The 2026 NFL season kicks off Wednesday night when the Seattle Seahawks unfurl their Super Bowl banner in a rematch with the New England Patriots, as the story of the 107th NFL season will begin to be written.

Here are 26 thoughts on what to expect as Week 1 gets underway …

1. The Los Angeles Rams Are Rightfully Prohibitive Super Bowl Favorites

Back in January, the Rams came four points shy of a Super Bowl appearance, in large part because Los Angeles’ defense allowed Sam Darnold to pass for 346 yards and three touchdowns while registering only two sacks.

This offseason brought reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson, who finished as Pro Football Focus’ No. 17-ranked cornerback last season, to that defense that couldn’t get off the field in Seattle. Oh, and Aaron Donald is back, more on that shortly.

Super Teams have had mixed results in the NFL, but the Rams reached the Super Bowl in 2018 after similarly going all-in, Tom Brady’s 2020 Buccaneers brought home the Lombardi after Brady’s 2017 Patriots came up short on Super Sunday against the Eagles.

The Rams have the requisite postseason experience for a roster largely built around homegrown talent and marquee additions to rightfully open this season from the Super Bowl race’s catbird seat.

2. The Rams Only Need Aaron Donald to Come Close to Form for Defense to Be Elite

Donald’s “I’m Back” email to commissioner Roger Goodell harkens back to Michael Jordan’s return announcement, back in 1995, but the Rams don’t need Donald to push for the Defensive Player of the Year for him to make a significant impact on a Super Bowl run.

Last season, the Rams finished seventh in the league with a 40% pass-rush-win-rate, before trading for Garrett, who posted the fifth-best total among edge rushers.

Donald’s presence, after posting an elite 91.5 pass rush grade the last time he stepped onto a field back in 2023, will only free up Garrett, who rushing alongside Donald will only make his snaps even more productive and disruptive up front.

If Donald can come anywhere close to being a top-tier interior pass rush presence for even 15-20 snaps per game, it could be enough to tilt the outcome of series’ or entire games for the Rams.

3. Four Teams Keeping Four Quarterbacks is Sign of Overarching Worry in Front Offices Across the NFL

This was one of the more peculiar final roster cuts in recent memory, as four teams across the league kept four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster.

The Atlanta Falcons kept Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush and Jack Strand.

The Minnesota Vikings kept Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz, J.J. McCarthy, and Max Brosmer, in what seems to be that order.

The Philadelphia Eagles kept Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, and Cole Payton.

And, the Pittsburgh Steelers held onto Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Drew Allar, and Will Howard.

This speaks to a far larger issue and concern in front offices across the league; a fear of quarterback scarcity and prospects emerging into the NFL Draft far less prepared for the game speed and systems deployed by NFL offensive coordinators than ever before.

“Wafer thin,” an NFL Front Office Executive told me last December, when discussing the upcoming draft class. “It’s a crisis right now, and that’s why some of the lowest-rated passers in the league are leading playoff teams with defenses and running games.

“Those franchises recognized what was coming, what they have in their quarterback room, and are playing into those weaknesses by building out their defenses and their backfields, while other teams keep falling behind thinking that they have Brady or Manning on their team, and start cycling through head coaches thinking that will make a difference.”

In the transfer portal era, college quarterbacks are incentivized to follow their former head coach to his next program for the sake of some semblance of continuity or to chase the largest NIL payday while resetting their schematic experience entirely.

For the NFL, this leads to far less institutional knowledge in the evaluation process, which is likely a big reason why teams like the Falcons, Eagles, Vikings, and Steelers kept four quarterbacks because they’re scared to death of the time and resources wasted developing and evaluating guys like Howard, McKee, McCarthy or Rudolph. For all of the uncertainty about those quarterbacks’ ceilings, it sounds like the big worry is that what’s behind the next door may be far, far worse.

4. Ashton Jeanty Could be About to Explode for The Las Vegas Raiders

There’s an oddly perfect storm brewing for the Raiders.

Chip Kelly’s disjointed and inconsistent offense, not to mention a lack of understanding of Ashton Jeanty’s best traits, down to asking him to adjust his pre-draft stance, has been replaced by Klint Kubiak’s dominant run-based offense; All-Pro center Tyler Linderbaum arrives, and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins should provide some competent stability, which could unlock a Jeanty breakout.

