Let’s be real for a second. Every year, as soon as the leaves start to turn and the air gets crisp, we all start looking for that one team. You know the one—the juggernaut that looks like they might actually pull off a 1972 Dolphins repeat. It’s the ultimate water-cooler talk. "Can they go all the way without a scratch?"
Well, it is now mid-January 2026, the Divisional Round of the playoffs is literally happening right now, and the short answer is: Nobody. There are no undefeated teams left in the NFL. Honestly, the dream of a perfect season died much earlier than most fans expected this year. If you were holding out hope for a 17-0 or 20-0 run, that ship sailed back in October.
The Last Stand: Who Was Still Undefeated in the NFL the Longest?
It’s kinda wild how fast things move in this league. By the time we hit Week 5 of the 2025 regular season, we were already down to the final two survivors. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills both entered that weekend sitting at a perfect 4-0.
Philly looked like a buzzsaw early on. They took down the Cowboys, handled the Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch, and outlasted the Rams and Bucs. But then they ran into the Denver Broncos in Week 5. Most people thought it would be a cakewalk, but the Broncos’ defense absolutely suffocated Jalen Hurts in the second half. The Eagles didn't just lose; they collapsed, giving up 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lose 21-17.
Then you had Buffalo.
The Bills were arguably even more dominant through September. Josh Allen was playing like an alien, and James Cook was averaging over five yards a carry. They went into their Week 5 matchup against the New England Patriots looking invincible. But Drake Maye had other plans. In a gritty Sunday Night Football upset, the Pats shocked the Bills 23-20.
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Just like that, before the calendar even hit mid-October, the "perfect season" talk was officially buried for 2025.
The Weird Case of the 2025 New England Patriots
Even though no one finished the year without a loss, we have to talk about what the Patriots pulled off. It’s probably the most "undefeated" adjacent thing we've seen in a decade.
New England finished the regular season with a 14-3 record, which is insane considering where they were a year ago. But here is the stat that’s been blowing up on Reddit and sports radio: The Patriots went 8-0 on the road. They became only the 12th team in the history of the NFL to go an entire season without losing a single game away from their home stadium. It’s one of those stats that feels impossible. Think about the travel, the hostile crowds, the different time zones—and they never blinked. While they weren't technically "undefeated" in the standings, they were "undefeated" on the bus.
Why the 17-0 Dream is Getting Harder
Look, the 17-game schedule changed everything.
Basically, the math is just against these teams now. Adding that extra week of play increases the "variance" (which is just a fancy way of saying "random stuff happens"). Injuries pile up. A star receiver tweaks a hamstring in Week 14, or a backup long-snapper botches a hold in a snowstorm, and boom—your perfect record is gone.
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In 2025, we saw a lot of "parity." That’s the word the NFL office loves to use. It means that on any given Sunday, the worst team in the league can actually beat the best. We saw it when the Broncos beat the Eagles. We saw it when the Texans (who eventually won the AFC South) started getting hot and knocking off contenders.
Current 2026 Playoff Picture: Who Is Left?
Since the quest for an undefeated season is over, the focus has shifted to who can actually survive the gauntlet. We are currently in the Divisional Round, and the field has been narrowed down to the elite eight.
Here is how the bracket looks right now:
AFC Matchups:
- Buffalo Bills (13-5) at Denver Broncos (14-3): This is the heavyweight fight. Denver has home-field advantage and a defense that has been top-three all year. But you can never count out Josh Allen in the cold.
- Houston Texans (13-5) at New England Patriots (15-3): The Texans are on a 10-game winning streak. C.J. Stroud is playing like a ten-year vet. Meanwhile, the Patriots are trying to prove their 14-3 regular season wasn't just due to an easy schedule.
NFC Matchups:
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- San Francisco 49ers (13-5) at Seattle Seahawks (14-3): A classic NFC West rivalry. Seattle has a first-round bye and they've been nearly impossible to beat at home. Interestingly, the 49ers are the only team that held the Seahawks under 18 points this year.
- Los Angeles Rams (13-5) at Chicago Bears (12-6): The Bears are the cardiac kids of 2026. They’ve had seven comeback wins this season. Matthew Stafford and the Rams are favored, but Soldier Field in January is a different beast.
What History Tells Us About "Undefeated" Teams
Whenever we ask who is still undefeated in the NFL, we are really comparing them to the ghosts of the past.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only team to do it perfectly. The 2007 Patriots came the closest in the modern era, going 18-0 before that heartbreaking helmet catch in the Super Bowl. Since then, the 2015 Panthers (14-0 start) and the 2020 Steelers (11-0 start) gave fans a thrill, but both fell short.
The reality of the 2025-2026 season is that the league is just too balanced. Even the "best" teams had glaring weaknesses. The Eagles struggled with secondary depth. The Bills were prone to turnovers. The Seahawks had a mid-season slump where their run defense disappeared.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you're looking at the current landscape and trying to figure out who to back for the Super Bowl, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Ignore the Regular Season Record: The Patriots' 14-3 is impressive, but they played one of the easiest schedules in terms of opponent win percentage (roughly .356). The Texans, at 13-5, might actually be the "sharper" team right now.
- Watch the Injuries: The Bills are currently dealing with a massive lack of wide receiver depth. While Khalil Shakir has stepped up, they are leaning heavily on their run game. If Denver stacks the box, Buffalo could be in trouble.
- The Road Warrior Factor: Don't automatically bet against the road team in the playoffs this year. We saw the Texans and 49ers both go on the road and win in the Wild Card round. The "home field" advantage isn't what it used to be, especially with the way the Rams and Patriots have played away from home.
The hunt for perfection is over for this year, but the race for the ring is just getting started.
To stay ahead of the curve as the playoffs progress, keep a close eye on the injury reports for the Bills' receiving corps and the weather forecasts for the Denver and Foxborough games this weekend. If you are tracking the betting lines, the Broncos and Seahawks currently hold the best odds to advance to the Conference Championships, but as the 2025 season has already shown us, "undefeated" and "favored" don't mean much once the ball is kicked off.