Football Film Room Monthly Newsletter
July Recap
This month at Football Film Room…
NFC East Preview
Previewing the NFC East
In episode #31 of The Football Film Room Show, I look ahead to the 2026 season with a preview of the NFC East:
Philadelphia Eagles 2026 Profile
The Eagles still have most of the core elements to make another run at the Super Bowl again this season. But everything will hinge on the running game getting back to form and Jalen Hurts being comfortable with Mannion’s passing game.
Dallas Cowboys 2026 Profile
The Cowboys have got just about everything they need on the offensive side of the ball to be successful. Their defense is the big question, from their scheme to how their new talent will perform.
Washington Commanders 2026 Profile
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think real hard. If the Commanders went 5-12 again this year, would you be surprised? If they went 12-5 and went on another run deep in the playoffs, would you be surprised?
New York Giants 2026 Profile
This team has all the ingredients they need to get back to “Giant football.” Physicality on both sides of the ball. Emphasis on the run game. A dangerous pass rush. And a head coach who knows what the hell he’s doing.
AFC East Preview
Previewing the AFC East
In episode #32 of The Football Film Room Show, I continue our look ahead to the 2026 NFL season with a preview of the AFC East:
New England Patriots 2026 Profile
Based on the moves they made this offseason, the Patriots are a better team on paper than they were a year ago when they reached the Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills 2026 Profile
Josh Allen has been the best player in the NFL over the last few years. And no team has been more dependent on their quarterback than Buffalo has. It’s long past time for everyone around him to pick up the slack. Maybe a new head coach and defensive approach can finally help the Bills find a way to do that.
Miami Dolphins 2026 Profile
The Dolphins might be in store for a rough season. They got rid of key talent and replaced it with a lot of inexperience. They selected 12 players in this year’s draft and might need to lean on more than half of those picks to play significant snaps.
New York Jets 2026 Profile
The expectations are low for the Jets, but they have too much new talent on the team to be as bad as they were a year ago.
NFC North Preview
Chicago Bears 2026 Profile
The Bears were as close to being a 6-11 team with promise as they were an 11-6 division champ last year. And while I think the offense will continue to grow and get better, there are still plenty of concerns on the other side of the ball.
Green Bay Packers 2026 Profile
The bottom line with this team is that they should still be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The season will hinge on how those key players who missed the final stretch of the season due to injury (Parsons, Kraft, Wyatt, Tom, etc.) will bounce back.
Minnesota Vikings 2026 Profile
Minnesota still has two of the best play-callers on both sides of the ball in O’Connell and Flores. They still have a dynamic receiving corps of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and free-agent signing Jauan Jennings. Would you really be shocked if O’Connell was able to get the most out of Kyler Murray with that group of pass catchers to throw to?
Detroit Lions 2026 Profile
You don’t hear much about the Lions as contenders this offseason. I think there are some legitimate questions, particularly on defense. But they still have dynamic talent in Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Aidan Hutchinson. They still have a quarterback in Jared Goff who is has played at an extremely high level for several years now.
AFC North Preview
Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 Profile
Despite popular opinion, there are reasons to be optimistic about the Steelers in 2026. Sure it’s kind of a one-year stop gap given that this should be Rodgers’ last year, but they have talent on both sides of the ball. If the defense can get back to being great with the help of a new approach, and if the offense can have a more explosive passing game (both of which are not huge IF’s), then there’s no reason to believe the Steelers can’t get back to the playoffs and actually win a game while they’re there.
Baltimore Ravens 2026 Profile
The Ravens are the clear division favorites in the AFC North, as they should be. I anticipate a bounce-back year from the defense under Jesse Minter. And if Lamar Jackson can pick up where he left off two years ago, it wouldn’t be a shock to see this team in L.A. at season’s end.
Cincinnati Bengals 2026 Profile
I want to believe in the Bengals. I truly do. The league needs to see Joe Burrow, Ja‘Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins in the playoffs picking apart defenses. But they need the defense to take some huge strides this season. Otherwise, we’re likely to see more of the same in Cincinnati.
Cleveland Browns 2026 Profile
Like a few of the other bottom-of-the-barrel teams in the NFL, this season is all about setting the stage for 2027. Next year’s draft is when they’ll get their quarterback of the future. In the meantime, can they develop a team around the quarterback position that will prime it for 2027 and beyond? I think they’ve done a good job of that on the O-line and at receiver. If only we could fast forward to next April.
Other FFR Content
Tyler Shough: The Best of the 2025 Rookie QBs?
You can make a very strong argument that Tyler Shough had a better rookie season than any of the class of 2025 quarterbacks. That was particularly true over his final 5 games.
Using Motion to Create Running Lanes
There are many elements to a running game that can make it successful. The use of motion is one factor that has become more popular in recent years.
Double-Edge Pressure (Mike Macdonald)
In Super Bowl LX, Mike Macdonald put on an absolute pressure clinic, specifically utilizing slot blitzes that the Patriots had no answers for.