The Big Game

No offense to either team, but this is the most underwhelming Super Bowl matchup since at least Super Bowl LVI in 2022, pitting the Rams against the Bengals. At least that one had the Dr. Dre halftime show to look forward to, Bad Bunny has some big shoes to fill.

The New England Patriots are, perhaps, the least likely Super Bowl team of my lifetime. They were 5-12 last season, fired their coach and had a second year quarterback.

They rode the easiest schedule in the NFL to a 14-3 record and the AFC East division crown, but I, personally, didn’t think they’d go far in the postseason. They were facing a potential gauntlet of good defenses, as well as a dangerous Buffalo Bills team & Josh Allen.

Luckily, for them, they got to face playoff Justin Herbert & CJ Stroud, which mitigated the effects of those respective stout defenses. Then, they were gifted a matchup with the Denver Broncos without injured quarterback Bo Nix.

If you don’t think Nix’s absence was the difference in that game, then you didn’t watch that game.

Suffice it to say, I haven’t been high on the Patriots and I continue not to be. They’ve proven me wrong most of the season, maybe they’ll do so again.

The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, have impressed me for much of the season. I had my doubts about Sam Darnold’s ability to come through in the playoffs, but he pretty much erased them in the NFC Championship against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Seahawks are a juggernaut. They boast one of the best defenses in the NFL. They can hurt you on the ground or in the air. Even their special teams are dangerous.

I’m expecting a blowout. I don’t think the Patriots are on the same level as Seattle. The Seahawks are battle tested after 3 matchups with the Rams and two with the San Francisco 49ers over the last 2 months. New England has benefited from a soft schedule and some insane luck.

Give me the Seahawks (-4.5) & the over 45.5.

Final Score Prediction

Seattle 38

New England 13

MVP Pick

Kenneth Walker III

Coaching Carousel

Unofficially, this year’s coaching carousel is over. The Raiders cannot finalize the deal with Seattle OC Klint Kubiak until after the Super Bowl, but all ten openings have been filled. Here’s how I would rank the team-coach pairings:

1. Atlanta Falcons- Kevin Stefanski: Love this pairing. Stefanski accomplished a lot in Cleveland with far less than he’s inheriting in Atlanta. The Falcons are my early favorites to win the NFC South in 2026 after this hire.
2. New York Giants- John Harbaugh: More than anything, the Giants needed a culture change after being also rans for the better part of a decade. Harbaugh is a proven winner and he has pieces to work with on both sides of the ball in New York.
3. Las Vegas Raiders- Klint Kubiak: Kubiak doesn’t have the extensive resume that Ben Johnson had, but he was this year’s version. The hottest up and coming offensive play caller in the league. Vegas and minority owner, Tom Brady, coveted but didn’t land Johnson last year. This year, with the first overall pick, the job is more enticing and they land Kubiak, even if they had to wait awhile.
4. Tennessee Titans- Robert Saleh: I’ve always liked Saleh as a head coach, you’ve gotta love having a coach who you know can whip the opposing coach’s ass in a fight, and I like this pairing even if I’m normally skeptical of pairing a defensive head coach with a young, developing franchise quarterback. Bringing in Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator & Cam Ward’s QB guru was a wise first move for Saleh.
5. Baltimore Ravens- Jesse Minter: Minter was one of the hotter names among coordinators possibly becoming first time head coaches, and it’s easy to understand why. Everywhere he’s been, he’s produced high level defenses. It’s interesting that a coach from the Harbaugh tree replaces a Harbaugh, but if he can help the talented Ravens right the ship, so be it.
6. Arizona Cardinals- Mike LaFleur: I only rank this pairing so low because it’s obvious LaFleur was Arizona’s second choice after Klint Kubiak. Still, LaFleur is a good hire. He’s saddled with a Kyler Murray problem, but if the Cardinals can sort that out they should be okay.
7. Buffalo Bills- Joe Brady: I’m one of the few that wasn’t totally shocked that Buffalo fired Sean McDermott and I absolutely believed it needed to happen. The Bills had peaked under his leadership and they were wasting the prime of Josh Allen’s career. A change needed to happen, I’m just lukewarm on the hiring of Brady. Sure, Allen won an MVP with Brady calling plays, but he was already a star when Brady took over. Call me a cynic, but I think Brian Daboll had more to do with Allen’s ascendancy than Brady. This just feels like preserving continuity on a system that wasn’t achieving its ultimate goals.
8. Miami Dolphins- Jeff Hafley: It’s not that I don’t think Hafley is a good coach, it’s the fact that, more than anything, Miami needed a culture change and it remains to be seen if Hafley can deliver that. What’s more, I think he was the Dolphins Plan B. I believe they really wanted John Harbaugh, they fired Mike McDaniel only after Harbaugh was fired by Baltimore. They were completely snubbed in that pursuit. Even more, Hafley has a tough job ahead, Miami has a Tua problem that they need to fix, as well as getting tougher and more physical on both sides of the ball.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers- Mike McCarthy: McCarthy’s Pittsburgh roots and even his connection to Aaron Rodgers make this seem like a good match, but to me this signals the Steelers are willing to keep staying the course. Pittsburgh, despite making the playoffs, needs a complete overhaul. They need to find a new franchise quarterback instead of these one year stop gap measures, they need to get younger & they have way too much money invested on the defensive side of the ball for the results. Pittsburgh is used to hiring a coach and having him stick around for the better part of two decades, that won’t happen with McCarthy.
10. Cleveland Browns- Todd Monken: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by anything Cleveland does, but this is completely underwhelming. Monken is in no way, shape or form an upgrade from Stefanski and even worse, he probably cost them one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL in Jim Schwartz. If the Browns defense falls apart without him and Monken can’t develop Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland will be back on this list next year.

