It is August, the time to be optimistic, to envision the best-case scenarios for the NFL season ahead. On average, nearly half of every playoff field consists of teams that weren’t in the postseason the previous season. They enter this season with the third-lowest over/under win total (5.5) in the league. It is why they traded for an aging bridge quarterback who led the league in interceptions last season (Geno Smith) and didn’t reach to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, when only two quarterbacks were selected in the first two rounds.