Tag Archives: nfl-predictions-2026

Red’s 2026 NFL Picks – NFC East

Leave a reply

Red’s 2026 NFL Picks –  NFC East

Red traditionally starts with the NFL East.  Don’t ask why – because he doesn’t know. 

Philadelphia –  Let’s start with the two-time reigning NFC East and 2024 NFL champs.  2025 finished on a disappointing note.  After a nice 8-2 start, the Eagles lost 3 straight and floundered to a 11-6 finish not quite good enough to secure a first round bye.  That resulted in a Wild Card round close 23-19 loss to the 49ers.  Red notes that a surprising 22 games in NFL history have ended with that somewhat odd score.  Jalen Hurts (known to some as the most polarizing QB in the NFL) is still in his prime.  Can the experience of the venerable Red Rifle  aka Andy Dalton help Hurts overcome some of the errors of his ways?  Hurts has Saquon Barkley hoping to defy old man time for at least one more season.  He is effectively entering his 8th season have missed most of 2020 with only 19 carries. A few RBs continue to excel after 7 seasons but they are the exception to the rule.  As such, the Eagles had best not count on another 300 plus touches from Barkley in 2026.  And maybe that will not be necessary. The receiving corps gets a welcome addition in first round pick Makai Lemon and possibly free agent Marquise Brown.  Maybe Tank Bigsby lives up to his name to take some heat off of Saquon in short yardage situations.  What does not seem questionable is the Eagles defense.  Red expects the No Phly Zone to be in rare form in 2026.  Questions about a 5th offensive coordinator in 5 seasons are certainly reasonable, but HC SirIanni has shown that he knows how to win with a 59-26 record over 5 seasons – second in winning percentage only John Madden and Vince Lombardi.  Not bad company for a team that actually plays in the city in its name.  Eagles go 12-5 and win the East rather easily. 

Washington  –  The former OTNAs if you have to ask you have not been paying attention) who play in Maryland are a sexy pick to challenge for a playoff spot in 2026 after a disappointing 5-12 record last season.  Let’s face it – an 8 game losing streak is tough to overcome.  And on top of that, the Commandos were the first NFL team ever to lose four consecutive games by 21 or more points.  But as all NFL fans know, every year one formerly pathetic excuse for a professional football team rises from the dustbin and makes the playoffs.  Red is not calling the Commandos his “2026 NFL Team of Destiny” just yet, but he thinks that the DC faithful will not be dissatisfied in December.  Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin are back. New additions include  Laremy Tunsil who may have something left in the tank, Deebo Samuel a reliable option at WR and Von Miller and Will Harris on defense. Dan Quinn is an experienced and successful Head Coach and while memories are short, this team did go 12-5 in 2024.  Commanders will finish 10-7 with an outside shot at a Wild Card spot.

New York –  The New York Football Giants who play in New Jersey. Most predict the Giants to be around 7-10 in 2026.  Red certainly has no love lost for Trump bootlicker Jaxson Dart, but he is a competent NFL QB with a good crop of receivers.  Red does like Tyrone Tracy, Cam Skattebo and if they stay healthy the Giants’ rushing attack will take a lot of pressure off of Dart. Abdul Carter looks like a superstar in the offing at outside LB for a defense that could set a new team sack record. If they knock off the Cowboys in Week 1, they have 3 very winnable games in their next 6 when facing, the Titans, Cardinals and Saints.  A 4-3 record going into their bye week sets them up nicely.  It gets much tougher after that and some upsets will be needed to bring home an 8-9 record and win the tie-breaker with Dallas for 3rd spot in the East.  Giants 8-9.

Dallas –  The Cowboys (who play in Arlington) are clearly in decline.  Since back to back to back 12-5 seasons, the team has won only 7 games the past two seasons and of course, missed the playoffs.  Since 1996, the Cowboys have won a grand total of 4 playoff games.  If you are not a math whiz that is one playoff win on average every 7.5 seasons.  So first, what do the Cowboys have going for them this season.  They still have the best kicker in the league in Brandon Aubrey and added George Pickens at wide receiver.  The defense was not technically the worst in the NFL in 2025 but it wasn’t for lack of trying.  Only the Jets gave up more points and only the Bengals and Commandos gave up more yards per game. The run defense was bad, but the passing defense was truly atrocious giving up more yards per game than any other team. (NOTE:  If defenses could win Deadman of the Year – the Cowboys would have swept the field.  Maybe Red needs to rethink his award strategy!) Yes, the defense will not be as truly terrible as it was in 2025, but . . .   Anyhow, Red will continue here with his traditional beef.  A team that has not really sniffed a chance at a Conference Championship appearance, much less a Superb Owl in 30 years gets 9 national TV appearances yet again.  That includes the big time Week 1 Sunday night game, one more Sunday night game against Green Bay in October followed by a Monday night showdown with the Eagles, the mandatory Thursday night game, another Monday nightery  in December and 4 late afternoon Sunday games including the prime Thanksgiving spot.  Only one of the late pm games is time zone related when they play the Rams in late December.  Cowboy haters will have their hands full.  Cowboys go 8-9 and round out the bottom of the NFC East.

Red’s 2026 NFL Picks – NFC South

Leave a reply

Red’s 2025 NFL Picks – NFC South

Talk about a meaningless chore to pick what some call the NFL’s most mediocre division.  That was incorrect because last season it was the NFL’s worst division. The best thing you can say about the NFC South is that all of the teams play in the city (or state) they are named for. Red keeps this one short and not so sweet. Well here goes nothing -literally – because any team could win this division with a 7-10 record.  You laugh, but last year three teams finished with 8-9 records and Red isn’t exactly sure how many tiebreakers they had to run through to declare the Panthers as the “winner.”  Turns out it was one.  Turns out under the current format for this exercise Red must pick a division winner.  Drum roll.  Dice roll.

