Ranking the NFL's top 10 offenses for 2026

Scoring points is the name of the game, and some teams just do it better than others.

While last season's results inform our expectations of NFL offenses, the top of the league is unlikely to remain static. How do the best scoring units stack up after an offseason of player movement and coaching changes?

Here are my predictions for the top 10 NFL offenses in 2026.

2025 ranks

Tempting as it may be to go out on a limb and pick a new top offense, there's no reason the Rams can't be as good as they were last year. In fact, with 2025 second-rounder Terrance Ferguson heading into Year 2, and dynamic rookie Max Klare joining him in a deep tight end room, perhaps Sean McVay can take his success with 12- and 13-personnel to another level.

Matthew Stafford has shown no signs of slowing down in his late 30s, throwing for a career-best 46 touchdowns en route to MVP honors last season. High-volume machine Puka Nacua holds a commanding league lead in yards per route run over the last three seasons, according to TruMedia, and may be just entering his prime at 25. And while Davante Adams isn't the player he once was, his red-zone superpowers are aging like a fine wine, making him an excellent complement on the other side of the field.

But the foundation of the Rams' offense is their remarkably consistent run game. This unit finished the 2025 campaign with a 56.9% success rate on designed runs to running backs, the best mark of any team since at least 2000. Kyren Williams led the charge with his third straight season of 1,100-plus rushing yards, and Blake Corum added value in a rotational role with 5.1 yards per carry.

The Rams have so many different ways to attack a defense. And with McVay regularly reaffirming his status among the league's most adaptable play-callers, this unit is consistently at the forefront of league trends.

2025 ranks

A Josh Allen-led offense cracking the elite tier is the lock of all locks. The Bills quarterback has arguably been the best player in football for several years running. His ability to drag Buffalo's offense up and down the field no matter what's going on around him is on par with the all-time greats.

It's worth pointing out, however, that this isn't a one-man show. James Cook going off for a league-best 1,621 rushing yards last season was the culmination of a truly dominant run game. That foundation should still be there this year despite the offensive line losing David Edwards in free agency.

DJ Moore may not have been my top choice as Buffalo's big swing at receiver, but he does represent a considerable upgrade to a middling group of pass-catchers. I'm particularly interested to see whether his presence can again unlock the vertical element of this passing game - Allen averaged just 7.3 air yards per attempt in 2025, tied with Mac Jones, Bo Nix, and Joe Flacco for 22nd among all quarterbacks.

You can bet Joe Brady is focused on restoring Buffalo's downfield effectiveness as he transitions from offensive coordinator to his first head coaching opportunity. If the Bills succeed on that front, it would make them nearly impossible to defend.

2025 ranks

Surprise! This will be a controversial pick: The Chargers' offense was a below-average unit by pretty much every metric last season, and Justin Herbert doubters are undoubtedly tired of Herbert truthers hyping him up at every opportunity. Well, at the risk of looking silly again, this year feels different.

It's impossible to overstate the significance of upgrading from Greg Roman to Mike McDaniel at offensive coordinator. Jim Harbaugh gets full credit for recognizing the limitations of his preferred smashmouth system under the watch of a veteran coach who clearly had his trust dating back to their time together at Stanford and in San Francisco.

While conflicting styles could lead Harbaugh and McDaniel to butt heads, I think the Chargers head coach will cede nearly complete offensive control to his younger and more innovative counterpart. And if the resulting scheme is anything like what we saw from the Dolphins over the last four years, hoo boy. Sure, things seemed to get stale toward the end, but McDaniel remains one of the most creative play-callers in the business. If you ever found yourself impressed by his ability to draw up big plays for a Tua Tagovailoa-led offense, consider what might be possible with Herbert - one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks on the planet.

Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell figure to be an outstanding thunder-and-lightning combo to lead the L.A. edition of a McDaniel run game. The former represents a sneaky bet to lead the league in rushing. Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston should feast as the primary targets in a passing game expertly designed to get them into space, while Charlie Kolar and David Njoku join Oronde Gadsden II in a deep and well-rounded tight end room that will allow the team to vary personnel packages. The Chargers' offense should produce plenty of fireworks - if the offensive line can stay healthy.

2025 ranks

The Lions' offense didn't quite play up to its standard in 2025. Losing Ben Johnson was, of course, the primary factor. But I'd argue that a struggling offensive line that was previously among the league's best was almost equally impactful. And Detroit still put up more points than all but one team.

The front five should be much more formidable this fall, with Penei Sewell sliding over to left tackle to replace the departed Taylor Decker and first-round rookie Blake Miller stepping into the void on the right side. Adding Cade Mays in free agency fills a glaring need at center and provides some veteran leadership between a pair of promising young guards in Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany.

There's some uncertainty about what the scheme might look like under new coordinator Drew Petzing, but his impressive three-year stint with the Cardinals suggests he could be the right guy to get this remade offensive line back on track. Any such development would make life easier for Jared Goff and his star-studded group of playmakers.

2025 ranks

It's fair to have some questions about the 49ers' offense: Can this group once again overcome some shortcomings on the offensive line? How much can George Kittle provide coming off a torn Achilles? And can Christian McCaffrey handle another 400-touch workload heading into Year 10?

Those are all valid concerns. But Kyle Shanahan has long proven capable of fielding a top-10 offense no matter who's on the field. If Brock Purdy can stay healthy for a full season, and the 49ers finally get some better injury luck elsewhere on the roster, this group's ceiling is up there with the league's best.

