It’s been two heartbreaking playoff losses in a row now for the Saints, but they return many of the players who have gotten them so close to the big game. Sean Payton is one of the best offensive minds in coaching, and Dennis Allen has done good work as their DC the past few years. GM Mickey Loomis doesn’t get the credit he deserves very often; he has consistently built this roster to be a contender, and should be recognized for some very strong draft classes in recent years. The Saints Revenge Tour: Season 2 begins September 9th, on Monday Night Football.
Drew Brees is what makes this offense run so effectively, and while he does look a bit older at times, you have to think they have a shot at winning it all with him under center. Sadly, Brees’ veteran center Max Unger retired during the offseason. It looks as if this position will be filled by second round rookie Erik McCoy, a powerful run blocker. The rest of the line returns the same as it was last year, and it’s one of the NFL’s best. Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk are one of the best tackle duos in the game, and guards Andrus Peat and Larry Warford have been successful as well. Mark Ingram left in free agency to join the Ravens, but the running back corps could be the best this year. Latavious Murray signed from the Vikings, and Alvin Kamara is a superstar, on the ground and through the air. Taysom Hill is another threat in the running game- Payton loves designing plays for him, and giving opposing teams problems. In the passing game, Michael Thomas earned a big paycheck with his reliable hands. Thomas is young, but looks like an established vet, giving consistent performances every week. Ted Ginn will be the team’s deep threat, and Jared Cook came from Oakland to be New Orlean’s best receiving tight end since Jimmy Graham. He will help move the chains, and could be a red zone threat.
The Saint’s defense was close to the top in run defense last year (2nd in yards allowed/game) and did not lose any key players in the front seven. Their best defender arguably is Cameron Jordan, a sack monster. He should be a great mentor to young Marcus Davenport, who looked great when healthy last year as a rookie. In the middle, the Saints signed run stuffers Mario Edwards Jr. and Malcolm Brown in free agency for depth. Sheldon Rankins tore his ACL in the postseason, but could be back within the first six weeks to reclaim his starting defensive tackle spot. At linebacker, New Orleans still has solid player like Demario Davis who will rack up a lot of tackles, but they are not as strong against the passing game. The Saints were ranked 29th in the league last year in passing yards allowed, a surprising stat given that they have gifted players like corner Marshon Lattimore, a top corner who’s only 23 years old. Him, Eli Apple, and safeties Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams look to have a better year this year, and they should.
The Saints have an incredibly tough September, but they should be able to manage the rest of their schedule. Their first four games are against Houston, at L.A. Rams, at Seattle, and against Dallas. This is a veteran team that should be prepared to win immediately. Even if they have a slow start, I’d still expect a bounce back to relevance the rest of the year. The only teams the Saints play after September that made the playoffs last year are the Bears on October 20th, and the Colts December 16th. The Bears are still an NFC threat, but I think we’’ll see them regress a bit after their 12-4 season a year ago. With the recent retirement of Andrew Luck, I wouldn’t expect them to be contenders this year either. To summarize, if New Orleans does its job against their foes in September a playoff berth is a safe bet this year.
#2 Los Angeles Rams
The Rams came up short in the Super Bowl this February, but don’t expect them to slide because of this. Sean McVay and Wade Phillips head as good of a coaching staff as there is in the NFL. This was evidenced in the offseason’s head coaching signings: Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor, two former assistants of the Rams, were hired as first time head coaches by the Packers and Bengals. They hope to replicate the Rams 2018 success. GM Les Snead has been active this offseason too. He brought in Clay Matthews to help the pass rush, and Eric Weddle to lead the back end of the secondary. Team stars Aaron Donald and Jared Goff were signed to long term contracts as well.
The offense has one of the deepest and most talented receiving corps in the league right now. Brandin Cooks is the deep threat, and has gone for over 1,000 yards every year since his rookie season. Robert Woods is another weapon who can do a bit of everything as a receiver, and will likely be the WR2; meanwhile, Cooper Kupp will eat up yards in the middle of the field as the slot receiver. They missed Kupp last year after an early injury- it will be interesting to watch how good the offense can be with him an entire season. Todd Gurley’s long term health has been a topic of interest ever since doctors found arthritis in one of his knees this summer. The team will likely lighten his workload, but he’ll still be one of the best running backs there is, and it should be exciting to see him healthy later in the season. A possible area of weakness is the Ram’s O-line this year. They lost starters John Sullivan and Rodger Saffold to free agency. Los Angeles still has three starters from last year, most notably left tackle Andrew Whitworth, but these positions should be watched while their replacements are introduced. If the OL holds, Jared Goff could be in a position to be an MVP candidate. He’s an accurate, smart quarterback, who should only get better with experience and the return of Kupp.
