Arizona Cardinals
Why they will: New head coach Kliff Kingsbury is one of the brightest offensive minds in football, and Kyler Murray is one of the best athletes the quarterback position has ever seen. The sky is the limit on offense if the stars align.
Why they won’t: The offensive line still looks bad despite some improvements on the right side, and the defense has serious talent deficiencies, especially early in the year without Patrick Peterson. Murray can be expected to help only so much as a rookie.
Atlanta Falcons
Why they will: Atlanta has elite offensive talent with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Co. and addressed the offensive line issues in the draft. The defense is healthy entering the year, which was an issue for most of last season.
Why they won’t: Pass rush has been an issue for the Falcons, and they didn’t do much to address that area in the offseason. The team also has secondary issues and allowed 423 points last year, fourth-most in the NFC.
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Why each team will or will not win the Super Bowl
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Slide 3 of 32: Why they will: Lamar Jackson went 6-1 as a starter during the regular season last year and could make a second-year leap with improved offensive talent around him, led by Mark Ingram. Last year’s defense was also No. 2 in points allowed.Why they won’t: Jackson had multiple small injuries that should be worrisome over a full season, and the defense has lost significant talent, including Eric Weddle, Terrell Suggs, C.J Mosley and Za’Darius Smith.Previous SlideNext Slide
The cost to own a 3-bedroom home in each state.
GOBankingRatesFull screen 1/32 SLIDES© Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports Images
Arizona Cardinals
Why they will: New head coach Kliff Kingsbury is one of the brightest offensive minds in football, and Kyler Murray is one of the best athletes the quarterback position has ever seen. The sky is the limit on offense if the stars align.
Why they won’t: The offensive line still looks bad despite some improvements on the right side, and the defense has serious talent deficiencies, especially early in the year without Patrick Peterson. Murray can be expected to help only so much as a rookie. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. 2/32 SLIDES© Dale Zanine / USA Today Sports Images
Atlanta Falcons
Why they will: Atlanta has elite offensive talent with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Co. and addressed the offensive line issues in the draft. The defense is healthy entering the year, which was an issue for most of last season.
Why they won’t: Pass rush has been an issue for the Falcons, and they didn’t do much to address that area in the offseason. The team also has secondary issues and allowed 423 points last year, fourth-most in the NFC. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. 3/32 SLIDES © Tommy Gilligan / USA Today Sports Images
Baltimore Ravens
Why they will: Lamar Jackson went 6-1 as a starter during the regular season last year and could make a second-year leap with improved offensive talent around him, led by Mark Ingram. Last year’s defense was also No. 2 in points allowed.
Why they won’t: Jackson had multiple small injuries that should be worrisome over a full season, and the defense has lost significant talent, including Eric Weddle, Terrell Suggs, C.J Mosley and Za’Darius Smith.
Buffalo Bills
Why they will: Buffalo added significant and impactful offensive talent in the offseason to complement second-year quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills also ranked second-worst in giveaways last season (32), a number that’s bound to improve with more stable quarterback play.
Why they won’t: Allen was still erratic last year, throwing 12 picks in 12 games and gaining only 6.5 yards per pass attempt. The offensive line has improved with new additions like center Mitch Morse, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to help an offense that ranked 30th in points scored last season.
Carolina Panthers
Why they will: Cam Newton fixed his shoulder in the offseason and has an impressive set of young weapons around him, including Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel.
Why they won’t: Carolina’s defense has regressed considerably, ranking only 25th in sack rate and 20th in points allowed last year. They’ve addressed that issue with the additions of Gerald McCoy and Brian Burns, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough. Newton is also becoming increasingly fragile, with a shoulder injury last season and foot injury during the preseason.
Chicago Bears
Why they will: Chicago returns a talented, young team that allowed the fewest points in the NFL last season and made huge strides on offense, led by Mitchell Trubisky. Rookie running back David Montgomery gives them another strong weapon.
