corta765 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Same as what I did yesterday just this time for our NFC brothers looking at how I'd rank the teams for their playoff chances. Something I should have noted yesterday is that this is not a ranking of who is more talented, rather their chances factoring in schedule, division, etc. If we were judging off talent I would never put the Steelers or Texans down with the Bills or Jets at this moment (if Allen/Darnold improve that can change) but they both have challenges externally like strength of schedule that I see helping even the playing field. Playoff Locks: New Orleans Saints Los Angeles Rams Both of these teams played tougher schedules last year and still coasted to their division crowns. Even with strong division foes these rosters are a cut above the rest and are easy favorites for the Super Bowl. The only hiccups I could see would be Brees suddenly aging or Goff regressing to a Blake Bortles level both of which seem very hard to predict and even if that happens the rosters have so much talent I still would bet on them. Strong Contenders: Philadelphia Eagles Dallas Cowboys Chicago Bears Philly and Dallas have very complete rosters that should feast on two crappy division light weights that will help give them some easy wins. This should allow whoever doesn't win the division to get a Wildcard spot in my eyes. The only hiccup for either team is their QB's. Wentz needs to stay healthy and return to 2017 form which I buy and Dak needs to continue showing the progress he had once Cooper arrived. The Bears have a superb defense and multi faced offense that should have another strong year. Their division has improved and they play a tougher schedule, but their defense has so much elite talent that they are a cut above the rest to me. Playoff Hopefuls with a Flaw: Atlanta Falcons Green Bay Packers Seattle Seahawks Minnesota Vikings Carolina Panthers Every one of these teams I can see making the playoffs its a matter of outlasting the field. The Falcons have a superb offense that last year received literally no help from an injury decimated defense. We have seen what they can do if their defense is just moderately OK. The Packers have Rodgers who I have to believe will be a man set on fire this year and they signed a lot of free agents to bolster their front 7. My question is last year was suppose to be Rodgers comeback season which never really happened so why should this year be different and how long with it take the new coach to get this team going. The Seahawks continue to defy expectations despite losing a lot of talent on defense and Russell Wilson is sublime as a QB. They did get some luck in their wins last year and the defense still has some holes that need filling that could drag the team just enough to miss. The Vikings have a good amount of talent but their offensive line is awful which they still have not added to. Additionally Kirk Cousins and crew couldn't win a season finale at home none the less to get them in the playoffs, why should this year be easier. Carolina is still light at WR and TE despite having a great ground game and the dynamic Newton. They play in a very tough division which means they need to go 4-2 minimum to hope to have a playoff shot and Cam must stay healthy. If All Goes Well They Can Have A Playoff Season San Francisco 49ers Detroit Lions Tampa Bay Buccaneers For each of these teams if everything goes just right their is a plausible case for the playoffs even their division crown. The 49ers have been adding talent and hopefully Jimmy G comes back without any issue. They need to pass by Seattle to really have a shot at the playoffs and I still think they are a year away unless their defense comes together with the talent it has and a 8-8/9-7 season seems like a more logical next step. Perhaps Detroit sees all of their FA signings come together, Patricia's coaching actually pays dividends somehow, and Stafford has his best season yet helping the Lions get a few upsets. The Bucs have Bruce Arians as a head coach and that guy does voodoo with his rosters. Even though I think the Bucs are a 4-12 team that cuts bait with a lot of players to refresh, I can see Arians getting Jameis to have a career year that leads a dynamic offense into the post season. Were On To The 2020 Draft Washington Redskins NY Giants Arizona Cardinals Washington at this point might be the most directionless team in the NFL. Do any of you have any remote idea what their plan is for the next 5 years? They have bled talent for years and unless they trade for Rosen they just seem stuck in a pattern of irrelevance. The Giants are not much better but you at least know they now are gonna wipe the deck clean and this year or next they are drafting a QB to takeover for Eli. They will need at least two years to build back up the talent on that roster. The Cardinals seem to be taking Kyler and assuming they trade Rosen they will have draft capital to start laying the foundation. That said this team lacks many impact players after DJ and Peterson and will need another draft year/free agent period to mold the roster into form with Kyler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 wasn't the Bears season a Jauron 2.0 where they come out of nowhere with an amazing record, for no real good reason on the field, then crater quickly in the playoffs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I