The NFC is shaping up for three weeks of the 2026 NFL Season, and in Week 4, the month of October begins for all 32 teams. This is the time of year when teams really need to figure out who and what they are.
It should also be a time where the best and worst teams sort themselves out. In the NFC, the conference is clearly deep, featuring many competent teams. While there may not be a truly great team in the NFC right now, that should change over the next few weeks.
Let’s dive into the NFC hierarchy as Week 4 approaches, ranking the conference here based on how they’ve played in 2026 to this point.
The NFC rankings have been updated as Week 4 approaches
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 0-3
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the only winless team in the NFC for three weeks, and now they’ll be without quarterback Baker Mayfield for that stretch of time with a dislocated thumb. It’s not wild to think that Tampa falls to 0-6 and doesn’t have a first win in sight, because they’ve been a bad team this year as a whole.
We could see some big changes taking place for this franchise, especially now that Mayfield is gone. The Bucs don’t have much of an identity and will likely finish this year with a losing record.
15. Atlanta Falcons, 1-2
Good for the Atlanta Falcons for getting their first win in Week 3, and doing so in blowout fashion. The Falcons will have to hope that Michael Penix Jr. will remain on the field for the rest of the season and is actually showing something, as the potential playoff scenario could change the course of the franchise.
The Falcons have enough talent on both sides of the ball to rebound this year and get into the NFC South race, but much, if not all, of what happens in 2026 will depend on Penix’s performance.
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