L.A.’s defense lost big names like Ndamukong Suh, Lamarcus Joyner, and Mark Barron in free agency, but it might be better this season. Aaron Donald is the best defensive linemen in football, and possibly the best player in the NFL. He and fellow defensive end Michael Brockers are matchup headaches for opposing offenses. If the other team gets behind early, the pass rush will be unleashed on them, and Clay Matthews, Dante Fowler, and Samson Ebukam will have fun destroying opposing quarterback’s comeback hopes. The secondary could be formidable as well, especially if Aqib Talib returns healthy after only playing eight games last year. Marcus Peters, Eric Weddle, and John Johnson are also talented starters in the back of the defense, and Taylor Rapp is a rookie who will fight to be on the field. This defense's weakness will be their middle linebackers. They are thin at the position, and don’t have an established star to start for them.
The Rams have two road tests in September against the Panthers and Browns, two teams that have a lot of hype entering the season, and playoff aspirations despite missing them last year. Week 2 they also play the Saints in Los Angeles. It’s a home game, but expect New Orleans to fight hard to avenge the NFC Championship, a game they thought they should have won. Shortly after an easy matchup against Tampa Bay, the Rams play a Thursday Night game in Seattle. This will be a difficult week for the team. Later, after a few other games and their bye week, the Rams have three games in a row against physical defenses: at Pittsburgh, and against Baltimore and Chicago. If the Rams prove they are worthy of this test, they will be in good shape heading into December. They start the month by playing Dallas and Seattle, but end it with weak division foes San Francisco and Arizona.
# 3 Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have all of the parts needed for another deep playoff run and division championship. The coaching staff remains one of the league’s best, headed by offensive minded Doug Peterson, and Howie Roseman orchestrated another great offseason, signing and drafting players that will help the team now and for years to come. Yes, the Eagles did lose talents like Michael Bennett, Jordan Hicks, and Philly hero Nick Foles, but the free agent signings they made should give fans of the team faith. A Super Bowl run is quite a possibility.
If Wentz can remain healthy (which is a big question mark right now) the team will run smoothly. The offensive line is both one of the NFL’s most talented and deepest. Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Brandon Brooks are all former Pro Bowlers who return up front. They also have notable backups Halapoulivaati Vaiti, who has played in the past filling in for Peters, and rookie tackle Andre Dillard out of Washington State, who was commonly referred to as the draft’s best pass blocker. Having Dillard and Vitai is a luxury many teams surely wish they had, and is all the more important given Peters’ old age and injury history. The Eagles drafted Penn State running back Miles Sanders in the second round, and as of this writing he has impressed the team in the offseason and is pushing for touches come week one. It is my belief that Sanders will be the full time starter come the end of the season, and he could be a three down workhorse if given the chance. Sanders may not have to play on third and longs, however. Darren Sproles is getting up there in years, but remains one of the better receiving backs there are. Speaking of receiving, throwing the ball should be fun this year for Carson Wentz. Besides Sproles, Wentz now has Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz, Desean Jackson, and more in a loaded receiving corps. JJ Arcega-Whiteside was drafted out of Stanford to be a red zone threat, and in rookie camp he shined. Nelson Agholor is on the final year of his contract, and while he hasn’t yet lived up to his first round draft price, he could shine in an effort to get a pay boost after his rookie contract expires.
Once again, the defensive line will be the strength of this defense. Dominant veterans Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham are back again at DT and DE, and Derek Barnett will look to take another step in his career as he gets more reps at the other defensive end spot. Malik Jackson and Vinny Curry are valuable free agent signings coming to the team, and Timmy Jernigan will give extra depth at defensive tackle. Nigel Bradham mans the middle linebacker spot and should lead the team in tackles again. The problem area on this defense is its secondary. This section -particularly the cornerback position- was hit hard by injuries last year, and opposing teams exposed their lack of depth. That being said, if injuries are not a factor the group should be fine. Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills are decent starters, and if Sidney Jones finally stays on the field a full sixteen games he could be a valuable slot corner.