“He still rushed for 975 yards last year with total dysfunction,” an NFC West front office executive tells Between The Hashmarks, of Jeanty. “I’m guessing you see him much closer to 1,200 to 1,300 yards by season’s end.”

Cousins has only quarterbacked two top-10 rushing offenses, but Kubiak is coming off calling his way to the Seahawks rushing for 2,000 yards last season.

Jeanty still somehow managed 24 explosive runs of 10-plus yards, despite running behind Pro Football Focus’ worst-ranked offensive line, while forcing 61 missed tackles, good for the fifth-most in the NFL amid a “quiet” rookie campaign.

Given the wholesale overhaul of all facets of the Raiders’ offensive infrastructure, Jeanty could make good on the executive’s bold prediction. Hell, it might even be Jeanty’s floor.

5. The Dallas Cowboys Feel Like a Sleeper Team to Make a Playoff Run

The Packers’ blockbuster trade to acquire Micah Parsons from the Cowboys last summer still looks like a coup for Green Bay, according to folks inside the league, but Jerry Jones may have quietly built out a genuine contender with the draft capital and cap space Dallas netted from the trade.

Since the deal went down, the Cowboys have reset the financial and age clock at pass rusher by selecting Malachi Lawrence with one of the picks acquired from the Packers, traded another for All-Pro defensive lineman and emergent star Quinnen Williams, dropped top safety Caleb Downs into the secondary and added veteran depth on the edge by trading for Rashan Gary.

This is a defense tasked with buttressing an offense that averaged 27.7 points per game last season, seventh-most in the NFL. If the Cowboys improve even incrimentally from last season’s disastrous and league-high 30.1 points per game allowed, the Cowboys are going to be very much in the mix.

In an NFC East where there is suddenly massive uncertainty over what the Eagles’ offense is going to become, just how quickly the Giants can turn things around, and whether the Commanders’ band of 32-year-olds is closer to contending for a playoff spot or the title in the Waltonwood Community Bocce Ball tournament, the Cowboys’ offseason just might set the table for this team to make a surprising run.

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6. Green Bay’s Ceiling For the Entire Season, May Hinge on The First Six Games

Back in February or March, there was buzz that Jordan Love and the Packers could be primed to make a Super Bowl run.

After the NFL Draft, and free agency, the discourse across the internet was whether Green Bay can win the NFC North.

After spending an entire training camp still trying to figure out how to patch together the offensive line, watching Keisean Nixon potentially lose a starting cornerback job to second-round rookie Brandon Cisse, and now facing the possibility of at least several weeks without All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs, all while Micah Parsons opens the season on the PUP list, and it just might be time to recalibrate expectations in Green Bay.

Honestly, how the Packers navigate the first six weeks of the season; @Minnesota, @New York Jets, vs. the Atlanta Falcons, @Tampa Bay, and home against the Chicago Bears just might dictate whether Green Bay even reaches the postseason. It feels like Green Bay might need to be 4-1 going into the game against the Cowboys, and Parsons’ likely return, to have a puncher’s chance in what might be the most competitive division in the NFL.

7. This Feels Like the Year the Bengals Put it All Together

Joe Burrow is very clearly looking at this season as a now-or-never proposition for the Bengals. He might be right.

Cincinnati went all in this offseason, trading the No. 10 overall pick for Dexter Lawrence, pairing him with Boye Mafe who contributed 40 quarterback pressures in a limited rotational pass-rush role for the Seahawks last season, after spending a first-round pick on edge rusher Shemar Stewart last year, the Bengals look to be turning up the heat on opposing quarterbacks this season.

If Burrow can finally stay healthy, as he did guiding the Bengals to a Super Bowl berth back in 2023, Cincinnati’s defense finally looks ready to be the kind of complementary force that makes a run at the Lombardi possible.

Back in 2024, the last season that he was fully healthy for, Burrow passed for 4,918 yards with 43 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Put up that kind of production this season, with a defense that’s more balanced than it has been at any point in his career, and the Bengals won’t just be an insurgent Super Bowl threat in the AFC, but Burrow’s going to be in the MVP conversation, as well.

8. The NFC North is Shaping Up to be the Most Competitive Division in Football

There might not be a more balanced or competitive division in the sport than the NFC North.

The Packers’ warts and all, Jordan Love is the type of quarterback capable of elevating an entire roster.

