August 25, 2026
The 2026 NFL season is almost here, and while preseason football can give us a glimpse of what teams are building, the real picture comes from roster strength, quarterback play, coaching, depth and how well a team is positioned to survive a long season.
At HarryWins, there are four teams that stand out to us entering the year: the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams enter 2026 with one of the strongest overall rosters in football and legitimate Super Bowl expectations.
Los Angeles has veteran stability at quarterback with Matthew Stafford, one of the NFL's best offensive minds in Sean McVay and a roster that has become increasingly balanced.
What makes the Rams especially interesting is that they no longer need everything to go perfectly on offense to win games. There is enough talent throughout the roster for Los Angeles to win in different ways, which becomes increasingly important once the playoffs arrive.
The Rams are our early favorite to be one of the NFC's strongest teams throughout the season.
Seattle Seahawks
You cannot talk about the NFC without starting with the defending champions.
Seattle enters 2026 trying to follow up a Super Bowl-winning season, and repeating in the NFL is never easy. Every opponent knows what you do well, the schedule becomes more demanding and the pressure changes once you are the team everyone is trying to beat.
Still, Seattle has earned the benefit of the doubt.
The Seahawks have established a strong identity and should remain one of the teams that matters most in the NFC playoff race. Until somebody knocks them off, the road through the conference has to include Seattle in the conversation.
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia is one of the teams we believe could make a significant push this season.
The Eagles still have the kind of roster construction we like for postseason football: strength along the lines, playmakers on offense and enough defensive talent to create problems for opponents.
There were inconsistencies during the second half of last season, but Philadelphia has made changes and enters 2026 with an opportunity to get back to being one of the most complete teams in the NFC.
If the offense settles into its new system quickly, the Eagles have the ceiling to contend for much more than simply a division title.
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore remains one of our favorite teams in the AFC.
Any team built around Lamar Jackson is going to create matchup problems, but the Ravens have also added help around him and continue to field a roster capable of competing with the league's best teams.
The offense still has the potential to be one of the most difficult units in football to prepare for, while Baltimore's defense should keep the Ravens competitive against the AFC's strongest teams.
If the Ravens get consistent offensive line play and remain healthy at the key positions, Baltimore has the talent to make a deep AFC playoff run.
A Team We're Watching: Dallas
Dallas is another team that has our attention.
The Cowboys have plenty of offensive firepower and enter the season with expectations of becoming a legitimate contender rather than simply a playoff hopeful.
The question will be whether the defense can become consistent enough to support the offense against the league's best teams.
If that happens, Dallas could move quickly into the top tier of NFC contenders.
HarryWins Early Read
Going into the season, the Los Angeles Rams are the team we like most overall, with Seattle and Philadelphia right behind them in the NFC.
In the AFC, Baltimore has the roster and quarterback talent to be dangerous throughout the year.
That does not mean these will necessarily be the final four teams standing. Injuries, quarterback performance and roster changes can reshape the NFL quickly.
But as we enter the final stretch before the regular season, these are the teams HarryWins will be watching most closely.
The season will tell us which contenders are real.
HarryWins provides sports information, research and editorial analysis for informational and entertainment purposes.
