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By Matthew Davis
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While it's unlikely that the NFL will see a major standings flip as it did in 2025, there's a few teams that are poised to go from worst to first.
Three teams have really good opportunities to move out of the cellars in their respective divisions and win division titles this year. Teams can change quickly in the NFL, which the New England Patriots, especially showed last year, going from a 4-13 team to 14-3 and reaching the Super Bowl.
This year, the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Detroit Lions look best suited to win their divisions after being bottom feeders in 2025.
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New Orleans Saints
The Saints play in the perfect division, the NFC South, for pulling this off.
The Carolina Panthers snuck in and grabbed the NFC South in 2025, despite an 8-9 record. New Orleans won't need a great record to pull off the division win, so the Saints can keep in the race all season as the team continues to build on 2025.
Though New Orleans went 6-11 last year, Saints quarterback Tyler Shough showed promise down the stretch, and he's expected to have a big second year. The Saints also have promising talent on both sides of the ball, from wide receiver Chris Olave to defensive end Cam Jordan.
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New York Giants
The Giants are looking like a big turnaround waiting to happen under new head coach John Harbaugh, who had a successful tenure with the Baltimore Ravens beforehand. Giants second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart will need to have a big season for that to happen, but he has reliable playmakers such as wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo. On defense, the Giants have stars in linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.
The challenge for the Giants jumping from 4-13 to an NFC East team will be getting through a gauntlet of a division.
Detroit Lions
It's hard to count this one as a worst-to-first deal because the Lions went 9-8 last season. The rest of the NFC North is just that good, and the Lions could return to the throne this season with quarterback Jared Goff and company playing their best football and staying healthy. The Lions have talented veterans everywhere, and the rest of the NFC North knows Detroit will be a tough out each week.
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