After a tough 2025 season for San Francisco's receivers, I've got my eye on that unit as the team's X-factor. Mike Evans was the best value signing in free agency. Even at 33 years old, the future Hall of Famer gives Shanahan the kind of true X receiver that can unlock the rest of his passing game.

Ricky Pearsall figures to be the primary beneficiary as a potential Year 3 breakout receiver, and I loved the Niners rounding out that group with De'Zhaun Stribling's speed and physicality in the second round of the draft. As always, this offense will be tough to stop.

2025 ranks

Hand up: I couldn't have been more wrong about Brian Schottenheimer. The way I saw it, a sham interview process that ended in the Cowboys promoting from within to replace Mike McCarthy was yet another example of Jerry Jones being unwilling to put his money where his mouth is in pursuit of winning.

A promising start under Schottenheimer doesn't necessarily validate Dallas' process, but the results are all that matter now. And it seems like the Cowboys may have stumbled into making the right decision.

Schottenheimer, who hadn't served as a full-time play-caller since 2020, excelled in that role in his first year as head coach. Bringing in Klayton Adams as his coordinator proved to be a stroke of genius, as the former Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach helped the front five overcome constant injury setbacks to build an outstanding foundation.

It helped that George Pickens gave Dak Prescott another superstar target opposite CeeDee Lamb, but Javonte Williams coming out of nowhere with a 1,200-yard rushing season made this one of the most balanced attacks in football. The Rams and Bills were the only other teams to post top-seven marks in both EPA/dropback and EPA/rush. All 11 Dallas starters are back for a second year in the system, and the defense has improved, so the team may not be chasing games nearly as often. The Cowboys' offense could find another gear this fall.

2025 ranks

Everyone is familiar with the superstar talent leading the Bengals' offense. Joe Burrow has been comfortably among the top five quarterbacks in football for the better part of his pro career. When he's on the field, opponents can't do much to counter his connection with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Another season where Burrow missed significant time due to injury reinforces the narrative that the Bengals need to be better at protecting him. But here's the thing: Cincinnati's offensive line isn't a problem anymore. In fact, coming off a season in which that group allowed the NFL's third-lowest pressure rate, I would argue that new offensive line coach Scott Peters quietly turned the unit into an area of obvious strength.

That's a scary development for NFL defenses. The Bengals have everything they could possibly need to deploy one of the most potent scoring attacks in football. If Burrow is on the field for all 17 games, this ranking could look way too conservative in hindsight.

2025 ranks

Ben Johnson lived up to the hype in his first season in Chicago. The Bears' offense was an unmitigated disaster in 2024, ranking in the bottom seven by each of the above metrics. Reinforcements on the offensive line helped in 2025, but the unit's meteoric rise was made possible by the arrival of the NFL's fastest-rising offensive mind.

Johnson's effect on Caleb Williams was abundantly clear. The former No. 1 pick took a significant step forward after his rocky rookie season, and it's reasonable to expect another jump in Year 3. With Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III primed to take off alongside Rome Odunze as Williams' top targets, this could be one of the league's most explosive passing attacks.

Don't forget about the run game, either. As was the case in Detroit, a strong rushing attack is the foundation for everything Johnson tries to accomplish on offense. And after a transitional period while the new-look offensive line got on the same page, nobody was more consistent when it came to pounding the rock. Chicago posted a 55.4% rush success rate from Week 6 through the end of the regular season, topping the Bills and Rams for the league lead over that span.

2025 ranks

The Ravens' offense mostly disappointed last season. Lamar Jackson missed time with injury, and he appeared limited by a hamstring issue for a good chunk of the time that he was on the field. Even so, this unit somehow wasn't far off from posting top-10 marks in all major metrics.

There are some reasons to be concerned about Baltimore. The departure of Tyler Linderbaum leaves a glaring hole on the middle of the offensive line, and Mark Andrews is the last man standing in the tight end room after the previously deep group lost both Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar to free agency. On the coaching side, first-year play-caller Declan Doyle steps in as the offensive coordinator for Jesse Minter's staff, creating the potential for growing pains.

That said, any offense spearheaded by a two-time MVP quarterback and ageless wonder Derrick Henry has an awfully high floor. And Doyle's implementation of more under-center looks - a staple of the offense he and Ben Johnson installed last season in Chicago - could unlock the Jackson-Henry duo's effectiveness to a degree we haven't seen in their first two seasons together.

2025 ranks

I don't want to hear a peep about strength of schedule: The 2025 Patriots offense was no mirage. Drake Maye's sophomore breakout and Josh McDaniels' return at coordinator immediately vaulted this group into the league's upper echelon of scoring attacks.

Maye's 8.9 yards per attempt tied for the ninth-best single-season mark this century, and he's the first quarterback to post such a figure while completing 72% of his passes. The former No. 3 pick could have made another leap this season thanks to continuity and experience alone, but New England's front office didn't sit back. Upgrading Maye's receiving corps by adding both A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs gives this offense a real chance to keep trending upward.

I do have some hesitation after the offensive line got exposed in the playoffs - you can bet defenses will look to exploit that group in the same ways the Seahawks did on football's biggest stage. But veteran guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and first-round tackle Caleb Lomu were important offseason additions to shore up that unit. The Patriots should put plenty of points on the board again this season and for years to come.

(DVOA via FTN Fantasy, EPA and Success % via TruMedia)