{"id":879824,"date":"2026-05-01T19:24:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/879824\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T19:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:24:31","slug":"top-5-surprise-nfl-contenders-for-2026-best-bets-odds-predictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/879824\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Surprise NFL Contenders for 2026: Best Bets, Odds & Predictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Every NFL season brings major change, and just as a few contenders fall off the map, a handful of teams develop into serious threats.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

It happens every year. Teams that looked like complete jokes suddenly put everything together thanks to coaching changes, young talent developing faster than expected, or one side of the ball making a massive leap.<\/p>\n

Before you dive into the latest NFL odds<\/a> and make your early NFL picks, here\u2019s my list of the top five NFL teams that could surprise people and emerge as legitimate contenders in 2026.<\/p>\n

Best bets for 2026 NFL surprise contenders<\/p>\n

Teams<\/p>\n

Best Bet<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n

Win NFC East<\/p>\n

+200<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Colts<\/a><\/p>\n

Over 8.5 wins<\/p>\n

+120<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Bengals<\/a><\/p>\n

Win NFC North<\/p>\n

+190<\/p>\n

New York Giants<\/a><\/p>\n

Make playoffs<\/p>\n

+285<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints<\/a><\/p>\n

Win NFC South<\/p>\n

+290<\/p>\n

Odds as of 5-1.<\/p>\n

Why these NFL teams could surprise in 2026Dallas Cowboys<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with everyone\u2019s favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can make all the jokes you want about Dallas, but there was nothing funny about this offense last season. The Cowboys finished top five in scoring and in yards per play, and there\u2019s little reason to expect that production to disappear.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The real issue was the defense, which completely held this team back. Bringing in Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator turned into a disaster (who could\u2019ve predicted that?), but Dallas moved quickly to fix it. Christian Parker arrives from Philadelphia<\/a> to take his spot, and he\u2019ll have plenty of young talent to work with.<\/p>\n

Dallas was universally applauded for its draft, especially after focusing heavily on defense. The addition of Caleb Downs<\/a> could pay off immediately as a Day 1 impact player.<\/p>\n

If this defense can simply climb to league average, the Cowboys will be back in the mix this season.<\/p>\n

Best bet: To win the NFC East (+200 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Colts<\/p>\n

If you have a short memory, you probably remember the Indianapolis Colts<\/a> as the team that lost seven straight games to lose the season after bringing Philip Rivers<\/a> out of retirement, but I remember them as the buzzsaw that opened the year 7-1 with five double-digit victories.<\/p>\n

So what changed? Daniel Jones<\/a> was in the middle of the best season of his career before tearing his Achilles in early December, bringing the momentum to a halt.<\/p>\n

The organization clearly believes in what they saw because Jones is back on an extension and reportedly progressing well in his recovery. The expectation is that he\u2019ll be ready for Week 1.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also important context behind that losing streak. Six of those seven losses came against playoff teams, and seven of the Colts\u2019 nine losses overall were decided by one score.<\/p>\n

This is a team that was much closer to breaking through than people realize. In 2026, they\u2019ll pick up where they left off before Jones\u2019 injury.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Over 8.5 wins (+120 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Bengals<\/p>\n

The Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> fall into a similar category as Dallas. Offensively, they were one of the best teams in football last season. They scored 30 points or more eight times, but the defense was a disgrace.<\/p>\n

The difference with Cincinnati is the desperation level. Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow<\/a> know the pressure is on. This core reached elite status earlier in the decade, and another disappointing season should result in Taylor being fired\u2026 and potentially Burrow looking to bounce to a new team.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

That organizational-wide urgency should lead to a meaningful improvement on defense, especially after adding Dexter Lawrence<\/a> and reinforcing the unit through the draft.<\/p>\n

The Bengals also made protecting Joe Burrow a major priority with the offensive line retooled, which could be the key to unlocking another huge offensive season while keeping him healthy.<\/p>\n

Best bet: To win the NFC North (+190 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n

New York Giants<\/p>\n

The New York Giants<\/a> were a franchise desperately searching for stability. They finally found it with John Harbaugh taking over.<\/p>\n

Everything around this team felt toxic last season under Brian Daboll, until he got canned. This year feels like the beginning of a major turnaround, and there are shades of last season\u2019s Patriots<\/a> here.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

No, I\u2019m not predicting a Super Bowl run, but the blueprint is there. They have a promising young quarterback entering his second season, and now pair him with one of the most respected head coaches in football.<\/p>\n

The young talent on this roster is also extremely impressive, especially after adding one of the strongest draft classes in 2026. A few of these talented youngsters could cross over to superstar status, with Malik Nabers<\/a> being at the top of the list.<\/p>\n

Everything feels aligned for New York to take a major step forward. Don\u2019t be surprised to see them make some noise playing in one of the league\u2019s most volatile divisions.<\/p>\n

Best bet: To make the playoffs (+285 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints<\/p>\n

Last season started as a mess, but the New Orleans Saints<\/a> quietly improved as the year went on, winning four of their final five games.<\/p>\n

This offense has the potential to explode in 2026.<\/p>\n

Travis Etienne<\/a> arrives from Jacksonville<\/a> after another 1,000-yard season, while Jordyn Tyson joins Chris Olave<\/a> to give the Saints what could become one of the NFL\u2019s most lethal receiving duos.<\/p>\n

That creates a perfect setup for Tyler Shough<\/a> to break out. We\u2019ve already seen Kellen Moore orchestrate some of the league\u2019s best offenses during his time as an offensive coordinator, and this roster has the weapons to light up scoreboards.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The Saints also benefit from playing in a division that failed to produce a single winning team last season.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Saints to win the NFC South (+290 at FanDuel)<\/p>\n

Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Covers.com<\/a>, read the full article here<\/a> and view our best betting sites<\/a> or check out our top sportsbook promos<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. Every…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":879825,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2053],"tags":[228,613,6000,227,256,2296,257,2772,1489,7,392,212,1577,4126,55,56,6,208,242,3725,7150,283],"class_list":["post-879824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cincinnati-bengals","tag-bengals","tag-caleb-downs","tag-chris-olave","tag-cincinnati","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-cincinnatibengals","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-daniel-jones","tag-dexter-lawrence","tag-football","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-jacksonville","tag-joe-burrow","tag-malik-nabers","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-new-york-giants","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-philadelphia","tag-philip-rivers","tag-travis-etienne","tag-tyler-shough"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116500959331149134","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=879824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/879825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=879824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=879824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=879824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}