still have Chicago in the hopefuls with a flaw category. They have the 4th best Quarterback in their division. I know their D is good and their weapons were improved last year but for me teams with the 4th best QB in their division playing a 1st place schedule are vulnerable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corta765 Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 13 minutes ago, row_33 said: wasn't the Bears season a Jauron 2.0 where they come out of nowhere with an amazing record, for no real good reason on the field, then crater quickly in the playoffs? No many said going into the season Matt Nagy had the tools to put together a solid offense and the defense was already good before Mack was added. Their defense was like tops in the NFL and the offense was in the upper half. This was not a random occurrence they were a good roster and the only reason they lost in the playoffs was their kick shanking a kick. 3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said: I still have Chicago in the hopefuls with a flaw category. They have the 4th best Quarterback in their division. I know their D is good and their weapons were improved last year but for me teams with the 4th best QB in their division playing a 1st place schedule are vulnerable. At this point I haven't seen much to make me think Cousins or Stafford have done anything more to be better that much better then Mitch. Cousins basically wasted a good offense and Stafford has always been up and down. I do not think Trubisky is a star, but I do think he is good and the other two are right around him at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 3 minutes ago, corta765 said: At this point I haven't seen much to make me think Cousins or Stafford have done anything more to be better that much better then Mitch. Cousins basically wasted a good offense and Stafford has always been up and down. I do not think Trubisky is a star, but I do think he is good and the other two are right around him at this point. Sorry I just don't agree. Kirk Cousins was far from the main problem with that Vikings offense last year. I never thought he was worth the contract he got but the Vikings problems were 75% offensive line based. It was horrid. Down there with Houston, Buffalo and Arizona. Matt Stafford is a top 15 Quarterback. He is top 10 talent wise but I think he has been an underachiever in his career. Trubisky proved last year he can be a serviceable game manager. But he has absolutely not put himself on a par with Stafford or Cousins. Put either of those two on the Bears last year and that is a Superbowl team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 (edited) 21 minutes ago, corta765 said: No many said going into the season Matt Nagy had the tools to put together a solid offense and the defense was already good before Mack was added. Their defense was like tops in the NFL and the offense was in the upper half. This was not a random occurrence they were a good roster and the only reason they lost in the playoffs was their kick shanking a kick. At this point I haven't seen much to make me think Cousins or Stafford have done anything more to be better that much better then Mitch. Cousins basically wasted a good offense and Stafford has always been up and down. I do not think Trubisky is a star, but I do think he is good and the other two are right around him at this point. Bears dominated the worst division in the NFC (with Rodgers ailing it turned out that way) again we fall in love with all last year's teams who had good records.... it's a hard game to stay on top, especially from flukes that all went your way that season... good posts, enjoying this rampant speculation Bill Simmons runs his weekly spread show podcast with a small system of ranking wins on no-brainers/deserved or flukes, helps make it a little more graspable for moving foward. Edited April 10, 2019 by row_33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corta765 Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 52 minutes ago, row_33 said: again we fall in love with all last year's teams who had good records.... it's a hard game to stay on top, especially from flukes that all went your way that season... good posts, enjoying this rampant speculation Thanks. Yea I tried to avoid doing the same teams in the NFC truthfully the AFC is easy with the top dogs. I could absolutely see NOLA, CHI, and LAR all having seasons that throw them down to 8-8 9-7 type seasons especially given they all have formidable foes in their divisions that'll push them. I'd say the Bears are probably the easiest to buy just because I think that division is crap whereas I could see the Seahawks or 49ers push the Rams hard and absolutely see the Falcons comeback hard against NOLA and even the Panthers re-emerge. If I did this after the draft I may even put ATL above NOLA assuming they add to the defense, but them I'd wouldn't have been able to make this thread haha. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I'm very sensitive about the Bears because Jauron fluked out a great season and then wound up as a Messiah for the Bills a few years later based on this season and he stood there staring 10,000 miles into space, more useless than my snoozing cat, for too many Sundays on my TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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