The 8 Most Likely NFL Playoff Party-Crashers in 2026

The NFL is a zero-sum business. Sure, you will hear talk of incremental improvement and moral victories, but that talk almost always comes from teams that have done little of the only thing that matters—winning. Winning the final game of the season.

Winning a Super Bowl.

That's the ultimate goal of every team. But in order to even have the opportunity to win Super Bowl LXI, teams first have to make the postseason tournament. For 18 NFL teams, that's not going to happen—there are only 14 seats at the playoff pagoda.

Every team listed in this article knows this all too well—none of the teams listed here made the playoffs in 2025. For some, that was a shocking disappointment. For others, it was sadly business as usual.

But there is turnover in the postseason each and every year. Sometimes a lot. The teams in this piece have all improved in 2026.

And when this year playoff party begins, each has a genuine chance of crashing the festivities.

Detroit Lions

AP Photo/Ryan Sun

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Two years ago, the Detroit Lions had the best regular season in franchise history, winning 15 games and capturing the No. 1 seed in the NFC. But in 2025, the Lions lost their coordinators on both sides of the ball to head coaching jobs. The team backslid both offensively and defensively. And after dropping three of their last four games, the Lions finished the season 9-8 and out of the postseason.

However, the Lions remain a talented team not all that different from that 15-win squad. And while speaking to reporters, star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said that he expects the Lions to rebound in 2026.

"We've got a bunch of guys on our team, so when you've got the nucleus that we have, I think you always have a shot at the big one. So, we've just got to put it together," he said. "We've got some free agents, signed some good guys, drafted some good guys so we've got the coaches," he said. "We've got to put the work in. OTAs, training camp, end of season, it's going to be tough things that happen throughout the season, but if you can overcome those, I think we'll be fine."

A Detroit offense led by quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and St. Brown was fifth in yards and points per game even in a "down" 2025. If rookie tackle Blake Miller is a quick study, the offensive line could be among the best in the NFL. And while the defense isn't great, it also isn't a major liability.

It won't take that much improvement in 2026 to get Detroit back in the postseason.

Baltimore Ravens

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

Since the arrival of quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens have been perennial contenders in the AFC North. Prior to last year, the Ravens had missed the postseason just once since Jackson was drafted in 2018. The team won four division titles over that span.

But in 2025, a leaky defense led to a 1-5 start and an eight-win season that cost long-time head coach John Harbaugh his job. Now, the team is Jesse Minter's to coach, and Harbaugh's firing sent a clear message—it's playoffs or bust for the Ravens in 2026.

Minter was hired in large part due to his defensive acumen, and he made it clear while addressing the media that fixing that defense is the team's first priority this offseason.

"You can't play this game quiet, and you can't play this game with doubt, and you can't play this game without knowing what you're doing. From a defensive standpoint, we should be the loudest, most crazy, obnoxious communicating unit in the history of football," Minter said. "The whole idea is that when you do it over and over again, you do it here, you do it every play, it doesn't matter if it's the first play of the season, a game in December, or a game in February. That's the standard of how we operate, and we lead ourselves to success."

If the addition of veterans like edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson and safety Jaylinn Hawkins and rookies like edge-rusher Zion Young can fortify a defense that has been bottom-three against the pass each of the past two years, the Ravens have the talent to be a factor in the AFC North.

As a matter of fact, the team is the betting favorite to win the division in 2026.

Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/David Dermer

Bengals QB Joe Burrow

Back in 2021, the Cincinnati Bengals were the AFC representative in Super Bowl LVI. But in each of the last three seasons, the Bengals have missed the playoffs—including a 6-11 2025 campaign in which quarterback Joe Burrow missed over half the season and the defense was atrocious.

Fortifying the defense was the focus of the offseason in the Queen City. There will be at least three new starters on the defensive line after the Bengals signed edge-rusher Boye Mafe and tackle Jonathan Allen in free agency and sent the 10th overall pick in this year's draft to the New York Giants for tackle Dexter Lawrence. Cincinnati also added help on the back end in veteran safety Bryan Cook.

Burrow is healthy again, and in an interview with Vanity Fair he said that the team's defensive overhaul hasn't gone unnoticed.

"I'm really excited about the moves we made this offseason," Burrow told the publication. "We need to get better, so it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization to realize that we're in this exciting stage. We're in our primes playing great football. Finding guys like Dexter and Bryan Cook and Boye [Mafe], to, you know, really solidify that defense so the young guys can also kind of rise up. We're really going to try to achieve what we want to achieve."

The Bengals have as much offensive firepower as any team in the league. If they can field even an average defense, this is a team that will pose problems for opponents this season.

Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

Calling the Kansas City Chiefs a playoff "party crasher" would have seemed laughable at this time a year ago. The Chiefs were coming off an appearance in Super Bowl LIX and a decade of dominating the AFC West that included three Lombardi trophies.

But in 2025, the close games the Chiefs won the year before turned into defeats. MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15. And Kansas City dropped their last six games on the way to their worst regular season since winning just two games in 2012.

The health of Mahomes has been the dominant storyline surrounding the Chiefs this offseason. But while talking to reporters, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said that Mahomes' rehab is progressing well.

"He's way ahead of schedule," Veach said. "I think the biggest challenge that we're going to have is protecting him from himself. I'm sure when we get to St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp, he's gonna want to be full go, but we are going to have to hold him back a little. And again, I don't want to put a timetable on it, but I think you guys know the type of person and competitor that Pat is. I would just say, we are in a really good place right now."