The 2026 Cycle

Because it’s never too early to start thinking about which teams may be searching for a coach next, here’s the coaches I have on the “Hot Seat” watch for 2026:

Hot

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals- Taylor is the only coach in the AFC North returning in 2026, which is mildly surprising. I think he was saved by Joe Burrow’s injury & the fact that Cincinnati’s ownership is averse to paying coaches not to coach. Much like McDermott in Buffalo, you have to wonder if the Bengals are wasting Joe Burrow’s prime with a subpar head coach.

Aaron Glenn, New York Jets- Glenn’s first season in New York was an unmitigated disaster and if the Jets don’t show some marked improvement, his tenure could be short lived. Finding a serviceable quarterback is job one for Glenn & the Jets.

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers- I wouldn’t have been surprised if Bowles had been fired after Tampa Bay collapsed in 2025. He’ll start 2026 on the hot seat and the NFC South should be much more competitive. If the Buccaneers don’t reclaim the division, Bowles could be gone.

Todd Monken, Cleveland Browns- Even though he was just hired, I think Monken is already on thin ice. Cleveland has done one and done with head coaches before and this feels like a real possibility. Developing Shedeur Sanders and not having the defense collapse without Jim Schwartz around will be the keys.

Lukewarm

Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts- After an epic collapse in 2025, Steichen and Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard will be under close scrutiny in 2026. Daniel Jones’ injury muddies the picture even more because I have no idea what they’ll do at quarterback because they’ve clearly lost faith in former top five pick Anthony Richardson.

Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders- It was only a year ago that Washington was coming off a run to the NFC Championship and going all in on an expected championship window. Things have changed drastically. Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is gone & the Commanders have the oldest roster in the NFL. Jayden Daniels had an injury plagued season, raising questions about his long term durability. His season ending injury was inexcusable on Quinn’s part, as it happened on a designed run late in a game Washington had no chance of winning.

Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys- Schottenheimer makes this list simply because of the volatility of Jerry Jones and the perennial underachieving of the Cowboys. I thought Schottenheimer did a fine job in his first season, the defense really let him down, though, and the architect of that is now gone.

Cold, but…

Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions- Most wouldn’t think Campbell was on the hot seat, but if Detroit has another disappointing season like 2025, he most certainly will be. The question needs to be asked if the Lions success was due more to the two coordinators who left or to Campbell’s leadership. The 2026 season should give us the answer.

Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles are a year removed from winning the Super Bowl, but I think it’s safe to say that Sirianni will be under close scrutiny for 2026. Another CEO type head coach, whose success may have stemmed more from his coordinators than his own leadership.

Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings- It appears that there was friction between O’Connell and former Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but that doesn’t take O’Connell off the hook for 2026. It would be very unwise, in my opinion, but if the Vikings fall further behind in the NFC North and JJ McCarthy doesn’t show signs of improvement, O’Connell could be shown the door.

Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers- If you listen to some Packers fans, LaFleur should have been axed this year. That’s just ridiculous, in my opinion, but if Green Bay can’t overtake Chicago in 2026, those voices will get louder.

