Another season of NFL football is upon us as teams open up training camp. And with all the excitement come the expectations. Of course only one team will be standing come February, but right now everybody is tied for first place.
Every team feels it upgraded properly through the draft or free agency. The Cleveland Browns turned a few first-round selections into potential building blocks, but they still have a logjam at quarterback. The Raiders are considered a threat to challenge in the AFC, but we saw how one injury to a key player can cripple a season. Oakland is hopeful Derek Carr can stay healthy for a playoff run.
In the Super Bowl era we’ve seen teams have runs of success that many have termed dynasties. There was the Pittsburgh Steelers winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s. The San Francisco 49ers won their four titles in the 1980s. And of course the Dallas Cowboys ruled the 1990s with for Super Bowl championships, including three in a four-year span.
But nothing compares to what the New England Patriots have done. Since the 2001 season, the Pats have won 14 division titles, appeared in seven Super Bowl games and won five of them. The one common thread in all those wins is Tom Brady, who returns for another season at the age of 40 and looked like a spring chicken in leading the Pats to the biggest comeback win in last year’s Super Bowl win over Atlanta.
1. New England Patriots – They won it all last year and if anything they upgraded with the additions of Stephon Gilmore, Brandin Cooks and Mike Gilleslee. Oh, and that guy Brady is back for another season. He’ll be 40 years old when the season starts, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers – Much like the Patriots coach/quarterback combo, the Steelers have a duo in Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin that just wins football games. Big Ben tossed around the idea of retiring after last season’s loss to the Pats in the AFC Championship game, but he returns to lead what could be the most devastating offense in the NFL. With Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and the return of Martavis Bryant, the Steelers should put up the points. And the defense is strong if not underrated.
3. Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons have made strides under Dan Quinn and reached the Super Bowl last season. They return Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the key playmakers in an offense that led the league in scoring. The biggest obstacle is overcoming the devastating loss to the Pats last February. If they can, a return trip is in the cards.
4. Oakland Raiders – It all came together for the Raiders last season as they put together the first winning season and playoff berth since 2002. However, it could have been much better if not for the season-ending injury to Derek Carr. There is a young core that learned how to win last year, now they need to finish.
5. Dallas Cowboys – With the emergence of Dak Prescott, the Cowboys surprised everyone by going 13-3 to finish with the best record in the NFC. There will be a new kind of pressure for the second-year quarterback now that Tony Romo is gone, but he will have Ezekiel Elliott and Dez Bryant in the huddle. If the defense can shore up issues in the secondary, the Boys could have another big year.
6. Seattle Seahawks – The window may be closing on Seattle’s run, but there’s still time for another go at a title. The defense will be strong again with a host of Legion of Boom cast members still around. Offensively, there have been upgrades on the line, which nearly cost Russell Wilson a few limbs last year. There are rumors of internal strife, but for this team that only makes them better.
7. Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs are the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL – they get no respect. They stomped through the division last season, going 6-0 giving them the AFC West title. But once again they couldn’t convert in the postseason. The defense will be strong with Justin Houston, Tamba Hali and Marcus Peters, but they need more from Alex Smith to get over the hump.
8. Green Bay Packers – It’s hard to count out a team that has Aaron Rodgers leading the way. Rodgers played the best football of his career in the second half of last season, taking the Pack to the NFC Central title and the conference championship game. There are weapons all over the place on offense and enough improvements on the other side of the ball to raise expectations of another Super Bowl in Titletown.
9. Houston Texans – Imagine what the Texans could do if they had a quarterback. The Brock Osweiler deal will go down as one of the worst in NFL history, but the team rid itself of that headache and added DeShaun Watson in the draft. J.J. Watt returns after missing last season and the defense will be as fierce as ever. If they get anything from the QB spot, the Texans could be a surprise in the AFC.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs barely missed out on a playoff spot last season and the young core has developed nicely under Dirk Koetter. Jameis Winston has weapons in the passing game and the defense could be one of the best in the league with William Gholston and Robert Ayres proving to be disruptive forces.
11. New York Giants – With an upgraded defense last season the Giants went 11-5 and reached the playoffs. Now it’s time for the offense to catch up. They added Brandon Marshall to team with Odell Beckham Jr. in the passing game and need to generate some kind of run game. Paul Perkins and Wayne Gallman will be tasked with that, but help from the line is sorely needed.
12. Miami Dolphins – The season ended with a wimper after Ryan Tannehill went down with an injury. Adam Gase changed everything in south beach, including his quarterback, getting Tannehill to live up to his potential. The Fins will have a potent offensive attack if Tannehill has recovered and they could be a threat to the Pats in the AFC East.
13. Tennessee Titans – Behind Marcus Mariota the Titans quietly put up a nine-win season and that’s just the beginning for this young club. Upgrades at receiver through the draft with Corey Davis will help balance the league’s third ranked rushing attack, and Mariota should improve his numbers. The time is now for the Titans to overtake Houston in the competitive AFC South.
