Another year of NFL football has come and gone, and we're just as bitter about it ending as anybody. With it only being Wednesday, emotions are still very high from not only week 18's action, but the few weeks prior. Some teams made some incredible pushes for the playoffs, while others completely fell flat in the face of such an opportunity. With so much of this still fresh, these are our top thoughts or questions about the state each organization as they head into either the playoffs or the offseason.
AFC
Buffalo Bills: Super Bowl time. After coming so close the last two seasons, Buffalo is ready to ascend to the highest level of the game. The defense is a little more banged up than they'd prefer, but the offense is clicking with the recent emergence of James Cook. How many times can Josh Allen and this talented unit hit their heads onto the ceiling before breaking through?
Miami Dolphins: What's up with Tua? If he doesn't play this weekend, the Dolphins are cooked. But long-term...is retirement on the table? Some pundits have suggested the idea, which seems reasonable given the head trauma the 'Fins QB has endured this season, but nothing specific has come from his camp on the matter. The move would make perfect sense in the eyes of many, but would really set back a franchise that seemed ready to join the powerhouses of the AFC a few, short months ago.
New England Patriots: There needs to be a new offensive coordinator on deck. The Joe Judge/Matt Patricia platoon was a stupid idea from the jump, and it showed on the field. The offense was incredibly inconsistent, resulting in multiple Mac Jones outbursts on the sidelines. Throw in the Jones/Bailey Zappe drama, and there were simply too many moving parts on the offensive side of the ball. Also curious on just how invested New England is in Mac. He was pretty average most of the season.
New York Jets: Who plays quarterback for the Jets? Arguably one of the best rosters from top to bottom, the Jets were a cesspool at the game's most important position. Zach Wilson allegedly will be back in the fold next season, but I can't imagine he simply inherits the starting spot. New York needs to bring in competition and competence at the game's most important position if they want a chance at getting the most out of their talented team.
Baltimore Ravens: Does Lamar get extended? Or even play in the playoffs? Baltimore's polarizing signal caller is still dealing with some knee swelling, but reports are that he has a chance to play in Cincinnati Sunday evening. The Ravens need him as close to 100% as possible to have a chance in their wild card matchup. But beyond that, there are a ton of questions surrounding his future as a Raven. Disagreements on personnel and contract negotiations have seemingly strained the team's relationship with the former MVP, and we're about to find out the extent of that.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Shiesty and the boys have unfinished business chasing the Lombardi after last season's loss to LA. Cincy's roster is pretty much the same as a year ago, so the lights shouldn't be too bright, but they do have some health concerns. If their defense stays as sharp as it has been and their O-line can keep Burrow upright...look out.
Cleveland Browns: Is Kevin Stefanski the guy? He came on really strong in Cleveland with a 12-6 record in 2020, but has regressed the last two seasons with rosters many believed to be superior. The media frenzy surrounding Deshaun Watson didn't help, but good coaches right the ship through those times. Firing defensive coordinator Joe Woods was probably a good start, but likely won't be last move.
Speaking of Watson...how confident can they be in the quarterback? The Browns went 3-3 in his six starts-- beating the Texans, Commanders and a third string Ravens quarterback. He averaged under 200 yards passing a game and had a 7:5 TD:INT ratio. Were we witnessing a rusty quarterback who was getting his feet back under him or an expensive, perverted, fading talent? Regardless of what the answer ends up being, Cleveland's front office will want to make sure Deshaun and his head coach are aligned for next season, because they're financially strapped to the former.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin is miraculous, leading this average roster to his 16th straight season over .500. Remarkable. I can legitimately say I wanted Pittsburgh in the 'yoffs over Miami, but it wasn't meant to be. Kenny Pickett showed promise too, especially in their last four weeks of ball. The Steelers should feel set with him under center for the foreseeable future.
Houston Texans: What a blunder to drop the #1 pick. As a coach, I can't imagine deliberately endorsing a team to lose, but there's no reason the Texans should've won over Indianapolis. Lovie Smith was fired after the game, so maybe he'd seen the writing on the wall and wanted to fuck over the franchise? Who knows...but who'd want to coach in Houston at this point? The roster blows and apparently if you don't turn things around immediately, you get the axe. David Culley now Lovie. Pitiful organization.