Philadelphia’s opening five games are all against non-playoff teams of last year. A week one matchup against division rival Washington looks like an easy win at home. If the Eagles start strong in these five games they could carry some valuable momentum into a rough October and November. In October, the team travels to Minnesota, Dallas, and Buffalo three weeks in a row, and then has a home game against Chicago before their bye. These are all tough defensive teams that will challenge this team’s willpower. After this, the Eagles play New England and Seattle in Philly to finish November. If they make it through this gauntlet of teams with four or more wins I fully expect them to finish as a top three NFC team. This is because luckily for Eagle nation, December has four matchups that should be against teams that won’t even be in the wildcard hunt: Miami, Washington, and the Giants twice.
# 4 Detroit Lions
The NFC North is as wide open as it has been in a long time. The Packers haven’t been the consistent playoff team that they were earlier in Aaron Rodger’s career, and they moved on from Mike McCarthy last year, replacing him this offseason with first time head coach Matt LeFleur. The Bears were a 12-4 team last year, but struggles on special teams and losses in the coaching staff and depth chart are worrisome. The Viking’s lack of depth was exposed last year after a few key injuries hit them, and they made a lot of changes this offseason. This leaves the Detroit Lions. To put it nicely, the Lions have had a hard time putting together playoff worthy teams over the years, but after a string of productive offseasons, this roster looks like it’s ready to make the jump. Coach Matt Patricia and fellow ex-Patriot Bob Quinn have drafted and signed a blue collar team during their time with the franchise. This year, they’ll connect all the dots and make the playoffs.
This year, the offense will be headed by coach Derrell Bevell, who is known for his focus on the run game. This could be a good change for the Lions, who have too often over relied on Matthew Stafford in the past. The offensive line should be ready for the change. Tackles Taylor Decker and Rick Wagner are no slouches in the run or pass games. In the middle, Graham Glasgow is a solid guard, and Frank Ragnow is a second year player that performed well as a rookie, and Detroit is excited to see his continued development as he moves back to center, his position in college. T.J. Lang retired, which is a shame, but not too much of a surprise given his injury history. Kenny Wiggins filled in for him ten games last year, and should return as this year’s other starting guard. Being a run oriented team doesn’t mean Detroit will totally abandon the pass. The team has Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones once again, and signed Danny Amendola in free agency. At tight end, the Lions signed Pittsburgh’s Jesse James, and then drafted TJ Hockenson in the top ten of the draft. Both can block and be useful in the passing game, and the Lions are especially excited about Hockenson’s potential. Running backs Kerryon Johnson and CJ Anderson are capable of carrying their fair share of runs, and Matthew Stafford’s veteran savvy will help quicken the transition to a new playbook.
The offense is promising, but Matt Patricia undoubtedly hopes that the team will win through strong defensive play. Fortunately for him, this team has the players to become a top run defense, and is versatile enough to halt the pass as well. On the line, “Snacks” Harrison will be in the middle of the team’s run stopping as one of the NFL’s best nosetackles. At the other DT position, A’Shawn Robinson and Mike Daniels are capable players, and give good depth to the starting front seven. Trey Flowers is another talented player who signed in free agency, and his connection to coach Patricia from their days in New England should be useful. Romeo Okwara was last year’s team leader in sacks, and looks to improve on a good year. Jarrad Davis is the leader of the defense, and reports say he has been improving during the offseason. Christian Jones mans another LB spot. Devon Kennard had seven sacks last year during his first year with the Lions, and the Lions traded up in the second round to get Jahlani Tavai. Darius Slay is an underrated CB1, and will shadow the opponent’s best receiver all year. Justin Coleman and Rashaan Melvin were signed for CB depth, and Quandre Diggs is a hard hitting strong safety who will get even better with experience. The Lions were eleventh in the league in sacks last year without a household name, and now they have guys like Flowers and Daniels. If they can just improve on their interception totals (29th last year) their run-centered, ball control offense will suffocate opponents with what would be a more positive turnover margin.