In Detroit, the Lions’ explosiveness in all facets of the offense is built on the foundation of one of the game’s most dominant offensive lines. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams continue to assemble young, explosive talent on offense capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

And, the Vikings aren’t just betting big on Kyler Murray helping propel Justin Jefferson back into the conversation as the most explosive wide receiver in the sport, but Brian Flores’ defense allowed the third-fewest yards and seventh-fewest points in the league last season.

There aren’t going to be any “gimmes” on those schedules, and it might be a race to 10 wins for the division crown, because of how much these four teams are going to bash each other’s brains in this season. I can’t wait to watch it unfold.

9. New England’s Offseason Sets Patriots Up for Major Leap

History would suggest that the Patriots are primed to take a step back, the Super Bowl hangover, and all that.

But, there have been 40 teams that made the postseason the year after reaching the Super Bowl, and the Patriots tossed every chip into the middle of that table this offseason to set ascending quarterback Drake Maye up to power a playoff return. And, if New England gets in, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be considered a favorite to wind up in Los Angeles on Valentine’s Day.

After all, not only did the Patriots pair field-stretcher A.J. Brown with Maye’s elite ability in the vertical passing game, but also brought in the Packers’ leading receiver, Romeo Doubs, to round out a potentially explosive receiving corps. Defensively, veteran safety Kevin Byard arrives after intercepting seven passes last season, in hopes of backstopping any barrage like the one that happened against Seattle in the Super Bowl from happening again.

The Patriots made the kind of moves this offseason that help a young quarterback take a leap in his development and have a roster built to take the next step in the seasons ahead.

10. Myles Garrett May Break His Own Sack Record

Myles Garrett set the single-season sack record last season, with 23, as a member of the Cleveland Browns.

In addition to his historic sack total, Garrett also produced 84 quarterback pressures, fourth most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Now imagine Garrett’s upside and the chaos he’s capable of inflicting on opposing quarterbacks when he’s racing after the quarterback alongside Aaron Donald or 314-pound behemoth Poona Ford.

The Rams have plenty of athletic speed rushers, such as Byron Young and his 12 sacks in 2025, and Kobie Turner, who posted seven, which should allow Garrett to capitalize on the attention that offensive lines have to pay them on every single snap.

Is it out of the question that in a more talented front seven that Garrett could push for 25-plus sacks?

11. Denver Has the Pieces to Be the NFL’s Best Defense

Sean Payton, and just about everyone who lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, has to have been asking themselves for the past nine months, what might have been had Bo Nix not injured his ankle against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Playoff game.

The pieces are in place for the Broncos’ defense to be the driving force for Denver to make the requisite next steps from 10-7 losers in the conference title game to potential Super Bowl champions.

Denver’s secondary is anchored by former Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain, who several executives argued would be the first player they’d choose to build their team around, not named Patrick Mahomes, from the AFC West. But, Surtain is joined by opportunistic nickel cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian in the secondary, playing behind one of the premier front sevens in the sport that produced a league-high 68 sacks last season.

Denver added some offensive firepower, in the form of receiver Jaylen Waddle, but the defense is the horsepower that could get the Broncos over the hump in a gauntlet of an AFC.

12. The Pressure Has Never Been Higher on Jalen Hurts or Nick Sirianni

In any other city, a head coach and a quarterback two years removed from a Super Bowl championship would have miles of latitude remaining. But, Philadelphia isn’t any other city.

The Eagles are also about to ask criminally underrated former Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts to operate in a system that emphasizes short and intermediate throws over the middle, leaning into some of his past deficiencies and find a way to manufacture explosive opportunities after moving off of explosive top of the depth chart receiver A.J. Brown.

Trading Brown was likely a necessary outcome, given the oxygen, attention, and targets he and his personality demanded, but after a summer where Hurts did not take a preseason snap and what was by all accounts a mixed bag of a training camp, there’s a cloak of uncertainty about how all of this is about to play out.

Hurts has the type of personality and drive that you would hate to bet against, but everything feels like it’s on the line in Philadelphia after how last season finished up and growing questions about Sirianni’s role in the roster’s success over his tenure that has included two Super Bowl appearances, one parade, but also a pair of late-season meltdowns and overseeing the souring of the relationship between one of the premier receivers in franchise history and everyone else inside the building.

