The NFL is always full of surprises, but the favorites going into next season are clear.
The top four teams have what any championship contender needs: an elite quarterback surrounded by a stacked roster. The Eagles (Jalen Hurts), Bengals (Joe Burrow), Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes) and Bills (Josh Allen) know they can take down anybody.
There are a handful of teams behind them that could outperform expectations or catch a few breaks and get in the mix for a Super Bowl appearance.
The Bears, by the way, are one of the most interesting teams. Are they a five-win team that isn’t much better than last season, or will quarterback Justin Fields leap forward as a passer and vault them into playoff contention? There’s a wide range of possibilities.
With training camp right around the corner, here’s a look at how all 32 teams stack up:
1. Eagles
The Eagles had the most complete and talented roster in the NFL last season and lost the Super Bowl on a last-minute field goal. They’ll finish the job this season.
2. Bengals
The Bengals are looking for their third straight AFC Championship Game appearance and they’re not far behind the Eagles in overall talent.
3. Chiefs
This is the Chiefs’ sixth consecutive season as a title contender, and they’ll always have a shot with Mahomes.
4. Bills
The Bengals’ rise has come at the Bills’ expense. Buffalo was No. 2 in the NFL in points scored and allowed, but lost decisively to Cincinnati in the playoffs.
5. 49ers
Even with all the snags the 49ers hit at quarterback last season, they had the third best record in the NFL at 13-4 and had three All-Pros on defense.
6. Dolphins
The Dolphins have been threatening for a few years and now have six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey opposite four-time selection Xavien Howard.
7. Ravens
The Ravens have peace with star quarterback Lamar Jackson and a top-five defense with All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith at the center of it.
8. Cowboys
The Cowboys were dominant in the last two regular seasons, but continued their longstanding tradition of flopping in the playoffs. Cue up the movie again this season.
9. Jets
Aaron Rodgers was far from great last season, and while he seems reenergized by the move to the Jets, it’s going to be hard to carry a team as he approaches 40.
10. Jaguars
Finally, the Jaguars are genuinely climbing. Trevor Lawrence guided them to seven wins in the final nine games to make the playoffs last season, and it helps that they play in a terrible division.
11. Chargers
The Chargers’ defense was bad last season, but they have an elite young quarterback in Justin Herbert who gives them a chance to overcome it.
12. Lions
It was a weird offseason for the Lions after posting their first winning record since 2014, and they’re still betting big on Jared Goff at quarterback.
13. Giants
Speaking of teams that don’t seem to realize they need a quarterback, the Giants cooled after their 6-1 start and got blown out by the Eagles in the playoffs. They’re a clear step behind Philadelphia and Dallas.
14. Seahawks
At 32, quarterback Geno Smith had by far the best season of his career. How confident are the Seahawks that they’ll get something similar this season?
15. Steelers
They’re still trying to figure out if they have a quarterback, but they’ve been consistently good under Mike Tomlin and will avoid an all-out plunge.
16. Vikings
Anybody can win the NFC North this season, but the Vikings have concerns. They were 13-4 last season but had a minus-3 point differential.
17. Broncos
The Broncos are poised to bounce back, at least a little bit, with Sean Payton in as head coach and quarterback Russell Wilson returning healthy.
18. Patriots
Much like the Steelers, the Patriots can’t ever be dismissed. They’ve got flaws, but they were a game out of the playoff field last season.
19. Saints
Derek Carr steps into a much more winnable division than the one he left. The Saints aren’t great, but six games against the Falcons, Panthers and Buccaneers will help.
20. Browns
Everything rides on Deshaun Watson for the Browns, and he put up a 79.1 passer rating in six games last season.
21. Packers
After their split with Rodgers, the Packers turn to quarterback Jordan Love. He has played just 157 snaps since Green Bay picked him in the first round in 2020.
22. Rams
No defending champion has been as bad the next season as the Rams, who went 5-12 last season after winning the title.
23. Raiders
The Raiders haven’t done better than 10 wins in a season since 2016 and had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season.
24. Bears
The Bears seem to have done enough to climb out of the basement. If everything goes right, they could be close to the middle of the pack and be a fringe playoff contender. If not, they could finish a few spots worse than this.
25. Titans
The Titans have a lot to sort out at quarterback with Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis and Will Levis, which is never a good situation.
26. Colts
It’s time to reset at quarterback with No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson, and it might take time for him to find his footing.
27. Commanders
The Commanders have gone 63-97-2 over the past decade, tied with the Bears for fifth-worst record in the NFL.
28. Panthers
The Bears will be rooting hard for Panthers opponents this season because they get Carolina’s first-round pick.
29. Falcons
Any team from here to the end of the list is a strong candidate to finish with the worst record and the No. 1 pick. It’ll take multiple offseasons to fix the Falcons.
30. Cardinals
Quarterback Kyler Murray needs to be healthy and productive for the Cardinals to have any chance of being OK, and that’s far from a guarantee.
31. Texans
The Texans landed quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson with the Nos. 2 and 3 picks in the draft, but it’s still going to take a while for them to rebuild.
32. Buccaneers
A sub-.500 team that lost its starting quarterback? That’s a roadmap straight to the bottom of the NFL.
