Expectations are high for the Seattle Seahawks fresh off their Super Bowl win, but even if they fall short of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, that won't feel like the end of the world given they just won it. Seattle should feel some pressure, but not as much as many NFL teams that are searching to accomplish what the Seahawks just did.
The 11 teams below are under the most pressure to win right now for various reasons. Let's dive into them, starting with perhaps the most under-discussed team on this list.
11. Houston Texans
It's easy to forget this since their run ended in the Divisional Round, but the Houston Texans were one of the most dominant teams down the stretch of the 2025 campaign. They ended the regular season on a nine-game winning streak and then dominated the Steelers in the Wild Card Round on the road. Their defense ranked first in yards allowed and second in points allowed. That is a Super Bowl-caliber unit. It's what's led them to three straight playoff appearances.
The pressure is not only on that unit to keep performing at an elite level, but it's also on the offense to show signs of life. The David Montgomery and Kayshon Boutte additions should help, but is C.J. Stroud really good enough to be a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback? This might be his last chance to prove himself in Houston, only adding to the already-existing pressure.
10. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs went 6-11 in 2025. Was that a fluke or a sign of what's to come? Patrick Mahomes' injury didn't help, but the Chiefs were 6-8 with an extremely underwhelming offense even with him healthy. Is Mahomes still the game-changing all-time great he was at the start of his career when healthy?
The pressure is on him to prove that he's still that guy. The rest of the team is under pressure to keep the dynasty alive. One down year is permissible. Another one suggests it's all over, especially with Travis Kelce set to retire. They're further back on this list since they do have three recent Super Bowl wins to their name, but this season is vital in Kansas City.
9. Chicago Bears
The 2025 Chicago Bears were always expected to improve in the first year of the Ben Johnson era, but NFL fans seemingly underestimated how much better they'd be. The Bears went 4-12 in 2024 and had gone six straight seasons without posting a winning record, so watching them go from irrelevancy to winning the NFC North and coming within a play of making it to the NFC Championship Game was a lot of fun. The Bears were legit contenders, seemingly out of nowhere.
Well, NFL teams will now be expecting them to be competitive. The expectation is now for the Bears to win a wildly competitive NFC North division and go on a deep playoff run. The expectation is for them to take another step forward now that Caleb Williams has been with Johnson for more than a year. The growing pains excuses are out the window. Everything should be clicking right now, and it's mainly on Johnson and Williams to make that happen.
8. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos were the No. 1 seed in the AFC last season after going 14-3, and had Bo Nix been healthy for the AFC Championship Game, there's every reason to believe they'd have been Super Bowl-bound. All the Broncos did after their magical season was fill their biggest hole by acquiring Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins, giving them the bona fide No. 1 receiver they lacked.
Now, the Broncos have their quarterback, a strong skill position group, an elite offensive line and a defense that ranked second in yards allowed and third in points allowed. Not to mention, Sean Payton is a Super Bowl-winning head coach. All the pieces are there for Denver to win the Super Bowl. If the Broncos fall short this year, is there a year in which they can win it all?
7. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys went 7-9-1 in 2025, but still ranked second in yards per game and seventh in points per game. Their offense was incredibly dynamic, which has often been the case when Dak Prescott has been healthy. Their season unraveled because their defense allowed the most points per game. Well, what if I told you the Cowboys were running back that same offense while meaningfully adding to their defense?
Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Rashan Gary and Von Miller were acquired in the offseason. Quinnen Williams is set to play his first full season in Dallas. They even named Christian Parker their new defensive coordinator. Their defense should be much better, and that means the Cowboys should be much better. Ultimately, there's always a ton of pressure in Dallas, even when the team's roster isn't up to par. This might be the most well-rounded unit of the Prescott era, putting the pressure on the quarterback and everyone else to step up.
6. San Francisco 49ers
Did you know Kyle Shanahan is entering his 10th season as the San Francisco 49ers' head coach? He's had a ton of success, even leading the team to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, but the Niners are still searching for that elusive Super Bowl ring with Shanahan in the picture. Even beyond that, Brock Purdy is entering year 5. Christian McCaffrey is entering his fifth season in San Francisco. Fred Warner is in year 9. George Kittle is in year 10. This feels like a last dance, in a sense.
