Who will be the NFL’s final undefeated team in 2026? Predicting who will flirt with perfection the longest

It’s hard to get everyone to agree on anything when it comes to the NFL, but if there’s one thing I think that we can all agree on heading into the upcoming season, it’s that no one is going to go undefeated. 

Only two NFL teams have ever made it through a regular season with an undefeated record — the 1972 Dolphins (14-0) and the 2007 Patriots (16-0) — but it’s highly unlikely we’re going to see anyone match that this year. 

Since the NFL expanded the schedule to 17 games in 2021, no team has even finished 16-1 and there have only been two instances where a team has finished 15-2 (2024 Lions, 2024 Chiefs). Basically, what I’m trying to say here is that 17-0 isn’t happening. 

If no one is going to go undefeated, that means every team is going to lose at least one game, so I’ve taken it upon myself to predict when each team will suffer its first loss. 

Last year, I predicted that the Bills would be the final undefeated team and I nailed that prediction, so I’m going to give myself 10 points for that. However, I got the week of their first loss wrong, so I’m going to subtract a point for that. I also didn’t predict that the Eagles would tie the Bills as the NFL’s final undefeated team, so I’ll subtract another point there. That gives me eight points in my imaginary scoring system that I just invented now. 

The interesting thing about last year is that every team had at least one loss by the end of WEEK 5, marking just the second time in 15 years that all 32 teams had at least one loss in the first five weeks of the season.  

So what’s going to happen this year? Let’s get to the prediction. 

Teams that will lose their first game in Week 1

• Patriots (at Seahawks). Back in February, the Patriots got destroyed in the Super Bowl and that game was played at a neutral site. This game might turn into an even bigger blowout with the Seahawks playing at home. 
• 49ers (vs. Rams). The good news for the 49ers is that this game is being played 7,800 miles away from the electrical substation in Santa Clara. The bad news for the 49ers is that I’m not sure that’s going to matter. Kyle Shanahan has spent half the offseason complaining about the fact that his team has to play in Australia, and for that reason alone, I like the Rams. I also like the Rams because I think they have a better roster. 
• Buccaneers (at Bengals). The preseason isn’t even over yet and the Bucs already seem to be in disarray. Emeka Egbuka is dealing with an injury that could sideline him for Week 1, Baker Mayfield isn’t happy with his contract and Vita Vea wants out of Tampa. That’s not a good combination for the Bucs, who will be facing a desperate Bengals team that’s going into a make-or-break season. 
• Saints (at Lions). The Saints could end up being surprisingly good this year, but this is a tough matchup for New Orleans in Week 1. Since Dan Campbell took over as coach in 2021, the Lions have averaged 35.4 points per game in their five home openers, and if they get anywhere near that number, it’s hard to see the Saints keeping up. 
• Browns (at Jaguars). Calling the Browns’ offense a work in progress would probably be an understatement. The Browns will be rolling into Week 1 with a revamped offensive line and that line will be tasked with protecting either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. The Browns might not score 14 points in Week 1.  There are usually a few upsets in the opening week, but this won’t be one of them. 
• Jets (at Titans). Robert Saleh’s first game as Tennessee’s head coach will come against a Jets team that fired him just two years ago. Saleh is going to be out for revenge and this feels like a spot where he might be able to get it. The Titans don’t have a great roster, but if Saleh can design a defense that can slow down Geno Smith, then the Titans should be able to pull off the upset. 
• Colts (vs. Ravens). This game will be played almost nine months to the day that Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. Jones will almost certainly be playing in this game, but even if he’s on the field, he likely won’t be at 100%. There’s also a good chance that Alec Pierce won’t be playing against Baltimore due to his lingering ankle injury and it’s hard to imagine the Colts pulling this off if they’re not at 100%. 
• Falcons (at Steelers). New Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski is extremely familiar with the Steelers after spending the past six seasons as a head coach in the AFC North, but that won’t be enough to help Atlanta pull off the upset. The Falcons could win this game if they get a miracle performance from Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. (or whomever the starting QB happens to be), but it’s hard to see that happening. 
• Panthers (vs. Bears). The Panthers will be missing both of their starting tackles — Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton — to start the year and it’s hard to win games in the NFL when you’re missing both of your starting tackles.
• Texans (vs. Bills). The Texans have actually gone 2-0 against the Bills over the past two seasons, but it feels like that run ends here. Houston does have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but Josh Allen finally has a No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore and that will be enough to put Buffalo just barely over the top in this AFC showdown. 
• Dolphins (at Raiders). The Raiders tied for the worst record in the NFL last season, but they likely won’t finish with the worst record this year and that’s because the Dolphins exist. Miami has $179.2 million in dead cap space and it’s hard to field a competitive team when more than half of your salary cap is being eaten up by players who aren’t even on the team. 
• Vikings (vs. Packers). This game essentially comes down to how you feel about Kyler Murray. The Vikings new quarterback is trying to learn a new offense and that usually comes with some hiccups early in the season. This will be one of those hiccups. 
• Commanders (at Eagles). The Eagles have won four straight games in Week 1, which is tied for the longest active streak in the NFL. Say what you want about Nick Sirianni, but he always has his team ready to play in the opener and this year should be no exception. 
• Cardinals (at Chargers). Jim Harbaugh has NEVER lost an NFL opener in his career — he’s 6-0 all time — and I don’t see that streak ending here. The Chargers have a better roster, and really, just a better everything. It would be a total shock if the Cardinals somehow managed to win and although they might pull off a surprise win or two this year, it won’t be in this game. 
• Giants (vs. Cowboys). John Harbaugh will likely pick up some big wins this year during his first season on the job in New York, but it doesn’t feel like this will be one of them. The Cowboys are returning every starter on their offense and that should put them in a spot to steal this one in a shootout. 
• Broncos (at Chiefs). With Patrick Mahomes coming back from a torn ACL, there is a small chance that he won’t be back yet for this game, but if he’s on the field, it’s hard to pick against a Chiefs team that will be opening the season at home in primetime. 

