What I'm Watching for on Every NFL Team in 2026

Apologies for those of you who do not care at all about American football but once I wrote over 3000 words of notes for myself on this topic, what was I going to do, not post it? We'll get back to the regular nerd stuff next week.

If you do find yourself watching a game or two especially of a team you don't normally follow, I hope scrolling to the appropriate section here improves your viewing experience. (The teams are ordered by Conference, then Division in compass-rose order, then alphabetically.)

These notes are mostly compiled from listening to The Athletic Football Show over the past year.

Bengals

They have a good quarterback, who gets describe with phrases like, "probably a witch," so actually watching the Bengals is easy. Just watch Joe do Joe things.

Browns

I think of the Browns more as performance art than a football team. They pride themselves on being the most data-driven team in the league. They also made what is arguably the worst trade in sports historya few years ago. Not NFL history. Sports. Earlier this offseason they tried to extend the number of years into the future you could trade picks, which produced reactions like, "I am terrified of what the Browns are planning."

Their QB room is somewhat interesting for storyline reasons but what's interesting on the field is their 2026 draft class, particularly their first two picks: Spencer Fano, one of their tackles at number 55, and KC Conception, a wide receiver at number 1.

That said— right now if you google Spencer Fano one of the top hits is that the Browns "may be overthinking" his path to the starting lineup so be prepared for the Browns to find a way to make even the most exciting part of their team uninteresting.

Ravens

The Ravens had one of the most interesting off seasons in the league this year. They fired one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the league, John Harbaugh, and replaced him with Jesse Minter, an up-and-coming defensive guy who was most recently the defensive co-ordinator for the (very frightening on defense!) Los Angeles Chargers.

So: Is the defense good? Does the team play tightly in general?

Steelers

The Steelers, not to be outdone by their division rivals, fired the actual longest-tenured head coach in the league, Mike Tomlin, and replaced him with... Mike McCarthy, a third-time head coach who is best known for beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl with... Aaron Rodgers, their current quarterback. This decision is mystifying for a bunch of reasons since they basically replaced Mike Tomlin with the same guy, but on offense.

This will probably be Aaron Rodgers last season but that doesn't actually make watching Rodgers in 2026 fun. When I watch this team I'm probably mostly going to be watching guard play. Is Gennings Dunker (at number 73) on the field yet? If not, how's the starting guard doing? I'm sorry for how sicko this is but that's where the Steelers are at right now.

Bills

I'm not going to count the obvious one: Josh Allen is always a delight to watch.

Otherwise, the big thing that the Bills did this offseason is fire their long-time defensive-minded head coach, Sean McDermott, and replace him with their offensive coordinator. So, standard new coach stuff. We can expect the offense to be pretty good but there's a totally new defense in place. Is that defense good? Is the team well-put together in general? Are they getting a lot of penalties?

Dolphins

The Dolphins are probably tanking this season. They're paying a record-setting amount of money to a quarterback who is no longer on their team, and sold most of the rest of the roster off for spare parts.

On the other hand, they have a decent QB who is getting his first chance to start this year and a bunch of new coaches, mostly from Green Bay. So the interesting thing here is probably, how is Malik Willis in a starting role? Does anyone else on their very young roster stand out? Is Jeff Hafley, their new head coach, out of his mind when he says it's "not a rebuild year?"

Jets

As usual, almost everything interesting about the Jets is happening off the field. They have approximately one billion picks because they seem to think that football games are something you win in the future. How much draft capital they have going into the 2027 draft would be exciting (because the 2027 draft is expected to be very good, especially at QB) except that they did this exact same "sell everything for a boat load of picks" maneuver a few years ago and got exactly nothing out of it.

On the field the big question for the Jets is, can they get an interception? They got zero last year, which had never happened before in NFL history, so the first interception this year will be exciting in a Jets kind of way.

Patriots

The Patriots went to the Super Bowl this year with one of the most exciting young QBs in the league, and then made one of the biggest trades of the offseason for A.J. Brown, so that makes this easy: Drake Maye throw ball. For bonus points, also keep an eye on his left tackle, Will "Dinosaur Arms" Campbell, who short arms or not is a lot of fun to watch grab guys.

Colts

I have a hard time being interested in the Colts. Last year they had an electrifying 8-2 start, doubled down at the trade deadline by trading away multiple first round draft picks, did not win another game after week 10, and then lost their starting QB to an achilles injury.

During that electrifying start they were a team that absolutely delighted the football watching podcast sphere. This year the Colts are basically betting that they can make the first half of 2025 last all year in 2026, so if I find myself turning on a Colts game the question I'm going to be asking is, just what's so interesting about this offense?

Jaguars

Last year the Jaguars ran my absolute favorite play of the entire season. Twenty years from now when I refer to this season it won't be "the year the Seahawks won the Super Bowl with Sam Darnold" it'll be "the year Trevor Lawrence got stepped on by his own lineman and won the game anyway."

