2026 Washington Commanders season prediction thread!

[Stymietee]

Welcome to our annual Season Prediction Thread!! Are you hopeful? Unimpressed? Or more cautious than in previous seasons? The drill is quite simple: here's the 2026-2027 Commanders' schedule; what will be their final W/L record? Please justify your prediction.​

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Now that Washington will field the best WR2 tandem in the league, I face an interesting conundrum. I can now see Philadelphia, Dallas, and Washington winning 10 or more games (the Giants are going to finish with 7 or 8 wins); the problem is, ONLY one of them will. What makes the answer to that puzzle even more complicated is that those wins will be largely made possible because of defense. Offensively, Dallas is more talented, especially at the skill position; Philadelphia has the better all-around personnel; and Washington, when healthy, has the most talented QB in the division, perhaps the league. Current expectations are that both Dallas and Philadelphia will begin their seasons with victories over the Commanders, but looking at Washington’s schedule, I don’t see these as mere losses; if they actually happen, they will be deemed nothing more than what was necessary to sharpen and strengthen first-year defensive coordinator Daronte Jones newly minted squad. So why is this perspective important to my assessment? Well, as previously mentioned, defense will be the key to the success or failure of the NFC East teams this year. Now, let me ask… considering the defenses of Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington, which is likely to be the biggest surprise in its effectiveness this year? Philadelphia? Nope, not because they’ll be bad, but they’ll be the least surprising of the three because expectations are that they will continue to be as good as always. One of the main issues with the Giants of late has been their inability to close out games defensively, and Harbaugh was hired to correct that, but it will take him another year to reach that goal consistently. How about the Cowboys? Again, nope, and again expectations are that they’ll be a much-improved squad, but remember the question isn’t about improvement, but which will be the biggest surprise in its effectiveness! That leaves Washington, and considering the work that GM Adam Peters invested in that side of the ball, I can see the Commanders having a front seven on par with the Eagles 7 this year, where I cannot envision the same with a much-improved Dallas defense’s front seven, as I can with their most notable improvements being primarily on the back end.

Opportunities for Success: __Offense

Evolving Jayden Daniels Under Center: Under Kingsbury, Washington led the NFL in shotgun and no-huddle rate. Blough’s core objective is to integrate far more under-center concepts and play action, which will create easier passing lanes, slow down opposing pass rushers, and protect Daniels from unnecessary contact.

Familiarity & Trust: Having worked directly with Daniels during his 2024 Rookie of the Year campaign, Blough doesn't need to rebuild baseline chemistry. He understands what Daniels sees clearly on the field and can tailor game plans specifically to his comfort zone.

Modern Offensive Synthesis: Blough brings a hybrid play-design mindset—combining the quick-strike rhythm of Kingsbury’s spread with the heavy protection, Motion-at-Snap, and play-action schemes used by Ben Johnson and Kevin O'Connell.

Risks & Failure Drivers

Play-Calling Inexperience: Blough has never called plays at any level of football. Managing the play clock, situational sequencing (3rd-and-short, red zone), and mid-game adjustments against veteran defensive coordinators will present a sharp learning curve. (Btw, I’m not nearly as concerned with the offensive line, injuries and all, as most people are; they have something that they are seeing or are completely crazy. We’ll see which it is very soon)

Over-Correction on Scheme: While shifting away from heavy shotgun usage is intended to protect Daniels, forcing a dual-threat quarterback to spend significantly more time under center can initially slow down his processing if mechanics aren't seamless.

Opportunities for Success: ____ Defense

Takeaway Culture & Pass Defense: In Minnesota, Jones was instrumental in a 2024 defense that tied for No. 1 in the NFL with 33 takeaways and led the league with 24 interceptions. His pass coverage structure and takeaway techniques can revitalize a Washington secondary that struggled against explosive plays in 2025.

Simulated Pressures & Disguised Coverages: Bringing elements of the Brian Flores system, Jones excels at pre-snap pretenses showing zero-blitz alignments while dropping defensive linemen into zones or sending defensive backs on slot blitzes. This scheme can generate instant pressure without forcing Washington to rely solely on isolated four-man rushes.

