NFC North
Lions – Can they fully establish themselves as a title contender?
In the 2023 season, when Detroit was up 24-7 in a conference title, they were not a legitimate title contender all season long nor had they ever been one beforehand with Goff/Campbell. In the 2023 season they were a good to a very good team all season that rounded into elite form come playoff time. This past season, which was the 2024 season, it was the team’s first full season of being a title contender and they answered the call going 15-2 and clinching the first overall seed in the NFC. Before of course youth/recklessness along with injuries caught up to them in the playoffs. Heading into next season, now losing both coordinators, they will be on the clock to consistently prove they can be a title contending team on a perennial basis with Goff/Campbell. Because let’s not forget the Falcons with Matt Ryan never even made another conference title after the departure of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan after being up 4 possessions in an eventual Super Bowl loss with him. The similarities between this Lions team and that Falcons team are evident. Both teams blew 3-4 possession leads in a conference title/Super Bowl and both teams had immobile pocket passers who were not tier 1 QBs whose elite play is often tied to elite offensive coaching. Once Ryan lost the elite coaching, the Falcons with him never came close to reaching another Super Bowl. The Lions will be on the clock to prove that they will not fall into that same boat, especially with the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson who many compare to Kyle Shanahan. Although Detroit winning it all next season would certainly not surprise me, it feels as if next season is not their year to win it all, still being young as a team and losing both coordinators. It feels as if they will run into some difficulties losing both coordinators as a title contender for the first time just like the Eagles with Sirianni/Hurts did. The Eagles with Sirianni/Hurts resemble many aspects of this Detroit team with Campbell/Goff. The Eagles took until their third full year as title contenders to win it all. This was after running into some difficulties in their second full season as title contenders where they lost both coordinators. Detroit just like the Eagles is going into their second full season as title contenders after losing both coordinators for the first time.
Packers – Are Jordan Love and Matt Lafleur truly next level as a coach + QB combination especially in the NFC North?
Although the job security of head coach Matt Lafleur has never been brought into question and no one ever questions if Jordan Love will be the long-term starter for Green Bay, perhaps questions should be asked of either party. In the first two seasons of the Love-Lafleur era the Packers under those two have been good but nothing special. Jordan Love really struggled in the first half of his first season starting before rounding into very strong form the remainder of the year and heading into the playoffs. The team as a young team suffered a narrow loss on the road to the 49ers which was a back-and-forth game that could have gone either way. Their performance in year 1 with those two was impressive but did not blow me away like the Lions being up 24-7 in a conference title that same year with Goff/Campbell over that same 49ers team. In the second season of the Jordan Love + Matt Lafleur era they also were solid but not spectacular going 11-6 with the last seed in the NFC playoffs before putting up a better fight than I expected in a two-possession postseason road loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles. In division the Packers went 1-5 this past season trailing the entirety of all four matchups including by 3-4 possessions at times vs Detroit and Minnesota. They even split vs a young 5-12 Bears team which was not coached well, if Chicago had their act together there is no reason they could not have swept the Packers forcing Green Bay to go winless in division. In the first two seasons of the Love/Lafleur era the Packers have been good but nothing special. Jordan Love to many as of now is just a lesser version of Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen as a QB talent, Lafleur to many as of now is just a lesser version of Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay as a head coach. The pairing heading into year 3 of the era will certainly be on the clock to prove they can lead a Super Bowl contending team as opposed to just proving they can lead a solid to a dangerous playoff team.
Bears – Can they finally start to turn around the culture in Chicago?
For all of recent memory the Bears have been a very weak franchise with amongst the weakest QB play and a tone deafness to the offensive side of the ball as a defensive oriented franchise almost to a fault. Now they have the #1 pick at QB from a season ago who looked strong at times as a rookie, they also now have the most sought after young offensive mind as head coach. Although the Bears could certainly make a deep playoff run this season, the narrative feels as if they are just on the clock to turn around the Chicago culture of the past several decades. Can they now finally get strong QB play and be progressive on the offensive side of the ball?
Vikings – Is J.J McCarthy the long-term answer for the Vikings at quarterback?
McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in last season’s draft, missed the entirety of his rookie season due to injury. The Vikings fan base has had to deal with average to mediocre caliber quarterback play for seemingly all of recent memory. From Teddy Bridgewater to Christian Ponder to Sam Bradford to Kirk Cousins, and even last year with Darnold at the helm given his late season collapse. McCarthy is nothing special as a quarterback talent possessing average physical traits. McCarthy was drafted so high because of his track record of winning in college at the University of Michigan under coach Jim Harbaugh. But it was a run heavy offense and many quarterbacks under the tutelage of elite coaches in prominent college programs have succeeded. McCarthy can certainly be solid but I question if he will be an upgrade over the likes of Ponder, Bridgewater, Bradford, Cousins, and Darnold for the Vikings at QB. He will be on the clock this upcoming season to prove that he indeed can be.
NFC East
Eagles – Can the Eagles with Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts now build a dynasty?
The Eagles this past season had one of the most impressive seasons and Super Bowls a team has ever had. This past season they looked stronger than the 3-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs with Reid/Mahomes have ever looked, annihilating them in the Super Bowl as well. If the Eagles had not made a few mistakes and/or looked sharper coming out at halftime in the first Super Bowl vs the Chiefs, Sirianni/Hurt and Reid/Mahomes could certainly be even in terms of Super Bowl wins with two each. The Eagles this past season like previously stated reached a level of dominance that the Chiefs with Reid/Mahomes have never reached, so there is no reason that Sirianni/Hurts cannot build a dynasty like Reid/Mahomes have.
Commanders – Is Dan Quinn the answer at head coach?
Jayden Daniels is one of the most remarkable QB talents the game has ever seen. Lamar Jackson is perhaps the most talented QB the game has ever seen and the only reason he is not already in the greatest of all time discussion is because of his lackluster postseason play. Jayden Daniels is a clone of Jackson in terms of a quarterback talent but perhaps not quite as talented, maybe 95% of the talent that Jackson is. Which is not an insult given that Jackson may be the most talented QB ever. Jayden Daniels has not been prone to struggle in the postseason however, like Jackson unfortunately has thus far. With Jayden Daniels at the helm there is no reason your franchise should not win multiple Super Bowls. I still however question Dan Quinn as the head coach. Quinn, as a defensive minded head coach in his previous head coaching tenure with the Falcons consistently saw his defenses rank below average on nearly a yearly basis. Yes, that Falcons team led by Quinn nearly won the Super Bowl. But they still ended up collapsing in the Super Bowl with Quinn as the head coach and the Falcons that Super Bowl season led by Quinn as a defensive minded head coach were still a below average defensive team. Even in his first season with the Commanders who although they had subpar defensive personnel, the team under Quinn had a below average defense throughout the year which allowed over 50 points in a postseason loss. Quinn’s track record as a defensive coordinator is matched by next to no one in NFL history, especially in his time with Seattle being the defensive coordinator for one of the all-time great defenses. But it remains to be seen if he is a great head coach as opposed to being just a great defensive coordinator.
Cowboys – Is Prescott the long-term answer at QB and is Schottenheimer the long-term answer at head coach?
Dak Prescott throughout his career has never proven to be anything more than just a solid but not spectacular starter in the NFL. Many question if new head coach Brian Schottenheimer was even qualified for the job to begin with as well. Simply stated, both will be on the clock to prove they can lead this Dallas franchise for years to come.
Giants – Are Brian Daboll and Jaxson Dart the long-term answer at coach and quarterback for the Giants franchise?
Brian Daboll won coach of the year in his first season as head man for New York but the team under him has mightily struggled the past two seasons. Jaxson Dart up until he was drafted in the first round was not a prospect who was touted as a first round caliber QB. The pairing has more than a few question marks surrounding them and this Giants franchise is in as weak of a position as any franchise in the league. The Giants front office may decide whether or not Daboll is the future of the organization after this season as ruminations of his job security began to mount after a 3-14 season this past year. Jaxson Dart as the future face of the organization may not be fully decided upon after this year but the evaluation of him will certainly begin starting in the 2025 season. As Dart may not see the field enough with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson currently ahead of him on the depth chart and Dart still being a rookie.
NFC South
Falcons – Can the Falcons prove it on the field instead of just on paper?
On paper, this Atlanta Falcons team projects to be perhaps the biggest threat to Detroit and Philadelphia in the NFC next season. They are the only team in the NFL who has offensive personnel on the level of those two teams along with having a quarterback talent on the level of Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts as well. Pro Football Focus because of stout their personnel is especially on offense graded them as the #2 offense in the NFL and the #4 overall team in the NFL this past regular season despite an 8-9 finish where they missed the postseason. This team along with quarterback Michael Penix Jr are absolutely electric on paper but have proven next to nothing on the field. Can they answer the call?
Bucs – Are they well coached enough?