14. Denver Broncos – Figuring out who will be the starting quarterback is a top priority for the Broncos. Trevor Simien won the job last year and performed adequately, but he wasn’t John Elway or Payton Manning. New head coach Vance Joseph might go a different direction, but at least he’ll have a stellar defense, likely the best in the AFC West, to work with.
15. Arizona Cardinals – Expect the Cardinals to bounce back after a disastrous 2016. The team has loads of talent on both sides of the ball and fell victim to poor special teams play last year, which cost them several games and a chance at returning to the postseason. The most important player other than Carson Palmer is new kicker Phil Dawson, one of the most accurate in the game.
16. Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings were the last undefeated team in 2016, but when they faltered they sure were good at it. It didn’t help that they lost Teddy Bridgewater a week before the season and had to swing a deal for a new starter. Sam Bradford played well, the offensive line is better and the running game will be headlined by someone other than Adrian Peterson.
17. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens will have a different look in 2017. The defense has new faces, but should still be one of the best in the game. Joe Flacco lost Steve Smith to retirement but gained Jeremy Maclin. John Harbaugh has proven to be one of the top coaches in the game and getting back to the playoffs is tops on his to-do list.
18. Carolina Panthers – It was a painful drop for the Panthers last season. Coming off their 15-1 regular season and Super Bowl appearance two years ago, injuries took a toll. Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly both missed time and should be back ready to go. Christian McCaffrey is an ultra-talented all-purpose player who should take some heat off Newton.
19. Washington Redskins – The top two receivers in a pass-happy offense are gone and Kirk Cousins is ready to leave after this season. Terrelle Pryor was added to replace either Pierre Garcon or DeSean Jackson, but he can’t replace both, leaving the Skins to find other options offensively. We’re not sure where the improvements are going to come from, but there’s always someone ready to take over.
20. New Orleans Saints – Going against Drew Brees in practice every day, you would think the Saints defense would be better than it’s been. Brees continues to put up numbers and the defense continues to give them back. If Sean Payton can find a defense that could slow down opponents, the Saints can return to the playoffs.
21. Indianapolis Colts – Protect Andrew Luck, find a run game and improve a defense that ranked 30th in yards allowed per game. It’s not an impossible task and Chuck Pagano was brought back to reshape the Colts into the AFC South powerhouse it once was.
22. Detroit Lions – The Lions had an opportunity to win their first division title in 23 years and blew it. They lost their last three games, including a winner-take-all tilt with the Packers in the finale. They may not recover in our lifetime.
23. Cincinnati Bengals – Expectations have been tempered in Cincinnati after a 6-9-1 finish failed to get the Bengals into the postseason for the first time in five years. Talent remains on the roster, however, and that could be just what Cincy needs to return to the postseason.
24. Philadelphia Eagles – On paper the Eagles appear to be a decent team. But games aren’t played on paper. Carson Wentz started out hot and fizzled later in the year when the Eagles hit a wall. We’ll wait to see what he does in Year 2. But there are some weapons in place he didn’t have last season and the passing game could be much better.
25. Los Angeles Chargers – If the move north causes fewer injuries the Chargers just might win it all in 2017. The team was ravaged the last two seasons, ultimately costing Mike McCoy his job. Anthony Lynn will lead the club into its new 30,000 seat home stadium with hopefully better results on the injury front and in the win column.
26. Buffalo Bills – The Rex Ryan experiment failed and now it’s up to Sean McDermott to end the longest playoff drought in the NFL.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jags continue to add personnel and they have what appears to be a decent team in place. But the problem might be the one guy they refuse to move. If Blake Bortles can’t get the Jags a winning record this season, it might time for him to go.
28. Los Angeles Rams – The Rams are counting on the youngest head coach in NFL history to tap into Jared Goff’s talent. Sean McVay has a background as an offensive guru and it’s up to him to prove the Rams didn’t pull off the biggest blunder since Ryan Leaf.
29. Chicago Bears – The Bears finally severed ties with Jay Cutler and have moved on. But is Mike Glennon the answer and is Mitchell Trubisky ready? John Fox better hope one them is or his stay as Chicago’s coach will be over.
30. Cleveland Browns – It was a nice haul on draft day with Myles Garrett going first overall and Jabril Peppers later in the first round. The Browns have some pieces in place, but they don’t have a quarterback and competing for a playoff spot is still a year or two away.
31. New York Jets – Getting rid of veteran talent is a clear sign the Jets are in a rebuild. But Josh McCown was brought in to quarterback the team. It’s only a matter of time before he goes down with an injury, once again leaving Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg to decide who the signal-caller of the future is going to be.
32. San Francisco 49ers – Kyle Shanahan is going to see how the other half lives. After directing the league’s highest scoring offense in Atlanta last season with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. He has Chicago outcasts Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley to run the show in Santa Clara.
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