The NFL preseason has begun and every team has played at least one game. We have some idea as to what teams will look like competitively in 2026.
NFL.com's Nick Shook has new preseason power rankings. We have to figure that the Arizona Cardinals are fairly low on the list, but let's see what the NFC West as a whole looks like, compared to the entire league.
You've heard the sound bites, read the headlines and drowned in the tidal wave of optimism. The Rams are Lombardi Trophy favorites, seemingly destined for a march to a Super Bowl that will be played in their home stadium, the same location in which they won their last ******* le. It's never that easy, of course, but GM Les Snead has built a monster in Los Angeles. With Myles Garrett trading brown and orange for royal blue and sol, Aaron Donald nearing a potential return from retirement to hop back onto the bandwagon he once captained, and Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP-winning season, this is a year the Rams go for it all. It will be up to them to make it through to the other side of a season-long gauntlet in their attempt to claim the throne.
This is no surprise. With the return of Matthew Stafford, an offense that was fantastic, and with the defensive additions of Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, the Rams are the team to beat in 2026.
The reigning champs lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency, don't yet have his former running mate, Zach Charbonnet, available as he continues on his journey back from a torn ACL, and are placing a lot of backfield responsibility on the likes of rookie Jadarian Price and backup George Holani. Star defender Nick Emmanwori remains on the physically unable to perform list, too, although there's hope Mike Macdonald's ultimate chess piece can return in time for Week 1. Otherwise, everything is great for the Seahawks. Continuity will reign early in 2026, thanks in large part to the return of a familiar starting offensive lineup. The suffocating defense lost some pieces to free agency in the offseason, requiring reinforcement that could be tested, but there's little reason to think the 'Hawks will be anywhere but right back in the thick of the NFC race.
#matthew
NFL.com's Nick Shook has new preseason power rankings. We have to figure that the Arizona Cardinals are fairly low on the list, but let's see what the NFC West as a whole looks like, compared to the entire league.
You've heard the sound bites, read the headlines and drowned in the tidal wave of optimism. The Rams are Lombardi Trophy favorites, seemingly destined for a march to a Super Bowl that will be played in their home stadium, the same location in which they won their last ******* le. It's never that easy, of course, but GM Les Snead has built a monster in Los Angeles. With Myles Garrett trading brown and orange for royal blue and sol, Aaron Donald nearing a potential return from retirement to hop back onto the bandwagon he once captained, and Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP-winning season, this is a year the Rams go for it all. It will be up to them to make it through to the other side of a season-long gauntlet in their attempt to claim the throne.
This is no surprise. With the return of Matthew Stafford, an offense that was fantastic, and with the defensive additions of Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, the Rams are the team to beat in 2026.
The reigning champs lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency, don't yet have his former running mate, Zach Charbonnet, available as he continues on his journey back from a torn ACL, and are placing a lot of backfield responsibility on the likes of rookie Jadarian Price and backup George Holani. Star defender Nick Emmanwori remains on the physically unable to perform list, too, although there's hope Mike Macdonald's ultimate chess piece can return in time for Week 1. Otherwise, everything is great for the Seahawks. Continuity will reign early in 2026, thanks in large part to the return of a familiar starting offensive lineup. The suffocating defense lost some pieces to free agency in the offseason, requiring reinforcement that could be tested, but there's little reason to think the 'Hawks will be anywhere but right back in the thick of the NFC race.
#matthew
3 months ago
