Playoffs

Every NFL team sees significant changes each year to improve for the next season, with all their moves in free agency, whether it’s signing big names or making massive trades. However, some teams with winning records that made the playoffs in 2025 will likely take a step back in the 2026 season due to stronger schedules, more intense competition in their respective divisions, and an increased number of one-score games. While these teams will do everything they can to return to the playoffs, some might not even make the big dance by the end of the 2026 season. Here at TPS, we’re going to explore why these 10 NFL teams are frauds heading into the upcoming season. Which NFL teams look like big-time frauds next season? Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers helmet (Photo By Eric Hartline-Imagn Images) The Panthers may have won their division with an 8-9 record in 2025 and barely squeaked their way into the playoffs, but the 2026 NFL season is going to be a lot rougher for this team. Since the Panthers finished the 2025 season in first place in the NFC South, they’ll have a more intense schedule, squaring off against teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks, who are all playoff and championship-contending teams. The team also won a lot of close games in 2025, and winning close games isn’t enough, as an eventual championship-contending team can expose all of those weaknesses on the biggest stage. Look at the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs losing in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles. Sure, Bryce Young improved in year three, and the defense added Jaelen Phillips and Devin Lloyd, but they likely overpaid for Phillips, who has dealt with injuries in the past, and could’ve used some of that money to address other needs elsewhere. The Panthers are still young and developing, but they could run into a serious roadblock of intense competition during the 2026 season since they won the NFC South in 2025. Philadelphia EaglesFeb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Eagles helmet during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The 2025 Eagles had it all: a strong veteran presence throughout all sides of the ball, an elite defense coached by Vic Fangio, and Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley playing very well on offense. Then, everything slowly unraveled in the second half of the season, losing three straight games to the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Chargers, a loss to the Washington Commanders, and getting knocked out of the Wildcard Round by the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers. A.J. Brown expressed his frustration with the team during the 2025 season and is likely going to get traded sometime in the 2026 offseason, and offensive coordinator Kevin Petullo was shown the exit. On top of that, Hurts and the Eagles have experienced friction during the 2025 season, as he does everything he can to put it all out on the field, while others have grown frustrated with Hurts’ approach when throwing the ball in tight windows against zone coverage. All of these rumors could affect the on-field product during the 2026 regular season, as this team have a tough slate of games for the upcoming NFL season, as they’re set to square off against the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, and Pittsburgh Steelers, most of which could expose the Eagles as frauds during the season.  Jacksonville JaguarsNov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars helmets on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images The Jaguars had a very nice 2025 season, as they made the playoffs before losing a close, nail-biting game against the Buffalo Bills. The 2026 Jaguars lost a good amount of defensive talent during the offseason: Devin Lloyd is now with the Carolina Panthers, Andrew Wingard is now with the Arizona Cardinals, Greg Newsome II is now with the New York Giants, and Dawuane Smoot is now with the New York Giants. Emmanuel Ogbah is gone, and Austin Johnson is gone. Sure, Trevor Lawrence is talented, and Liam Coen is an offensive mastermind, but some teams may catch on to Coen’s and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski’s schemes in the upcoming regular season.  With the loss of all that defensive talent, and the loss of Travis Etienne on offense, as he signed with the New Orleans Saints, it’s going to be tougher for the Jags to potentially repeat as AFC South champions, as the Houston Texans still have a strong defense, and the Colts have a talented roster that could make some serious noise in 2026. Don’t be surprised if the Jaguars lose control of the AFC South to the Texans in the 2026 season. Pittsburgh SteelersSteelers helmet (Photo via Eric Hartline-Imagn Images) After the Steelers were humiliated in the Wildcard Round against the Houston Texans, they have more questions than answers at quarterback, as no one knows if Aaron Rodgers will play in 2026 or not. If Rodgers does retire and move on from playing, either Will Howard or Mason Rudolph will have split time under center, and neither of them is a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. However, this team’s biggest issue is the fact that its roster is one of the oldest in the NFL. T. J. Watt and Jalen Ramsey will both be 32 in October of this season, Cameron Heyward will be 37 before week one, Chris Boswell is 35, and Cameron Johnston is 34. The Steelers are in uncharted waters, as Mike Tomlin stepped down as their head coach after their Wildcard loss to the Houston Texans, and have hired Mike McCarthy, who had a 49-35 record but a 1-3 record in the playoffs as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. With no answer on who the starting quarterback will be, and an aging roster, the Steelers are legitimate frauds entering the 2026 season if they want to keep their streak of winning seasons alive. Las Vegas RaidersAug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A Las Vegas Raiders Riddell speedflex helmet on the field at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Yes, the Raiders made some very nice moves this offseason, signing Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year, $81 million deal in anticipation of Fernando Mendoza potentially getting drafted by the team. However, they inked Kirk Cousins to a five-year, $176 million deal after he was released by the Atlanta Falcons, putting Mendoza’s chances of starting in the 2026 season in doubt. The Raiders are coming off a 2025 season in which they finished 3-14 and last in the AFC West. The 2026 Raiders don’t have a talented Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver for Cousins or Mendoza to work with, aside from tight end Brock Bowers. Last season, Maxx Crosby expressed his frustrations with the team despite playing through an injured left knee. He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, but the deal was called off after a failed physical, and the Ravens were concerned about the severity of his knee injury.  