A quick preview of what to expect on Sundays this season
With the National Football League season about to kick off, it’s time once again to review the field and make some bold predictions on the studs, duds, and question marks!
Contenders
Kansas City Chiefs: Led by reigning NFL MVP, Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are an obvious choice for contender. Defences have adjusted to Mahomes after his incredible 5,000 yard, 50-TD debut season, but my intuition says head coach Andy Reid will adapt the offence for his star quarterback and the Chiefs will continue to conquer the AFC. Another year of Mahomes to Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce, coupled with an improved defence, puts the Chiefs in a great position to win their first Lombardi Trophy in 50 years.
New England Patriots: Can you really make a Super Bowl contender list without including Tom Brady and the New England Patriots? Brady turned 42 this past August, but until he shows signs of slowing down, the Pats will continue to steamroll their way through the AFC East. Although Rob Gronkowski has retired, veteran receiver Julian Edelman is still around and Josh Gordon being reinstated (again) could be the cherry on top of another great Pats season.
New Orleans Saints: Coming off a traumatic and controversial overtime loss to the Rams in last season’s NFC Championship, the Saints are poised for another deep run into the playoffs. Much like Brady, Drew Brees’ passing numbers are slightly down, but he is still the straw that stirs the drink for New Orleans. If Alvin Kamara can continue to produce like one of the best running backs, even with Mark Ingram now in Baltimore, the Saints could easily find themselves in the Super Bowl.
Pretenders
Cleveland Browns: After being the league’s laughingstock for years, this Browns squad is possibly the most hyped team in recent memory. Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens look set to run one of the league’s best offences. But as fans in Cleveland grow desperate for a winning team after 17 seasons of missing the playoffs, can they meet such lofty expectations? Unfortunately for the Browns faithful, I don’t think Myles Garrett and the defence will be enough to push the team towards playing meaningful football in January. Maybe next year, Dawgs.
Green Bay Packers: I can already sense that some will find this choice odd. The Packers have been stable, but chinks in the armour began to show last season when head coach Mike McCarthy and star QB Aaron Rodgers butted heads in a much publicized feud. McCarthy was shown the door, but Green Bay’s problems aren’t magically going away. Rodgers isn’t getting any younger and their division rivals, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, are getting stronger and chomping at the bit to find playoff success. Blake Martinez and Za’Darius Smith need to emerge as dominant factors on defence in order to give them a fighting chance at a playoff spot.
Dark Horses
Indianapolis Colts: With Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement, many may question this choice. However, the Colts still have the pieces to be a strong team. Newly appointed #1 quarterback Jacoby Brissett is no slouch, and has all of the intangibles needed to sneak the team into a wildcard spot. Marlon Mack, my current pick for most underrated offensive player, gets another year of experience at running back. T.Y. Hilton continues to prove why he is a top receiver in the league. They have a young defensive core and the teachings of head coach Frank Reich and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. I believe something special could come out Indianapolis this season.
Dallas Cowboys: I won’t lie, I’m a diehard Cowboys fan. But that is not the reason the Cowboys find themselves on this list. As usual, the Cowboys dominated the offseason news cycle, but behind the scenes, the team drastically improved. The linebacker tandem of Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith have another year under their belt to help propel the Cowboys defence to a top-five unit. Releasing Scott Linehan and promoting Kellen Moore to offensive coordinator should make the offence more dynamic. While Ezekiel Elliott remains on the sidelines due to a contract dispute (as of publishing), the Cowboys look like they could make a deep run in the playoffs for the first time in years.
Wild-Card
Oakland Raiders: I have no idea where the Raiders will finish, but I do know that the circus has arrived in Oakland and the ring masters are Antonio Brown and Jon Gruden. Win or lose, they’re a team I’ll be watching all season. It will be interesting to see how long the two can put up with one another, and how the Raiders do in their final season before moving to Las Vegas.