released its preseason NFL Power Rankings 2026 just days before the season, lining up all 32 teams from No. 1 to 32 after every roster was trimmed to the final cut on Sunday night. The panel behind the list included more than a dozen NFL analysts, and NFL Nation reporters paired the rankings with one milestone to watch for each franchise.
That makes the ranking more than a snapshot. It is also an early ledger of record chases, and the names on it are hard to miss. Matthew Stafford could pass Philip Rivers for the sixth-most touchdown passes in NFL history if he reaches three more this season, after becoming the 10th quarterback to hit 60,000 passing yards in Week 1 of 2025. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had 100 receptions in 2024 and 119 last season while winning Offensive Player of the Year, could become only the fourth player with at least 100 catches in three of his first four seasons. Brandon Marshall, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Michael Thomas are the only players to have done it so far.
Josh Allen has a different chase. He is 3,782 yards away from Patrick Mahomes' combined passing and rushing total of 38,604 yards over their first nine seasons, and he has not missed a start since his rookie year. His average season line — 590.1 rushing yards and 3,762.8 passing yards — shows how fast that gap can move if he keeps that pace. The same list puts Sean Payton in a less flattering light. The Broncos were tied for a league-best 14 wins last season, yet Payton sits at No. 13 among career coaching wins with 184, needing at least nine victories to crack No. 9 and join Chuck Noll and Mike Tomlin at 193. Marty Schottenheimer is next at 200.
There is one more chase that fits the shape of the season. Jalen Hurts can become only the third quarterback with at least 75 career rushing touchdowns, and he already has 63. Josh Allen is at 79 rushing touchdowns, while Cam Newton is at 75. That is the point of 's preseason board: it does not just sort the league, it frames the first month, the first stretch, and the first real argument about who is moving toward history and who is simply trying to keep pace.
