The 2026 NFL season kicks off tonight on NBC, so in honor of the return of professional football, here are five bold predictions for the season.

Bijan Robinson will break Eric Dickerson’s rushing record

Let’s start things off with a bang. I teased this one back on August 29th when I released bold predictions specific to the Atlanta Falcons.

Two years ago, Saquon Barkley came within spitting distance of Eric Dickerson record of 2,105 yards, but I think Bijan Robinson has a great chance to challenge that mark in 2026.

Let’s look at the facts: Bijan is one of the best runners in the game. He’s a huge weapon. Maybe it’s more realistic to predict that he’ll break Chris Johnson’s 2,509 scrimmage yard record, given how active he is in Atlanta’s passing game, but I’ll stick with my original prediction.

I am less confident in Atlanta’s QB situation than I was when I originally posted on August 29, but I don’t think it really matters for the scope of this prediction. Questions at quarterback is all the more reason why the offense will rely super heavily on Robinson. For now, head coach Kevin Stefanski has named Tua Tagovailoa as the starter for Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh, but I’d imagine that the position will be a revolving door between him and Michael Penix Jr….and maybe even Jack Strand.

With that in mind, the security blanket that is Bijan Robinson and a relatively winnable division in the NFC South, it’s got all the ingredients of a HUGE season for Robinson, so why not have an eye on the all-time record.

The Los Angeles Rams will go undefeated

Even though I used the word UNDEFEATED, this may be the least bold prediction here. The Rams are on the tougher half of the league in terms of strength of schedule, but it’s hard to ignore LA’s offseason.

The offense that made it to the NFC Championship game returns, including MVP Matthew Stafford. The defense, however, took a HUGE jump. They traded for 2x Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, traded for All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie, and OH, BY THE WAY, convinced the great Aaron Donald to come out of retirement. If the thought of that Rams defense doesn’t scare you, you may not have a soul.

If someone were to ask me, “Los Angeles or the field” in terms of who I’d pick to win the Super Bowl, I know that the smart money is always to take the field, but I can’t look away from this Rams team. But the prediction was not Super Bowl, it was undefeated. Only one team has ever done that.

The biggest challenge to this quest will be within their own division. The Seattle Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champs, but they didn’t do much to improve over last season AND lost Kenneth Walker III to Kansas City. That said, if the Rams lose a game, it’ll be as part of a split with Seattle. San Francisco returns a lot of their key players healthy in 2026, BUT they have had a tumultuous offseason, especially lately. The continued Brandon Aiyuk drama, head coach Kyle Shannahan‘s car accident, owner Jed York‘s arrest…

So, if I’m going bold, I’m looking at a team that was already one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl BEFORE adding Garrett and Donald. Now it feels inevitable. So, let’s take inevitable and make it historic. First 20-0 season in NFL history.

The Kansas City Chiefs will miss the playoffs again

This one is admittedly the least likely of the bold predictions, but I have my reasons. One of those reasons is the division. The division has drastically improved in the last couple of years. The Denver Broncos were one game away from the Super Bowl a year ago, and I honestly think they would’ve beaten the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game if Bo Nix had not fractured his ankle the week before. Now, Nix is back and the offense added another weapon in Jaylen Waddle.

In regard to the Los Angeles Chargers, I have to believe that eventually, the John Harbaugh–Justin Herbert combination will pay dividends, and I think 2026 could be the year. Adding former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel could be the key to unlocking that potential. They will miss defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who is now the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, but the Chargers will be no easy out.

The Las Vegas Raiders are still a year or two away from winning meaningful games, but I like the foundation I’m seeing built for Klint Kubiak‘s squad. They could definitely still a couple of division games.

Now, back to the Chiefs, while the roster as a whole is one of the youngest in the league, age does remain an issue. Travis Kelce is old. Chris Jones is getting there. Both head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo are pushing 70 and retirement rumors about Reid have persisted for a couple of years now.

Patrick Mahomes is one of the best signal callers the game has ever seen, and despite the fact that he is expected to be ready for Week 1, he is coming off a major injury. Kansas City finally addressed their running game needs with the acquisition of Kenneth Walker III, but durability has been a question in Walker’s career. In the receiving corps, tight end Travis Kelce – who will be 37 in October – is still their most reliable pass catcher, and that age is beginning to show. Xavier Worthy took a step back in his sophomore season, and who know what’s going on with Rashee Rice?

All that combined with the fact that Kansas City rolls into 2026 with the 5th-toughest schedule in the NFL, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kansas City at the very least fighting for their playoff lives come December.

The Cincinnati Bengals will return to the Super Bowl

I gotta say, I really believe in this one. Just a couple of years ago, Joe Burrow put up MVP-caliber numbers. The only problem was that the Cincinnati defense was HISTORICALLY bad, and the Bengals defense was seemingly losing 38-35 on a weekly basis.

Now, headed into 2026, the defense has been addressed in a big way, with offseason additions that include Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen.

If Joe Burrow can stay healthy and the defense can at the very least appear competent, Cincinnati has enough weapons to be a playoff team. But I think the team has done enough on defense to be better than just competence. I think they’ll be much improved. Maybe not a top 5 unit, but much improved.

If that’s the case, the Bengals could be as formidable as ever, and if your offense has Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, you have your sights set on the Super Bowl. Given my earlier prediction that the Los Angeles Rams would go undefeated, we could see a rematch of Super Bowl LVI.

If I’m WAY off on this, head coach Zac Taylor would almost certainly be done in Cincy, but if they’re able to get into the playoffs and make a run, I think he’ll be safe for another year…and I think they do have what it takes.

The Tennessee Titans will compete for a Wild Card spot

There were so many ways I could’ve gone with this last one. I finally landed here.

The AFC South is a bit of a question mark. It would be easy to say, “Oh, the Titans will easily finish fourth”, but the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts aren’t exactly known for their consistency. The Texans defense was unreal a year ago, but CJ Stroud was inconsistent. Daniel Jones is coming off a major Achillies injury, and the Colts lost WR1 Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason. Jacksonville is Jacksonville, you never know EXACTLY what you’re going to get from them.

I’m not saying that Tennessee will win the division. Those other three teams are good. Any of them can win it. I’m talking about the Wild Card. And the NFL has this wild ability to give us multiple new playoff teams a year. Why couldn’t the Titans be one of them?

It was a busy offseason in the Music City. They brought in head coach Robert Saleh and veteran coordinators Brian Daboll and Gus Bradley to lead the team. They drafted Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate (who I previously predicted would have the best rookie season out of any first round pick), and Cam Ward is entering his second year.

The defense is led by elite pass rusher Jeffery Simmons, and I was really impressed with Cam Ward while watching the third season Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’. He appeared focused and motivated, and he showed significant signs of improvement by season’s end.

Like I said, the NFL usually has multiple new playoff teams every year, and there seems to be more hope in Tennessee than there has been in a few years. Is it likely that the Titans make the jump to playoff team in 2026? No. But let’s not forget that the New England Patriots went from 4-13 to the Super Bowl. Anything can happen.

There you have it – those are five bold predictions headed into tonight’s Super Bowl rematch to open the season. What are your bold predictions? Which of these predictions do you think is most likely to come true?

Most importantly – welcome back, football season!