Only one NFL team leaves February as champions. Coming into the season, some teams possess more realistic expectations and face greater pressure to win it all than others. Thus, these rankings offer a subjective measure to determine which teams enter the season under the most pressure to win it all.
Of note, sometimes the pressure on teams to win does not exactly correlate to where they might be on season-starting power rankings or betting odds to win it all. A number of factors could drive a team facing
more pressure to win vs. expectations.
With that, on to the rankings:
LOL
- Cleveland Browns
The Deshaun Watson trade/contract will haunt the franchise for years to come. 5 quarterbacks on the roster and no idea who will start. Myles Garrett made serious bank, but at the cost of never seeing a championship. However, they don’t need to win a title, ‘cause they got to add a bunch of them, with the NFL counting their AAFL titles from the late-1940s.
No Super Bowl pressure, just don’t suck (No particular order)
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Chicago Bears
- Tennessee Titans
- New England Patriots
- Las Vegas Raiders
These teams are in various states of rebuild/retooling. The Titans just picked up their latest QB savior candidate, while Carolina is hoping that the Bryce Young of the second half of last season is the one that starts this season. The Saints are trying to figure out what they are doing, but they aren’t the Browns (and they are in the NFC South vs. AFC North). The Bears and Patriots made significant moves to upgrade, but it remains to be seen if those moves are good enough to even face playoff pressure.
New York/New Jersey pressures:
- Giants
- Jets
No one, not even the most die-hard fans of the teams, expects either the Giants or Jets to be in the championship mix. The Jets faced championship pressure last season, but that went nowhere. The Giants are under pressure to see if their recent moves will be enough to save the jobs of the head coach and GM. Sucking, while a constant presence for both New York teams based out of New Jersey, is typically not accepted here…at least happily. Being in the top media market brings special pressures to bear and they don’t get to hide.
No championship pressure, but major playoff pressure (No particular order):
- Atlanta Falcons
- Seattle Seahawks
- Arizona Cardinals
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Miami Dolphins
- Denver Broncos
- LA Chargers
For the teams in this tier, this is not really pressure to win the Super Bowl so much as there is to make sure you get into the playoffs. The Falcons blew playoff berths the past two seasons in the final weeks, and given their recent moves, they best be in the playoffs in 2025-26. The Cardinals blew a great opportunity last season and must make good this time. Seattle lost out on a strange tiebreaker but are also in the mix. The Colts and Jags reside in the weak AFC South and there is pressure for them to make the playoffs. The Broncos and Chargers made the playoff last season as underdogs. They are now expected at a minimum to get back there. The Dolphins…if they don’t make the playoffs, or even if they make the playoffs, but go one-and-done again, there will be massive changes afoot.
Those facing championship pressure (in ascending order):
15) Minnesota Vikings: This team straddles between playoff and championship pressure. All hopes rest on JJ McCarthy, coming off an injury NFL redshirt season. The rest of the team, save some offensive linemen, return from a team that entered the last week of the season with a chance to win home-field in the NFC. The subsequent two losses left a bad taste in the team’s collective psyche. They want and expect more.
14) Cincinnati Bengals: They broke the bank for Chase Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, giving QB Joe Burrow the best pair of WRs in the game. They have a Super Bowl offense. Now, about that defense…Still, even with only half a team, Burrow took a team to the Super Bowl before. He’ll be under the gun to do it again, even if they only have half of a team to do it with.
13) San Francisco 49ers: Injuries and age caught up with the Niners, and they went from leading a Super Bowl in the second half to the road to nowhere. Yet, even with many vets departures, they do not lack talent. They just paid Brock Purdy major bank to lead the team. A relatively easier schedule should help, but they carry significant championship burdens.
12) LA Rams: Last season, they gave the Eagles all they could handle before falling late. They still miss Aaron Donald but have plenty of talent that can coalesce into a squad capable of a championship run. Stafford is long in the tooth but can still sling it to receivers Pooka Nakua and Davante Adams. With Sean McVay at the helm, the Rams will have a say in the NFC.
11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They’ve won 3 straight NFC South titles. They won a playoff game two seasons ago and were an unfortunate doink from winning another one. Baker Mayfield is making Cleveland regret its QB choices by the minute. Yet, the Bucs have the feel of a team hitting a firm ceiling. Perhaps they can get on a late-season run, ala 2020-21. But time is finite.
10) Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels produced arguably the greatest rookie season by a NFL QB and the Commanders got to their first Conference Title game in over 34 years. That likely helped the city of DC approve a new stadium deal. That the season ended with a beatdown by the Eagles stung a bit. They made a series of moves to bolster the roster for a “win-now” strategy. Of course, things are harder when the spotlight is brighter. Can Daniels and the Commanders withstand the new scrutiny?