Why they won’t: The Bears have lost defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and remain in a tough NFC North division. Trubisky was solid but inconsistent in his second season, and last year’s kicker issues could remain with the inexperienced Eddy Pineiro replacing Cody Parkey.
Cincinnati Bengals
Why they will: Cincinnati has plenty of talent at the skill positions on offense with Joe Mixon, A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. Andy Dalton remains capable when healthy, and the defensive line is a strength with Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and young Sam Hubbard.
Why they won’t: The offensive line remains a major issue, and the defense didn’t do much in the offseason despite allowing the most yards in the NFL during 2018. It could be a long year for first-year head coach Zac Taylor.
Cleveland Browns
Why they will: The Browns won five of their last seven games last season with Baker Mayfield under center and were the talk of the offseason after adding Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson. They have blue-chip talent on both sides of the ball, and their path in the division is seemingly easier after the Steelers and Ravens lost talent in the offseason.
Why they won’t: The Browns have major questions on the offensive line, and it’s impossible to know what to expect from new head coach Freddie Kitchens. There’s optimism Mayfield will take a step forward in his second season, but he still broke the 30-point threshold as a starter only twice last year.
Dallas Cowboys
Why they will: Dallas developed an elite defense last year, with top players at all three levels. The Cowboys won eight of their final 10 games with the help of wideout Amari Cooper. The Cowboys also still have a great running game, with Ezekiel Elliott ending his holdout before Week 1, and Dak Prescott does a great job taking care of the ball.
Why they won’t: Cooper is also fighting a foot injury that probably won’t heal significantly during the season. The offense ranked 21st in points last season and had issues moving the ball before he was acquired. If Cooper isn’t the same or has other offensive challenges, the Cowboys will have a tough time keeping up with the rival Eagles and other top NFC offenses.
Denver Broncos
Why they will: Most of the defensive strength remains intact, led by pass rushers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, and it could get even better with defensive mastermind Vic Fangio taking over as head coach. The running game was elite last season with the young duo of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Joe Flacco has Super Bowl experience under center.
Why they won’t: Flacco has been mediocre in recent seasons with Baltimore, and the talent around him in Denver isn’t better than what he had in Baltimore. While he could be an improvement over Case Keenum, Denver is asking a lot of a quarterback who has averaged a terrible 6.2 yards per pass attempt over the last three seasons. The AFC West also remains rough with the Chiefs and Chargers at the top.
Detroit Lions
Why they will: Head coach Matt Patricia is finally getting his players into the system, signing Trey Flowers for big money and adding corners Rashaan Melvin and Justin Coleman. The offense has underrated talent with Matthew Stafford, Kerryon Johnson and strong wideouts.
Why they won’t: Despite the offensive talent, the Lions ranked 25th in points last season. There are still major questions at linebacker, and the NFC North is arguably the toughest division in football with the Packers, Bears and Vikings all having a real shot at making the playoffs.
Green Bay Packers
Why they will: Anything is possible with Aaron Rodgers, and he seems happy for the first time in a while after the team hired Matt LaFleur to run the team. Green Bay also addressed its pass rush issues in the offseason with the additions of Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Rashan Gary. Rookie safety Darnell Savage Jr. could also add a spark.
Why they won’t: The recent offensive issues have been blamed on Mike McCarthy, but maybe the problem was the talent on the field? Green Bay has seen some major turnover at receiver, and going into the year only Davante Adams can be considered reliable. The defense allowed the 11th-most points last year and still has big questions at all three levels.
Houston Texans
Why they will: Houston has built elite offensive talent led by Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans got a nice jolt before the season started by acquiring Duke Johnson, Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills. The defense rebounded last year to rank fifth in points allowed, with J.J. Watt showing up as an elite player again.
Why they won’t: The offensive line still has major issues despite Tunsil’s addition, and the defense is less potent after losing Jadeveon Clowney and Tyrann Mathieu. Cornerback could also be an issue with several new faces. The AFC South is wide open after Andrew Luck’s retirement, but it also won’t be an easy road with all four teams having a viable shot entering the year.
By: Seth Trachtman
