4 NFL teams who didn’t make the playoffs, but will in 2026
These teams all missed out in 2025, but are ready to make noise.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 04: Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on January 04, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images This is the time for hope and optimism to reign supreme across the NFL, with 29 fanbases believing this could be their year to make noise, while the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Jets continue to exist — content with already shaping themselves into tanking teams hoping to find their quarterback of the future next year. Within those 29 hopefuls lie strata of realism.
Everyone hopes their team will shake off the doldrums, make the playoffs, and go on a Cinderella run, but if we’re being honest, there are only so many spots to be had. That said, some tea leaves are shaping up to give us real faith in a handful of teams to either bounce back into the playoffs, or finally crack through — with everything shaping up so these organizations can still be playing in January. No.
1: Detroit Lions Everyone would agree that the 2025 season was an injury-filled aberration that left the Lions with a 9-8 record and outside of the playoffs. Everything is shaping up for this team to bounce back in a major way. Not only is the team healthy, but they made a lot of depth acquisitions in free agency to mitigate the risk moving forward.
Not only are the Lions still every bit of the NFC Championship-potential team they have been in recent years, but they enter the 2026 season with one of the easiest strength of schedules based on the 2025 season. That’s often an imperfect predictor, but with scheduled games against the Saints, Jets, Titans, Dolphins, and Cardinals — well, you might as well pencil them in for five wins without a lot of difficulty. Expect this team to make noise.