Da’ Bears

2025 was one of the most exciting seasons for me and my fellow Chicago Bears fans in quite some time. From the insane comebacks that just kept getting more absurd to seeing Caleb Williams develop into a true franchise quarterback to beating the hated Green Bay Packers & winning the NFC North, then beating the Packers again to eliminate them from the playoffs. Wow! What a ride!

Now, it’s time to make sure this team continues its upward trajectory and doesn’t take a step backward. The contention window is officially open and we need to seize it.

I have only one minor concern on the offensive side of the ball and that’s left tackle, due to Ozzy Trapilo’s injury. As I said, it’s a minor concern because I don’t expect any major move here. The Bears will either sign a veteran to hold down the spot in Trapilo’s absence or fill the void in house like they did in the playoff game versus the Rams.

The Bears don’t have as much cap room as previous years, so there’s a possibility guys like DJ Moore, Cole Kmet or D’Andre Swift could get traded or released to give them more flexibility, but those three could also just simply have their contracts restructured.

Personally, I’d like all three back, but if one gets moved it’ll probably be Moore. Moore just doesn’t produce up to the level of his salary and he’ll very likely fall further down the target order behind Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III & Rome Odunze. Moore could be traded for a day three draft pick and a cheaper third receiver brought in.

Some have speculated that Moore could be traded to somewhere like Las Vegas or Tennessee, I understand that because the need is there and so is the draft capital, but that’s not how Ryan Poles operates.

If he’s going to trade Moore I think it would be to a contender, he did that with Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack & even Justin Fields. He’ll do right by Moore. I’d keep an eye on teams like the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs or Pittsburgh Steelers.

Things are a bit different on the defensive side of the ball. Dennis Allen really did a tremendous job this season considering what he had to work with, but this unit needs work at all three levels.

The Bears need for a pass rusher is well documented, but don’t expect them to pursue any of the big fish. Quit dreaming about trading for Maxx Crosby or signing Trey Hendrickson. Chicago simply doesn’t have the cap space for a move like that.

If the Bears address defensive end at all in free agency, it’ll likely be on a cheaper, one year deal. Bringing in a player like Dallas’ Jadaveon Clowney on a deal like that might not be a bad idea. I think the Bears will most likely look to the draft to fill this need, it’s a good draft for edge rushers.

Both Grady Jarrett & Gervon Dexter were disappointments this season, though Jarrett played better down the stretch as he got healthier. Again, I think the Bears main focus will be on the draft, but signing a guy like Detroit’s DJ Reader to a cheap, one year deal could be in the cards.

Linebacker is where I expect the Bears to make their biggest splash in free agency, though it won’t be anywhere close to a tsunami. Tremaine Edmunds is the most likely cap casualty on this roster. He’s a fine player, he’s just vastly overpaid. They may just restructure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they release him outright.

TJ Edwards had an injury marred season and he’s likely to miss time to start next season, so the Bears could be in the market for two linebackers. Two names to keep on eye on in free agency: Kansas City’s Leo Chenal is young and has shown flashes and he’ll come relatively cheap. New Orleans’ Demario Davis is older but still produces at a high level and he has familiarity with Dennis Allen.

Also, I think it should be a priority for Chicago to re-sign D’Marco Jackson.

Nahshon Wright had a nice season for the Bears, nice enough that he’s probably now out the Bears price range. Jaylon Johnson & Kyler Gordon should be fully healthy for the start of 2026, and hopefully Gordon can stay healthy. This is a different defense when he’s on the field. Some think Johnson could be a trade candidate for cap purposes, but I doubt it. The Bears would be thin at corner without him as Tyrique Stevenson seems to falling out of favor with this coaching staff.

Again, don’t expect a big splash in free agency at corner, but one name to keep an eye on is New Orleans’ Alontae Taylor.

Both of the Bears starting safeties are free agents and I’d love to get them both back. Economics may limit them to only one and if so, I believe the priority should be Kevin Byard over Jaquan Brisker. Byard just produces more, provides valuable leadership & doesn’t have the injury concerns that Brisker does.

I think the Bears could very likely draft a new starter at safety. (I dropped my first Bears mock draft last week).

On special teams, I fully expect kicker Cairo Santos & punter Tory Taylor to hold the same jobs next season. I think re-signing return man Devin Duvernay should be a priority.

One final note on the Bears, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has departed to take the same position with Baltimore, where he’ll call the plays. Running backs coach Eric Bienemy also left to become the Chiefs offensive coordinator. This is a good thing. Bears coaches are in demand because they had success. This is also not a problem because Ben Johnson remains the mastermind behind the offense. I’m not concerned in the least about who they may bring in as OC.