Three NFL Playoff Teams at Risk of Missing the 2026 Postseason

Making the playoffs in the NFL does not mean you will be back in the postseason 12 months later.

Six of the 14 playoff teams in 2024 didn’t repeat their success. Two of those teams had quarterbacks who have won multiple NFL MVP awards — the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson.

Not to forget how terrific the Detroit Lions looked in 2024. They weren’t even one of the top seven NFC teams in 2025.

The Carolina Panthers are the obvious choice to miss the postseason in 2026. It’s also hard to see three teams from the NFC West making it again, so the San Francisco 49ers could be a prudent selection.

Overachievers always have a chance to slide back a step. That means we’re talking about the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears. The Los Angeles Chargers could go from one-and-done in the playoffs to not being there at all.

How about the Pittsburgh Steelers? Is Aaron Rodgers playing or not? Does he have to go on another darkness retreat to figure it out?

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Carolina was the winner of a very weak NFC South to gain its first playoff berth since 2017. The Panthers went 8–9 to post their eighth consecutive losing season.

They were outscored by 69 points and dropped three of their final four regular-season games. Carolina lost its regular-season finale to the Buccaneers but still got in ahead of Tampa Bay thanks to a tiebreaker created when the Atlanta Falcons won the following day, resulting in a three-way tie.

Tampa Bay will likely be the division favorite next season, and Carolina should be proud of its improvement. After all, the Panthers were outscored by 193 points in 2024 and 180 in 2023. They are no longer the league’s laughingstock.

Quarterback Bryce Young passed for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. However, he threw for fewer than 200 yards in 12 of his 16 regular-season starts — meaning the Panthers often won in spite of him.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

The 49ers (12–5) should be proud of their record after being ravaged by injuries and still reaching the playoffs. Among the major losses were former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and elite linebacker Fred Warner.

But offensive concerns loom as a reason for potential regression. Star running back Christian McCaffrey avoided a serious injury last season, but remember how disastrous the 2024 campaign was when he was limited to four games — a 6–11 finish.

McCaffrey also dealt with injury-plagued seasons in 2020 (three games) and 2021 (seven games), meaning he has completed just three full seasons over the past six years. When healthy, he’s elite — but that’s far from guaranteed.

There’s also uncertainty surrounding tight end George Kittle, who is returning from an Achilles injury. San Francisco seems to deal with significant injuries every season, and it’s fair to wonder who could go down next and derail another playoff push.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Steelers (10–7) never felt like the most talented team in the AFC North this season, but Jackson’s injury issues helped the Ravens underachieve. Saying “former Ravens coach John Harbaugh” feels strange — just like saying “former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.”

New head coach Mike McCarthy knows Aaron Rodgers well from their time together in Green Bay, and his first order of business is getting Rodgers to commit to another season. Based on last year, the 42-year-old looks capable of playing one more campaign.

But what if Rodgers retires? Who becomes the Steelers’ quarterback? It surely won’t be Mason Rudolph. And if Rodgers does return, what happens if he gets hurt during the season?

There’s also the Joe Burrow factor. A healthy Burrow could instantly make the Bengals the best team in the division. Lamar Jackson could also stay healthy under new coach Jesse Minter. It’s a brutally tight division, and Pittsburgh could easily be the odd team out.