and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty showed promise despite running behind a poor offensive line.
But other than Bowers and Jeanty, there isn't much positive going on with the silver and black. crime ended 32Ra in the league, and the Pro Bowl defensive end has been the subject of trade rumors after the team placed him on IR at the end of 2025.
The biggest reason we don't see the Raiders go from worst to first with rookie head coach Clint Kubiak is that this division is just too talented. The Broncos were the number one seed in the playoffs, and if Bo Nix had not been injured in a 33–30 divisional round victory over the Buffalo Bills, they probably would have been in the Super Bowl. The Chargers will be better off with Rashawn Slater and Joe Ault at starting tackle and the Chiefs will recover from missing the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era when he returns to action. The Raiders will once again look to finish in the basement of the AFC West.
8. Arizona Cardinals (3-14)
It would take a major miracle for the Cardinals to go from worst to first in the NFC West in 2026. Not only did the other three teams, including the defending Super Bowl Champions Seattle Seahawks, make the playoffs, and a case can be made that the Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers are the three best teams in the NFC.
Rookie head coach Mike LaFleur has a lot on his plate as he takes over a team that lost 14 of its last 15 games in 2025, and it is rumored the team may try to move on from quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason. Trey McBride is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, but teams are still waiting for Marvin Harrison Jr. to show the talent he showed in college. This would be the longest shot for the Cardinals to win the NFC West next season and could miss the division for the second year in a row.
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