Teams that will lose their first game in Week 2

• Bengals (at Texans). The Bengals have a tendency to start off the season slow and things are usually at their ugliest by the time we get to the second week of the season. Since drafting Joe Burrow in 2020, the Bengals have gone 1-5 in Week 2 and if your offense tends to get off to a slow start, the Texans’ defense is not the unit you want to be facing. 
• Jaguars (at Broncos). The Broncos are almost unbeatable at home — they went 8-1 last season — and this will be their home opener, so it’s hard to imagine them losing this game to Jacksonville. 
• Lions (at Bills). This Thursday night matchup will mark the first game at the Bills’ new stadium and it’s almost impossible to see the Bills losing the first game at their new stadium. 
• Titans (vs. Eagles). In what comes as a surprise to no one, the Titans run at an undefeated season comes to an end in Week 2. 
• Raiders (at Chargers). This is a divisional game on the road, which isn’t a good combination for a Raiders team that has gone 1-11 in the division and 3-14 on the road over the past two seasons. 
• Steelers (at Patriots). After getting destroyed by the Seahawks in Week 1, the Patriots are going to return to New England and take their loss out on the Steelers. Last season, the Patriots only lost three games and one of those game to Pittsburgh, but the Pats turned the ball over five times in that game. If they can avoid turning the ball over five times this time around, this feels like a game New England should win. 

