2026 AFC Playoff Picks

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The last two years have been tough for the American Football Conference. Despite more competition with Kansas City, the AFC is much weaker compared to the NFC. That weakness has led all 16 teams in this conference to re-think and approach roster construction differently. While the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Texans are favorites to reach the Super Bowl, at least a half dozen other teams are playoff hopefuls, and two plan to defend their conference championship appearance. Of the four divisions, the west is the strongest. Meanwhile, the other three divisions could have any team come up on top and no wild card team make the postseason.

As all 16 AFC teams prepare for another season, the conference must continue to address their management issues, roster construction/adjustments, and how to win another Super Bowl. It’s time to break down which seven teams in the AFC have the best chance of reaching the playoffs in 2027.

AFC North: Baltimore Ravens

A fully healthy Lamar Jackson (8) and new head coach with better game-planning makes Baltimore the easiest choice to win the north.

No team was sicker Seattle’s head coach Mike Macdonald won Super Bowl 60 last season than the Baltimore Ravens. Macdonald was the architect of an elite, shut-down defense before the Seahawks hired him (after letting go of their all-time winningest head coach Pete Carroll) in 2024 and the Ravens continued to support John Harbaugh. Owner Steve Bisciotti quickly fired Harbaugh and brought in the closest coach/person to Mike Macdonald they could find: Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Minter was also on Baltimore’s staff when Macdonald ran the defense.

This season, Baltimore should return to what many were used to seeing from them before the last two seasons. Jesse Minter will have some rough patches, but the veteran, exceptionally talented roster will make his first year as a head coach smoother than what most first year hires will have. What helps Minter more now will be how the other three north teams won’t be much of a factor toward their division winning paths. Any positive gains Cleveland and Pittsburgh make on offense this season will be erased by their depleted or older defenses. Cincinnati is elite on offense and special teams, but they have no linebacker or secondary depth. That will be exposed as the season goes on and injuries become a factor.

East: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots

Buffalo is taking a chance with their Super Bowl window after they hired a new, inexperienced head coach take over. Former head coach Sean McDermott got the Bills close to multiple championship appearances.

The east could be the hardest division to figure out in the conference this season. Yes, Buffalo and New England are the front runners to win the division. However, both teams could face a series of setbacks this season. While the Bills have a new head coach and more importantly, a season long experiment switching from a 4-3 defensive scheme to a 3-4 one, they are more poised to win the east.

Buffalo’s Joe Brady will have a lot to prove this season. Like New England, the Bills will have a rough first half to their schedule. One positive they have over the Patriots is the lack of off-field distractions. Buffalo also addressed their position needs in the offseason, adding receiver DJ Moore, linebacker Bradley Chubb, center Lloyd Cushenberry and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Bills could have a slow start, but watch out the closer we get to 2027.

A.J. Brown was the most coveted player by New England’s front office, coaching staff and…Diana Russini? What a season this will be for the Patriots.

While Buffalo will be scrutinized for their play, New England will be criticized and watched closely on and off the field. General manager Eliot Wolf had a great off-season, adding more talent at wide receiver with the signing of Romeo Doubs and trading for disgruntled Philadelphia star A.J. Brown. Wolf also bulked up the defense by signing turnover magnet safety Kevin Byard III and linebacker Dre’Mont Jones. In many ways, the Patriots have a better roster than they did last season.

Despite New England’s active offseason, they will have a rough time this year. The Diana Russini scandal that almost every major sports outlet, journalist and reporter tried to downplay and cover up in the offseason will be in front of every NFL fandoms’ mind, especially with fanbases of teams New England plays this year. Speaking of schedule, the Patriots one is just as vicious as Buffalo’s. New England may not have won the Super Bowl last season, but they still went to the championship round and won a conference championship. They have just as large a target on their back as Seattle, Los Angeles and Denver. This could be a great season for the Patriots, but it could also be a hellacious year that won’t ease up on or off the field. As Mike Vrabel could learn from his predecessor, sometimes less is more.

South: Houston Texans

Houston made a smart move this season extending defensive end Will Anderson Jr. He’s a reason the Texans have one of the NFL’s best defenses.

On paper, the South is the second best division in the AFC. On the field, there are both a lot of inexperience and question marks. Tennessee will have more growing pains on the offensive line, defense and special teams. Indianapolis has a decaying roster and Jacksonville will face regression on both offense and defense.