DB Development Track Record: Jones has a proven track record of maximizing secondary talent, elevating players like Byron Murphy Jr., Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus to career years.

Risks & Failure Drivers

Personnel-to-Scheme Disconnect: The aggressive, heavy-man and blitz-heavy schemes Jones favored in Minnesota rely on high-level corner play on the outside. If Washington's cornerback room lacks the single-coverage depth to win isolated matchups, aggressive blitz packages will leave the defense vulnerable to big plays over the top.

Co-Managing with Dan Quinn: Quinn is a defensive-minded head coach with his own established system. Harmonizing Jones' pre-snap disguises and pressure packages with Quinn’s core defensive tenets will require seamless communication to avoid blown coverage early in the season.

If the best-case scenario unfolds (and I believe that it will) —a fully healthy Jayden Daniels, a clean bill of health across the roster, and both David Blough and Daronte Jones proving to be elite play-callers—the Washington Commanders will go from 2025's bottom-dwellers back to legitimate NFC Championship contenders.


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Projected Record & Playoff Standing:

Regular Season Record: 10–7 to 11–6

NFC East Outcome: Battling the Philadelphia Eagles for the division title (minimum 5-Seed, wild card lock)

Playoff Ceiling: NFC Championship Game appearance

Thanks to a 3rd-place schedule earned after their 5–12 bump in 2025, Washington avoids the brutal draw that Dallas and Philadelphia face. Pairing a top-tier schedule advantage with elite coaching performance gives Washington one of the highest ceilings in the NFC.

How they get there:

They split the division (3): Beat Indianapolis (1); Beat the 49ers (1); Beat Cincinnati (1); Beat Arizona (1); Beat Tennessee (1); Beat Atlanta (1); Beat Houston (1); I'm not sure about the games against Jacksonville and Minnesota, but they'll get one of them. (Leaning towards Jacksonville because I think that teacher (Flores) gets the best of student (Jones) in a tightly contested game.


Honest Season Verdict

If the coaching unlocks Daniels' efficiency while protecting his body, and Jones turns the defense into a turnover-generating machine, 2025 will be viewed historically as a temporary blip. Washington has the talent core, draft capital, and schedule path to win 10 to 12 games and compete deep into January.

Thanks for reading this, and now that I’ve had my say, let’s hear from you guys and Lady! What’s your prediction for the season? Are you now more or less optimistic? Can they return to 2024 status, or was 2025 more indicative of the franchise under Adam Peters and Dan Quinn? Let’s hear from YOU!

 

[gkekoa]

Very nice Sty, as usual. I did a double take on the WR2 tandem comment at the beginning and then realized what you actually meant.

While I love your optimism, I do see a scenario where we win 1 game. If JD gets hurt, MM cannot operate under center and DQ won start AK, we may only get that single victory.

I am not sure if I like your pessimism. I can see a s scenario where we win 16 games. Look, I am not a homer and know we won’t be undefeated because we will be resting our starters, especially JD and BC. Then maybe the Tunsil crowd will finally admit the trade was foolish.

So to summarize, and just to make the prediction thread a little more exciting, I will say we win between 2 and 13 games.

 

[blastfromthepast]

Still finalizing my thoughts so I can make my official prediction. Will be done shortly. Thanks Sty!

In the meantime, come on folks...step right up and make your official.

I am shocked a few posters haven't stopped by yet...shocked I tell you.

 

[skinsdad62]

My assessment starts 2 yrs ago . AP brought in aging cheap vets to make the team at least competitive . It worked better than expected . The went 12-5 and made the NFCCG .This launched a series of events with the team misjudging the teams real situation. Instead of getting young and faster they made trades for older guys Resigned the older productive guys and some that failed in an attempt to “ go all in “ on a superbowl appearance . Injuries piled up and we end at 5 - 12. This offseason we made strides to be a consistent winner . We got younger , faster , and stronger on defense ( a corp principle of mine to field a consistent winner ) I feel like we are stop gapping on offense now at some key positions .

Now let’s look at our schedule .i don’t feel we can beat the eagles (2x) the Seahawks , the rams . I feel like we could split with Dallas and the giants . That is 6 losses right there . If we can stay healthy and motivated we can win 9-10 games. But alas 49 ers, the bengals Vikings Texans jags and colts appear to be swing games.
If healthy we can compete with each team . I see 2 wins out of that 6 leaving us with 10 losses . How we do against those 6 teams will determine our fate .
I see 7 wins based on our health. I don’t trust us to stay healthy. The bill will come due on our 24 draft this year and it appears we missed on at least half of our top 100 picks . AP had a mere 3 months to prepare for it and it shows . The answer will come this year .
I do see us an ascending as a franchise and yr 4 should be the turning point as yr 2 essentially was a wasted Run in place year instead of sticking to the legit rebuild plan .

Now if you are part of the “ all in crowd “ and favored some trades then ok . We failed at “all in “ but dont call for anyone’s head when they did what you said they should . Hence i give them more time .

So I see an improved team that got younger with what appears to be 2 good young coordinators . All we need is time

 

[skinz2winz]

I think the coordinators will take the first 4 weeks to get acclimated to their new roles. Good things and bad things will happen. What cannot happen is injuries as all can see, our depth stinks. If injuries start to accumulate, this team wins 5-6 games.

I look for a bounce back year from JD5 and 17 healthy games. If this actually happens, we will be in the playoff chase.

The part of the offense that I saw as a strength has quickly become the glaring weakness. (OLine) We MUST be able to run the football. I now see that as a struggle all season making it harder to move the chains. I like our skilled position players, (Tmac, Diggs, Williams, Chig, Bill, JD5) and hope we can get the best from them.

Defensively the assertion is we go from bottom feeder defense league wide to middle of the pack by causing turnovers in DJ's defense. If this actually happens, we will be in the playoff chase.

While we have improved on both sides of the ball personnel wise, added new coordinators and optimism abound, our season record will be 9-8 with Washington losing up to (3) 1 score games.

(9-8)
Eagles: W
Cowboys: L
Seahawks: L
Colts: W
Giants: W
49'ers: L
Eagles: L
Rams: L
Giants: W
Bengals: L
Cardinals: W
Titans: W
Texans: L
Falcons: W
Vikings: W
Jaguars: W
Cowboys: L

 

[Stymietee]

Very nice Sty, as usual. I did a double take on the WR2 tandem comment at the beginning and then realized what you actually meant.

While I love your optimism, I do see a scenario where we win 1 game. If JD gets hurt, MM cannot operate under center and DQ won start AK, we may only get that single victory.

I am not sure if I like your pessimism. I can see a s scenario where we win 16 games. Look, I am not a homer and know we won’t be undefeated because we will be resting our starters, especially JD and BC. Then maybe the Tunsil crowd will finally admit the trade was foolish.

So to summarize, and just to make the prediction thread a little more exciting, I will say we win between 2 and 13 games.

It's going to be an interesting season and I believe that Washington presents as the biggest question mark in the entire league. We know for certain that Daniels can drag a very poor team to the NFCCG, we also know that a very poor team endangers him, and here's the confusing part to me... by almost all accounts this team, the 2026 version, has been deemed the best one that he's been on and despite the fact that he's going to have the same left tackle that he had in 2024 plus an team perspective that he's going to have and upgrade at center, pessimism pervades our board, pundits, and prognostigators everywhere! Despite my confusion, there's one thing on this board that I know with absolute certainty that I can depend on...
You never miss on those predictions!!

 

[Stymietee]

I think the coordinators will take the first 4 weeks to get acclimated to their new roles. Good things and bad things will happen. What cannot happen is injuries as all can see, our depth stinks. If injuries start to accumulate, this team wins 5-6 games.

I look for a bounce back year from JD5 and 17 healthy games. If this actually happens, we will be in the playoff chase.

The part of the offense that I saw as a strength has quickly become the glaring weakness. (OLine) We MUST be able to run the football. I now see that as a struggle all season making it harder to move the chains. I like our skilled position players, (Tmac, Diggs, Williams, Chig, Bill, JD5) and hope we can get the best from them.

Defensively the assertion is we go from bottom feeder defense league wide to middle of the pack by causing turnovers in DJ's defense. If this actually happens, we will be in the playoff chase.

While we have improved on both sides of the ball personnel wise, added new coordinators and optimism abound, our season record will be 9-8 with Washington losing up to (3) 1 score games.

(9-8)
Eagles: W
Cowboys: L
Seahawks: L
Colts: W
Giants: W
49'ers: L
Eagles: L
Rams: L
Giants: W
Bengals: L
Cardinals: W
Titans: W
Texans: L
Falcons: W
Vikings: W
Jaguars: W
Cowboys: L

To me the biggest questions about the DC is can his defense be as good or better than that of his mentor's (Brian Flores) Should he come close, and I believe that he will find his footing during what I've dubbed the iron sharpens iron period (1st four games) this team will become the one that all others know that they'll have to put in a hard day of work against.
Offensively, it's all about health! They have the same left tackle that they had in 2024 and supposedly an upgrade at center according to the team. The OC isn't "new" in the conventional sense, he's been here, working with Daniels for three years.

 

[Stymietee]

My assessment starts 2 yrs ago . AP brought in aging cheap vets to make the team at least competitive . It worked better than expected . The went 12-5 and made the NFCCG .This launched a series of events with the team misjudging the teams real situation. Instead of getting young and faster they made trades for older guys Resigned the older productive guys and some that failed in an attempt to “ go all in “ on a superbowl appearance . Injuries piled up and we end at 5 - 12. This offseason we made strides to be a consistent winner . We got younger , faster , and stronger on defense ( a corp principle of mine to field a consistent winner ) I feel like we are stop gapping on offense now at some key positions .

Now let’s look at our schedule .i don’t feel we can beat the eagles (2x) the Seahawks , the rams . I feel like we could split with Dallas and the giants . That is 6 losses right there . If we can stay healthy and motivated we can win 9-10 games. But alas 49 ers, the bengals Vikings Texans jags and colts appear to be swing games.
If healthy we can compete with each team . I see 2 wins out of that 6 leaving us with 10 losses . How we do against those 6 teams will determine our fate .
I see 7 wins based on our health. I don’t trust us to stay healthy. The bill will come due on our 24 draft this year and it appears we missed on at least half of our top 100 picks . AP had a mere 3 months to prepare for it and it shows . The answer will come this year .
I do see us an ascending as a franchise and yr 4 should be the turning point as yr 2 essentially was a wasted Run in place year instead of sticking to the legit rebuild plan .

Now if you are part of the “ all in crowd “ and favored some trades then ok . We failed at “all in “ but dont call for anyone’s head when they did what you said they should . Hence i give them more time .

So I see an improved team that got younger with what appears to be 2 good young coordinators . All we need is time

Do you see them as back on course now, albeit a year behind, or do you see this team as a step backwards? What's your perspective on this team? Is it better or worse than the 2024 team? How about the 2025 team?

 

[blastfromthepast]

To me the biggest questions about the DC is can his defense be as good or better than that of his mentor's (Brian Flores) Should he come close, and I believe that he will find his footing during what I've dubbed the iron sharpens iron period (1st four games) this team will become the one that all others know that they'll have to put in a hard day of work against.
Offensively, it's all about health! They have the same left tackle that they had in 2024 and supposedly an upgrade at center according to the team. The OC isn't "new" in the conventional sense, he's been here, working with Daniels for three years.

My problem is that we should have just hired Flores. He was extended on January 21st, 2026, and we hired Jones on January 30th 2026.

Flores interviewed here on January 14th 2026. That tells me that AP and DQ didn't close, which seems to be an issue with this regime.

The Vikings were 3rd in yards allowed and 7th in total defense. Clearly Flores had interest as he interviewed here (or was using it to get an extension).

I said the same thing about the coaching search and Macdonald. Seattle outbid us and we fell back to Quinn and have regretted it.

Perhaps Jones is an amazing DC here and we improve significantly. I do doubt though he is as good as Flores is and he let Flores get out of the building IMO.

I do not trust DQ to select the best coordinator for the job. KK and Whitt showed us that. I am hoping Blough and Jones correct the trend.

 

[Stymietee]

My problem is that we should have just hired Flores. He was extended on January 21st, 2026, and we hired Jones on January 30th 2026.

Flores interviewed here on January 14th 2026. That tells me that AP and DQ didn't close, which seems to be an issue with this regime.

The Vikings were 3rd in yards allowed and 7th in total defense. Clearly Flores had interest as he interviewed here (or was using it to get an extension).

I said the same thing about the coaching search and Macdonald. Seattle outbid us and we fell back to Quinn and have regretted it.

Perhaps Jones is an amazing DC here and we improve significantly. I do doubt though he is as good as Flores is and he let Flores get out of the building IMO.

I do not trust DQ to select the best coordinator for the job. KK and Whitt showed us that. I am hoping Blough and Jones correct the trend.

No disagreement, there's truly nothing like the original and Washington had a shot to get him. That said, I'm hoping along with you that Jones becomes the next...
3rd in yards allowed and 7th in overall defense is an exceptionally tall ask, but correct me if I'm wrong, but preseason or not, did we get a glimpse of something that we haven't seen in years with Washington team defense...turnovers?

I can't find stats but I believe that they were among preseason league leaders in turnovers! It may be something, and could be nothing, but we'll see!

 

[gkekoa]

It's going to be an interesting season and I believe that Washington presents as the biggest question mark in the entire league. We know for certain that Daniels can drag a very poor team to the NFCCG, we also know that a very poor team endangers him, and here's the confusing part to me... by almost all accounts this team, the 2026 version, has been deemed the best one that he's been on and despite the fact that he's going to have the same left tackle that he had in 2024 plus an team perspective that he's going to have and upgrade at center, pessimism pervades our board, pundits, and prognostigators everywhere! Despite my confusion, there's one thing on this board that I know with absolute certainty that I can depend on...
You never miss on those predictions!!

Definitely the biggest question mark. We have a new OC, new DC, and our QB was the second coming in 24 and an enigma in 25.

For me, this is unquestionably the best team JD has had around him. The doubters all see LT as a weakness because they love Tu sil and refuse to admit the trade was a mistake.

Nobody here believes center is an upgrade, to include myself. I also do not see a low ranking center as the sure cliff dive they do.

Yeah…my accuracy on predictions is unmatched.

 

[skinsdad62]

Do you see them as back on course now, albeit a year behind, or do you see this team as a step backwards? What's your perspective on this team? Is it better or worse than the 2024 team? How about the 2025 team?

I see them back on course but they have to convince Harris that using the chiefs model works but it takes time to implement. A HOF coach can turn it around quicker but you don’t have one .

If we are competitive with 7 wins and look prepared on Sundays I give Quin a year

If they look like they are in disarray then new coach

 

[DJ "I'm blessed" Fieri]

So much depends on JD's health. Loved the Diggs signing.

Gonna say 9-8, maybe 10-7 and 2nd place.....

 

[chillerdab]

Welcome to our annual Season Prediction Thread!! Are you hopeful? Unimpressed? Or more cautious than in previous seasons? The drill is quite simple: here's the 2026-2027 Commanders' schedule; what will be their final W/L record? Please justify your prediction.​

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Now that Washington will field the best WR2 tandem in the league, I face an interesting conundrum. I can now see Philadelphia, Dallas, and Washington winning 10 or more games (the Giants are going to finish with 7 or 8 wins); the problem is, ONLY one of them will. What makes the answer to that puzzle even more complicated is that those wins will be largely made possible because of defense. Offensively, Dallas is more talented, especially at the skill position; Philadelphia has the better all-around personnel; and Washington, when healthy, has the most talented QB in the division, perhaps the league. Current expectations are that both Dallas and Philadelphia will begin their seasons with victories over the Commanders, but looking at Washington’s schedule, I don’t see these as mere losses; if they actually happen, they will be deemed nothing more than what was necessary to sharpen and strengthen first-year defensive coordinator Daronte Jones newly minted squad. So why is this perspective important to my assessment? Well, as previously mentioned, defense will be the key to the success or failure of the NFC East teams this year. Now, let me ask… considering the defenses of Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington, which is likely to be the biggest surprise in its effectiveness this year? Philadelphia? Nope, not because they’ll be bad, but they’ll be the least surprising of the three because expectations are that they will continue to be as good as always. One of the main issues with the Giants of late has been their inability to close out games defensively, and Harbaugh was hired to correct that, but it will take him another year to reach that goal consistently. How about the Cowboys? Again, nope, and again expectations are that they’ll be a much-improved squad, but remember the question isn’t about improvement, but which will be the biggest surprise in its effectiveness! That leaves Washington, and considering the work that GM Adam Peters invested in that side of the ball, I can see the Commanders having a front seven on par with the Eagles 7 this year, where I cannot envision the same with a much-improved Dallas defense’s front seven, as I can with their most notable improvements being primarily on the back end.

