The 2026 NFL schedule isn’t messing around: It starts with a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night, and then turns to the remade Los Angeles Rams, who will debut their stacked roster Thursday in a NFC West showdown with the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. By the time Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix return from serious injuries to face off in an AFC West rivalry game Monday night, the NFL conversation will be filled with snap judgments and rash predictions.But why wait until then? The Athletic’s NFL writers and editors already submitted their season-long predictions and projections, weighing in on the most exciting rookies, the coaches with the hottest seats, the teams that are most likely to surprise or disappoint and whether anyone can stop those juggernaut Rams.Below are our consensus picks for MVP, Super Bowl champion, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year and more. Forty staff members responded (with some opting not to answer everything, so some questions don’t have 40 responses). More than half of our voters picked the Rams to win it all. But eight other teams received at least one nod, and bear in mind that last year’s picks favored the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs — while not a single staffer pegged the eventual champion Seahawks. Here are The Athletic’s staff picks for the 2026 season.NFL MVPQuarterbacks have claimed this honor 13 straight times, and our panelists all voted for that trend to continue. There was less agreement over whether there would be a repeat winner; 23 voters chose a previous MVP to claim the award, while 17 gave votes to other candidates, with Joe Burrow leading the way in that category.What they saidWhile it’s easy to talk yourself into some of the other leading MVP contenders — Lamar Jackson with a new coaching staff in Baltimore, Justin Herbert with Mike McDaniel calling plays in Los Angeles, Burrow (presumably) with an actual defense in Cincinnati and last year’s runner-up, Drake Maye, with a new weapon in New England — it’s too hard, for me at least, not to write down Josh Allen’s name here. No player tilts the axis of a football game more consistently; at this point, his levels of production are being taken for granted. Eight seasons in, Allen has piled up 79 rushing touchdowns and 299 total touchdowns, both records by a quarterback. Those figures are simply ludicrous. He has a new target in veteran wideout D.J. Moore, whom he meshed well with in the preseason. My bet is Allen is on the verge of his second MVP season. — Zak Keefer, senior writerWhen Joe Burrow plays a full season, he's an MVP candidate (or a Super Bowl QB). So this is a bet on him staying healthy and the Bengals winning the AFC North, which I think they do if Burrow is healthy. Austin Mock's QB Index has Burrow at No. 1 and so does Jon Greenberg's QB (goes to thesaurus.com) Register. — Jon Greenberg, columnistLamar Jackson clearly wasn't healthy last year — even after his return from injury. The Ravens felt change in the coaching department was necessary, and I believe Jackson and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will make for an explosive match. A healthy Jackson can still keep plays alive that are long dead for most quarterbacks, and the new environment might be what Jackson needs to deliver another MVP-level season. — Zac Jackson, Browns beat writerThe Cowboys' offense is a fireworks show, and it should be even better statistically than last year, given it will have some actual support from a defense that can't possibly be so bad. If the defense approaches even average, the Cowboys might win 12 or 13 games, which would put Dak — who was the MVP runner-up when Dallas won 12 games in 2023 — on the short list. — David DeChant, senior editorOffensive Player of the YearIf MVP is about quarterbacks, this award has become synonymous with the best running back or wide receiver, one of which has claimed it seven straight years. All but one of our votes went to those positions, with Jahmyr Gibbs, the highest-paid running back in NFL history, earning the most support. The man whose contract Gibbs surpassed, Bijan Robinson, received the second-most votes among running backs, while last year's winner, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, received only three votes to repeat.What they saidHe's been paid, so the Lions have no reason not to give Jahmyr Gibbs the Christian McCaffrey treatment. I'll be bold and say Gibbs touches the ball 400-plus times, and when a back as electric as Gibbs touches the ball that often, awards usually follow. — Jim Ayello, senior editorDefensive Player of the YearTexans star Will Anderson Jr. finished second to Myles Garrett for this award last year, and those two pass rushers monopolized the votes this summer. A slim majority of our voters gave the edge to Anderson, who, like Gibbs, recently reset the market at his position.What they saidWill Anderson Jr. would have won the award in 2025 if not for Myles Garrett, and though Garrett could have more opportunities on a winning team with the Rams in 2026, I think it's more likely he sacrifices some production to the rest of L.A.'s terrifying front. Anderson also has competition on his own team (Danielle Hunter), but he's clearly the best player on what should be the NFL's best or second-best defense. — DeChantOffensive Rookie of the YearJeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, former teammates at Notre Dame, were the first two running backs chosen in April's draft, the first time that's happened for college teammates since the merger. They were also the most popular picks for this honor, ahead of the Tennessee Titans' Carnell Tate, the first wide receiver drafted.Defensive Rookie of the YearA pair of pass rushers, Rueben Bain Jr. of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and David Bailey of the New York Jets, led Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs in the voting. All three players were taken in the top 15 of the draft. Bain "appears to have a chance to make scouts look foolish for doubting him," according to The Athletic's Ted Nguyen, while Bailey "was dominant at times this summer for the Jets, most impressively in joint practices against a solid Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line," according to Jets beat writer Zack Rosenblatt.Comeback Player of the Year"The best player in the world is coming off a serious knee injury and appears as healthy as possible for someone who is less than nine months removed from surgery," as one of our editors put it, which is the argument in favor of Mahomes, the runaway leader here. Many of our voters submitted their ballots before Aaron Donald announced his return; the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year also has an obvious comeback storyline, after two seasons away from the sport. Another intriguing option: Jayden Daniels, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year who was limited to seven games because of injuries last season.First coach firedThree of the four leading vote getters in last season's poll wound up losing their jobs before the playoffs began, so this list might not be a comfortable place for the guys in the corner offices. The clear leader this year, Jets coach Aaron Glenn, is only in his second season running the franchise. The second most common pick, Washington's Dan Quinn, is entering his third season. Todd Monken, who has yet to coach a game for the Browns, received a vote. Tough business.Biggest surpriseMore than a third of the league's teams received nods here, although only one team, the New Orleans Saints, got more than five votes. The nominees ranged from some of the worst teams in 2025 (the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants) to several playoff teams, including the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers.