The Los Angeles Rams were the No. 1-ranked offense in PFN’s Offense Impact metric last season, and they brought back many of the same pieces for the 2026 campaign.
However, PFN’s Ian Cummings believes that the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks currently boast the NFL’s best offense. On the latest episode of “The Hot List,” Cummings makes the argument for Seattle over Los Angeles based on where both teams are headed rather than what they did last season.
Why the Seahawks Have the NFL’s Best Offensive Outlook for 2026
Last season, Seattle finished ninth in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric with a grade of 79.8, but Cummings expects them to take a leap this year. He notes that Seattle returns 95% of its offensive snaps from its championship season, with Kenneth Walker III being the only meaningful departure. The Seahawks spent a first-round pick on running back Jaarion Price to replace him, and they kept all five offensive line starters in the same spots.
The roster is also strikingly young. Even with Sam Darnold at 29 years old and Cooper Kupp at 33, Seattle’s offensive starters have an average age of 26 years old, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, AJ Barner, and a young front five all still ascending. Smith-Njigba is the centerpiece, as he led the league with 1,793 receiving yards last season and won AP Offensive Player of the Year honors. At 24 years old, he has not hit his ceiling.
The one major question is coaching, as Klint Kubiak left to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. The Seahawks hired Brian Fleury, who worked alongside Kubiak on the 2023 San Francisco 49ers’ staff and spent seven seasons under Kyle Shanahan. Fleury has said publicly that the scheme will preserve the tenets Kubiak built.
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“I don’t envision a lot of schematic instability for Sam Darnold,” Cummings said. “He still has a ton of weapons on the offensive side. The offensive line, all five starters coming back in the same spots with the same chemistry and cohesion. I think this unit has the makings of a potential elite unit in 2026.”
Why Seattle Edges Out the Rams’ Explosive Offense
The Rams have the better résumé. Not only did they finish first in PFN’s Offense Impact metric last season, but their 92.3 grade was nearly six points better than the second-place New England Patriots (86.6).
On top of that, they led the league in both yards and points per game. Matthew Stafford was named MVP, Puka Nacua led the NFL in yards per route run, and the unit returns 97.3% of its combined receiving and rushing production.
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So, why does Seattle rank ahead of Los Angeles? Cummings is worried about regression. Stafford is 38 and carries an injury history, and the Rams face real uncertainty at tackle. Alaric Jackson is dealing with legal trouble that could bring a suspension, which would push third-round rookie Keagen Trost into the lineup. Meanwhile, Warren McClendon Jr. is entering a prove-it year and is a regression risk as well.
“I do think the Rams’ offense has a relatively higher regression risk entering this year, which is the main reason that they’re not my No. 1 overall offense…” Cummings said. “If we’re talking top overall offense, I need to trust the stability and security a little bit more than I currently do.”
The Seahawks and Rams will face off two times in the final three weeks of the 2026 season (in Weeks 16 and 18) in what could ultimately determine who wins the NFC West, and all eyes will be on those matchups.
