Streaks Ahead: Will the NFL's Longest Winning & LOsing Runs Continue into the new Season?
By Paul Gould
As the old sporting adage goes: ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish’.
Look at the final 2025 NFL standings and you’ll find four teams that ended the campaign in red hot form and another four that were in freefall. All eight are on winning or losing streaks of five games or more.
The Texans, Jaguars, Seahawks and Vikings enter the season aiming to pick up where they left off and continue their run of regular season victories into 2026. At the other end of the scale, the Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts and Jets will be desperately hoping to turn the page on their woes and bounce back in Week 1 with a win.
So, which streaks are likely to continue, for better or worse, when the action gets underway?
Houston Texans
Texans countdown to the season:
— Jacob (@JacobBarzilla) July 9, 2026
First training camp practice - 20 days
First open training camp practice - 23 days
First preseason game - 35 days
Raiders joint practice - 42 days
Panthers joint practice - 48 days
Week 1 vs Bills - 66 days pic.twitter.com/aZknHUWXrV
Streak: W9
Week 1 opponent: vs Buffalo Bills
Given the Texans playoff meltdown against the Patriots, it’s easy to forget that Houston closed the regular season with the longest winning steak in the league. Much of their success is owed to the defence. In that nine-game winning run, they allowed 20 points or fewer on six occasions. One of the teams they stifled was the Bills in a narrow 23-19 victory in Week 12.
Houston’s hot streak will be under immediate threat when Buffalo comes to H-Town on opening Sunday. If there’s an offence capable of breaking free of the Texans’ shackles, then Josh Allen and company are strong candidates.
Verdict: Streak ends
Arizona Cardinals
Streak: L9
Week 1 opponent: at Los Angeles Chargers
It never seems to rain but it pours for the Cards. Coming off a 3-14 record and the longest losing streak in the league, surely a soft start to the 2026 season is in order, right? Wrong. A road trip to LA to take on the Chargers awaits and things aren’t expected to get any easier from there.
Sharing a division with three clubs that all made it to the playoffs doesn’t bode well for a team struggling to haul itself out of the doldrums. Neither does a defence that allowed almost 500 points last season and a battle for the starting QB position being fought between journeymen Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, and rookie Carson Beck.
Verdict: Streak continues
Jacksonville Jaguars
Streak: W8
Week 1 opponent: vs Cleveland Browns
At mid-season, suddenly everything clicked for the inconsistent 5-4 Jags. An eight-game winning run and division title followed, with the franchise posting its best-ever record.
Confidence and expectation should be at their peak, but many seasoned experts believe the Jaguars have regressed with their offseason moves. Star RB Travis Etienne has departed for New Orleans, and former defensive lynchpin Devin Lloyd will suit up for the Panthers. The Jags’ draft selections were largely viewed as underwhelming and not addressing key needs.
Despite the departure of Myles Garrett, the Browns will be a trickier first opponent than they might appear on paper. An upset may be brewing.
Verdict: Streak ends
Seattle Seahawks
Streak: W7
Week 1 opponent: vs New England Patriots
The 2026 season opens with a Super Bowl rematch at Lumen Field. The reigning champions marched to their title by racking up seven straight wins to end the regular season before continuing their dominant form throughout the playoffs.
The Seahawks are in good shape to go deep once again this year, despite stiff opposition in the NFC West. They suffocated the Patriots in the Super Bowl and, with homefield advantage in Week 1, there’s little reason to believe the result will be any different this time around.
Verdict: Streak continues
Indianapolis Colts
.@BenjaminSolak lists Josh Downs as a potential breakout candidate for 2026:
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) July 8, 2026
“Downs shares Smith-Njigba's fluidity as a route runner, which should open him up for deeper targets as coach Shane Steichen manufactures free releases for him off the line.” pic.twitter.com/yymeNUKIqJ
Streak: L7
Week 1 opponent: vs Baltimore Ravens
The spectacular derailment of the Colts’ season encapsulated in a seven-game slump was heart-breaking to watch. Whilst their fairy-tale 8-2 was perhaps a little flattering, Indy showed grit to win tight games and flashes of genuine brilliance. When reality and injuries caught up with them, however, they were found wanting.
Which version of the enigmatic Colts turns up in Week 1 is anyone’s guess. What is for certain is the difficult challenge the opposing Ravens will pose. Coming off a disappointing season of their own, Baltimore will be eager to begin the post John Harbaugh era in style.
Verdict: Streak continues
Kansas City Chiefs
Streak: L6
Week 1 opponent: vs Denver Broncos
Going into the 2025 campaign, you would have been laughed out of town for suggesting that the Chiefs would finish the season with six straight defeats and miss the playoffs by a distance.
Losing Patrick Mahomes to a devastating injury down the stretch played a huge part in their unexpected demise. However, the signs that the Chiefs grip on the NFL was weakening were already there before their talisman was sidelined.
Whether their season opener against the formidable Broncos, who stole their AFC West crown, marks the end of their miserable run is also likely to depend on the health of Mahomes. If he’s back and firing on all cylinders, then it’s a dangerous game to bet against Kansas City.
Verdict: Streak ends
Minnesota Vikings
Streak: W5
Week 1 opponent: vs Green Bay Packers
The Vikings dispatched each of their final five opponents in 2025 without fanfare. The reason this good run went under the radar was they entered that winning stretch at 4-8 and with their playoff dreams all but shattered.
It was a deeply frustrating season for Minnesota and head coach Kevin O’Connell. The gamble of installing JJ McCarthy at QB clearly failed. The team faltered in the wake of the decision and the inconsistency in performance it brought.
A new season offers a chance of redemption, however, and the Vikings will host division rivals Green Bay in Week 1, whom they swept last year. The talent is there for the Vikings. Ultimately, fulfilling their potential will come down to execution.
Verdict: Streak continues
New York Jets
Streak: L5
Week 1 opponent: at Tennessee Titans
The Jets are much more likely to be in contention for the first overall pick in next year’s draft than be tilting for the playoffs. But there’s hope among the long-suffering fanbase that the perpetual roster rebuild will start to pay dividends.
Gang Green begin their 2026 season against a team at a similar point in their development, the Tennessee Titans. Where the Titans may hold an advantage is that they appear to have already found their QB of the future, Cam Ward.
The Week 1 contest will give us a good indication of which of these teams is ready to make the next step towards success.
Verdict: Streak continues
PAUL GOULD
NFL ANALYST
A freelance writer and editor based in Cambridgeshire, Paul has avidly followed the NFL since the late 1980’s and spends much of his spare time wondering if he’ll ever see the Raiders play in a Super Bowl again.