Teams that will lose their first game in Week 3

• Chargers (at Bills). The Chargers have to fly across the country to face a Bills team that will be coming into this game on 10 days of rest after playing on Thursday night in Week 2. It also doesn’t help that Chargers that this game will kick off at 10 a.m. PT. 
• Eagles (at Bears). The Bears went into Philadelphia and absolutely dominated the Eagles on Black Friday last season. Ben Johnson thoroughly outcoached Nick Sirianni in that game and it wouldn’t be surprising if we see that happen again here. 
• Cowboys (vs. Ravens in Brazil). This one of my favorite games on the entire NFL schedule and I’m not just saying that because it’s on CBS. This will be the NFL’s first game ever in Rio De Janeiro and I’m fully expecting these two teams to light up the scoreboard for our friends in Brazil. The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year and although the unit should be much improved this season, it’s still hard to imagine Dallas slowing down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense. 
• Rams (at Broncos). The Rams have a wild schedule to open the season. After facing the 49ers in Australia in Week 1, they get to play on Monday night against the Giants in Week 2 followed by this game against Denver. The Monday game means L.A. will be heading into Denver on a short week. The Broncos have one of the few defenses in the NFL that should be able to slow down the Rams and with Denver hosting this game in primetime (Sunday night), this feels like the spot where we’ll see Sean McVay’s team lose its first game. 

Teams that will lose their first game in Week 4

• NONE. At this point, we still have six undefeated teams left and we have all of them making it out of Week 4 unscathed. 

Teams that will lose their first game in Week 5

• Bears (at Packers). The Bears and Packers played three crazy games last year with the Chicago winning two of them. In both losses, it felt like the Packers played better for three-and-a-half quarters before suffering a total meltdown to end each game. There will be no meltdown here and the Packers will get the win at Lambeau.  
• Bills (at Rams). If the Bills make it to Week 5 with an undefeated record, it will be a minor miracle. Although Buffalo is one of the best teams in the NFL, the Bills open the season with games against the Texans, Lions, Chargers and Patriots in the first four weeks. If they somehow manage to survive that gauntlet, the Rams will be waiting in the wings to end Buffalo’s undefeated run. Last year, I was circling the wagons and I picked the Bills to be the NFL’s final undefeated team. This year, I’m off the wagon. 

Teams that will lose their first game in Week 6

• Seahawks (at Broncos). If the Seahawks are going to slip up early in the season, this feels like the most likely spot. After facing the 49ers in Week 5, they have to turn around and play on a Thursday night at Denver in Week 6. The Seahawks, who will have to fly halfway across the country on a short week, will have just three days’ rest to prepare to face a Broncos team that should be one of the best in the AFC. 
• Packers (vs. Cowboys). All eyes will be on Micah Parsons in this game. The Packers’ defensive star, who’s coming off a torn ACL that he suffered in 2025, is hoping to be back on the field in time for this game, but there’s no guarantee that’s going to happen. If he’s not back, the Cowboys’ offense might end up shredding Green Bay’s defense. If he is back, he’ll likely be a little rusty and that could open the door for the Dallas offense to have a big night. 

Team that will lose its first game in Week 7

• Chiefs (at Seahawks). After missing the playoffs last year, we have the Chiefs getting off to a hot start in 2026, only to run into a buzzsaw. The game is being played on a Sunday night in Seattle and it’s hard to pick against the Seahawks in a situation like that. These two teams have combined to play in eight of the past 13 Super Bowls and they give us a Super Bowl-worthy show here with the Seahawks coming out on top. 

Team that will lose its first game in Week 8

• Ravens (at Bills). The Ravens open the season by playing seven straight games against teams that finished under .500 last year and that’s why I have them as the NFL’s final undefeated team. After running off seven straight wins to start the year, the Ravens finally face a stiff test in Week 8 when they face the Bills on the road and they come up empty in this showdown of former MVP quarterbacks. 

So there you have it, the Ravens will be the final undefeated team, but that’s not necessarily a good thing and here’s why: The final unbeaten team has struggled to win the Super Bowl this century. As a matter of fact, the final undefeated team has gone 20 STRAIGHT seasons without winning the Lombardi Trophy. The last time the final unbeaten team won the Super Bowl came in 2006 when Peyton Manning’s Colts started the season 9-0 on their way to winning the Lombardi Trophy.