Philadelphia may need to make at least the conference championship game to stave off some uncomfortable conversations come January.

13. Seattle Has Done an Insane Job of Keeping Core Talent Together After Super Bowl Win

The talent drain and the “Super Bowl” tax once free agency arrives are perpetually the biggest threat to a team’s repeat chances, or ability to build a roster capable of sustained runs at the championship.

Seattle, and general manager John Schneider have done a masterful job of avoiding both.

Yes, Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker is a Kansas City Chief, safety Coby Bryant was a centerpiece of the Chicago Bears’ offseason, cornerback Riq Woolen is a Philadelphia Eagle, and Boye Mafe is a big reason for optimism that the CIncinnati Bengals’ defense will make major strides.

However, Schneider and the Seahawks managed this offseason to sign right tackle Abe Lucas, left tackle Charles Cross, wide receivers Rashid Shaheed and Jaxon-Smith-Njigba, rising edge rusher Derrick Hall, cornerback Devon Witherspoon, and star defensive tackle Leonard Williams to long-term contracts.

That’s Seattle’s core. That’s also a group of five homegrown, and developed players that the Seahawks are committing to. It’s a group that’s won a Lombardi, are each 27 years old or younger, and have the primes of their career to add to Lumen Field’s expanding trophy case.

14. Pieces Are in Place for Caleb Williams to Surge Up the QB Rankings

Caleb Williams’ 2025 second-half surge, as the former No. 1 overall pick and his wunderkind play-caller, head coach Ben Johnson, became more familiar with one another, is the biggest reason Bears fans should be optimistic about the short, intermediate, and long-term futures in Chicagoland.

Over the final nine games of the regular season, Williams tossed 18 touchdowns to three interceptions and boasted the ninth-best QBR over that closing stretch. That’s before Williams led the Bears’ frenetic and historic playoff comeback over the Green Bay Packers and took the Los Angeles Rams to the brink in the NFC Divisional round.

There is no question that Johnson was able to calibrate his offense to Williams’ strengths, and the Bears have built an entire supporting cast around his best traits over the past two offseasons, which could be the prelude to Chicago inserting itself perennially into the NFC’s elite.

15. Progress For Aaron Glenn, the Jets May Be Finishing As a Top-15 Defense

Progress can take many forms, whether it’s pushing for a .500 record, playing to competitive losses, or seeing significantly improved quarterback play that gives the front office a blueprint for how and what to build around.

For the Jets, nothing matters more this season than to finish it by showing meaningful progress from last season’s dreadful and largely uncompetitive 3-14 finish.

Fortunately for Aaron Glenn, the pieces in place on defense are there for New York to not just make meaningful progress, but enough on that side of the ball to save his job.

These Jets have the personnel to finish as a top-15 defense, at worst.

After going all of last season without pulling down an interception, the Jets went big-game hunting and signed ascending former Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright, who intercepted five passes last season, selected edge rusher David Bailey who has the look, feel, and quick-twitch to be an immediate game-wrecker up front, and paired him with underused but rising Kingsley Enagbare on the opposite side of the line.

This is going to be a veteran unit, with the rest of the pieces having a year of familiarity with Glenn’s system and scheme, that has the look of a group ready to create chaos in the backfield and more than its previous share of takeaways.

If New York’s talent on defense lives up to its promise, the Jets might not make the playoffs, but they’ll certainly do enough to raise the ceiling on the franchise’s future, with three first-round picks tucked away to go and secure a franchise quarterback next spring.

16. Buffalo Has Never Been More Dependent on Josh Allen’s Supporting Cast

It’s safe to say that owner Terry Pegula and the Bills are feeling the heat, and beginning to worry about wasting the prime of generational quarterback Josh Allen’s career.

Allen continues to play his way into the MVP conversation each year, and enters 2026 fresh off passing for 3,668 yards with 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions while powering four fourth quarter comebacks and five game-winning drives. Still, the Bills came up two games shy of a Super Bowl appearance.

Never has Allen’s supporting cast mattered more than its about to this season, with DJ Moore’s arrival, because former offensive coordinator turned 36-year-old first-time head coach Joe Brady had fewer excuses or his quarterback more firepower.

Moore, fresh off helping Caleb Williams post a 109.5 passer rating when targeting him on his way to 682 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season, is the most well-rounded receiver Allen has had in his arsenal in his career.