That means Houston is the de facto best team. The Texans beefed up depth on the offensive line and wide receiver after last year’s season ending injuries to Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz. On defense, Houston retains almost all their star playmakers in the secondary and even added more talent like former Philadelphia safety and defensive captain Reed Blankenship. Starting quarterback C.J. Stroud IV now has no excuses heading into his fourth season. If he plays poorly this year and the Texans don’t have a deep playoff run, Houston will look for another quarterback to compliment a Super Bowl worthy roster.

West: Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos

Kansas City’s odds to return to the Super Bowl improved when they signed Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency.

Great news everybody! No prediction in the AFC West this year about every team making the playoffs! Las Vegas should have a bold and educational first season with Klint Kubiak as head coach, but the other three teams will capitalize on the Raiders’ early season mistakes to keep them at the bottom for now. The other three teams are serious contenders to at least make it to the divisional round.

Kansas City will again lead the way. Until head coach Andy Reid’s brain stops working, quarterback Patrick Mahomes II can’t throw a ball anymore or defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo forgets what a defense is, the Chiefs will remain the favorites to go all the way in the conference. Love it or hate it, that is how all 15 teams in the AFC see it every season. Mahomes back to full health is the deciding factor for which team takes the division.

Could this be the season six year veteran Justin Herbert finally wins a playoff game?

Kansas City will have two teams in the division nipping at their heels. Throughout most of the Reid-Mahomes era, Denver and Los Angeles have played them close, and this year will be no different. The Chargers look to at least be second best in the west with the addition of former head coach Mike McDaniel at offensive coordinator. Los Angeles should have one of the best offenses in the NFL…if they can get past a brutal seven game schedule that has them facing Buffalo, reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, the Rams, Houston, and Baltimore. If the Chargers leave that seven game stretch over .500, they will coast into the playoffs.

Los Angeles could lose out on the division title because of the defense and special teams. New defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary has his hands full with an aging defense that features solid depth but no standout players outside of safety Derwin James Jr. and tackle Teair Tart. Jesse Minter made Los Angeles’ defense one of the more appreciated units in the NFL. O’Leary’s defense may not feature a lot of the same creativity and precision. As for the special teams, kicker Cameron Dicker had one of his best years last season. Those who have followed the NFL for a while are aware the Chargers have been plagued by special teams problems when everything else goes well and no one expects it. Given how great they were last year, a regression is likely.

Expect this look on Sean Payton’s face for a good part of the 2026-27 season!

It was hard to pick which NFL team would round out the top seven in this conference. Any of the south teams (after Houston) have a good case to be playoff bound. The Jets are a great dark horse pick, but they don’t have the talent to enter this conversation. That leaves Denver, which will be an interesting team to watch throughout the season.

Like New England, the Broncos will face more resistance just for playing in the conference championship. While Denver played an ugly game outside of their first score, they took out the Super Bowl favorite Bills and upended the franchise’s title aspirations with Sean McDermott as head coach. The Broncos will also face similar offensive issues much like they did last season with quarterback play. Inconsistent starter Bo Nix returns after he broke his leg earlier in January.

The biggest issue Denver could face is with play-calling. Offensive coordinator Davis Webb will call plays instead of head coach Sean Payton because Payton desperately wanted him to stay on staff. Sean Payton will have to give Webb a good amount of autonomy throughout the season since the promotion, but many wonder if that will be the case the longer the season goes and Denver plays to secure a high playoff seed, much less a playoff game. Expect a lot of Broncos drama this season, but enough determination from them to clinch one of the lower two wildcard seeds.

Total 2025-2026 regular and postseason AFC picks: 7-6

2026 North America World Cup Championship Final Prediction

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The semi-finals were some of the best FIFA matches anyone watched this tournament. There was almost a fight, some penalty shots, and upsets. It may be difficult for the championship final to live up to the same expectations. The two teams remaining are the best and most competitive ones we’ve seen this summer. As mentioned in the last FIFA article, there are no draws nor points given from ties. Every round is elimination, meaning overtime and shootouts/penalty shots will decide winners. Before picks are made, the numbers are for which teams finished at the top two in each group, and the letters are from the group each one was in. Here are the predictions for which team wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy.

1H Spain v. 1J Argentina

This will be the match of a lifetime for Spain’s Lamine Yamal and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

The two most talented, qualified and best teams reached the championship round. None of us should be surprised that the finalists are the most recent champions on their own continents. No team has an answer for Spain’s defense while no team can hold a lead against Argentina’s offense. Both teams have veteran, match-changing depth that can change a match at any time. It is possible the championship could be determined in extra time because of how well both teams mirror each other.

