Injuries, especially at the quarterback position, have already derailed a few teams that were considered to be NFC contenders. Tony Romo's annual injury took place in the preseason this year, so Dallas is actually better equipped to be without him this time. Although, the loss of Teddy Bridgewater is going to be backbreaking for Minnesota in its first year in the new stadium.
Really, the NFC has three or four powerhouse teams, with everybody else fighting for a very doable wild card (and, don't forget, somebody has to win the NFC East). I don't think there's a really bad NFC team out there, either. Sure, teams like the 49ers and Lions are longer shots to make the playoffs than others. But don't be surprised to see them pull off an upset or two...or even make a playoff run.
We'll start out west because that's the division with the most clarity. The Cardinals are a very chic Super Bowl pick, and it's easy to see why. Arizona reached the NFC Championship Game last season, and there's no reason to believe they can't get back there. Except their friends in the Pacific Northwest might have something to say about that. After two straight NFC titles, the Seahawks got off to a bad start last year, but recovered to get a wild card. If the Seahawks don't stumble out of the gate (and play better within the division) this season, I actually see them winning the division over Arizona.
Of course, one of the biggest stories in all of football this season takes place on the southern end of the Pacific Coast, as the Rams return home to Los Angeles. And this team definitely has the potential to make some noise. They probably won't make the playoffs, but a respectable 7-9 or 8-8 is a real possibility. Jeff Fisher has been through this before. He was the Oilers' coach when they became the Titans. That's not a small thing. The transition from St. Louis to LA should be much easier as a result of his leadership. I'd like to see the LA Rams' first game in 20 years actually be in LA, but, alas, their rivalry with the 49ers will be renewed in San Francisco. Have any members of the 49ers made any headlines during the last few weeks? Good luck keeping that from being a distraction.
Meanwhile, Panthers coach Ron Rivera is upset that the defending NFC champions are starting the season on the road. Although, the Super Bowl rematch is probably the only reason for that, and the NFL wouldn't have done it otherwise, so I'm not really buying his argument there. Regardless, I think it'll be difficult for Carolina to repeat. They're not going to sneak up on anybody this year, and the defense lost Jared Allen, as well as Josh Norman, so Seattle's Legion of Boom goes back to being the most formidable unit in the NFC.
Speaking of defense, Atlanta's got a good one. Remember, the Falcons were really good at the beginning of the season last year before completely falling apart. They definitely have the look of a playoff team, though. And if a few things go their way, I don't think it's a stretch to say that about the Bucs, either. Tampa Bay's underrated offense is one of the better units in the game. New Orleans, of course, is all about the offense. If the Saints get a defense as good as their Super Bowl team again, they can make some noise, too.
Even before Bridgewater's injury, I thought Green Bay was the team to beat in the NFC North. I'm especially high on the Packers now. To me, they look like the most complete team in the NFC. Especially if all of Aaron Rodgers' toys can stay on the field. If the Vikings can figure out what they're gonna do at quarterback, they should be able to make another playoff run. And, frankly, it's not that hard to turn around and hand the ball to Adrian Peterson.
The Bears. Every year I think they're either going to be really good or really terrible, and they usually do the exact opposite. So this year, I'm gonna temper my expectations a little bit. Let's say 6-10 and go from there. As for the Lions, I really want to see what kind of team they are without Megatron. He's been their franchise for so long that it's hard to even picture the Lions without him.
And now for the perfectly flawed NFC East. All four teams could easily win the division, and all four could easily finish last. It really might come down to which one is the healthiest at the end of the season.
Washington, last year's surprise division winner, pulled off one of the biggest coups of the off season by signing Josh Norman. They look more equipped for sustained success with Kirk Cousins running the offense, but the Redskins also have this tendency to randomly be good one year before going right back to 5-11 the next. They're gonna need to prove it. I really think the favorites in the NFC East might be the Giants, though. They made a great move by promoting Ben McAdoo to head coach, and I really think they're going to do some good things with him in charge. Everyone knows the Giants have the talent. Last year they just lost way too many close games. If they get that straightened out, a division crown is a real possibility.
As for the Eagles and Cowboys, there are just too many flaws. Philadelphia mortgaged its entire future on Carson Wentz, and managed to anger incumbent Sam Bradford in the process. Their are going to be some internal issues that plague this team all season. And we saw Dallas without Romo last year, and it wasn't pretty. So why should we expect anything different this year?
So, with all that being said, my NFC playoff teams are the Giants, Packers, Panthers, Falcons, Seahawks and Cardinals. I've got Arizona over the Giants and Seattle over Atlanta in the wild card games. After the Packers beat the Seahawks and the Cardinals beat the Panthers, Green Bay beats Arizona for the NFC title. And, six years after beating Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl, the Packers do it again.
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