Besides Lawrence, the most exciting guy on the team is easily Travis Hunter, who plays both offense and defense and who we expect to be getting more CB snaps this season (which is really his best side.) Will he actually be the two-way threat he was billed as? What's his ceiling as just a cornerback?

And if you're a Washington Commanders fan (hi dad) keep an eye out for Chris Rodgriquez Jr at number 24, who could be seeing a lot of play in this scheme.

Texans

The Texans keep getting to the playoffs, beating the pants off of a wild card team that doesn't really deserve to be there, and then getting bounced by the first "real" contender. Their QB had a greatest-rookie-season-of-all-time type year and then hasn't ever played up to that level, and is entering a contract year, probably because of offensive line play but maybe also other reasons?

Their defense is possibly the best in the league (see: "boa constrictors with legs" above) so that's probably the side of the ball that's the most fun. On offense, how's CJ Stroud? Is the "191 passes without an interception" guy still in there? Also worth watching is David Montgomery, who was part of the "Sonic and Knuckles" RB duo on the Lions but was traded this year to the Texans, and plays for them at number 32.

Titans

Cam Ward. Watch a couple of interviews with him and then watch him throw the ball, especially to Carnell Tate, their first round draft pick at number 14.

Broncos

They changed almost nothing from last season, which kind of makes sense because they probably would have gone to the Super Bowl if their quarter back hadn't broken his ankle in a playoff game. There's been some weird drama between Sean Peyton the head coach and said quarterback in the offseason, so that's maybe something, and Sean Peyton handed over offensive play calling duties to his offensive co-ordinator so that's also maybe something. Will Sean Peyton, noted control freak, take back the reins at some point?

Other than that, they're a good team with a very okay quarterback. The best player on the team is probably their cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who plays at number 2, so that's probably what I'll be watching when they're on defense.

Chargers

Their new offensive co-ordinator, Mike McDaniel, is an absolute lunatic who has never had a quarterback anywhere near as good as Justin Herbert. Justin Herbert is probably an excellent quarterback who keeps completely collapsing in the playoffs. The idea with the new offense is basically, what if Herbert had a good run game to support him so that he doesn't have to do absolutely everything? So, watching the offensive line play. Herbert's also just fun as heck to watch in general.

On defense, they had a fantastic one last year but lost their DC to the Ravens. So will they be pretty good, because they have a lot of the same pieces, or bad, because they lost their scheme lord?

Chiefs

I do not care about the Chiefs so we're going to leave this at: Is Mahomes still the same guy after he tore his ACL and LCL at the end of last season?

Raiders

They have a sparkly new offensive head coach in Klint Kubiak, and a first pick rookie QB in Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza, however, will probably not be starting at first, and will sit behind Kirk Cousins. Until he comes out, the guy to watch is probably Ashton Jeanty at number 2, a should-be-star-level running back who didn't have the infrastructure around him to do much last year.

On defense, this one is easy: Just watch Maxx Crosby at number 82 chase the quarterback around.

Bears

Another easy one: Caleb Williams is both a good quarterback and consistently doing wild things. The phrase that always comes to mind watching him play is "painfully talented," and every time I watch it's a little less painful and a little more talented. Ben Johnson, their head coach, is also maybe the best schemer in the game right now, so I've always got to keep my eyes peeled for ridiculous trick plays.

Lions

The Lions are tricky. They haven't really been the same since they lost Ben Johnson to the Bears. Their roster is still pretty good but it's getting older and more expensive. Probably the most fun thing to do with the Lions is to watch Jared Goff run, but the most fun thing that's actually good is their wide reciever Amon-Ra St. Brown at number 14.

Packers

This one's kind of esoteric but bear with me. The problem that the Packers have is that they are a good team with a great head coach in Mike LaFleur, but LaFleur is subject to some kind of mummy's curse that only kicks in at the 2 minute warning. The Packers consistently make baffling game management decisions, especially in the last few minutes of the game, so the real question with any Packers game is, "Will LaFleur do a weird punt or something again?"

Jordan Love is another "great but also sometimes bozo plays" guy, they have some interesting young wide receivers, and when Micah Parsons is on the field at number 1, it's very fun to watch him chase down quarter backs.

Vikings

What are the Vikings doing at quarter back? Will Kyler Murray be able to thrive outside the arid wasteland that is the Cardinals offensive infrastructure? Will Justin Jefferson, the calmest wide receiver in the entire league, finally be pushed to the brink?

Commanders

Will Jayden Daniels do Jayden Daniels things?

If you need more than that, know that both the OC and DC are new this year, and are running extremely different schemes than the team had last year. How are those new schemes coming together? On defense, how is Sonny Styles playing at number 52? On offense, probably the players to watch are the tight ends, since we expect the new scheme to use them a lot more than they got last year.

