- The Chiefs remain a threat with Patrick Mahomes under center: While questions remain about the team's receiving corps, Kansas City appears set along the offensive line and on defense to complement Mahomes' talents.
- With a new coaching staff, the Ravens are poised to return to the playoffs: Former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will aim to get the Ravens' defense back to being a stout unit.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Kansas City Chiefs
Regardless of how the 2025 season unfolded, it's hard to bet against the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes under center.
There are indeed plenty of question marks surrounding his receiving corps, including whether tight end Travis Kelce will return for his 14th NFL season and regarding which young receiver can take a step forward between Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice.
Otherwise, the team's offensive line, when healthy, looked steady in 2025. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons showed promising signs (75.5 PFF pass-blocking grade), while Kingsley Suamataia took a big step forward at guard (65.1 PFF overall grade) in his second NFL season. Right tackle might be a concern due to Jawaan Taylor‘s performance over the past couple of seasons, but otherwise, the front should not be a long-term issue.
Similar to past seasons, the Chiefs' defense should have plenty of talent to complement Mahomes and the offense over the upcoming years. Admittedly, elite interior defender Chris Jones may be on the decline after earning a career-low 70.5 PFF overall grade in 2025, so Kansas City should be looking for help along the defensive line. But as long as the defense is serviceable, the offense has all the tools to carry the team into the postseason, at the very least, every year.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens' pass-catching depth behind Zay Flowers is a concern, as 30-year-old tight end Mark Andrews is less of a focal point of the offense and Rashod Bateman has proven to be inconsistent. However, the Ravens still have a two-time NFL MVP under center in Lamar Jackson, who was presumably hindered by injuries during the 2025 season. Once he puts that behind him and is back to his electric self, Baltimore's offense should be just as dangerous as it was in prior seasons.
The hiring of new head coach Jesse Minter should aid the Ravens with their biggest weakness from 2025. Minter, a defensive-minded coach, will aim to shore up a unit that didn't look like a typical Baltimore defense this past season
Minter comes from the Chargers, whose defense allowed a 41.3% success rate in 2025 — sixth best in the league. The Ravens' unit ranked 14th (43.4%). Baltimore's defense struggled with an inability to generate pressure, doing so on just 32.1% of plays, which ranked 29th in the league. Minter’s Chargers defense ranked 14th, with a 38.2% pressure rate.
An improved defense and a healthy Lamar Jackson should give Baltimore a great chance to get back to the playoffs in an AFC North that is not as strong as it used to be.
Detroit Lions
Simply put, the Lions have too much young talent not to make the playoffs.
Detroit's defense features players who are arguably among the top five at their positions on all three levels: edge defender Aidan Hutchinson, linebacker Jack Campbell and safety/slot Brian Branch. Furthermore, none are over 25 at this point (Hutchinson and Campbell will turn 26 before the season). If the pieces around them can stay healthy, the Lions' defense should be above average at the very least. That is admittedly a big if, as D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, Alim McNeill and Kerby Joseph all missed extended periods of time with injuries in 2025.
On offense, the Lions need to go back to the drawing board and figure out their identity. Although they have plenty of talented skill-position players, such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta, the offensive line is not what it used to be — even with elite right tackle Penei Sewell, who is arguably the best offensive lineman in the NFL.
Detroit was able to rely on its running game in the past to keep the offense on schedule and move the chains, but that was not the case this season. While the Lions ranked second in 2024 with a 46.5% success rate on run plays, that figure dropped to 35.9% in 2025, which ranked 26th in the NFL.
The team will either need to fix the offensive line and the running game or rely on it less. Either way, the Lions have more than enough good players on both sides of the ball to get back to the postseason in 2026.
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