When I made my predictions for the NFC West last week, I managed to please Cardinals and Rams fans, while angering 49ers and Seahawks fans. Hate to break the news, but that anger might continue. Power Rankings: Lets do it!
1. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers lost Josh Norman and Cam Newton looked horrendous in the Super Bowl, but they’ll be getting Kelvin Benjamin back, and the Broncos have had a horrendous offseason. Carolina should be early favorites to win it all.
2. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have a pretty old roster, which may make this ranking look stupid if they suddenly get old. However, they got a steal by getting defensive end Robert Nkemdiche in the draft and have enough talent on offense for Carson Palmer to make another run.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
With the Broncos losing talent on both sides of the ball and the Patriots losing Tom Brady to suspension, the Bengals are the new best team in the AFC for right now. Hopefully Andy Dalton can stay healthy and they might actually win a playoff game this year.
4. Minnesota Vikings
I predicted the Vikings would make the playoffs before last season began as they had been building a stingy defense for a while now, If Teddy Bridgewater can improve on an inconsistent sophomore year, the Vikings will go from good to elite very quickly.
5. New England Patriots
Despite losing Tom Brady for the first four games, the Patriots have proven that they can overcome this in the past as they did with Matt Cassel in 2008. The Patriots offense slipped towards the end of 2015, but ruling out a Bill Belichick coached team is absolutely crazy.
6. Green Bay Packers
The Packers struggled like we had not seen in years towards the end of last year, Green Bay had its lowest point total since 2006 last year, but getting Jordy Nelson back will be huge. The Packers should bounce back on offense next year.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, but they took to the offseason to shore up a horrendous secondary, taking corners with their first two picks in the draft. Inconsistency has plagued the Steelers the last few years, but they will be in the playoffs once again.
8. Kansas City Chiefs
Jamaal Charles is returning from his second ACL tear, which is good, but worrisome for the Chiefs. Their defense will get a boost with the return of Justin Houston, but they lost Sean Smith to free agency. All in all, the Chiefs remained about the same, which is good for the AFC West crown now.
9. Seattle Seahawks
Free agency hurt the Seahawks, losing guys in their front 7 and on their offensive line. Also, replacing Beastmode with Thomas Rawls for a whole season is a downgrade. However, they still have Russell Wilson and the best secondary, which will keep them in the top 10 for now.
10. Houston Texans
Quarterbacks have been hard to come by for the Texans the last few years. They are banking on Brock Osweiler, who filled in for Peyton Manning with mixed results, but has huge upside. All things considered, the Texans have to like their chances to repeat as AFC south champions.
11. Oakland Raiders
Finally a newcomer! The Raiders were a vastly improved team last year and made some big moves to improve their horrendous defense from a year ago. Their offense made major strides last year, and for the first time since 2002, expect the Raiders to contend for a playoff spot.
12. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were ravaged by injuries a year ago, and it knocked them down to their lowest win total since 2007. The Ravens added a few new weapons for Joe Flacco to use, while Flacco himself is returning from injury. They will be playoff contenders again.
13. Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck missed 9 games for the Colts last year, but they were only 2-5 in games he started last year, showing their problems extended beyond his absence. The Colts bet big on their offensive in the draft, which should be welcome news for Luck, and the Colts playoff hopes.
14. Atlanta Falcons
Management understood that Atlanta’s offense couldn’t be all Julio, so they have added some solid talent to an offense that desperately needed some diversity. Mohammed Sanu should be a great addition and the Falcons have quietly built a playoff caliber team.
15. Washington Redskins
The Redskins snuck up on everybody by winning the paltry NFC East last year and picked up surprise free agent Josh Norman. However, they won that division by default as everyone else was atrocious. They should be favored to do it again.
16. Denver Broncos
It’s been the offseason from hell for the Super Bowl Champs. They lost Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan on defense and lost Brock Osweiler to the Texans. Given their quarterback situation and weaker defense, the Broncos went from champs to being just lucky if they make the playoffs.
17. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams drafted Jared Goff to improve an incredible weakspot at the most important position. Even if he has some rookie struggles, the Rams are much better off with him than Foles or Keenum, which should get them to playoff contention, as the rest of their roster is pretty good.
18. New York Jets
Ryan Fitzpatrick is in a stalemate with the Jets as far as contract talks go. If they end up signing him for less, this is a wise move for the Jets. However, is Fitzpatrick signs elsewhere, the Jets will be scrambling to find a quarterback. The end result of the Fitzpatrick saga will give a more clear ranking for the Jets.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars
Yep, I’m doing it. For the first time since 2007, the Jaguars have a roster loaded with talent. They easily had the best draft of anybody and they will be getting 2015 first rounder Dante Fowler back from injury this year. Their defense is loaded, and they will be much improved and a possible fringe playoff contender in the AFC.
20. New Orleans Saints
The Saints invested heavily to improve their comically bad defense from a year ago. Whether the investment pays off will determine if the Saints are a playoff team or a team with a bad defense and not good enough offense.
21. New York Giants
Defense was the main priority for the Giants this offseason, and they responded by paying a ton of money in free agency and drafting Eli Apple in the first round. The Giants have a solid offense, but if their defense improves, they should be the Redskins closest challenger.
22. Dallas Cowboys
Last season was a dud for the Cowboys, but they have a great chance to improve with Tony Romo returning from injury. However, he is 36 now and he is a high risk bet to get injured again or lose effectiveness. I’m tempering my expectations for the ‘Boys.
23. Buffalo Bills
The Bills had an underwhelming season last year and failed to improve much outside of their draft. All in all, expect no playoffs for Buffalo again.
24. Chicago Bears
I trust John Fox to improve the Bears in year 2 and they had quite a few solid pickups this offseason too. Their defense will be better, but their offense still has a ways to go, hence their low ranking.
25. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles picked up Carson Wentz in the draft, who raised his draft profile by being really good at the combine. He may be good eventually, but it will be a rough adjustment going from Division 1-AA to the pros. The Eagles record will reflect that.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers improved significantly last year and with Jameis Winston in year 2, he either will get better or regress. I tend to think he will be better next year, but the Bucs still have holes all over their roster. Their record will be about the same.
27. Miami Dolphins
There was more disfunction within the Dolphins organization than anywhere else in the NFL. A fresh start is needed, and the Dolphins are hoping that a new regime can change things for them. I’m not ready to jump aboard yet.
28. San Diego Chargers
The Chargers were crushed by injuries last season, but their talent has been waning for quite some time now, so it was only a matter of time before they had a season this bad. With Rivers playing, there’s always hope, but the Chargers are in line for another long season.
29. Detroit Lions
Without Megatron, the Lions offense no longer has any weapons that legitimately scare anybody. The Lions had a porous offense made mediocre by Johnsons presence. Without him, it’s going to be a rough one in Detroit.
30. Tennessee Titans
Marcus Mariota was injured so often for the Titans last year, but showed lots of promise in his rookie year. The Titans are rebuilding the right way by stockpiling draft picks, but they are still a ways away from being relevant, let alone good.
31. San Francisco 49ers
There is literally zero promise for greatness on this 49ers roster. One can hope for Chip Kelly to improve their offense, but this team’s dearth of talent will leave them in the cellar of the NFC, and possibly the league.
32. Cleveland Browns
The Johnny Football experiment is over in Cleveland, and the Browns are turning to former stud turned dud Robert Griffin III to salvage their anemic quarterback play. Even if he does okay, the Browns are so bad in so many places that they are unlikely to win much this year.
If you want to debate me in the comments, you can, but be prepared to lose.
Village ɱȁˠȠεƦƉ
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