Carolina –  The Panthers ended 2025 with the “distinction” of being the first NFL team to twice make the playoffs with a losing record, but nonetheless acquitted themselves quite nicely in the playoffs taking the Rams down to the wire in a 34-31 loss.   The reward for winning the division is of course the first place schedule which gets the Cats matchups with the 2024 and 2025 NFL Champions in the Eagles and Seahawks.  That may be the key to not repeating as division champs.  Bryce Young is ensconced under center and his O line is good enough to give him time.  Unfortunately, Mr. Young just does not have much in the way of a supporting cast.  Defense and special teams will have to win a few games this season for the Panthers to be competitive.  Panthers wind up 7-10 and win the division once again with a losing record. 

Atlanta –  The Falcons were definitely the team no one wanted to face at the end of 2025 winning their last four in a row.  Some solace for a team that has not registered a winning season in 8 long years.  Unfortunately, it will be 9 come January 2027.  Do the Falcons have a quarterback.  Michael Penix can’t stay on the field and wasn’t very good when he was playing. So who do the Falcons turn to? – None other than Red’s 2025 Deadman of the Year – Tua Tagovailoa.  Bijan Robinson is great – no one questions that, but he cannot carry an offense by his lonesome although he certainly tried last season with 366 touches.  Drake London and Kyle Pitts are no slouches but someone has to get the rock to them.  One might feel better with a steady hand on the sidelines – but Shaky Kevin Stefanski does seem to be the answer.  Falcons are 7-10.  Are you sensing a trend here?

Tampa Bay –  The popular pick of the pundits and who is Red to disagree.  Red wonders why given the late season collapse.  The Bucs will rise and fall with Baker Mayfield.  The loss of Mike Evans is tough – he made Johnny Football look like the real deal. Red refuses to waste any more brain cells on this franchise.  Buccaneers go 7-10.  Sound familiar?

New Orleans –  The Saints also had a nice finish to the 2025 season until running into the Falcons buzz saw in Week 18.  Some view the Saints as ascendent – not exactly a tough call coming off of a sad 6-11 campaign.  Was Tyler Shough the best rookie quarterback in the league last season?  Was there another rookie quarterback worth mentioning?  Red is drawing a blank.  Pick ups of Travis Etienne and draft pick Jordyn Tyson should help with an offense that was overly dependent on Chris Olave.  The defense is hardly improved with several starters departing. On paper the Saints have the second easiest schedule in 2026 – but we know how that can turn out.   If you haven’t been to a Saints home game, you are missing out. Saints are 7-10.   Oh heck yeah!

Red’s 2026 NFL Picks – NFC West

Leave a reply

Red’s 2026 NFL Picks – NFC West

Red was just in San Francisco this summer.  It’s an amazing place in many respects and may have influenced his decision making. 

San Francisco –  Despite some troubles in the owner’s box, Red thinks that Niners (who play in Santa Clara) get off to a fast tart.  Red is not letting the Niners owner off the hooker anything like that for his bad boy behavior. And Red’s female readers should know that Red would never make let such stupidity influence his call girls.  This team has done a lot to vamp up the offense.  They have brought in a harlot of new players who just might not be bawd.  If Red thinks the Niners have a shot to win the whore thing, I’m not madam I?   Red is not one to make these picks and blow his strumpet for no good reason.  If you moll it over, you just might agree.   Niners cocotte a bunch of wins and finish 12-5.

Seattle – Your NFL Champions had a great 2025 and joined the multiple SB winners club.   But those champions typically fall off a bit in their subsequent seasons.  The Seahawks are no different in 2026.  There is still a lot to like about the Falconos Marinos.  The Champions have one of the youngest rosters in the league, but suffered some notable losses at running back and in the secondary.  Darn Old Sam still has reliable targets in Rashid Shaheed and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.  The defense will not be as good as the unit that had 47 sacks and caused 25 turnovers, but still should be a top-5 unit.  The Seahawks are in at 11-6.

Los Angeles –   Red has never liked the Rams and never will. Red loves LA as a city, but not its sports teams.  Let’s leave it at that. Oh yeah, and they play in Inglewood – wherever the hell that is. Adding Myles Garrett on defense is a big plus. There is nothing special about the Rams rushing attack.  Stafford seems ageless with his 46 TDs and 4707 passing yards last season, but he is entering his 18th season. Opening in Melbourne is weird and it doesn’t get much easier after that as the Rams play the Broncos Eagles and Bills in Weeks 3-5.  They get a break mid-season, but have a tough haul after their bye week with the Packers, Chiefs, Niners, Cowboys and then with two out of the last three with the Seahawks – which games will likely determine the Rams fate.   Rams miss out at 9-8.

Arizona –  Dry times in the desert are not about to change – there is no rain in sight.  As noted, every year one team rises from the ashes of the dumpster fire that was the previous season and makes the playoffs.  This is not that year for the Cardinals.  The team needed a new direction and maybe new HC Mike LaFleur can steer a new course.  No offense, but a quarterbacking corps of Jacoby Brissett, Carson Beck and Gardner Minshew probably means “no offense” – at least through the air.  This team will depend heavily on its decent set of RBs perhaps led by rookie Jeremiyah Love finding holes punched by a sub-par offensive line.  And don’t get Red started on the Cards defense.  Cardinals show some slight improvement under less incompetent leadership at 5-12.