Both goal keepers have been exceptional this tournament. Unai Simón has given up one goal in seven matches while Emiliano Martinez slammed the door on most opposing offenses the last 25 minutes of regulation play. Both coaches have surprisingly built around their defenses first to ensure their forwards and midfielders have an easier time creating transition scoring chances. Their offenses can play better once the defense sets the tone early in each match.

Match deciding factor: Marc Cucurella and La Roja’s defense versus Lionel Messi and La Albiceleste’s offense

Argentina has fallen behind in every elimination match played this tournament. La Albiceleste has patiently waited to see what their opponents will do the first 70 minutes of regular time. Then they blitz the defense late in the second half and score. It will be no different with Spain. La Roja will probably be the first team to score given how they love to dominate time of possession, pass the ball and create open spacing for quality shot selections. Spain is also aware of how Argentina will play given the quality opponents they faced in elimination. La Roja jumped on France early, and they let Portugal dawdle for 85 minutes.

While one could argue that Lionel Scaloni versus Luis de la Fuente is the bigger matchup or deciding factor, many would agree that de la Fuente has run circles around Spain’s opponents this tournament while Scaloni’s squeaked by despite his accurate substitution decisions. This matchup will come down to how one of the best football stars of all-time will deal with this tournament’s best defender entering the prime of his career. Lionel Messi has been on another level this World Cup, which is saying something because he’s usually the best player on the pitch. His vision, passing and timing of when to score is why La Albiceleste made it this far. However, Marc Cucurella has blanked out and smothered every team’s top play-makers and star scorers. Austria, Portugal, Belgium and France are four top teams loaded with prolific names. Cucurella’s defensive play kept them all off the scoreboard and led Spain to a FIFA tournament record six shutouts.

Marc Cucurella isn’t Argentina’s only worry. Spain’s defense has gotten better each match to where Cucurella can focus on whichever elite player gets open. Pedro Porro and Marcus Llorente are great complimentary defenders while older midfielders Rodri and Fabian Ruiz help take some pressure off. Argentina’s offense will probably test them more than any European team did because of how crucial, talented and physical players like Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister are in contested spaces.

While Yamal and Messi will be the top players to watch in this championship, Rodri (16) and Enzo Martinez (24) will be decisive factors in which team wins.

Argentina will learn fast that taking their time against Spain is not a good idea because of how consistent and sharp-minded La Roja is. France could not get a shot on net until the 80th minute. La Albiceleste will also learn that starting the match with faster offensive pressing and scoring early is something Spain doesn’t allow. Argentina must get creative with their set-pieces, kicks, throw-ins or penalty shots. They must also use the whole pitch to their advantage against a team that stays locked in and doesn’t make easy mistakes.

Verdict: On paper, this looks like the match of the century. Two football giants that have consistently won on every level, on a collision course for dynasty conversations. Spain has become La Gran Máquina Roja after tweaking their famous Tiki-taka style of play. Argentina has been the football team of the 2020s. Yet, there is one more factor that could decide the winner: Accumulated yellow cards.

Valuable defensemen on both sides have a yellow card heading into this match. Spain’s Marc Cucurella and Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero all drew one in their semi-finals appearances. While many would think Cucurella would face more pressure here, it is actually the pair of Martinez and Romero who feel it more. La Albiceleste tried to intimidate England early and it backfired. It wasn’t until the Three Lions went into FIFA’s version of prevent defense that Argentina finally played their preferred offensive style and pull out a win. Not only is playing more physical a non-option for La Albiceleste when Spain is on offense, but La Roja will try and exploit that often and see if they can goad either into drawing another yellow and be up one man for a part of the final.

It is not just the defensemen either. Veteran mid-fielder Rodrigo de Paul also drew one against England. Argentina at least has quality midfielder depth if de Paul is substituted out earlier than usual, but Spain’s Luis de la Fuente will keep this in mind. In many ways, de la Fuente is FIFA’s version of Seattle’s Mike Macdonald: he gets the team to study and re-innovate tactics, has the players laser-focused on overwhelming their opponents, and is a proven winner on every level. It will take everything Argentina has to beat Spain. Even then, it might not be enough.