Oh and of course, one of the best things that can happen in a Washington game is Scary Terry makes some kind of ridiculous catch with only his toes in bounds, so keep an eye on number 17 when he's on the field.

Cowboys

Is Dak Prescott too ripped to play quarterback now? Will the Cowboys play "a lick of defense?" Will that lick be played by Caleb Downs at number 13?

Last year the story was "explosive offense, non existent defense." This year people are saying things like "Super Bowl" but let's wait until October before we get too excited about the Cowboys.

Eagles

Can Jalen Hurts throw over the middle of the field?

There's always weird drama with the Eagles and this year a lot of it was, is Jalen Hurts willing and able to run an offense that's not exactly the offense he wants to run? In general he's extremely unwilling to make risky throws, which can convert in practice into "the Eagles have essentially no passing game." Which is fine when the defense and the run game can carry the team — you don't have to score points if the opponent can't score any either — but it's a tough way to live.

The other big thing to watch this season is Saquon Barkley. You can think of the Eagles as a machine for getting number 26 the ball. As long as he's healthy he's fantastic to watch.

Giants

They picked up John Harbaugh from the Ravens and he's being Very Weird. Jaxson Dart is watchable but it's unclear if he's good. This is probably another "new coaching staff, does it come together?" team with a couple of weird pieces. Their defense should be good, but can it stop the run?

Buccanneers

Their quarterback, Baker Mayfield, is famously temperamental and going into a contract year without a contract. He's usually fun to watch and he has millions of dollars a year on the line of whether he plays well, so that should be fun.

On defense, watch Ruben Bain Jr. at number 3, their first round draft pick.

Falcons

The most interesting thing about the Falcons this year is that they have two left handed quarterbacks. It's not totally clear who's going to start for them since both QBs are injured (which tells you everything you need to know about how I expect the season to go) but either way it's likely to be a lefty.

Panthers

Another QB in a contract year, Bryce Young. He's in kind of a weird spot because he probably deserves a "good but not great" contract but they don't generally give those kinds of contracts to second contract guys — you either get franchise QB money or you get cut.

Fun fact about the Panthers: They have never in their entire history had back-to-back winning seasons, and they won't this year. They won the division last year with an 8-9 record.

Last year the most interesting thing about them is that they kept beating teams that should have been much better than them on paper. So the most interesting games on their schedule are probably the out-of-division games where they're paired up against other division winners — especially the Eagles and the Seahawks.

Saints

Do the Saints have "their guy" at quarterback? The Saints are probably your best bet for "team that surprises everyone by being substantially better than they were last season" as Tyler Shough (pronounced "Shuck") enters his second year as the clear starting QB.

49ers

Their head coach, Kyle Shanahan, is widely considered one of the best in the league, maybe the best. He's also recovering from a serious concussion, which makes it hard to watch film. So the coaching and play calling this year could get wild — the 49ers basically have him in concussion protocol and aren't letting him return to full duties until the doctors clear him.

Other than that, they've been to the Super Bowl twice with basically this roster and lost both times. Can they get there again or has the roster fully aged out? They signed Mike Evans (number 13) and brought back Deebo Samuels (number 19) who are both fun as all heck to watch. On offense they've still got Christian McCaffrey (number 23) and George Kittle (number 85) and on defense they've got Dre Greenlaw (number 57), Nick Bosa (number 97), and Fred Warner (number 54). As "most interesting questions" go "can all these thirty year olds stay healthy?" isn't a particularly interesting question but that's about where we are with the Niners.

Cardinals

Another team that's probably tanking. They're starting last season's backup QB and drafted, inexplicably, a running back at number 3 this year. Yeah, Jeremiah Love was probably the best player available in the entire draft, but he will be able to do anything with this O-line and offensive infrastructure? I am doubtful.

Personally, I think the most interesting thing about the Cardinals is their stadium. They have both a covered dome and a natural grass field (Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda). The whole thing is on rollers and they move it entirely out of the stadium when they're not playing.

Rams

They're a super team. Can they make it to the Super Bowl?

If Matthew Stafford is healthy, that's all you really need. If he's not, how's Ty Simpson?

On defense, just watch Myles Garrett chase the opposing quarterback around.

Seahawks

Defending Super Bowl champions so "can they do it again?" is the starting point. They lost their offensive playcaller and their best running back but they still have wide receiver and offensive player of the year Jaxon Smith-Njigba at number 11. There's also still some open question about just how good Sam Darnold actually is. With maybe less support from a top-tier play caller and run game does he still play the way he has for the last two years? (I'm optimistic!)

Their defense is terrifying. I am probably going to use Seahawks watching time to try to get better at watching defense because theirs is very interesting and is called by their head coach so it's still together from last year.

Oh, and: They have a new owner this year. Will he be chill or will he mess everything up?