When it comes to the NFL, it’s easier to analyze the underrated teams than to predict which of the best teams will live up to their potential. Every year we have many organizations that make significant improvements through free agency and the draft, but somehow end up saddled with looking mediocre, or even bad – just because they had a bad season last year.
Outside of their own fans, there are two NFC and two AFC teams that fly under the radar and warrant more recognition than they currently receive. Being underrated doesn’t mean they’re a lock to go on a Seahawks-esque Super Bowl run, but it doesn’t mean the perception of these teams is too low. Check out our four most overrated teams heading into the season. Now, here are our four most underrated teams.
Number 1: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were an injury-riddled shell of a team and still managed to go 12-5 on the season. It was a coaching masterclass from Kyle Shanahan, and in fact he was coach of the year in 2025 for how the team handled the cards they were dealt.
Some horrendous injuries have returned once (queue distribution joke), but San Francisco is mostly healthy this season. That’s why it’s so intriguing to see them ranked 11th in Super Bowl odds and widely predicted to be the third-best team in the NFC West. No team has more to gain from doing nothing than the 49ers — and they’re poised to shock people this season.
The addition of Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator for the departed Robert Saleh was a surprise, and I don’t think there will be the kind of fallout that people have been predicting. Likewise, the offense is essentially a tie-in with Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy moving the chain with his accuracy. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the 49ers win the NFC West this year.
The Broncos have been pointlessly flying under the radar for two years, as all attention seems to be on the leaders in the AFC West. While this makes sense, at some point you have to give Sean Payton’s team the credit it deserves.
It’s hard to find many teams in the NFL that are better defensively, especially against the pass. The offense is good enough to win games, and Bo Nix has shown the ability to be incredibly good in the clutch. Moreover, this team won 14 games last season, still tied for 8th in the AFC in Super Bowl wins behind the Bills, Ravens, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers, Texans and Bengals. Those are the pitfalls of an underrated team.
I’m not saying the Broncos are true Super Bowl contenders yet, as they need to iron out some offensive wrinkles, and a core need for a true three-down running back is moving forward – but there are a lot of attributes that position Denver as a team that can really make noise this season. It was quiet around them now.
I’m going on the record as saying that everyone is sleeping on the Minnesota Vikings this year. Again, not to say this is a Super Bowl-caliber team — but they’re collectively set to finish at the bottom of the NFC North without much justification as to why.
This was a team last season when they realized that JJ McCarthy was useless under center – and they still finished 9-8 on the season. It’s a testament to how good they are defensively under Brian Flores. The team should be just as good defensively as it was a year ago, thanks to Kyler Murray, a huge improvement at QB.
Murray is one of those quarterbacks who, if not as good as he has been, or nowhere near as bad as people believe. Frankly, he’s an above-average quarterback who can absolutely win games with a good supporting cast and coaching around him. That’s exactly what he got in Minnesota. Don’t be surprised if the Vikings finish as 12- and 13-win teams and make the playoffs.
No. 4: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts may be the third-best team in the AFC South on paper, but we’ve collectively forgotten that they were playing as one of the best teams in the league until Daniel Jones got hurt for a good chunk of the 2025 season. This was an organization that made a big splash to land Sauss Gardner at the trade deadline, and it didn’t pay off at first — but it bounced back toward the end of the season.
There is reason to believe the Colts could be a very good team once. There have been some changes on both sides of the ball, but if Daniel Jones is healthy and Jonathan Taylor can continue to be the focal point, the offense should be strong once again. The defensive end of the ball is slightly higher, but the AFC South is a weak division with no clear favorites.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Colts go out and win 10 games to earn a wild card spot.