Indianapolis Colts: Chris Ballard and Jeff Saturday have to be gone. The Colts have made the playoffs twice in seven years with Ballard as GM, failing to find a long-term answer at quarterback. The rest of the roster as a whole is deceptively not good, which seems to finally have come to light this year. His final move in office should be relieving Saturday of duty, after going 1-7 in his interim stint.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Showtime for Trevor Lawrence, let's see what you're made of. The Jags went from 3-14 to the playoffs in one, Urban Meyer-less season. Now they've got to show they belong. They crushed this Chargers team in week three, but Justin Herbert had broken ribs and Keenan Allen didn't play. Much different challenge this go round. If Jacksonville plays like they did last Saturday against Tennessee, it's gonna be one and done.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans cannot go into next season without addressing the quarterback position. Ryan Tannehill could be a nice mentor and backup, but we've seen his ceiling. Malik Willis seems to be a cut candidate and Josh Dobbs ain't the long-term fix. This team is so well coached, almost stealing the AFC South despite abysmal QB play, but they've maxed out their potential with this current squad.
Denver Broncos: What coach is willing to tie their future to Russell Wilson? Denver boasts a ferocious defense and some really talented skill players on offense; all of whom were let down by their $245 million quarterback's play. Given the astronomical financial burden it'd entail, I'd be very surprised to see the Broncos move on from Wilson this offseason-- but the chatter on the matter is justified. The offense looked much more effective under Jerry Rosburg in the final two weeks, lending some optimism to a desperate bunch.
Kansas City Chiefs: Per the eye test, Patrick Mahomes is quite possibly the GOAT. I grew up watching Peyton, Brady, any other name you'd throw in that mix. Another Super Bowl would be a nice step in building the trophy case needed to rise in that argument, especially in his first season without Tyreek Hill. Can't be toying with their opponents though in the postseason.
Las Vegas Raiders: I may be in the minority here, but I think Derek Carr's impending departure is probably a net positive. The dude's an above average quarterback, but just barely. He's 63-79 as a starter, has only thrown for 30+ touchdowns once in his career (all the way back in 2015) and has double digit interceptions in 6 out of his 9 seasons. Not nice. Is Davante next?
Seems like they'll also be stuck with Josh McDaniels too. And no first round pick. Pessimistic forecast.
Los Angeles Chargers: Welcome to the playoffs Justin Herbert, time to show the world what you've got. LA was getting healthy at the right time but had Mike Williams and Kenneth Murray go down in a meaningless loss to Denver. Really questionable coaching there. Typical Chargers. We'll see if they win because of their star QB or lose despite him.
NFC
Dallas Cowboys: Will Mike McCarthy be fired if the Cowboys don't make a run? Jerry came out yesterday saying that wasn't the case, but I'll take that with a grain of salt. Dallas has looked unbeatable at times and completely terrible at others. If they can't get it done in the big games, will they be moving in another direction next season? Possibly Sean Payton?? You readers and listeners know I'm not a Dak believer, so don't be surprised if we see an early exit and a new, thinner face in charge on the sidelines in big D.
New York Giants: Brian Daboll has to be Coach of the Year, period. What a display all season long from a roster noticeably devoid of talent. Daniel Jones has earned a new, likely modest contract, Saquon was rejuvenated and the team was disciplined as a whole. It'll be fun to see what Daboll can do with some better players. Can they pull off the upset over Minnesota? Something tells me yes.
Philadelphia Eagles: Were Philly's late season struggles due to Jalen Hurts' health/availability or the team starting to show some areas of weakness? After two straight losses with Gardner Minshew at the helm, they barely held on against Davis Webb and the Giants third stringers last week to secure the top seed in the NFC. Whatever the result ends up being in two weeks, expect the Linc to be rockin'.
Washington Commanders: Love Sam Howell, and he played well against Dallas, but there's no way he earned the starting gig next year right? Washington really dropped the ball not giving him more of a dress audition; it was painfully clear that Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke weren't long term fixes. Typical shitty move by a shitty franchise. Their search for a QB seems to be back in motion. I suspect Ron Rivera's seat is hot as Washington considers hitting the reset button once again.
Chicago Bears: The bad news is that this roster really lacks talent top to bottom. Good news though, they officially are on the clock with the #1 pick! While a blue chip stud like Will Anderson will be difficult to pass up on, the allure multiple high picks for the right to choose first will be hard to pass up. If the Bears are set on Justin Fields at quarterback, which it seems like they are, then trading down and loading up would be their best opportunity to see what they're working with.
