{"id":48707,"date":"2026-08-12T20:56:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T02:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gambyl.com\/?p=48707"},"modified":"2026-08-12T20:56:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T02:56:48","slug":"nfl-five-teams-already-looking-like-playoff-contenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gambyl.com\/es\/nfl\/nfl-five-teams-already-looking-like-playoff-contenders\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL: Five Teams Already Looking Like Playoff Contenders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Training camps have been open for three weeks. One NFL preseason game has been played. Nothing counts yet.

But rosters are effectively set, injuries have started sorting themselves out, and the market has taken a clear position. One team sits at +550 to win the Super Bowl, and nobody else is under +1000. That gap tells you something real.

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Here are the five teams that already look ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Los Angeles Rams \u2014 +550<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The clearest contender in football, and the only team the market has under +1000.

Los Angeles lost the NFC Championship Game to Seattle last season with a roster that was already close. Then they spent the offseason closing the gap. Myles Garrett arrived from Cleveland for a package built around Jared Verse and a first-round pick. Trent McDuffie came from Kansas City for another first, fixing a secondary that was their most obvious weakness. Matthew Stafford was extended on a one-year, $55 million deal to keep the window open.

There is also the Aaron Donald situation. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year retired after 2023 and has been openly reconsidering since the Garrett trade. “It for sure got me thinking,” he told Pat McAfee, with reporting suggesting a return is close to a done deal. Whether or not it happens, the roster is already the most talented in the league.

Why they already look ready:<\/strong> Every hole from last season has been filled, and the team they lost to in January is arguably weaker than it was. This is a roster built specifically to beat Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Baltimore Ravens \u2014 +1000<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most complete team in the AFC, and they solved their one real problem.

Baltimore’s pass rush was the weakness that cost them in 2025. They signed Trey Hendrickson away from Cincinnati and put him alongside Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton. That is now a defensive core as good as any in the conference, and taking it directly from a division rival makes it doubly valuable.

Lamar Jackson remains one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in football and has taken this franchise to two AFC Championship games. Derrick Henry is still alongside him. Centre Ethan Pocic gives the offensive line a genuine upgrade if he stays healthy.

The variable is Jesse Minter, a first-year head coach replacing John Harbaugh. Minter’s background is coordinating elite defences, which matches exactly what Baltimore has assembled.

Why they already look ready:<\/strong> Projection models have them around 9.3 wins and clear at the top of their division. The roster has no obvious hole for the first time in several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Seattle Seahawks \u2014 +1100<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Defending champions, and that counts for something no projection captures.

Seattle beat the Rams in the NFC Championship Game and went on to win Super Bowl LX. Sam Darnold returns under centre with Jalen Milroe developing behind him. The core that won a title is largely intact.

There is one genuine problem, and it is at running back. Kenneth Walker III is gone, and Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a torn ACL, leaving rookie Jadarian Price (Notre Dame’s second back last season) carrying a significant load. That is a lot to ask of an unproven player at a position where Seattle has traditionally leaned heavily.

They also open the season at home against New England in a Super Bowl LX rematch on September 9.

Why they already look ready:<\/strong> Winning proves things projections cannot. The caveat is that repeating in the modern NFL is close to impossible, and the backfield question is real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Denver Broncos \u2014 +2000<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best value on this list and the most compelling “already ready” case of any team.

Denver’s defence ranked third in points allowed last season. They reached the AFC Championship Game with a quarterback who was not healthy; there is a legitimate argument that Bo Nix being fully fit would have put them in the Super Bowl. Sean Payton has confirmed Nix is a full go for camp.

The offence has been upgraded too, with Jaylen Waddle arriving to give Nix a genuine number one receiver. A top-three defence, a healthy young quarterback, an elite coach and an added weapon is the profile of a team that does not need anything else.

Why they already look ready:<\/strong> Everything that stopped them last season has been addressed. At +2000, they are priced well behind teams with more question marks, which makes them the sharpest play among genuine contenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. New England Patriots \u2014 +1800<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The biggest single offensive upgrade in the league.

Drake Maye was already playing at an MVP-calibre level. New England then gave him A.J. Brown, taking the best receiver available from a division-agnostic trade with Philadelphia. That pairing alone changes what this offence can do.

The Patriots reached Super Bowl LX last season and lost to Seattle. They open the 2026 campaign with a rematch in the kickoff game on September 9, which is exactly the kind of measuring stick a young team needs.

The complication is the schedule, which is significantly harder than last year’s. New England will be tested early and often, and there is very little margin built in.

Why they already look ready:<\/strong> An MVP-calibre quarterback with an elite receiver, a Super Bowl appearance already banked, and a coaching staff that has proven it can build around Maye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Team We Left Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Buffalo Bills \u2014 +1000.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Buffalo sits tied with Baltimore as the second shortest price in the league, and leaving them off requires an explanation.

Josh Allen is a top-three quarterback, and James Cook is one of the best backs in football. That is enough to make any team dangerous. But Buffalo entered the offseason needing a legitimate number one receiver and came away with D.J. Moore as the answer. Moore is a good player. He is not the difference-maker this offence has been missing.

The Bills will win games. They have also lost in January repeatedly with rosters constructed exactly like this one, and nothing about the summer suggests the specific problem has been solved.

The honest version:<\/strong> they belong in the conversation, and the market has them there. This list is about teams that already look ready, and Buffalo looks the same as it has for four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Actually Separates These Five<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Three of them fixed a specific, identifiable weakness in the offseason. The Rams addressed a secondary that failed them in January. Baltimore bought the pass rusher they needed. New England found the receiver Drake Maye did not have.

Denver did not need to fix anything; they needed their quarterback healthy, and he is.

Seattle is the outlier. They did not solve their problem. They won a Super Bowl and are now trying to defend it with a rookie running back, which is the one genuine vulnerability on this list.

The value play:<\/strong> Denver at +2000. A top-three defence, a healthy Bo Nix and a new number one receiver, priced behind four teams carrying more uncertainty.

The safe play:<\/strong> the Rams at +550, and the price reflects it. There is no value there, and there may not need to be.

Preseason continues Thursday. The regular season opens September 9 with New England at Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Training camps have been open for three weeks. One NFL preseason game has been played. Nothing counts yet. But rosters are effectively set, injuries have started sorting themselves out, and the market has taken a clear position. One team sits at +550 to win the Super Bowl, and nobody else is under +1000. That gap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":47977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","page_builder":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[89],"tags":[564],"class_list":["post-48707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-american-football"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t