The Chiefs aren't without issues, including a defensive backfield that lost three starters in the offseason. But if Mahomes is out there in Week 1 and anywhere close to 100 percent, the Chiefs will be in the mix in the AFC West.

Because they are the Chiefs.

New York Giants

AP Photo/Jerome Miron

Giants WR Malik Nabers

Last year, the New England Patriots made a massive leap forward from a 4-13 tomato can in 2023 and 2024 to 14 wins and a berth in Super Bowl LX in 2025.

This isn't to say that the New York Giants are going to win the NFC in 2026. But if there's a team in the NFL that's set up to go from the outhouse to the penthouse in 2026, it's the G-Men.

There are multiple similarities to those Patriots from a year ago. Like New England, the Giants have a promising quarterback entering his second season in Jaxson Dart. Like the Pats, the Giants have a veteran head coach taking the reins in John Harbaugh. While talking to reporters, Harbaugh said he expects the Giants to be a markedly better team this season.

"I know how great our fans are. I've seen them close up enough. We are going to build a team that's going to play a brand of football that you will be proud of," Harbaugh said. "I think the Giants roster is strong and it's our job to make it stronger. We are going to compete for the playoffs and for championships. I expect and want to make the playoffs next year."

In a healthy dart, running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers, the Giants have a young foundation offensively. An already solid offensive line added the 2026 draft's best guard in Francis Mauigoa. Big Blue is loaded for bear on the edge and at linebacker after selecting Arvell Reese fifth overall.

The Giants haven't won 10 games in a decade.

If they can stay healthy, that dry spell will end in 2026.

Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

Despite a 14-win 2024 season, the Minnesota Vikings decided to make a change under center last year, letting Sam Darnold walk and handing the reins of the offense to second-year pro J.J. McCarthy.

Um, oops.

After a shaky and injury-marred 2026 campaign from McCarthy, the Vikings may be changing quarterbacks again after the team signed Kyler Murray in free agency. While appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said that Murray has impressed in his short time in the Twin Cities.

"He carries himself as an alpha; not in a cocky way, just he's got the experience he believes he can win that job over J.J. McCarthy, be the guy," Fowler said. "Also, offensive coaches have been thrilled with how he's attacked things, how he's been in meetings. So, they believe they've got a real steal here. There's a blueprint for Kyler Murray, based on what Daniel Jones did a year ago, go play somewhere new, get a one-year deal, knock it out the park and get the big money as an established starter after that."

Assuming Murray does win the job, he'll have one of the best trios of wide receivers in the league at his disposal in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and newcomer Jauan Jennings. The offensive line is decent, if unspectacular. The Vikings were third in the league in total defense last year and seventh in points allowed.

The NFC North has the makings of being quite the donnybrook in 2026. But if head coach Kevin O' Connell can coax the same sort of comeback from Murray he did from Darnold, the Vikings will be right in the middle of it.

Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams

Stop me if you've heard this before—despite not having played in an NFC title game in over 30 years and missing the playoffs altogether the past two years, the Dallas Cowboys enter the summer of 2026 with super-sized expectations.

Those expectations were undone last year by a defense that was among the league's worst. But after attacking that defense in free agency, the draft and via a couple of trades, team owner Jerry Jones told reporters that he expects to see major improvement on that side of the ball in 2026.

"We've changed this defense," said Jones. "If it were just last year, the way we played on defense, then that might not have called for this. But ... what you're seeing going on right now is a product of three or four or five years or maybe more that we just haven't been able to ultimately get where we're trying to go and be a contender. It's going to be different, it's going to be fresh."

Dallas added veteran edge-rusher Rashan Gary and rookie Malachi Lawrence to a front that already included tackles Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. The Cowboys traded for some stability at linebacker in Dee Winters. And beefed up the back end with safeties Jalen Thompson and Caleb Downs.

The Cowboys are in a spot very similar to the aforementioned Cincinnati Bengals. With a loaded offense, the team doesn't need to be the '85 Bears on defense to contend in the NFC East.

They just need to be competent on that side of the ball.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka

Prior to last year, the Buccaneers had owned the NFC South—four straight division titles since the team's victory in Super Bowl LV. Granted, the team had won more than 10 games just once over that span, but when the Buccaneers hit their bye week at 6-2, it appeared that five in a row was all but a fait accompli.

After the bye week? Disaster. Catastrophe. Collapse. Tampa won just two games over the last 9 weeks of the season and missed the playoffs altogether.

Now, the Buccaneers head into the 2026 campaign short two longtime leaders—wide receiver Mike Evans is in San Francisco, and linebacker Lavonte David called it a career after 14 years. It will fall to second-year pro Emeka Egbuka to fill Evans' shoes, and he told Megan Armstrong of Newsweek that both he and his teammates need to maintain their level of play from the first half of 2025 over an entire season.

"We had a lot of team success early on in the season, and then when my production dropped, the whole production of the entire team dropped as well," Egbuka said. "As a team, we have to work on keeping our foot on the gas and executing in a better way."

Linebacker isn't Tampa's only question mark defensively, although there are multiple candidates in Tampa to replace David. But on paper at least, the NFC South is the weakest division in the league. And the Buccaneers arguably have the best roster in that division.

There's pressure, as well. If these Buccaneers come up short again, there could be massive changes coming in 2027.