This Tampa Bay team in the first two seasons of the Baker Mayfield era has been dangerous but not a true title contender. They have now lost an offensive coordinator to a head coaching role for the third consecutive season. The first time it happened they did not skip a beat with Liam Coen replacing Dave Canales but replicating that again will be tough. Mayfield being a backup for much of his career while possessing average physical traits has perhaps been a product of his environment and it remains to be seen if he can keep up his strong play with the revolving door at offensive coordinator. Will they now have a capable offensive coordinator who can fill the shoes of now Jaguars head coach Liam Coen? In a league that is transitioning to favoring offensive minded head coaches, defensive minded head coach for Tampa Bay Todd Bowles has been brought into question. Many attribute the past two seasons where the Bucs have been viable with Bowles as the head coach to the offensive coordinator as opposed to him. As a defensive minded head coach his defense was below average this past season and as a head coach his defenses throughout the years have left much to be desired. In seven seasons as a head coach his defense has finished in the top 10 in terms of points allowed only twice while never finishing in the top 5. His defenses as a head coach have also finished in the bottom 10 in terms of points allowed on three separate occasions as well.
Saints – Everything
The Saints as of now are perhaps in the least desirable situation of any NFL franchise. They have whiffed on so many high draft picks, they ranked last in terms of cap space entering this offseason although they do not anymore, their face of the franchise at quarterback in Derek Carr has recently retired as well. 2nd round pick quarterback Tyler Shough was hardly a renown prospect entering the NFL draft and him being the future face of the franchise for New Orleans is questionable. Kellen Moore being hired as the offensive coordinator did not blow me away by any stretch. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense did not skip a beat after losing him as the offensive coordinator and the Chargers with him as the offensive coordinator struggled on offense. Although he was the offensive coordinator of a Super Bowl winning Eagles offense where his offense scored over 50 points in the conference title and over 40 points in the Super Bowl, he did have a ton to work with. The Eagles had almost inarguably the best offensive personnel in the NFL, an offensive minded head coach in Nick Sirianni, and a very talented quarterback in Jalen Hurts. The Eagles on offense with Moore as the offensive coordinator were not as explosive for long stretches a season ago despite having the best offensive personnel in the NFL as well. Moore could very well work out as the head coach but the hire of him did not blow me away. The team’s QB position is perhaps more of a question mark than any in the league as of now with the retirement of Carr as well. The team also has many high draft picks who have underwhelmed and aging veteran players who are perhaps now overpaid.
Panthers – Was Bryce Young worth the first overall pick in the draft?
Panthers head coach Dave Canales blew me away with his resume before being hired by the Carolina Panthers as head coach. Being perhaps the primary person responsible for resurrecting the careers of both Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. He had a respectable first season as the head man for the Panthers and I do not question him as of now. Quarterback Bryce Young who had an abysmal first season in the NFL and who was benched in his second season in the NFL while being labeled as one of the biggest busts ever will be on the clock. Bryce Young, after returning from the benching and after getting into the full flow of things with new head coach Dave Canales looked strong to end his 2nd NFL season. Young finished with a 100+ passer rating in each of the final three games of the season. Despite the strong end to the season, he will still be on the clock to prove if he was truly worth the first overall pick in the draft as outside of those three games his NFL track record leaves much to be desired.
NFC West
Rams – Are they truly a title threat?
The Rams since winning the Super Bowl in the 2021 season have struggled to re-establish themselves as contenders in the NFL. Their 2022 season was likely the worst season a defending Super Bowl champion has ever had going 5-12. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons they got off to horrid starts going 3-6 and 1-4 before rebounding and making the postseason each year. The Eagles and Lions have been the class of the NFC for the past couple of seasons and the Rams came up a singular possession short to each team the past two postseasons. Going 5-12, 3-6, and 1-4 is not anything close to the sign of a Super Bowl contending team and questions are to be asked if the Rams despite their narrow postseason losses to Detroit and Philadelphia are truly title threats headed into next season. Head coach Sean McVay is still one of the 3-4 best head coaches in the NFL and quarterback Matthew Stafford is still a former number one overall pick who is only one of three current NFL starters with a Super Bowl championship. The Rams have signed Stafford to an extension indicating they are going all in to win it all again with him at the helm. Whether or not they are capable of doing so remains to be seen, however.
49ers – Is their window for a title still open?
