We aren’t even a full week removed from the Seattle Seahawks putting an exclamation point on a dominating Super Bowl win against the New England Patriots. I think they’re still cleaning some of the debris off the parade route.
For ESPN’s NFL experts, Super Bowl LX was only the end of another chapter in the book that is the NFL. Immediately, 11 experts, from Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano to Aaron Schatz and Benjamin Solak, took their shots at predicting some of the biggest stories of the 2026 NFL season.
From the NFL MVP to who’s going to hoist the Lombardi next season, ESPN tasked these poor souls to put down some insanely-too-early hot takes in writing, and the results did not disappoint. The resurgence of the Chiefs dynasty, the Jordan Love ascension to MVP, and so much more, it is an entertaining read for anyone looking to stave off the inescapable dread of “oh no, football is actually over until next August.”
In this article, the Atlanta Falcons make two separate cameos, and, surprisingly, both paint a rosy picture of the Falcons’ future.
Jeremy Fowler names Bijan Robinson 2026 NFL MVP
Maybe Raheem Morris was right in saying that Robinson is the league’s best player. He’s truly breathtaking, and another season of 2,000-plus total yards will give voters something to think about — especially if Atlanta makes a playoff push. Robinson should prove impactful in Kevin Stefanski’s wide-zone system.
Everybody knew that Bijan Robinson was going to be special, however, there is no such thing as a perfect prospect. A few questions surrounded Bijan as he came into the league in 2023.
There were questions about how Bijan Robinson would hold up consistently in pass protection.
Answered that.
What about his unique running style? There’s no way he does what he did to college kids to grown men, with kids, who rely on this game to feed their families.
Well…he isn’t a home-run threat in the NFL…
Okay, I’m out.
In 2025, Robinson became only the 2nd player in NFL history to gain 800 yards in the air and 1400 yards on the ground (Steven Jackson – 2006).
Robinson is only the 13th player in NFL history to gain 2275+ yards from scrimmage; only he, Marshall Faulk, and Barry Sanders were able to accomplish the feat in fewer than 370 touches.
With his 820 receiving yards this season, he’s broken the single-season record for most receiving yards by a running back.
Bijan Robinson has grown to become the ultimate weapon coming out of the backfield. Kevin Stefanski is probably in the offices, doing everything in his power to weaponize Bijan Robinson’s unique agility, size, and breakaway speed to maximize Robinson’s and the Atlanta offense’s fullest potential.
Similarly to how he walked into Cleveland and helped lead Nick Chubb to three-straight 1000-yard seasons, including a 1,525-yard 2022 season that earned Chubb a 2nd-Team All-Pro.
Atlanta Falcons snag the NFC South crown, according to Benjamin Solak
The Falcons will win the NFC South, as Kevin Stefanski immediately steps in as a quality head coach with a roster that just needs competent coaching and quarterback help. But Stefanski can scheme an offense around a quarterback well, and he pushes the Falcons to 10 wins (which is all it would take to win the South, anyway).
With the hiring of Stefanski, it does seem that the Falcons jumped to the head of the line when it comes to quality of head coach. Yes, he’s a two-time Coach of the Year, but more than that, he lifted the floor of the Browns’ dismal quarterback situation, even after the acquisition of Deshaun Watson.
It was only when the quarterback play got to a place where it was virtually unplayable in 2024 and 2025 that the offense completely bottomed out, and a reset was needed for both parties.
The NFC South has recently been run by a Todd Bowles-Bucs team that had its own flaws throughout the roster, including a defense lacking top-end talent. The Carolina Panthers took the mantle for the first time since Cam Newton was dabbing in an end zone near you, and the Saints…anyway.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: If the Falcons can just live up to the talent that is on the roster, they should be able to win this division with ease. The bet that Arthur Blank and Matt Ryan are making is that the biggest hindrance to them winning that division was the coaching job of Raheem Morris.
