The NFC already has a few teams that look like they’re headed for a long, ugly 2026, and the problems are pretty easy to spot. Some clubs are dealing with injuries.
Others have quarterback uncertainty. A few have both, plus enough roster holes to make optimism feel flimsy.
Here are three NFC teams that already look hopeless before the season even starts.
- Washington Commanders
Washington is the toughest team to place on this kind of list, mainly because it was in the NFC Championship Game just two seasons ago. But the longer that run fades into the rearview, the more it looks like the Commanders may have simply caught lightning in a bottle.
The biggest red flag right now is the state of the offense and the injuries around it. Starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps, and that led to a disastrous showing for the Commanders in joint practices against the Baltimore Ravens.
There’s also the ugly defensive résumé from last season. Washington finished dead last in the NFL in total yards allowed. The Commanders were 31st in first downs allowed and 31st in takeaways, and while they did make offseason moves to try to fix that side of the ball, the paper upgrades don’t mean much until they show up on Sundays.
Add in the injuries Jayden Daniels dealt with last year and the current offensive line concerns, and there’s plenty of reason to wonder whether Washington’s 2026 outlook is built on anything sturdier than hope.
- Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta has several issues stacked on top of each other right now, and the quarterback situation is the biggest one.
Tua Tagovailoa has not made the kind of early impression the Falcons wanted. He still hasn’t played well enough to lock down the starting job, Michael Penix Jr. is back from injury, and undrafted rookie Jack Strand has been the one grabbing attention this preseason.
That alone would be enough to create uncertainty, but the defense is taking hits too. The loss of second-year player Jalon Walker is a major blow to Atlanta’s defensive outlook, and the suspension of James Pearce Jr. only adds to the problem.
Kevin Stefanski has his work cut out for him this year. Atlanta can still be competitive if everything breaks right at quarterback, but that best-case version is starting to look harder to find by the day.
- Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are already in a race to the bottom.
This roster has the feel of a team that needs a lot of things to go right just to stay afloat, and right now the best-case scenario is simple: development. Arizona needs its young core to keep moving forward week by week.
That means more than just the obvious names like Jeremiyah Love and Marvin Harrison Jr. The Cardinals also need growth from Walter Nolen, Denzel Burke, Will Johnson, and maybe even Carson Beck if and when he gets a chance this season.
Landing the top pick in next year’s draft would help, but that alone isn’t the whole story. For Arizona, seeing young players take real steps forward during a rough season is mission critical.
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