Ranking in the top-30 both in Average Depth of Target and Yards per Reception, Moore is as prolific a field stretcher as he is a dependable pass-catcher, which just might level up Allen and the Bills’ offense to new heights.

Beyond Moore, the Bills also selected rookie wide receiver Skyler Bell, who has flashed this summer and is the type of player who can push up the depth chart and gain his quarterback’s confidence rather quickly.

With apologies to Joe Burrow and the Bengals, we just might be approaching now-or-never time in Orchard Park.

17. This is Sneakily The Most Important Season of Jaxson Dart’s Career

As far as second NFL seasons go, this feels like an underrated audition year for Jaxson Dart.

Remember, while Joe Schoen drafted Dart, Brian Daboll was the quarterback’s most passionate and ardent advocate within the building, and it will be John Harbaugh, not Schoen, who will choose the Giants’ next quarterback if this doesn’t work out.

1925 Giants Drive might as well be Harbaugh Place, and if Dart doesn’t show meaningful progress this season, New York may look. to upgrade the most important position on the roster ahead of 2027.

Fortunately for Dart, Harbaugh, and the Giants, the pieces are there; with Malik Nabers’ return from a torn ACL, Cam Skattebo returning from a horiffic ankle injury, Isaiah Likely following his head coach from Baltimore and what should be a finally revitalized offensive line, for the quarterback to take a big step in his development.

Dart is going to need to do his part; slide when the opportunity presents itself, protect himself when he can, continue to build on the briefest of flashes he had with Nabers last season, and be a reason New York’s offense can be explosive.

If he doesn’t, there may be some tough conversations ahead.

18. C.J. Stroud May Need to Make a Deep Playoff Run to Convince Houston Not to Move On

Reports surfaced last week that C.J. Stroud is placing a big, and perhaps foolish, bet on himself.

Stroud has two years remaining on his affordable rookie contract, and there has been informed speculation that the Texans put an offer on the table to pay him $50 million per season, but he opted to play out his current deal with sights set on making $60 million, annually.

That’s quite a choice.

After all, Stroud’s career has been wildly inconsistent, and the last time he stepped onto a football field, he was essentially the reason the Texans did not advance to the AFC Championship Game. Against New England, Stroud passed for 212 yards and a touchdown but threw four interceptions and absorbed three sacks.

The Texans boast arguably the most elite defense in football, have built an offense around a potentially explosive running game, and the organization seems to want to believe in Stroud’s potential and first-round pedigree.

However, if Stroud doesn’t lead the Texans at least one step deeper into the postseason, don’t be surprised if GM Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans pull the rip cord and try to get to the top of next spring’s NFL Draft to mine a successor at the position that seems to be holding Houston back.

19. The Buccaneers’ Defense Has Pieces to Finish Top-10 in Scoring and in Sacks

The heat seems to be on Todd Bowles, but he and general manager Jason Licht seem content turning it up on opposing quarterbacks to blitzkrieg their way out of the pressure.

Former Miami standout and No. 15 overall draft choice Rueben Bain looks like a revelation, terrorizing Jets and Chiefs quarterbacks during joint practices this summer and playing like he was shot out of a cannon in his brief preseason appearances.

Meanwhile, last season, the Buccaneers managed just 37 sacks, but bringing in veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone and drafting rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter, Tampa Bay has reshuffled the front seven with an emphasis on wreaking havoc in the backfield.

Bowles knows what is at stake this season, and the pieces are in place for the Buccaneers to maximize the infusion of talent into becoming a top-10 defense in terms of scoring and significantly upping the sack total, as well.

20. Andy Reid is About to Flip the Script for Chiefs’ Offense

When people show you who they are, it’s worth listening.

Andy Reid is out here with a bullhorn this offseason screaming that the Chiefs are about to lean hard into the ground game.

Kansas City didn’t just commit $28.7 million guaranteed to Kenneth Walker, the Chiefs also chose Emmett Johnson in the fifth round, and he flashed during the preseason, rushing for 64 yards in a touchdown, perhaps ready to seamlessly slide into the Zach Charbonnet role, replicating Seattle’s successful backfield formula.

This would be a complete philosophical shift for Reid, but perhaps a necessary one to keep the Chiefs’ Super Bowl window propped open as Patrick Mahomes works his way back to full effectiveness after tearing his ACL last December and amid an organizational identity crisis at wide receiver.

