Normally a 9-7 record seems like enough to sneak into the playoffs as a wildcard team and make a run for the Super Bowl. That wasn’t the case last season in the NFC. The Atlanta Falcons were the only NFC playoff team with 10 wins, every other team had 11 or more. Like every offseason, most teams have added, lost and replaced players in important roles But some teams have managed to stay mostly intact, hoping to bring the same core group back for another push to be the ones hoisting the Lombardi trophy in February. Let’s take a look at the top three teams in a conference where a 9-7 record likely won’t cut it,
L.A. RAMS
The Rams led the league in offense last season with a balanced attack thanks to Jared Goff and workhorse running back Todd Gurley both having breakout seasons. What makes this even more impressive is they did it without having a 1,000-yard receiver. They won the NFC West but were quickly shut down in the postseason by the Atlanta Falcons potent offense. This season promises to not end in similar fashion. The Rams picked up some major pieces on defense in cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, as well as adding Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle. Opposing quarterbacks will be living a nightmare with Suh paired with Aaron Donald in the middle of the line. Last season Donald was rated an almost perfect 99.7 rating by Pro Football Focus, he is easily the best defensive tackle in the game. Pairing him with Suh was a bold move that should make a strong statement to offensive lines weak in and week out. With Suh and Donald bringing tremendous pressure up the middle, opposing quarterbacks will be forced to make quick decisions, which is good for guys like cornerback Marcus Peters, who had 5 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles last season. With that kind of inside pressure, Peters should be able to capitalize on quarterbacks forced to get the ball out earlier than they want to, he could easily lead the league in interceptions. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rams lost Sammy Watkins to free agency, but in another bold move, the Rams traded their next 1st round pick to the Patriots for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Racking up over 1,000 yards receiving last season, Cooks is exactly the type of offensive weapon the Rams need to outgun more experienced and established teams in the postseason. The Rams are clearly in “win now” mode and if they don’t improve on their 11 win season and show they can win in the postseason it will be considered a major letdown.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have done their best to keep their core intact. The obvious advantage for the Eagles is quarterback Carson Wentz rejoining the team. Although backup quarterback Nick Foles was Super Bowl MVP, Wentz was having an MVP caliber season before his ACL tear last season with 33 TDs and just 7 INTs. Like the Rams, the Eagles boast a ferocious defensive line. Fletcher Cox, Chris Long, Derek Barnett, and Brandon Graham, whose strip sack of Tom Brady paved the way for the Eagles to win Super Bowl LII, will all be returning, and joining them on a 1-year contract is former Seahawk, Michael Bennett. Although 33 years old, the depth and experience Bennett brings to this unit easily makes this defensive line one of the scariest in the game. The biggest question mark for the Eagles will be their depth behind their defensive line. They are not exactly deep at linebacker, it seems Mychal Kendricks will land elsewhere in free agency after being released in a salary cap move. Kendricks had spent the past 6 years seasons with the Eagles and played about half of the team’s postseason snaps. The team will also have to replace slot cornerback Patrick Robinson. The Eagles spent a second-round pick on cornerback Sidney Jones and are hoping he can immediately contribute. Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills aren’t exactly elite cornerbacks and that showed in the Super Bowl when Tom Brady threw for over 500 yards. The Eagles also will have to deal with losing their offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who is now head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and quarterbacks coach John Defilippo, who is now offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. Defilippo was credited with his early success working with Carson Wentz and was said to be instrumental in working with Nick Foles after Wentz went down with the ACL tear. Although the Eagles have retained most of their core group, it may prove difficult for a repeat Super Bowl performance this season.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Like the Rams, the Minnesota Vikings were active this offseason, signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a multiyear deal and adding defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson on a one year deal. Signing Cousins was huge for the Vikings who have found ways to win the past few years with a revolving door of quarterbacks that included Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford and Case Keenum. All 3 have found homes elsewhere, with Bridgewater signing with the Jets, Bradford with the Cardinals, and Keenum cashing in a 2 year, $36 million dollar deal with the Denver Broncos, after leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship game last season. Kirk Cousins is considered an upgrade and he should find success in Minnesota. He spreads the ball around well and is known to be accurate on the deep ball. He is coming off 3 consecutive seasons of 4,000+ passing yards, which is impressive considering his top wide receiver last season was Jamison Crowder who had less than 800 yards receiving. That shows how well Cousins can spread the ball around and pass catchers on this Vikings team should be very excited to have a quarterback of this caliber locked in for the next 3 years. Expect more great things from Adam Theilen, Stefon Diggs, and Kyle Rudolph. The Vikings also added veteran Kendall Wright to the receiving corps this season. Returning at running back this season is Dalvin Cook who, before tearing his ACL four weeks into the season, showed superstar potential averaging 4.8 ypc in his first four games, eclipsed only by Kareem Hunt. On the other side of the ball, the Vikings are returning with their core defensive starters on the league’s top-ranked defense. They added former Pro Bowler Sheldon Richardson to the defensive line to line up alongside Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter. This is arguably the most dangerous front four in the league. Griffen and Joseph are coming off Pro Bowl seasons themselves and Danielle Hunter is a physical beast, only 24 years old, playing in a contract year he has amassed 19.5 sacks the past two seasons. Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr will return to play alongside Eric Kendricks, who lead the team with 113 tackles last season. Minnesota’s secondary is considered one of the best in the league, led by Pro Bowlers Harrison Smith and Xavier Rhodes. Look for the Vikings again to have the league’s stingiest defense.
—HONORABLE MENTIONS—
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Standout cornerback Marshon Lattimore has been a bright spot on a defensive unit that has been on the rise in recent years, but he can’t cover both sides of the field. Drew Brees is a year older but has shown he still can compete. The Saints rushing attack took a hit with Mark Ingram‘s 4 game suspension, without any real threat to complement Alvin Kamara, it remains to be seen how the Saints will fare the first quarter of the season without Ingram. Their first four opponents are Bucs, Browns, Falcons, and Giants. They will need to start 2-2 at least to not fall behind in the competitive NFC South.
ATLANTA FALCONS
Always a threat with Matty Ice and Julio Jones, but Mohamed Sanu has been inconsistent at the number 2 WR position. At 6’1, 210 lbs he should be using his body to get downfield more and take pressure of Julio. The Falcons have had an inconsistent and flawed defense these past few years, failing to stop experienced teams when it counts. Devonta Freeman has played well at times and Coleman is a good compliment so the run game appears to be in good shape. Basically, when you have Julio Jones and Matty Ice, magic can always happen.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Green Bay has proven one dimensional. They are boom or bust and they live and die with Rodgers. They’ve lost Rodger’s favorite target and buddy Jordy Nelson but added the talented Jimmy Graham. If Jimmy still has something left in the tank and Rodgers stays healthy, Green Bay could make a run. But a young, inexperienced defense will likely doom them. Their defensive core needs to grow some and they could use upgrades at the linebacker positions. Ha Ha, Clinton Dix is reportedly unhappy playing on the 5th year of his rookie deal with no extension in place and that doesn’t make things any easier. Also, Mike McCarthy might be the least deserving head coach to still have a job this season. It’s between McCarthy, Marvin Lewis, and Jason Garret. My guess is two of these three are sent packing after this season.