The 49ers with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have made either the conference title or Super Bowl on four separate occasions but have failed to ever get over the hump. With their abysmal season last year going 6-11 along with the emergence of Philadelphia and Detroit in the NFC, many are saying that they indeed missed their window for a Super Bowl title. However, in the Kyle Shanahan – John Lynch era where they consistently find themselves within striking distance of winning it all, they had a similar season to the one they had this past year. Coming off their first Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs they went 6-10 and failed to qualify for the postseason. Just like this past season they went 6-11 coming off a Super Bowl loss to Kansas City as well. After the first 6-10 season the team led by Shanahan + Lynch went on to make three consecutive conference titles/Super Bowls. They primarily took a big step back last season due to lackluster defensive coaching. As in years prior Robert Saleh, DeMeco Ryans, and to a lesser extent Steve Wilks gave the team high end capabilities from a defensive coordinator standpoint but their defensive coordinator position was a big question mark this past season. They have since re-hired Robert Saleh as the defensive coordinator for the team and perhaps the defense and the team can rebound as well. Injuries also were a crippling factor for the team in each of the two failed 6-win seasons in this era with Shanahan-Lynch where they typically are elite. In the first of the 6-win seasons coming off a Super Bowl loss, starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo missed most of the season. In the more recent of the failed 6-win seasons the team had arguably the most injured riddled offensive personnel in the NFL along with starting quarterback Brock Purdy missing a few starts as well. The Lions and Eagles have really emerged as juggernauts in the past 2-3 seasons and have shown to have perhaps a higher ceiling than the 49ers with Lynch and Shanahan have ever had. Competing with those two teams now will be a tall task as the 49ers were down 24-7 in a conference championship to the Lions and lost 31-7 in a conference championship to the Eagles. Although the 49ers still ended up winning the first game and they did not have any healthy QBs for the second matchup.
Cardinals – How good is Kyler Murray?
The Arizona Cardinals were a solid team this past season, being up 17-3 on the road vs the Bills in week 1 before unfortunately squandering that lead. Beating the Rams 31-3 at home along with coming up one possession short to the Lions at home. They narrowly missed out on the postseason and they will be on the clock to prove they can be more than just a borderline playoff team next season. In the NFC the Eagles and the Lions are the class of the conference and pretty much everyone including myself agree that Jalen Hurts and Jared Goff are tier 2 but not tier 1 quarterbacks. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders beat Detroit last year in the postseason and as of now are perhaps the biggest threat to those two teams in the conference. Pretty much everyone including myself agree that Jayden Daniels projects to be a tier 1 quarterback and the only reason he is not universally recognized as that as of yet is the lack of a long track record in the league. Kyler Murray in terms of a quarterback is in between those two as of now and I am of the mindset that as of now he is a tier 2 but can transition to a tier 1 at some point. Goff and Hurts are definitively tier 2 quarterbacks and will almost assuredly stay tier 2 caliber QBs for their careers as well. Jayden Daniels will almost assuredly be a tier 1 QB for his career. Murray is in between both Goff/Hurts and Daniels at this point and heading into next season as he enters his peak as a player, he will be on the clock to prove how good he is and whether he is tier 2 or tier 1.
Seahawks – Can they buck the average trend of the franchise?
Seattle since the departure of quarterback Russell Wilson has unfortunately been the victim of the average trend. In three seasons since the departure of Wilson the team has gone 9-8 twice and then went 10-7 this past season, the epitome of average as an NFL franchise. Quarterback Geno Smith who took over for Wilson as starter, although I am of a fan of his and he can play is still closer to average as a starting NFL QB. Smith at the helm surrounded by an average caliber roster despite the presence of future hall of famer Pete Carroll as head coach saw the team be in the middle of the league going 9-8 twice in the first two seasons of the Geno Smith era. Last season in 2024, which was the third season with Smith as the starter and the first with new head coach Mike MacDonald. The team improved by a game going 10-7 but still narrowly missed the postseason, remaining essentially average as a franchise. Sam Darnold has since been recruited as the starting quarterback but I question if they really improved with him at the helm. Darnold is a doppelganger of Smith at the QB spot, both players were backups for much of their careers and had one really outstanding season were they put up borderline MVP caliber numbers with weak offensive lines but very smart offensive coaching and strong skill players to aid them. Both players possess average physical traits as quarterbacks and both players outside of one outstanding season leave a lot to be desired as starting NFL QBs. Perhaps the Seahawks went with Darnold because of youth and because Darnold was still the third overall pick in the draft for a reason. It remains to be seen if Seattle can be more than just average as a team which is what they have consistently been in the post Russell Wilson era.