Detroit Lions: What's Jared Goff's timeline in the Motor City? The California alumni was brought in to be a place holder during the Matthew Stafford trade but really shined this season with a full bevy of weapons. He's also only 28 years old. The Lions have a young, talented roster, plus three picks in the top 50 this year, so they'll have a difficult decision whether to try and load up on defense or pursue a top tier QB. Fun offseason ahead for Detroit, uncharted optimism.
Green Bay Packers: Another round of Rodgers or is it Jordan Love's time? If the answer is the former, you have to assume Love is traded this offseason. If it's the latter...then we're going to be seeing a lot of speculation surrounding the ayahuasca-consuming quarterback's landing spot in the media over the next few months. It's Brett Favre...all over again.
Minnesota Vikings: Can this team hang with the big boys? They went 13-4 overall but somehow finished with a -3 point differential. That generally won't cut it in the postseason. The Giants are one of the easier matchups they could've drawn on paper, but they're a well coached, scrappy and rested team that could easily give Minnesota some fits. Arguably the most fascinating game in the wild card round.
Atlanta Falcons: Time to build around Arthur Smith. The Falcons' 7-10 record shows that the man can get a lot out of a little, particularly from the quarterback position. Now Atlanta needs to give him some talent to work with. Anticipate at least a proxy battle between Desmond Ridder and somebody other than the quitter Marcus Mariota. Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Tyler Allgeier are a nice trio for a prospective QB to walk into.
Carolina Panthers: Steve Wilks was not a good coach in Arizona, but he worked wonders in Carolina vaulting them into contention for the division. It's hard to say if he had a good year or if Matt Rhule was actually that bad, but Wilks has likely earned a hard look for next season. Word on the street is that David Tepper's inquired with Jim Harbaugh, which would be an interesting hire. Curious how the locker room would react to the change.
New Orleans Saints: How happy are the Saints with Dennis Allen? The defensive guru started very badly on both sides of the ball before the defense turned it around, only allowing 13 PPG in the final six weeks. Unfortunately, the offense only averaged 13.5 PPG during that same span. Expectations were never high with Andy Dalton under center, but with weapons like Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave on hand, the lack of production and consistency was concerning.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: There's no way Tom gets #8...right? His worst three losses of his career came in seasons where he won a Super Bowl. Their week fourteen 35-7 loss to San Francisco was the fourth worst of his career. Perhaps a harbinger of doom for non-Brady fans? Todd Bowles sucks as a head coach also, it'd be a disservice to the team if he's back in charge next season.
Arizona Cardinals: Who's going to be the head coach? Kliff was expected to step down from the position but got the pink slip before he could. Whoever steps up is going to need to be content with Kyler Murray under center for the next four seasons, whenever he's able to return from his ACL tear. That likely won't be until after the season starts, which kind of feels like it'll a lost year from the jump. We'll see, but outside of the Glendale weather, not a ton of appeal to this job at the moment.
Los Angeles Rams: Stafford, Baker or other? The Super Bowl winning Stafford was having his worst statistical showing since 2014 before missing the rest of the season with neck and concussion issues. He's certainly not a lock to even be playing next season. Baker had a fun game against the Raiders, but that was about the peak of his success vying for a starting spot in LA. They're in salary cap trouble, have no meaningful draft picks and a coach who's potentially on the way out. Some honeymoon.
San Francisco 49ers: What do we do with Trey Lance and Brock Purdy? A month and a half ago, analysts were saying it was likely the Niners worked something out for 2023 with Jimmy G. Since then, Brock Purdy fully emerged as a force in the league. All the while, 2021's #3 pick Trey Lance was recovering from an ACL surgery. He didn't look good prior to the injury however. Luckily for the San Fran faithful, this is a stacked and deep roster, so they'll be competitive whoever they choose. But Kyle Shanahan surely wants to run with the best of the three, which seems like Purdy at this point.
Seattle Seahawks: How can they build around Geno Smith on a modest contract? The former outcast definitely earned himself this money with a fantastic season out of nowhere. Seattle would be stupid to let him walk, but can't be too stupid and overpay the man. They've got good offensive pieces and a solid, young D that would benefit from a few key additions. If they can lock up their QB with some walking around money to spare, we'll see the Seahawks back in the playoff race again this time next year.
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@Choppinglines
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