Our Hawks Beat the Rams to Super Bowl LX, But ESPN Just Picked L.A. to Take the NFC West. The Numbers Are WILD.

Holy smokes, 12s, did you just see these new NFL FPI projections for the 2026 season? I'm staring at my screen and I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little confused. After our Hawks just battled all the way to Super Bowl LX nearly four months ago, you’d think we’d be sitting pretty at the top, right? Apparently, ESPN’s Football Power Index isn't quite as bullish as we are on our guys heading into the next campaign.

Super Bowl LX Losers Ranked Higher Than the Champs?! Seriously?

So, get this: Our Hawks played in Super Bowl LX last season, and we’re ranked fourth in FPI entering 2026. Not bad, right? But the crazy part is, the *Patriots*, who we played in that Super Bowl, are now slated at 14th! That’s a historic drop, making them the first team in FPI history since 2015 to make the Super Bowl and then fall out of the top 10 in the initial rankings. Talk about a swift kick in the pants. It just shows how wild these projections can be, and how quickly things can shift in this league.

The FPI Thinks Our Defense Is 'Regressing' But It's Still the BEST?!

Now, here’s the part that really got me scratching my head: The FPI believes the Los Angeles Rams are the team to beat in 2026. The Rams! The same team we bested not only in the NFC West but also in the NFC Championship Game last season! Their explanation? They say offense is more stable year-to-year than defense, and they claim our Super Bowl run was clearly fueled by an elite defense. They’re predicting "regression" for our D. At the end of last season, our defensive FPI rating was a ridiculous 4.6 points per game relative to an average team. Now, for the 2026 projections? It's down to 2.1. But here’s the kicker: that 2.1 rating is *still the highest in the entire league*! So, they're saying we're regressing but still have the best defense? Makes you wonder what’s actually going on in those models, doesn't it?

What’s Next For Our Hawks?

This is just the start of the offseason talk, but it’s got me fired up already. Mike Macdonald, Brian Fleury, Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp, all our guys on that defense. They gotta prove these numbers wrong on the field. The FPI is just a projection, and it’s up to our Hawks to show everyone that our elite defense isn’t going anywhere, and that we’re ready to dominate the NFC West again. We're still the fourth-best team in the league on paper, and with a defense that’s still the best by their own metrics, I'm ready for us to absolutely blow these early predictions out of the water.

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.