​Every year, NFL teams emerge seemingly out of nowhere to become legitimate Super Bowl contenders.Need proof? Entering the 2025 NFL season, the New England Patriots were viewed as a bottom-barrel team in the AFC. Instead, they managed to enjoy a 10-win turnaround in Mike Vrabel’s first season, posting a 14-3 record and making it all the way to Super Bowl 60 before losing to the Seattle Seahawks.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Seahawks were another team that didn’t enter the season among the Super Bowl favorites. But in his second season, Mike Macdonald molded his defense into that of a true contender while Sam Darnold delivered a quality first season in Seattle to help power them to a championship win.Granted, the 2025 campaign was particularly unpredictable. Two of the biggest preseason Super Bowl favorites – the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs – didn’t even make the playoffs.Still, the performances of the Patriots and Seahawks serve as a reminder to all NFL teams that a breakout can happen at any time.Which teams could fit that mold in 2026? Here are four dark-horse teams who could emerge as playoff contenders this season if all goes well.1 / 4OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)The Bengals went just 6-11 last season, but they could emerge as legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2026. It will largely depend on whether Joe Burrow can stay healthy.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOver the last three seasons, Burrow has appeared in 35 of a possible 51 games for the Bengals. Cincinnati has a 19-16 record in the 35 contests the three-time Pro Bowler has started but sports a mark of just 5-11 when he isn’t on the field.While having Burrow available will be critical for Cincinnati, improving its defense will be, too. The unit has ranked in the bottom 12 in defensive EPA in each of the last three seasons, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, and checked in at just 29th in the league last season.The Bengals invested a lot to improve their defense in 2026. They traded for Dexter Lawrence and signed Jonathan Allen to improve their defensive tackle group. They also added Boye Mafe and Cashius Howell to play on the edge while inking local product Bryan Cook to provide a much-needed upgrade at safety.Those upgrades are part of why Burrow believes the Bengals have “the most talented roster” they have had since he joined the team in 2020. That could be enough to help Cincinnati get back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 NFL season and become an under-the-radar Super Bowl contender.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Cowboys fit a profile similar to the Bengals’. Dallas sports an excellent offense headlined by Dak Prescott, Javonte Williams and one of the best receiver duos in the league, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.The issue for the Cowboys last season was that their defense struggled immensely under the leadership of Matt Eberflus. The unit rank