The Chiefs finished as the NFL’s 25th-ranked rushing offense last season, but seem to be telegraphing a shift towards leaning on the ground game to ease pressure off Mahomes and create opportunities over the top when safeties start creeping into the box out of respect to Walker’s home run threat ability, which just might be the kind of reset that Kansas City needs to reload.

21. Jahmyr Gibbs Could Make a Run at The Single-Season Rushing Record

Jahmyr Gibbs is the Mustang that powers the Detroit Lions’ offense, and has become the entire franchise’s identity.

After trading away David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, the Lions are about to mash the throttle through the floor with Gibbs, after cutting him a check for $51.5 million in guaranteed money earlier this summer.

Over the past two seasons, Gibbs has averaged 1,318 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. In a timeshare situation.

According to Pro Football Focus, only two running backs forced more missed tackles than Gibbs’ 62 last season, and only eight had more explosive runs of 10 yards or more than his 27.

I genuinely believe that Gibbs’ traits and his situation, with arguably the premier offensive line in football paving the way for him, that now that he’s been tossed the keys as the Lions’ bellcow, he’ll lead an all-out assault on the single-season rushing record and put a real scare in Eric Dickerson’s 2,105-yard mark.

22. Tucker Kraft Will Rewrite the Packers’ Tight End Record Book

Tucker Kraft isn’t just Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s favorite and most reliable target, but the tight end may be the most important player on Green Bay’s entire offense.

Last season, Love produced an average of 1.13 Expected Points Added when targeting Kraft, which was the fifth-best combination of the Pro Football Focus era.

Now that Kraft is fully healty from a torn ACL that ended his season in Week 9, the sky feels like the limit for the 25-year-old tight end who caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns before his injury.

It doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility that in the season ahead, Kraft’s strong connection with Love could propel him to surpass Paul Coffman’s Packers record for receiving yards by a tight end, of 814, or Coffman and Robert Tonyan’s mark for tight ends at the position, at 11, especially with red zone vulture Josh Jacobs opening the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt list in the fallout of his May domestic violence arrest.

Given the outsized value Kraft has in the Packers’ offense, and Love’s significant trust in him, a record-breaking season could be in the offing.

23. The Arizona Cardinals Will Be Picking First in the 2027 NFL Draft

I’m not going to belabor this one very much.

A franchise that drafts a running back No. 3 overall, despite a porous offensive line, no tangible future at quarterback, and needs across the depth chart, and that plays in the NFC West, of all divisions, has the potential to finish 0-17.

Moving on …

24. Baltimore Will Finish With a Top-Five Offense and Top-Five Defense

The Ravens are built to roll, and ready to steamroll.

Beyond the culture of accountability that’s taking root inside the Under Armour Performance Center, implemented by new head coach Jesse Minter, the Ravens have invested major resources along the interior of the offensive line in hopes of dialing up the punishiment Derrick Henry is able to inflict and the time Lamar Jackson has to exploit the vertical pasisng game with receivers Zay Flowers and emergent star rookie Ja’Kobi Lane.

Meanwhile, defensively, Baltimore is healthy, Nnamdi Madabuike is on the mend, Trey Hendrickson arrives as a disruptive presence off the edge that the Ravens have lacked, and this is still among the stingiest and most gifted secondaries in football.

There’s a solid chance that we’re going to look up at season’s end not just with the Ravens returning to the postseason, but doing so while riding a balanced attack that finishes in the top-five on offense and on defense, as well.

25. The Return of Heavy Personnel Is About to Dictate the AFC Playoff Picture

There’s a revolutionary return to physical, ground-and-pound football taking root among NFL offenses.

Teams such as the Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and of course, the defending champion Seattle Seahawks have invested significant resources both to win along the line of scrimmage and dropping elite running backs behind their dominant offensive lines.

After years of teams chasing flash plays on the perimeter and in the vertical passing game, or investing in cornerbacks to prevent those explosives, it seems that the teams making the deepest postseason runs — or eyeing them, are building their rosters to win in the trenches and by running over defenses.

I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of the season, it’s the top ground attacks that are sitting atop the standings when the playoffs begin, as one executive told me recently, because they built for the bad weather the playoffs bring.

26. I’m So Ready for Football.

LFG.