Opportunities for Success: __Offense

Evolving Jayden Daniels Under Center: Under Kingsbury, Washington led the NFL in shotgun and no-huddle rate. Blough’s core objective is to integrate far more under-center concepts and play action, which will create easier passing lanes, slow down opposing pass rushers, and protect Daniels from unnecessary contact.

Familiarity & Trust: Having worked directly with Daniels during his 2024 Rookie of the Year campaign, Blough doesn't need to rebuild baseline chemistry. He understands what Daniels sees clearly on the field and can tailor game plans specifically to his comfort zone.

Modern Offensive Synthesis: Blough brings a hybrid play-design mindset—combining the quick-strike rhythm of Kingsbury’s spread with the heavy protection, Motion-at-Snap, and play-action schemes used by Ben Johnson and Kevin O'Connell.

Risks & Failure Drivers

Play-Calling Inexperience: Blough has never called plays at any level of football. Managing the play clock, situational sequencing (3rd-and-short, red zone), and mid-game adjustments against veteran defensive coordinators will present a sharp learning curve. (Btw, I’m not nearly as concerned with the offensive line, injuries and all, as most people are; they have something that they are seeing or are completely crazy. We’ll see which it is very soon)

Over-Correction on Scheme: While shifting away from heavy shotgun usage is intended to protect Daniels, forcing a dual-threat quarterback to spend significantly more time under center can initially slow down his processing if mechanics aren't seamless.

Opportunities for Success: ____ Defense

Takeaway Culture & Pass Defense: In Minnesota, Jones was instrumental in a 2024 defense that tied for No. 1 in the NFL with 33 takeaways and led the league with 24 interceptions. His pass coverage structure and takeaway techniques can revitalize a Washington secondary that struggled against explosive plays in 2025.

Simulated Pressures & Disguised Coverages: Bringing elements of the Brian Flores system, Jones excels at pre-snap pretenses showing zero-blitz alignments while dropping defensive linemen into zones or sending defensive backs on slot blitzes. This scheme can generate instant pressure without forcing Washington to rely solely on isolated four-man rushes.

DB Development Track Record: Jones has a proven track record of maximizing secondary talent, elevating players like Byron Murphy Jr., Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus to career years.

Risks & Failure Drivers

Personnel-to-Scheme Disconnect: The aggressive, heavy-man and blitz-heavy schemes Jones favored in Minnesota rely on high-level corner play on the outside. If Washington's cornerback room lacks the single-coverage depth to win isolated matchups, aggressive blitz packages will leave the defense vulnerable to big plays over the top.

Co-Managing with Dan Quinn: Quinn is a defensive-minded head coach with his own established system. Harmonizing Jones' pre-snap disguises and pressure packages with Quinn’s core defensive tenets will require seamless communication to avoid blown coverage early in the season.

If the best-case scenario unfolds (and I believe that it will) —a fully healthy Jayden Daniels, a clean bill of health across the roster, and both David Blough and Daronte Jones proving to be elite play-callers—the Washington Commanders will go from 2025's bottom-dwellers back to legitimate NFC Championship contenders.


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Projected Record & Playoff Standing:

Regular Season Record: 10–7 to 11–6

NFC East Outcome: Battling the Philadelphia Eagles for the division title (minimum 5-Seed, wild card lock)

Playoff Ceiling: NFC Championship Game appearance

Thanks to a 3rd-place schedule earned after their 5–12 bump in 2025, Washington avoids the brutal draw that Dallas and Philadelphia face. Pairing a top-tier schedule advantage with elite coaching performance gives Washington one of the highest ceilings in the NFC.