The Lions start their season with what should be an easy win- the Arizona Cardinals. Their September won’t be a breeze though- they have games against the Chargers and Chiefs at home, and another matchup in Philadelphia. After their bye week, they head to Lambeau, but I think with two week’s preparation Detroit could come out with a win. Following that crucial game, Detroit plays Minnesota at home, and then they have two weeks in a row of should-wins: the Giants and Raiders. The rest of November has tests against Dallas and two games against the Bears, but December has four games that the Lions are capable of winning, especially if they’re coming off of a hot streak; after playing in Minnesota, Detroit plays Tampa Bay, travels to Denver, and finishes against Green Bay at home. It’s not an undemanding schedule, but if the Lions play strong against their division -as I believe they will- they will go into the playoffs as the number four seed.
# 5 (Wildcard) Dallas Cowboys
Jason Garrett has seemed incompetent at times as head coach of the Cowboys, but he led this Dallas team once again into a decent playoff run, and expectations are high for another season. A lot of credit should go to the Jones family, who has done an excellent job for several years running now building the team in the draft and free agency. Dallas has so much talent on its roster that it is in a financial bind this coming offseason. This roster is stacked with terrific players, and another playoff push should be in the future this year.
After a training camp holdout, Zeke should be fresh enough to get a lot of touches this year again. He is in great shape to start the season, but before they give him the ball thirty times a game a valuable lesson (that the Rams now wish they would have learned last year) should be talked about in the Dallas front office and staff room. Todd Gurley, was an outstanding force for the regular season last year, but struggled to get on the field Super Bowl Sunday. This was because of his heavy workload during the season. Tony Pollard is a rookie the team really likes, and could spell Zeke to make sure he stays healthy all year; Dallas should consider this approach to the backfield. In the meantime, Dallas’ offensive line is once again one of the league’s best, and some very important players are returning to bolster the line even more. Travis Frederick is expected to return this year after missing all of last year with an illness. His value to the line was seen with his absence, and now that he’s back he’ll be a leader up front. Zack Martin is an All-Pro, and Tyron Smith is a top left tackle. La’el Collins and Connor Williams struggled at times last year, but both were top prospects out of college, and still have a lot of room to grow. They are also backed by a deep group with men such as Joe Looney, who got to play center last year for Frederick. Jason Witten won’t be a super star in the passing game, but will be Dak’s safety blanket again now that Cole Beasley is in Buffalo, and he strengthens the Cowboy’s run offense in ways that Geoff Swaim and Blake Jarwin couldn’t last year. Dak is back as starter, and should have a good year. The offense should start out better this year than they did last year; Kellen Moore was promoted from QB coach to offensive coordinator, and should find ways to maximise Dak’s talents. The receiving corps has Amari Cooper, second year breakout candidate Michael Gallup, and slot threat Randall Cobb. All three should be effective.
The defense last year was the best to wear the star in a long time, and could improve even more this year. The D-line will miss David Irving’s talent, but won’t miss his suspensions and off field distractions. Demarcus Lawrence is a force to be reckoned with, and is on the franchise tag this year, so he will be highly motivated once again. Taco Charlton and Randy Gregory have potential, but have both disappointed for their own different reasons thus far, so the Boys brought in Robert Quinn to be another veteran example and show off a bit of what made him so special in his prime- his pass rush. Tyrone Crawford and Antwuan Woods will play the starting DT roles, but Maliek Collins and rookie Trysten Hill will rotate in to keep them fresh. The Cowboys have a star group of linebackers. Jaylon Smith makes it appear as if the Fiesta Bowl injury that let him slip to the second round never happened. Vander Esch was booed a bit on draft day last year, but proved his doubters wrong. Sean Lee is a great NFL vet, but will he ever stay on the field for an entire season again? It’s not likely, but if he’s healthy in December and January, watch out. The secondary looked much improved last year, but it tied for 26th in interceptions. If that number rises, the defense could go from good to dominant. Kris Richard, the Passing Game Coordinator and DBs coach was excellent at his previous job in Seattle, and is now in Dallas, developing Byron Jones and late round gems like Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown. He is seen by some as a head coach candidate this next offseason, and if the secondary does well, his stock should rise even more.
