It’s never too early to look to the offseason. Coming out of the most boring Super Bowl in NFL history, we could all use something to look forward to. AFC to follow tomorrow.
North
Chicago Bears – Owners of by far the brightest future in the division, the Bears arrived a year before schedule in 2018. If Chuck Pagano can have even reasonable success in replacing Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator, and the Bears find a functioning kicker, they should easily reach double-digit wins again.
Detroit Lions – There is zero chance that 2019 will bring anything new to Detroit. This franchise continues to insult the intelligence of NFL fans everywhere, and they should pray to finish 8-8.
Green Bay Packers – I never thought Aaron Rodgers would be one of those players to sign his big contract and then immediately stop giving a $#@!. He likely wasn’t anywhere near fully healthy last year, but if the Packers don’t have a bounce-back 2019, you have to wonder if perhaps it wasn’t McCarthy who was the problem.
Minnesota Vikings – The lasting image of 2018 will be Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen gesturing wildly at each other on the sidelines during the season-ending loss to the Bears, each trying to explain what the other was doing wrong. Frankly, this team should’ve made the playoffs, but didn’t. A full season’s worth of Dalvin Cook should fix that, but sometimes a team simply isn’t worth the sum of its parts.
East
Dallas Cowboys – The 2018 Dallas Cowboys were a solid team, but this team is always all over the place. Every time Jason Garrett is about to get fired, he tricks Old Man Jerry into giving him an extension instead. However, I will go on record here: Leighton Vander Esch will be a Hall of Famer.
New York Giants – This team has gone 8-24 over the past two seasons. Despite Saquon Barkley’s jaw-dropping rookie season, there’s still a strong contingent that says New York made a mistake by not drafting a quarterback last year. I’m not sure if I agree, but Eli more so resembles the Silver Hornet than an NFL quarterback at this point in his career.
Philadelphia Eagles – Some Foles wizardry saved what was almost a complete bust of a season. But one of the positives of 2018 was the in-season patchwork Howie Roseman did on the secondary, which might end up being a cheap, long-term fix. That’s great, because this team needs help at WR, RB, and LB if its going to return to Super Bowl.
Washington Redskins – This team has no quarterback, and their story pretty much starts and ends there. Accordingly, Washington will likely spend most of 2019 in a pillow fight with the Giants for last place in the division. Expect them to ultimately win.
South
Atlanta Falcons – If you grouped together every team’s QB, top three WRs, top two RBs, and top TE, I don’t think anyone would beat the package that the Falcons have – and yet, here we are. Since humiliating themselves in the second half of the Super Bowl, the Falcons are 17-15 and falling fast. Also, can anybody explain to me what happened to Vic Beasley?
Carolina Panthers – Good luck trying to predict the Panthers – Carolina’s win totals since drafting Cam Newton in 2011 are as follows: 6, 7, 12, 7, 15, 6, 11, and 7. This season, they started 6-2 before losing seven in a row. Much like the Falcons, this team wasted its best shot at a championship, when a No. 1 defense and an MVP quarterback propelled them to Super Bowl 50.
New Orleans Saints – The Saints are going to be fine – instead, I want to use this opportunity to blow off some steam three weeks later. How the $#@! did Sean Payton and the Saints not see that game-changing fake punt coming in the Rams game? New Orleans did the exact same thing to the Eagles in the exact same situation the game prior.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – How much longer will Jameis Winston be able to con the NFL into thinking he’s a professional football player? Besides being one of the most unlikeable players in the league, Winston simply isn’t very good – he’s played in 56 games, and has 76 turnovers. The Bucs ceiling isn’t budging as long as Winston is their starter.
West
Arizona Cardinals – Despite throwing four pick-6’s, Josh Rosen showed just enough in 2018 to keep the Cardinals’ glass half full coming into 2019. More of the questions should be about new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who sounds more like a breakfast cereal than a football guy.
Los Angeles Rams – Sean McVay’s vaunted offense absolutely laid an egg in the Super Bowl, but he and the Rams should continue to contend as long as he’s roaming the sideline. Aaron Donald sure helps too. This is the Rams’ division to lose for the foreseeable future, but it’s worth noting – they went all-in on this season, and some of the key pieces on the defense are aging.
San Francisco 49ers – Entering season three, the honeymoon period is officially over for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. 2019 should return a healthy Jimmy G to an offense with some nice weapons, coupled with a competent defense. It’s time to win something.
Seattle Seahawks – Arguably the biggest overachievers from the 2018 season, Seattle might’ve been better off simply playing for a higher draft pick. The only reason this team ever has any sort of a chance is because Russell Wilson continues to be the guy shoving his hands up the center’s ass.