I mean, how many more chances will this core have? Are the Niners going to keep Shanahan around if they continue to fall short of their ultimate goal? Purdy is still young, but McCaffrey is 30, Warner is 29, and Kittle is 32. This is an older roster with a ton of injury concerns everywhere you turn. It's hard to put them higher than this given they're in a division with the Rams and Seahawks and have so many injury concerns, but again, it feels like this might be their last chance to do something special with this core.
5. New England Patriots
The 2025 New England Patriots were obviously great, but they also had the good fortune of having one of the easiest schedules in recent memory. Credit to them for taking advantage, but even in the AFC Championship Game, they faced a Broncos team without Bo Nix. They caught a ton of breaks. Was their magical run to the Super Bowl a byproduct of that easy schedule? Or were they really that good?
It's on them to prove the answer is the latter. Drake Maye is entering his first season with real expectations. He now has a legitimate wide receiver corps to throw to with A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs joining the fold. The defense, assuming Christian Gonzalez doesn't hold out, should be quite good. There's every reason to believe that if 2025 was legit, they can go on another run. Their season begins with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks. Pressure's on!
4. Los Angeles Rams
On one hand, it might be a bit unfair to put a Los Angeles Rams team that won a Super Bowl just five years ago this high on the list. I mean, what more does the duo of Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay have to prove? Ultimately, the Rams find themselves No. 4 on this list because of how good their roster is. I mean, has there been a bigger favorite to win a Super Bowl in recent memory?
Stafford is coming off an MVP season. The wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams is as good as any in the NFL. Their tight end room is incredibly deep. Defensively, the Rams added Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald in one offseason. They already had perhaps the most explosive offense in the game, and now their defense might be even better. If this team does anything but win a Super Bowl, it'd be a disappointment, which is why, even with their recent ring, they're this high.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have made the playoffs a total of two times in six seasons in the Joe Burrow era, and they've missed it in each of the last three years. Some of that has to do with injuries (primarily to Burrow), but two playoff appearances with Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the rest of their offense is genuinely absurd.
Defense has held them back, but the Bengals improved on that front, adding Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe among others. There are no excuses. If the Bengals cannot even make the playoffs this season, major changes are looming. Those could be as simple as firing Zac Taylor or as complex as potentially moving on from Burrow and rebuilding. There's already been some Burrow trade chatter, and that only figures to grow louder if the Bengals cannot get on the winning track.
2. Baltimore Ravens
Eight years into his NFL career, Lamar Jackson has established himself as an all-time great with two MVP awards (some believe he should have three) and four Pro Bowls to his credit. Unfortunately, despite his dominance, the Baltimore Ravens have made it to a total of one AFC Championship Game in the Jackson era, and they lost that game at home. Running into the Chiefs' dynasty is hard to blame Jackson for, but with the Chiefs out of the way, the Ravens didn't even make the playoffs in 2025. To sum up, Jackson is great, but the Ravens haven't done enough winning when it matters most with him under center.
And who knows how long the Jackson era is even going to last? His contract is set to expire after the 2027 campaign, and while an extension can happen, a deal hasn't been agreed to yet. Derrick Henry is 32 years old - how many elite years does he have left? John Harbaugh is already gone. This window might be closing sooner than people think, putting even more pressure on Jackson and Co. to win right now.
1. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills went 12-5, won a road playoff game, and lost in overtime to the No. 1 seed in the AFC, yet still elected to fire Sean McDermott after the year. That speaks to the pressure they feel to win, and it makes sense. The Bills expect to win a Super Bowl, and hope Joe Brady can help lead them there. The Bills have made seven straight postseason appearances, yet they've made a grand total of zero Super Bowl appearances in that span. Again, running into the Chiefs is hard to fully blame them for, but the Bills had a shot without the Chiefs in 2025 and blew it.
Josh Allen is arguably the best quarterback in the sport, but that only adds to the pressure. He's had his chances to lead the Bills to the Super Bowl, and while it hasn't always been his fault that they've fallen short, he hasn't been perfect either. I mean, he threw a pair of interceptions in last year's loss. The Bills gave Allen a WR1, DJ Moore, in the offseason, and are expected to seriously compete for a Super Bowl. Anything short of an appearance in the Big Game would be a failure, given how many times the Bills have already made the playoffs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google