2026 North American World Cup championship prediction: Spain wins 4-2 and takes home their second FIFA World Cup Trophy

Golden Ball winner: Marc Cucurella

Golden Glove winner: Unai Simón

Quarterfinals prediction record: 4-0

Total 2026 World Cup prediction record: 30-6

2026 North America World Cup Quarter Finals Predictions

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What a fun, early July for World Cup play. The round of 16 filtered the contenders from the remaining pretenders. While most of the eight teams knocked out showed promise and fight, the remaining eight were better and earned their wins to make round four. Since group play is over, that means there are no draws nor points given from ties. Every round is elimination, meaning overtime and shootouts/penalty shots will decide winners. Before picks are made, the numbers are for who finished at the top two in each group, and the letters are from the group each team was in. Here are the predictions for which four teams advance to the semi-finals.

1I France v. 2C Morocco

Morocco and France face off in another thriller after their 2022 semi-finals matchup.

Talk about a bang to start the quarter finals! It’s a shame these teams have to play each other this round. Morocco and France dominated most of their matches this tournament and showed few weaknesses. After a 2022 shutout win by France, Morocco will try to split their World Cup series this decade.

That will be tough since France showed global audiences they aren’t intimidated by rough, physical play. Captain Kylian Mbappé laughed off Paraguay’s brutish and (at times) racist antics to clinch a shutout win last round. Morocco is a much better team than Paraguay, but France has the best manager, players and roster depth in the tournament.

Prediction: France advances 3-1

1H Spain v. 1G Belgium

Lamine Yamal (19) and Ferran Torres celebrate after a 1-0 shutout win versus Portugal Monday afternoon.

Two weeks ago, many believed this matchup would have been a near unanimous win for Spain. La Roja has not impressed as much as audiences anticipated, but they are still a solid team.

However, Belgium has dazzled since their 86th minute against Senegal in the second round. The Red Devils crushed the Yanks last round without Jérémy Doku, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne in the starting lineup. This should be a great match.

Two factors will determine which team advances: injuries and coaching. The loss of Amadou Onana is big for Belgium’s mid-field and puts more pressure on manager Rudi Garcia to pick better substitutes. Speaking of substitutions, the way Garcia has used his and made bolder changes in decision making could cost the Red Devils against an actual championship caliber team like Spain. La Roja’s manager Luis de la Fuente is practical in his substitutions and puts the best players in at the best times to keep overwhelming opposing defenses late in matches. Belgium has impressed viewers by finding another gear for their golden generation’s last dance, but Spain is better top to bottom.

Prediction: Spain advances 3-2

2I Norway v. 1L England

Norway’s Erling Haaland might be Mr. Inevitable, but he’ll need help if the Vikings want to beat England.

The most underrated matchup of the quarter finals. Norway might be a dark horse to make the finals, but they play like a championship caliber team on every side of the pitch. Again, the pressure falls on England to use all their star talent and advance to the next round.

Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have been stellar this tournament. Both have scored six or more goals and are in the race for the Golden Boot. Yet if the Vikings want to win this match, they need other players not named Haaland to step up. This is where England separates itself.

Regardless of what viewers think about manager Thomas Tuchel’s sideline theatrics, one cannot argue he has gotten the Three Lions to play their best against serious contenders. England dominated against Croatia and Mexico, two teams many believed could return to the quarterfinals. Norway’s great defensive play has been led by veteran goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland. However, the offense could be the Vikings downfall if England starts scoring more than two goals. Given how well Kane, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon have played, it’s likely the Three Lions get out to an early lead and don’t look back.

Prediction: England advances 5-2

1J Argentina v. 1B Switzerland

Switzerland celebrates their shootout win over Colombia Tuesday afternoon. The Swiss have a chance to knock out Argentina Saturday.

This could be one of the best matches of the quarter finals because of how both teams play. Argentina’s looked vulnerable in both elimination rounds after they dominated group play. The Swiss thumped Algeria and beat Colombia in a thrilling shootout. Whichever team earns the win will have earned their trip to the semi-finals.

The biggest factor could be the health of Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi. Manzambi’s play catapulted the Swiss into a top position in both group play and on their side of the knockout bracket. However, Johan Manzambi didn’t play in the penalty kicks win against Colombia and it showed. Switzerland still has a lot of underrated talent at forward and midfield, but they will need everyone to show up against the reigning World Cup champions. That could be too much for them.

Prediction: Argentina advances 3-2

Group Play Predictions: 26-6