The Rams spent big money this off-season in upgrading their roster.
There are thousands of previews out there on the upcoming NFL season. Instead of boring the heck out of you with some standard preview, I figured we would just give you three thoughts on each team. We will list the teams in the order that we think they will finish.
NFC EAST
1. Philadelphia Eagles
3 Thoughts
1. Doug Pederson will play to Nick Foles strengths again and keep the Eagles competitive while Carson Wentz is out.
2. An improved pass rush will benefit a young but talented secondary.
3. The Eagles are a playoff team but the NFC is loaded so them repeating will be tough.
Potential Record: 11-5
2. New York Giants
3 Thoughts
1. Saquon Barkley will win offensive rookie of the year. He will have the same impact on the Giants that Ezekiel Wlliot had on the Cowboys as a rookie.
2. The Giants will be much better defensively under new defensive coordinator James Bettcher. Expect them to be more aggressive out of their 3-4 base defense.
3. Eli Manning will experience a revival of sorts under Pat Shurmur and put up good numbers playing in Shurmur’s west coast offense.
Potential Record: 10-6
3. Dallas Cowboys
3 Thoughts
1. Rookie wide receiver Michael Gallup will become Dak Prescott’s primary target this season.
2. Ezekiel Elliott will bounce back after a disappointing 2017 in which he was suspended for six games. 1,800 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns are not out of the realm of possibility.
3. A talented front seven will make the Cowboys defense an elite unit by the end of the season. Dallas has talent on defense but that talent needs to develop.
Potential Record: 8-8
4. Washington Redskins
3 Thoughts
1.Alex Smith will not duplicate the numbers he put up last season. The Redskins offense is not as diverse and he doesn’t have as many weapons to throw to.
2. The Redskins have three backs that are all the same st this points in their careers. Adrian Peterson is a shell of the player he once was. Samaje Perone and Rob Kelley are average at best.
3. Defensively, the Redskins front seven will get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks but the secondary has a lot of holes that need to be filled.
Potential Record: 7-9
NFC NORTH
1. Minnesota Vikings
1. The Vikings might just have the best defense in the NFL. They are well built in all three levels and are well coached.
2. Case Keemun was a nice story last season but Kirk Cousins will quarterback the Vikings offense to another level. His presence makes Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph, Adam Thielen and Laquon Treadwell better.
3. The Vikings proved last season that they are one of the deepest teams in the NFC by overcoming injuries to Sam Bradford and Dalvin Cook and still reaching the NFC title. Most of that depth is still intact.
Potential Record: 12-4
2. Green Bay Packers
1. As long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers will be a playoff contender in the NFC.
2. Running the football and being more balanced will be paramount for the Packers this season.
3. New defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will make a big difference. Gone are the over complicated schemes that were more about the play call and less about the players. Pettine will play more to his players strengths.
Potential Record: 10-6
3. Chicago Bears
1. The Bears loaded up this off-season and the recent trade for Khalil Mack makes them a legitimate playoff contender.
2. Matt Nagy’s tenure will be defined by how he develops Mitchell Trubisky. 2018 will be an important development season for the young quarterback.
3. How Nagy incorporates Jordan Howard into this offense will be fascinating. Howard is not your traditional west coast offense back.
Potential Record: 9-7
4. Detroit Lions
1. The defense should be better under Matt Patricia but it will be interesting to see how much the Lions philosophy on offense changes.
2. Giving Matthew Stanford more time and protecting him is extremely important for obvious reasons. He took too many hits last season. The Lions offensive line needs to be better.
3. The Lions have a deep stable of backs but you have to figure rookie Kerryon Johnson will eventually emerge as the number one back.
Potential Record: 8-8
NFC SOUTH
1. Atlanta Falcons
1. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has to take Atlanta’s talented offense to the next level if they are going to get back to the Super Bowl. He has to be a better play caller.
2. I still don’t buy Atlanta’s defense as a championship caliber defense. The talent is in place but something is missing.
3. The Falcons need home field advantage to make another deep playoff run. Despite winning in Los Angeles last season, they cannot consistently win on the road in the playoffs.
Potential Record: 11-5
2. New Orleans Saints
1. The Saints have to find a way to bounce back from a horrible playoff loss to the Vikings.
2. Can Alvin Kamara be the bell cow back in the first four weeks of the season? He was effective in a time share last season but he needs to be the man to start this season.
3. The Saints defense overachieved last season. I have my doubts that they could replicate that performance this season.
Potential Record: 10-6
3. Carolina Panthers
1.Can Christian McCaffery be the lead back. I think McCaffery would be better served in a true time share but he is going to be the guy for now.
2. The Panthers receiving corp is average at best. This is why they need rookie D.J Moore to step up and be a factor for them.
3. The secondary still has a lot of question marks. The front seven is solid but if they don’t get consistent pressure, the Panthers will give up big plays.
Potential Record: 7-9
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1. Jameis Winston’s suspension will cost this team an opportunity to compete in the NFC South.
2. Is Ronald Jones a lead back in the NFL? He didn’t look like it this pre-season. That and his slender build suggests he would be better suited in a committee approach.
3. The Bucs will be vastly improved on defense. It is hard not to be with all the talent they added to their front seven.
Potential Record: 6-10
NFC WEST
1. Los Angeles Rams
1. The Rams are loaded with talent. The question is. Can Sean McVay manage all the personalities? That will determine how far the Rams go this season.
2. How the Rams use Brandin Cooks? Will they be more creative with him than the Patriots were last season? Despite his stature, Cooks is a number one receiver and is a threat in all three levels of the passing game.
3. The Rams defense has the potential to be the best in the league but they could have trouble stopping the run. They are thin at linebacker. Luckily, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters aren’t afraid to tackle so that should help in run support.
Potential Record: 12-4
2. Arizona Cardinals
1. The Cardinals are going to run the football and play good defense. Steve Wilks will use the Carolina blueprint to win in the desert.
2. Sam Bradford is a place holder. It would not surprise me if Josh Rosen was the quarterback by week 5. That and Bradford has a lengthy injury history.
3. Arizona has a lot of talent along their front seven but that group has to play up to their potential if the defense wants to be a top ten unit.
Potential Record: 9-7
3. San Francisco 49ers
1. The 49ers will have to figure out a way to replace the anticipated production of Jerick McKinnon. It won’t be easy but between Matt Brieda and Alfred Morris, they should get something out of their ground game.
2. Can Jimmy Garoppolo replicate the success he had at the end of late? It will be hard. Defensive coordinators have had an off-season to game plan for him. He will get looks he has never seen before.
3. The 49ers have a lot of talent on defense but of the players on that side of the ball need to grow up and develop. Namely Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner. Both have flashed potential but need to be more consistent.
Potential Record: 8-8
4. Seattle Seahawks
1. The Seahawks are rebuilding. They can pretend that they are not but they are. Seattle’s roster is not what it once was.
2. Russell Wilson is an elite quarterback who is surrounded by mediocre talent. I know general manager John Schneider has a philosophy when it comes to paying players but that philosophy needs to change if the Seahawks are going to win games.
3. The Seahawks defense will struggle to generate a pass rush. Seattle lacks an impact pass rusher and will need to blitz more.
Potential Record: 6-10.