All of that combined creates more uncertainty for this team, who look like questionable frauds heading into the 2026 NFL season. San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers helmet (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images) The 49ers have an injury problem that derailed their 2024 season and nearly derailed their 2025 season until they were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round of the Playoffs. Brandon Aiyuk is not expected to play for the team and will very likely get traded during the 2026 NFL Draft.  Jauan Jennings is gone, and Kendrick Bourne is gone. Meanwhile, the 49ers signed Mike Evans, who is coming off a season where his hamstring was injured, and Christian Kirk signed a one-year deal with the team, even though he has only produced a 1,000-yard season once in his career.  Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Christian McCaffrey have dealt with injuries and are not certain to play 100 percent of the regular season. On top of that, the competition in the NFC West won’t be easy, as the Los Angeles Rams have improved their roster, and the defending champion Seahawks are still formidable and intense. Don’t be surprised if the 49ers are exposed as frauds and miss the 2026-27 playoffs when the season is all said and done. Atlanta FalconsNov 10, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Atlanta Falcons helmet against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images The Falcons had a somewhat good finish to their 2025 season before showing Raheem Morris the exit.  However, the 2026 Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa, who has had injury problems throughout his career, to back up Michael Penix Jr., who also has dealt with his fair share of injuries.  Sure, they have an incredibly talented roster on offense, with superstars like Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts, but they need a reliable quarterback who’ll stay healthy for the long haul of the 2026 season, and someone who’ll break out and help the Falcons return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season. On the defensive side of the ball, James Pearce Jr. was arrested on two charges of aggressive battery and charged with fleeing and eluding police, and could face a multigame suspension from the league.  The rest of the Falcons’ defense has some talent, but not enough talent to get them over the hump, even though the NFC South is arguably one of the weakest divisions in all of the NFL. New England PatriotsPatriots Helmet (Photo By Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports) The Patriots may have reached Super Bowl LX due to having a very easy schedule, but that’s all about to get tossed out of the window in 2026. Drake Maye looked good in the regular season but was completely exposed in the Super Bowl, as he struggled to maintain ball control, throwing two interceptions (one of them being a pick-six), lost a fumble, and was sacked six times. Maye still has a lot of learning to do just to stay competitive in the league for the 2026 season. Because the Patriots finished the 2025 season in first place, they have a much tougher schedule in 2026, squaring off against teams like the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. All of those teams have playoff and championship-caliber rosters. On top of that, Stefon Diggs was released to escape his high-rising salary cap hit of $26.5 million, his age, as he’s 33, and his legal issues off the field because of an alleged dispute he had with his personal chef. The Patriots signed Romeo Doubs as his replacement, but he has never had a 1,000-yard season in his career so far. The most receiving yards Doubs produced were in 2025, when he had 724 receiving yards with the Packers.  The Patriots might also experience a strong Super Bowl hangover and fail to capture the lightning that propelled them to Super Bowl LX in the 2025-26 season. Not to mention the Buffalo Bills have a reloaded offense ready to compete for the 2026 season. So yeah! Green Bay PackersDec 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A Green Bay Packers helmet sits ready before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images The Packers had a nice start to the 2025 season, but the wheels came off their car as the losses and injuries piled up, resulting in them losing to their historic divisional rivals, the Chicago Bears, in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs. The Packers will not have Malik Willis, as he signed a three-year, $67.5 million deal with the Miami Dolphins, who also hired former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their new head coach. They signed Desmond Ridder, who doesn’t scream experienced backup for a team, as he struggled on the field throughout his NFL career. The Packers also lost Kingsley Enagbare, Zayne Anderson, and Quay Walker in free agency, which will hinder the team’s defense.  Not to mention the Packers dealt with Special Teams issues during the 2025 season collapse, resulting in Rich Bisaccia stepping down and getting hired by the Clemson Tigers to serve as their special teams coordinator.  The Packers may have finished in third place in 2025, but they have a tough schedule ahead of them, as they’re set to square off against the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Texans, who are playoff-caliber opponents ready to roll.  Los Angeles ChargersAug 12, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers helmets on the bench at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The Chargers squeaked their way into the 2025-26 playoffs and were immediately shown the exit in an embarrassing 16-3 loss against the New England Patriots in the Wildcard Round.  Justin Herbert is talented, but the offensive line was a massive disaster, as he spent more time running away from opposing defenders than making big plays near the end of the 2025 regular season. The Chargers lost Zion Johnson in free agency and signed Cole Strange, who has a 54.9 grade per Pro Football Focus, and is a downgrade from Johnson. The Chargers’ front office might not be doing enough to make sure their franchise signal-caller is protected, as a strong offensive line is extremely important to have in today’s NFL. Sure, Jim Harbaugh is an incredible coach and has won no matter where he’s gone, but the Bolts have made the Wildcard Round twice under his tenure and have come out empty. If things don’t change in 2026, the Chargers will have that permanent fraud label hanging over them for years to come.