9) Green Bay Packers: It has been 15 years since Titletown USA’s last championship. This is not the longest stretch between titles in Green Bay’s history. However, the playoff near-misses aren’t helping. Jordan Love got his major contract, but the Packers meekly fell to the Eagles in the Wild Card. This season, they must play better in the division and avoid being the 7th seed yet again. With Micah Parson now in the mix, you might argue this is too low, but all the game, the pressure is on at Lambeau.
8) Houston Texans: They’ve won consecutive division titles and made it to the Division Round twice in a row. Now, the end-game is to get beyond the Divisional Round. So much rests on the retooled offensive line. If that can hold up, allowing Stroud to recapture his better form, Houston might get a Conference Title berth for the 1st time in their history. Maybe they were a bit overrated last season, maybe a bit underrated this season. Regardless, championship pressure is a constant.
7) Philadelphia Eagles: Maybe a bit low for the defending champions but winning one after a tough loss two seasons ago alleviates some pressure. A championship window is never guaranteed to stay open for long and teams must strike while the iron is hot. Still, the Eagles, while losing a few key pieces, return a formidable lineup. The Philly fan usually does not tolerate failure, but the Eagles should be a strong enough team that if they don’t repeat, the players shouldn’t fear for their lives. Plus, they can rub it in the face of the Cowboys about winning titles way more recently.
6) Dallas Cowboys: Arguably, this team should forever be at the #1 spot for championship pressure. As it stands, Dem Boyz have gone 30 years since their last NFC Championship appearance/Super Bowl. To start, they are looking to bounce back from a 7-10 season. From there, they need to navigate a suddenly tougher NFC East, to say nothing of then actually playing well in the playoffs. Maybe if the owner could fire the GM, but Jerry Jones isn’t going to fire Jerry Jones. Oh, and they’ll try to do this with Micah Parsons. Yeah, definitely no pressure. See, there is an area where the Cowboys are leading the NFC East.
5) Kansas City Chiefs: Also a bit low for a team that saw its three-peat bid end in painful fashion. However, the team has won 3 of the past 5 Super Bowls. They should get some offensive reinforcements back. However, can the Chiefs offense excel with Matt Nagy as the OC? That defense covered up a lot, but can they do it again? Also, will this be the last ride for future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce? Love or hate the Chiefs, they remain the gatekeepers of the AFC.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers: A prime example of where pressure to win the Super Bowl does not correlate with the odds/favored status. The Steelers have been good enough to make the playoffs for years, but they haven’t won a playoff game since 2017. They remain stuck in neutral. They’ve cycled through QBs, all while relying on defensive and special teams stalwarts to win games. Now, they place all of their chips on Aaron Rodgers. Are they getting the 4-time MVP or the aged QB that struggled to come back from an Achilles injury and loaded with off-field baggage? Also, while signing TJ Watt to a big extension, Cam Heyward is now holding in. They’ve made some big moves to try to break out of the funk they’ve lived in as a franchise. Yet, if they fail this season, there will likely be major changes.
3) Detroit Lions: Before 2023, the Lions only had one playoff win in the Super Bowl Era. They added two more in 2023-24 and emerged with the best record in the NFC in 2024-25. Unfortunately, they fell to a hot Washington team. Then they lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators. They still have many players that drove the Lions to a 15-2 record. Dan Campbell, once derided, is now seen as one of the better head coaches in the league. However, will the new coordinators help the Lions maintain their current standard and get the team to their 1st Super Bowl?
2) Buffalo Bills: It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. The best of times in that Josh Allen is taking his place as one of the best QBs in team history. The Bills have won playoff games multiple years in a row and they are getting a new stadium soon. The team is among the most powerful in the AFC and they have earned their favored status to win the Super Bowl. Yet, this is the worst of times in that they’ve lost to the Chiefs 4 times in the past 5 playoff runs. Last season was yet another brutal playoff defeat, adding to the tale of woe that is Buffalo’s postseason history. They’ll be in the hunt, but they have to complete the kill.
1) Baltimore Ravens: The team under the most pressure to win it all this season. Lamar Jackson is one of the best QBs in the league. Derrick Henry nearly rushed for 2000 yards last season, and the Ravens’ defense ended the year among the best in the game. However, they have yet to get back to their 1st Super Bowl since 2013. Last season, after a sloppy first half, they were storming back against the Bills in Buffalo, only to botch the 2-point conversion. They should have been to at least one Super Bowl over the last 6 seasons, but something happens to this team once under the playoff lights. Eventually, the Ravens will solve that problem…right?
And that is your Under-the-Most-Pressure-to-Win-the-Super-Bowl Rankings for the upcoming season. Agree? Disagree? Let your respectful take populate the internet below.
