Week 18 is always a daunting week in the season. Followed by all the games that ensued to determine the playoff picture, Black Monday follows, which usually triggers a massive exodus of underperforming coaches. There’s quite a few teams that missed the playoffs that are going to be looking at coaching changes – even front office changes – but will that be enough to get them back in the playoff picture a season from now?
Here’s a look at some of the NFL teams that didn’t make the playoffs, but should be optimistic about 2026. Don’t get me wrong, there’s quite a few teams that will still be kicking around the “rebuilding” title, but for the ones that aren’t, they have a lot to look forward to this offseason and next.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons had a miserable start to the year and somehow mustered enough momentum to not only finish with eight wins, but look like a team that might not be as bad as we all thought they were. They don’t have a first round pick in the 2026 draft and that’s not a bad thing seeing as they really don’t need much to turn the corner.
What Atlanta needs is consistent quarterback play. Michael Penix Jr. will be coming off his third ACL injury in his career (first on his left knee) so he becomes a massive liability, especially at 26 years old next season. The Falcons should probably turn back to Kirk Cousins, but will have to figure out their quarterback situation either way.
It might be the most important decision to figure out, but truthfully it’s their only decision. They have the rest of the pieces together to win so all they need to do is play a lot better than they did and winning the NFC South shouldn’t be an issue.
New York Giants
Jaxson Dart breathed life into this team in ways Russell Wilson could only have dreamed of. With a new regime set to take over in New York, you have to think that they’ll be good enough to take this Giants team to the next level. The Giants need to add a weapon or two on offense and improve the offensive line and they, too, should be able to contend in the NFC.
Granted, the NFC is a gauntlet and the NFC East will always be tough with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. That said, Dart showed signs of being the future quarterback the Giants have been desperately needing since Eli Manning’s retirement.
This draft should be what the Giants need to go from NFC bottom feeders to playoff contenders. If not, they should be a whole lot better than a four-win team.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This season got away from Tampa Bay very quickly. They didn’t deserve to make the NFL playoffs, but somehow could have made it as an 8-9 team this year. Before a midseason collapse, the Bucs were 6-2 and contending for a top spot in the NFC. Then they went 1-7 ahead of Week 18 – all of those losses except for two of them one possession losses.
The Bucs will be healthy going into 2026 and that will be their biggest asset. Baker Mayfield had a lingering shoulder injury to end the year, Mike Evans missed a chunk of the middle of the season with a broken collarbone and Chris Godwin was coming off a significant ankle injury. Expect Tampa Bay to be back in the playoff conversation and expect them to not fall apart due to injuries.
Washington Commanders
A lot went wrong with the Washington Commanders this season and it was largely due to injuries, specifically to Jayden Daniels. They have to improve their defense for sure, but realistically, this was a season decimated by injuries. The Commanders should be relevant again in 2026, just not sure how good they can be with the NFC East always being a tough division.
I don’t know how good the Commanders will be just because their NFC title game run in 2024 was a miracle run. It’s hard to win year after year and the Commanders aren’t necessarily built to be perennial contenders. They’ll be much better in 2026 than they were in 2025, largely because they’ll be healthy again.
Detroit Lions
This was always going to be an odd season for the Detroit Lions. They lost both their offensive and defensive coordinator in the same hiring cycle and were still in their championship window. Despite a frustrating end to the season, being booted out of the playoff picture before the final game, they didn’t fall apart like a lot of people expected them to. It was a transitional season and they’ll have the chance to make things right in 2026.
Why will 2026 be more optimistic? Well assuming they won’t lose any of their coordinators for the second-straight season, they’ll have their system retained for next year and that continuity will benefit them greatly. On top of that, Dan Campbell will start the year calling plays, which ultimately helped the Lions’ offense take off.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons away just before the season and needed most of the year to figure out the identity of the defense. With Maxx Crosby possibly on the trade block this offseason, expect Dallas to be suitors – also Trey Hendrickson as a free agent. Whether they get that elite EDGE rusher or rely on the NFL Draft, they’ll be much better. Their offense was top tier and their defense looked like you would expect it too. But with more time to actually figure out the defenses’ biggest needs, you have to think they’ll figure it out in 2026, right?
Dallas can’t keep wasting away MVP-worthy seasons by Dak Prescott. If they don’t figure it out next season, they never will. They need 2026 to be the year their defense actually looks competitive and with the core they put together at the deadline, there has to be some optimism. Jerry Jones is going to come up with some moniker to define his offseason mindset, but the real action will determine if Dallas will bounce back. They have every reason to next year.