The AFC had been completely dominant during the course of Patrick Mahomes' early career. But in the last couple of seasons, the NFC has become deeper and arguably better than the AFC in spots. For the Kansas City Chiefs, they are looking for a rebound season. And getting back to the playoffs starts with how they compete against their AFC foes.
Preseason action is over. The 2026 regular season is now in present view. Time for talking and discussing nonsense and debating players is something we can finally push to the side. Real games will begin to do the talking.
But before we get to real action, we must add one more list of current takes. Here are our latest power rankings in the AFC.
1. Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen and James Cook have been among the league's most consistent offensive performers the last few seasons. Winning the most important games is the only sticking point Buffalo has failed at. And in one of the weakest AFC playoff fields last year, the Bills once again failed to get it done.
A more aggressive defensive scheme is something to watch for with Buffalo this season. What are the Bills' greatest questions entering the season, though? Pass catching depth and the defensive line producing enough in the biggest games look to be a possible Achilles heel. In the end, Buffalo gets the top spot currently because of the specific questions surrounding other teams at the top of the AFC.
2. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are one of the most complete, well-rounded rosters in the league. Sean Payton and his coordinators also lead to Denver not shooting themselves in the foot too often. Bo Nix when compared to Allen is the difference for the Broncos not being ranked number one.
In some ways, Nix benefits by not having to do too much and play within the offense. But until he becomes more consistent in the pocket and down the field, he will continue to face scrutiny. To help Nix, Denver acquired Jaylen Waddle. It was really the only notable addition the Broncos made this offseason.
One item to watch on the roster beyond Waddle is parts of the defense that departed. John Franklin-Myers leaving will lead to less juice in the pass rush. Jonathon Cooper's situation also leads to depth being tested for Denver's defense up front. All in all, their defensive play style can lead them to many victories so long as the front stays healthy.
3. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are the best defense in the AFC. Houston may own that regard in the entire NFL as well. If not, the Seattle Seahawks are just above them. And the thing is, if the offense just executed basic commands in last year's playoffs, the Texans may have seen those Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
It all comes down to the offense when considering the Texans' ceiling and AFC ranking. You could argue that they are capable of beating either the Bills or Broncos two out of three chances apiece. In the end, offensive line upgrades will be a talking point all season. Plus, C.J. Stroud does not have to be the hero with this roster for them to go deep in the playoffs.
4. Baltimore Ravens
A new head coach is in Baltimore for the first time in nearly 20 years. You could say that the hire of Jesse Minter by the Ravens was the best head coaching hire in this most recent cycle. Pairing him with one of the most desirable jobs in recent memory places even more expectations on this team.
Lamar Jackson is visibly motivated and vocally reinvigorated with the play caller change being the incoming Declan Doyle. Around Jackson this may not be as deep of a Ravens roster as usual. But, they still have more than a handful of star players that can take over games. That includes a few names on each side of the ball.
5. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots still deserve to be in the top five or six after winning the AFC last year. Ultimately, their run last season gives them a slight bump over the Chiefs. Call some of last season's run fake or spamming on certain competition. Either way, New England is set with a nice mix of coaching, balanced play style, and perhaps the best of the young quarterbacks.
Incoming stars at certain positions keep them from dropping a few spots here. A.J. Brown is still a good, physically dominant pass catcher despite all of the off-field hoopla that surrounded his Philadelphia exit. Paired with Drake Maye's brilliance down the field, those two are a nice pair to join a defense that can grind opponents down. The trenches and offensive run game appear to be the Patriots' biggest question marks.
6. Kansas City Chiefs
Let's be honest. The Mahomes hate and discourse has grown baseless and illogical this offseason. The items people are debating and questioning at this point are things he can immediately silence this season. His task of shouldering the offensive load in ways he was before the injury should not go unnoticed.
Overall, Mahomes coming off of an injury caps the Chiefs at this spot in the rankings. Even with him not missing any time. Kansas City looks to place a greater emphasis on the ground game, under center looks, and offensive adjustments. If those come through as they hope, K.C. can immediately jump back to the top of the AFC.
Where could the Chiefs face challenges? Plenty of snaps going to young players can be beneficial for where Kansas City's roster sits moving into the future. That item still keeps them from vaulting up in the power rankings to open the season. Even if the young pieces already look the part. Outside of that, the Chiefs' wide receiver group arguably sits in the bottom five of the NFL. That may be what ultimately keeps them from going deep in the playoffs if they get back there.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals not being a little higher in our AFC power rankings was a little surprising at first. Cincinnati made plenty of offseason moves that should exude more confidence in how deep their talent is. But will all of those moves work? How long will it take to come to fruition?
The Bengals' defense fully coming together or not is too puzzling to predict without seeing any real reps. It leaves them just behind Kansas City as a result. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has too much to prove with this incoming talent to place them above the Chiefs' revamped, faster unit.