How they get there:

They split the division (3): Beat Indianapolis (1); Beat the 49ers (1); Beat Cincinnati (1); Beat Arizona (1); Beat Tennessee (1); Beat Atlanta (1); Beat Houston (1); I'm not sure about the games against Jacksonville and Minnesota, but they'll get one of them. (Leaning towards Jacksonville because I think that teacher (Flores) gets the best of student (Jones) in a tightly contested game.


Honest Season Verdict

If the coaching unlocks Daniels' efficiency while protecting his body, and Jones turns the defense into a turnover-generating machine, 2025 will be viewed historically as a temporary blip. Washington has the talent core, draft capital, and schedule path to win 10 to 12 games and compete deep into January.

Thanks for reading this, and now that I’ve had my say, let’s hear from you guys and Lady! What’s your prediction for the season? Are you now more or less optimistic? Can they return to 2024 status, or was 2025 more indicative of the franchise under Adam Peters and Dan Quinn? Let’s hear from YOU!

Bold prediction, Sty, and 100% not what I expected.

I know better than to disagree with your predictions, so I’ll say instead that I look forward to a much sunnier year than the doom and gloom that I was planning on predicting.

 

[skinz2winz]

To me the biggest questions about the DC is can his defense be as good or better than that of his mentor's (Brian Flores) Should he come close, and I believe that he will find his footing during what I've dubbed the iron sharpens iron period (1st four games) this team will become the one that all others know that they'll have to put in a hard day of work against.
Offensively, it's all about health! They have the same left tackle that they had in 2024 and supposedly an upgrade at center according to the team. The OC isn't "new" in the conventional sense, he's been here, working with Daniels for three years.

I enjoy your optimism Sty. It always seems like this team is playing "catchup", or "Behind the 8 ball", so to speak. Understanding Blough has been here with JD5 the past few years doesn't mean his play calling duties will be full fledge in sync by week 1.
After all, it is all about health and our talent has improved enough across the board that if healthy, we should be able to compete week in and week out.

 

[deanpet21]

Im going to say 9 wins. Assuming JD5 plays all 17 games. Of course, the oline and CB's are major question marks. Im anxious to see this attacking defense and our new pass rushers. Im curious to see how Blough uses JD5 behind this line. Does he move the pocket for him. Does he max protect. Running the football could be a problem. Need to stay relatively heathy b/c the depth at a lot of positions are major question marks.

Lets hope for the best boys. Cheers!

 

[Hbomb]

I didn’t see either of the last two seasons playing out the way they did.

So I’ll split the difference. 8-8-1

 

[blastfromthepast]

I have thought a lot about this and have generally been in the ball park. I was dead on back in 2022 and took a lot of heat for it and was told to leave...LOL

Oh well.

I am going with:

Floor = 6 wins
Max = 8 wins

I think the roster is better but the new holes (interior OLine) and existing holes (CB) could prevent us from taking that next step. I also worry about two new Coordinators who have NEVER called plays in the NFL. It was an unnecessary roll of the dice IMO. You don't roll the dice after coming off a 5 win season. I wanted Flores and McDaniels to help bring stability to a disoriented team. We got Jones and Blough.

Perhaps both of these will be home run hires? We don't know. There are simply too many question marks for me:

Can DQ rebound and get the team more prepared than last year?
What is Blough going to do with the offense?
How will the interior OL hold up?
How do Connerly and Coleman progress this year?
How does Jones clean up the defense?
How does Jones compensate for the lack of skill and talent at CB?
Do the new Edge rusher produce?
Can the LB corps lead the team?
Does JD5 take a step forward and learn to better protect himself?

Some of you out there might have these answers so please let me know. I don't and I actually have about 10 more. As such, I do not see a winning record and will go with 7 wins. If we get 8, for the record, I said that was possible as well.

 

[blastfromthepast]

I see them back on course but they have to convince Harris that using the chiefs model works but it takes time to implement. A HOF coach can turn it around quicker but you don’t have one .

If we are competitive with 7 wins and look prepared on Sundays I give Quin a year

If they look like they are in disarray then new coach

Excellent and I agree 100% with everything you said.

 

[blastfromthepast]

@dcrising
@ThomasTomasz
@Sharkinva
@Rowdy
@tlance
@Skin'EmAll

Come on good people! We need your takes!

What is the 2026 record!!!!