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NFC Power Rankings: Where Do Rams, Eagles Stand After Major Trades?

Our placement of the Vikings might seem a bit optimistic to people outside Minnesota.

Two of the top contenders in the NFC made massive blockbuster trades on Monday that have them trending in different directions heading into the 2026 season.

The Rams' stunning acquisition of Myles Garrett has positioned Sean McVay's team as the clear favorites in not just the conference but the entire NFL. The Eagles are still highly dangerous, but trading A.J. Brown to the Patriots does not make them better right now.

And until proven otherwise, the NFC still runs through Seattle, with the Seahawks coming off a Super Bowl victory earlier this year.

In the wake of these two huge trades, let's power rank the entire NFC from 16 up to 1.

16. Arizona Cardinals

It's going to be a long season for new head coach Mike LaFleur and the Cardinals, who released Kyler Murray and are now dealing with a Jacoby Brissett holdout. Jeremiyah Love and Trey McBride will be fun to watch, but this defense might be the NFL's worst if Josh Sweat is traded. Arizona has the league's toughest schedule and will be in the mix for the top pick in the loaded 2027 draft.

15. Atlanta Falcons

Even with Bijan Robinson and Drake London, it's hard to trust a Falcons team whose quarterback room consists of a pair of inconsistent, injury-prone lefties in Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. It's also not a great defense outside of some playmakers in the secondary and young pass rusher James Pearce Jr., who could be facing an NFL suspension related to an off-the-field incident. Kevin Stefanski has his work cut out for him.

14. Washington Commanders

The Commanders' season all hinges on whether or not Jayden Daniels can stay healthy and return to his rookie of the year form. If he can, this ranking could prove to be too low. But the Commanders' defense was a disaster last season, and it's hard to see Sonny Styles and Odafe Oweh fixing everything on that side of the ball this year. They also don't have a proven wide receiver on the roster outside of Terry McLaurin.

13. New Orleans Saints

Tyler Shough certainly exceeded expectations as a second-round rookie last year, and he now has another weapon at his disposal in first-round pick Jordyn Tyson. But it feels fair to question Shough's ceiling, and the Saints' defensive depth chart does not have a lot of household names without Demario Davis and (perhaps) Cameron Jordan, who is still a free agent.

12. New York Giants

There's a world where Jaxson Dart continues trending in the right direction in year two, his weapons are healthy, the Giants' defense thrives, and John Harbaugh gets Big Blue to the playoffs in his first season as head coach. Dexter Lawrence is gone, but Arvell Reese and DJ Reader join a front seven that already had Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter. The issues lie in Dart uncertainty and major injury question marks around Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo.

11. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers won the weak NFC South last season and came up just short against the Rams in the wild card round of the playoffs. They'll be in the mix in their division again, but that doesn't say much. This looks like a remarkably average team on both sides of the ball, even with Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd joining the defense.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are the de facto favorites to win the NFL's worst division, but they aren't much better than the Panthers or Saints. Mike Evans is gone and Bucky Irving's injury is a concern. Rueben Bain joins Vita Vea and Antoine Winfield Jr. on a defense that projects as good but probably not great.

9. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had the NFL's fifth-best offense last season (in terms of EPA per play), and it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the league's worst defense. The offense should once again be explosive, with Dak Prescott throwing deep to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. The Cowboys hired Christian Parker as defensive coordinator and added Caleb Downs and Rashan Gary, among others, but their Micah Parsons-less defense still has a lot of work to do.

8. Chicago Bears

Bears fans won't be pleased that I have them ranked last in the NFC North after they won it by 1.5 games last season, but that's how tight things are in this division. There really isn't that much separation between spots 3-8 on this list. Caleb Williams has all the tools to be great, but a lot of talent left the building this offseason (DJ Moore, Drew Dalman, Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, and more). I do like Coby Bryant and Dillon Thieneman as the new safety duo in Chicago. Winning the division last year means the schedule is slightly tougher than usual.

7. Green Bay Packers

The Packers have lots of talent — and lots of questions. Will Josh Jacobs be available this fall after his recent arrest? Can Matthew Golden take a big leap in year two? How quickly will Parsons and Tucker Kraft return to form after last year's ACL injuries? Is the offensive line good enough? Green Bay has a high ceiling and a fairly low floor. Where they end up will be determined by the answers to those questions.

6. Minnesota Vikings

Some may say this is high for the Vikings, but I really don't think it is. This is a team that went 9-8 last season despite having perhaps the worst quarterback play in the league. Now they've got Murray, who will at least bring a solid floor if he's healthy. They added to an elite group of weapons by signing Jauan Jennings. Christian Darrisaw is another year removed from injury. And while Brian Flores' defense lost some pieces, it still has a strong combination of star power and exciting young talent, led by first-round pick Caleb Banks. Don't sleep on the Vikings this year.

5. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are almost always in the mix under Kyle Shanahan, having won at least one playoff game in five of the last seven years. The core of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner is still around. The wide receiver room has been remade with Evans, Christian Kirk, and De'Zhaun Stribling joining Ricky Pearsall. Osa Odighizuwa was a solid pickup on the defensive line. It's business as usual for the Niners, even if they're a step behind the two powerhouses in their division.

4. Detroit Lions

The Lions somehow finished last in the North last season despite going 9-8. That's good news for their schedule in 2026. Basically all of the key roster pieces of one of the league's most dangerous offenses are still in place for new coordinator Drew Petzing, and the O-line got some big additions in players like Blake Miller and Cade Mays. There's still quite a bit of talent on this defense, too. Detroit should be viewed as a very slight favorite in the league's most competitive division.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

Even after the Brown trade, I couldn't quite drop the Eagles out of the third spot. DeVonta Smith is plenty capable as a WR1 and Makai Lemon was a big-time pickup in the draft. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley should still do plenty of damage behind a great offensive line. Defensively, this front seven was already loaded before acquiring Jonathan Greenard, who is underrated nationally and likely in line for a huge season. The cornerback room is excellent as well.

2. Seattle Seahawks

It says a lot about the Rams that the Seahawks aren't in the top spot in these rankings. The defending Super Bowl champions have an explosive offense that added Jadarian Price to replace Kenneth Walker III in the backfield. Seattle's defense is stacked, even after a few departures. Following up a title can be tough, but Mike Macdonald's team has all the talent to do it.

1. Los Angeles Rams

This is pretty clearly the best team in the NFL, on paper. The Rams have the reigning MVP in Matthew Stafford, the reigning DPOY in Garrett, a top-five wide receiver in Puka Nacua, and a top-ten cornerback in Trent McDuffie. Garrett will make life much easier for players like Byron Young and Kobie Turner on the D-line. And now there's rumblings about Aaron Donald coming out of retirement. If that happens, the league might just be doomed.