Joe Burrow and Cincinnati appear determined to go all in this year. Is this team able to avoid enough shootouts and having to score 30+ points every week to completely realize those all in dreams?
8. Los Angeles Chargers
First and foremost, the Mike McDaniel hire as offensive coordinator is one of the most fascinating and pivotal hires of the NFL offseason. His offensive style could make the Chargers more balanced. Justin Herbert and his weapons do give Los Angeles pieces to lean on.
However, there is not much star talent on the defense outside of Derwin James. Can they scratch and claw enough to punch above their weight on defense? Add in the trenches being average at best and the offensive line already facing injuries. It does not help when L.A. has pre-existing offensive line health worries to deal with. The Chargers feel like the picture-perfect team to place in the middle of the pack when imagining these conference rankings.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
Debating whether to place the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Indianapolis Colts in this next spot was razor thin. Jacksonville did lose some talent on defense this offseason. The offensive line also remains jumbled when it comes to ceiling and expectations.
Running it back with a fine roster is interesting entering 2026 for the Jaguars. It felt like Jacksonville derived some offensive success in 2025 by winning on low percentage plays. Predictable attempts could be snuffed out more if you are looking at regression points.
Ultimately, the coaching ability and scheme of Liam Coen gives Jacksonville the nod over Indianapolis. The Jaguars are quietly acting like a normal franchise for the first time in ages too. Can that competence stick for all of this year while hoping to remain in the playoffs?
10. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts' talent is probably not receiving enough attention. Offensive stars like Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, and Alec Pierce (when healthy) give Indianapolis a safe base. Ideally, this team's defense just does not have the depth and star power of their offense.
That places immense pressure on Daniel Jones as he comes off of injury. Can he be at a superb level for enough weeks? The Colts were exciting early last year. They are banking on most of the top performers carrying that over for 2026. For too many years now, though, Indianapolis has a history of failing to get over the hump or meet expectations. That leaves them just below teams that have tasted the postseason more recently like the Chargers and Jaguars.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
Another year, another time where the Pittsburgh Steelers are an older and slower roster. The defense is especially growing longer in the tooth and more expensive. And quite frankly, they have failed to reach their expectations in parts of the last two years. Can they still put enough pressure on opposing teams?
Aaron Rodgers can only offer you a specific, centralized play style and skill set at this point. The offensive skill players are pieces to love on this roster. That is very true of the additions from the offseason. In total, Pittsburgh being consistently maximized by their quarterback is hard to envision. That keeps the Steelers in the muddy middle they have been in for years now.
12. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders easily have the most dependable amount of pieces to lean on of the bottom five teams in the AFC. Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyler Linderbaum, Quay Walker, and Nakobe Dean are a nice group to look to as leaders on a rebuilding team. Plus, the coaching hire of Klint Kubiak may lead to simpler, yet more efficient, offensive tendencies.
Las Vegas just does not possess the experience in most important positions to sneak out of the bottom five in the AFC. They can continue to build for the future.
13. Tennessee Titans
Some pieces of the Titans' roster offer contrasting play styles to what Tennessee has stated they hope to be. It is a weirdly mixed roster construction. How will they gel together?
Beyond that, the defense and coaching hires just do not give much confidence. Ask Jets and Giants fans how things fared when being attached to Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll, respectively. Will those two being involved truly give Cam Ward enough leads or advantageous situations as he enters his second career season?
14. New York Jets
The only thing keeping the Jets above the Cleveland Browns are the veterans they signed in free agency. Not much of those are dominant, star pieces. Most of those names are not there for the long haul. But at this stage, it gives the Jets more of a soft foundation than they had last year. New York can look to those names to bring much needed leadership and fundamental prowess.
The coaching staff feels like the most pre-fired staff in recent memory. Geno Smith's methodical attack also does not mesh well with that coaching staff in a year where the progress of young players matters more than anything Smith accomplishes.
15. Cleveland Browns
Obviously, the Browns are buying time for the future. The quarterback of the future is not coming until next offseason at the earliest. Even with some of the 2026 aspects not mattering much for wins and losses, plenty of the Browns' young pieces are exciting.
They had many rookies perform well last year. And this current Cleveland rookie class holds just as much excitement. The Browns have drafted tremendously and still have a stable defense even after trading Myles Garrett away.
16. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are one of the thinnest rosters in recent memory. Malik Willis and De'Von Achane are surrounded by a bunch of backup level talents who are getting starting snaps. Miami's dead money aspect was always going to lead to a rebuild and messiness this year. But it is truly bare for this year's roster. That could lead to a long, demoralizing set of outings in 2026 as they set themselves up for future campaigns.
Add us as a preferred source on Google