The 2026 NFL season kicked off with an unpredictable start on Wednesday night as the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks grabbed a 13-10 victory over the defending AFC champion New England Patriots. Almost no one would have predicted Drew Lock would quarterback the winning effort for Seattle with Sam Darnold departing with a hip injury in the first series of the game. Nearly as unpredictable was the 2025 NFL MVP runner-up Patriots quarterback Drake Maye throwing a career-high three interceptions, but that's exactly what happened.
Maye is now the first New England quarterback with three interceptions in the fourth quarter of a game since Tom Brady at the Denver Broncos in Week 7 of the 2001 season, his first as the Patriots' starting QB. So what other craziness could occur throughout the course of the 2026 season? Here are five season-long bold predictions for the NFL year ahead of us.
What do 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford and Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love have in common? They are the only quarterbacks in each of the last three seasons with the following: at least nine wins, 20-plus passing touchdowns and fewer than 12 interceptions. The last three seasons were Love's first three as an NFL starting quarterback, and in his last game out, he flashed high-level play in Green Bay's playoff-opening loss at the Chicago Bears.
Love threw for 329 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 73% of his passes (27 for 37). That night, he became just the sixth player in NFL history to throw for four touchdowns and no interceptions in a road playoff game. Love's reputation entering 2026 would be a little different had now-released kicker Brandon McManus not left seven points on the field (two missed field goals and an extra point) in a four-point loss (31-27).
His efficiency ranks among the league's best, and with a higher-volume passing attack expected in 2026 with running back Josh Jacobs facing suspension, Love could have the opportunity to produce MVP-caliber numbers this season. Expected points added (EPA) per dropback This might be the boldest prediction in the entire column given the Dallas Cowboys' 2025 defense ranked last in the NFL in scoring (30.1 points per game allowed), passing yards allowed (251.5 passing yards per game allowed) and third-down defense (47.3% conversion rate allowed). However, former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is gone, and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker completely overhauled Dallas' defensive communication system.
Plus, the Cowboys have kicked many underachieving defenders from yesteryear to the curb: 46.2% of the snaps taken on last year's defense were by players who are no longer on the roster, per the Dallas Morning News. Between four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, future Hall of Fame edge rusher Von Miller, Pro Bowl edge rusher Rashan Gary, first-round rookies Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence and 2023 NFL interceptions leader DaRon Bland, the Cowboys have a much more talented defense than in 2025. They'll make a big leap with all the changes while not squandering the leads and field position Dallas' high-flying offense provides.
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