Since the Cowboys won their division last year, their schedule has them face many division winners of last year as well. Their tough schedule -especially at the end of the year- is the reason I project that they will be a wild card team, and lose the division to Philly. The first three games should be a cakewalk, but the difficulty begins to ramp up starting with a week four game in New Orleans. A mid season bye gives them time to prepare for the playoff team slugfest that they have to go through in November and December. There are some games that Dallas should win, but some really challenging tests as well. After playing in New England, Dallas plays four days later on Thanksgiving day against a physical Buffalo team. Following that, the Boys play at Chicago, against the Rams, and then at Philadelphia. This is one of the most difficult Decembers this season. If Dallas gets through that just barely in the hunt, week seventeen may be a challenge as well. They play the Redskins, a team that won’t be in the playoffs, but will be playing for their jobs; in the past, the Redskins have liked nothing more than knocking a division rival out of the playoff bracket. There will be losses in November and December. It’s how the Cowboys handle them that will determine whether they will be a contender or a pretender.
# 6 (Wild Card) Seattle Seahawks
Last year, before the season began there were many questions surrounding the Seahawks. Some major parts of the Legion of Boom were heading to new teams, and the dynasty seemed to be coming to an end. Then, Seattle rallied a young team together and made it to the playoffs. Pete Carroll has once again proven how well he can coach young players into excellence- even those who weren't talked about too much while coming into the league. John Schneider is also a mastermind at GM, who made some moves this year to keep the team in contention. There are still a lot of new faces on this roster, but they are ready to make a name for themselves this year.
Russell Wilson was given an enormous contract extension recently, and for good reason. He can make the case that he is the best quarterback in the league. The offense shifted to a run heavy playbook last year, so Wilson won't throw 50 touchdowns anytime soon, but he can sling it when needed. Relying on the run is part of what made this offense a lot better than what many thought they would be last year. Chris Carson proved he could be a workhorse back, and he could be even more involved in offensive plans this year. Tyler Lockett is an efficient deep threat, and is now Wilson's number one target after Doug Baldwin's retirement. D.K. Metcalf is another exciting player that was drafted this year by the Hawks; if he lives up to his huge NFL combine, Metcalf could be special. The offensive line is well suited for a lot of run blocking. Duane Brown and Germain Ifedi will be the tackles, Justin Britt returns at center, and D.J. Fluker and free agent signing Mike Iupati will play guard. Tight end depth is still very thin, and there aren't players at the position to be enthusiastic about- Will Dissly is the starter.
After trading Frank Clark for a first round pick and having Earl Thomas leave, the Seahawks looked pretty bare on defense. Then, in the draft they chose L.J. Collier in the first round with their Frank Clark pick, and got some other defensive depth players like Marquise Blair. It was after free agency and the draft that Schneider started making real improvements to the defense though. He signed Ziggy Ansah, who has had a lot of ups and downs in his career, but still shows potential. Then, late in the preseason, Schneider showed why he's a top GM- he acquired Jadeveon Clowney in exchange for Seattle's third round pick and some bench players. The front seven looks formidable again after the trade. Defensive tackles Poona Ford and Jarran Reed were showing some real promise as starters last year, and they are back. Bobby Wagner is the anchor of the defense, and is surrounded by a lot of good linebackers like Mychal Kendricks, K.J.Wright, and Shaquem Griffin. Griffin's brother Shaquill will be a starting corner with Tre Flowers on the other side. Bradley McDougald and Tedric Thompson are no Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, but if they don't give up big plays the defense is solid enough to get the stops it needs.
Besides playing their own division, Seattle has the unenviable task of taking on the NFC South and AFC North this year. They start the year at home against the Bengals, but play in Pittsburgh and against New Orleans right afterwards. They get a relatively easier game with Arizona to end September, but play the Rams four days later on Thurday Night Football. The Seahawks' October is one of the most difficult October schedules this year. Besides the Rams on a Thursday, they play at Cleveland and Atlanta, and have a home game versus Baltimore. Fortunately, this is their toughest month. Tampa Bay and San Francisco begin November for Seattle, and following that they have a bye week. To end the year, the team has another four opponents in a row that will challenge them -Philadelphia, Minnesota, the Rams, and Carolina- but finish the year against division foes Arizona and San Francisco. The NFC is a deep conference right now, so getting to the playoffs won't be a walk in the park. However, with Carroll coaching and Wilson playing quarterback making the playoffs again is attainable.
DIVISIONAL STANDINGS
NFC North
1. Detroit Lions
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Chicago Bears
4. Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
1. Saints
2. Falcons
3. Panthers
4. Buccaneers
NFC EAST
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. Washington Redskins
4. New York Giants
NFC West
1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Arizona Cardinals
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