NFC North

1. Chicago Bears

If QB Caleb Williams tones down taking too many unnecessary chances, maybe this current roster will find success towards a possible run at a Super Bowl.

2. Detroit Lions

This is still a team that has so many weapons on offense and a solid front seven on defense. With improvements on the offensive line that should shore things up there, but that secondary is a glaring weakness.

3. Green Bay Packers

The late game collapses last season were prominent, but they decided to give head coach Matt LaFleur another chance. Mainly because of the early successes he had when he was first hired in 2019 and had three consecutive seasons of 13 wins in Green Bay.

4. Minnesota Vikings

There is plenty to like about this team, but QB J.J. McCarthy had a rough go in his first full season as the starter. And I don’t think bringing in former Cardinals first round pick QB Kyler Murray will be any better.

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NFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles

This somewhat tumultuous era has had a lot of uncertainty, but they have made the playoffs every year with head coach Nick Sirianni and made two Super Bowl appearances with one victory. Chances are high that they will make a sixth consecutive playoff appearance this season.

2. Dallas Cowboys

Their defense has got to be better than it was last year if they are to get back into the playoffs. Owner Jerry Jones expects constant success, but even he seems to have tampered expectations this time around.

3. New York Giants

In the last 10 seasons they have had 9 different head coaches, counting interim ones. Hiring John Harbaugh to be the head coach brings some much needed experience and what they hope is some stability to this franchise.

4. Washington Commanders

A surprising NFC Championship game appearance two seasons ago and a horrendous crash last season has them in a state of flux currently. A lot has to go right, but if QB Jayden Daniels stays healthy that will help immensely.

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AFC West

1. Denver Broncos

Hopefully head coach Sean Payton has learned to not foolishly go for it on 4th down when you should just take the points with a reliable kicker on your roster.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

They hit the proverbial wall last season and fell back down to Earth. Now will they rise back to their perch atop the AFC or will they remain outside of their contender status?

3. Los Angeles Chargers

The talent level is there on both sides for this team, but the expectations are that they should make deep playoff runs every season. That has to change this year otherwise the fanbase will groan even louder about this current era’s lack of success.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

It seems that the front office has finally learned a hard lesson about building a competent roster. Get the quarterback and head coach combination settled and then you can put the rest of the pieces in place afterwards.

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AFC South

1. Houston Texans

They have one of the most impressive defensive units currently in the NFL. If QB C.J. Stroud can find the groove he had in his rookie season, then maybe they could finally advance past the Divisional Round for the first time in franchise history.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars

Aside from the disappointing early playoff exit, it was a great start under head coach Liam Coen. Now it’s time to see if they can repeat that and remain a contender going forward.

3. Indianapolis Colts

After a promising start last season they fell off a cliff in the second half of it. If QB Daniel Jones can remain healthy the Colts will be in a better position to clinch a playoff spot potentially.

4. Tennessee Titans

The reset button has been hit and they have begun surrounding QB Cam Ward with better personnel on the offensive line and at wide receiver. Will new head coach Robert Saleh have better results this time around with his second head coaching stint?

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AFC North

1. Cincinnati Bengals

The defense has got to be better if they are to make another run at a Super Bowl with QB Joe Burrow. The current coaching staff is on their last life line with no playoff appearances in the last three seasons.

2. Baltimore Ravens

If QB Lamar Jackson is healthy and plays to his MVP level, they will be in contention for a playoff spot and possibly a Super Bowl run. However, Jackson’s lack of playoff success is going to be a lynchpin going forward.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s amazing that Pittsburgh has only had four head coaches in the last 56 seasons. Mike McCarthy is the fourth now and he reunites with QB Aaron Rodgers in what will be his final season in the NFL.

4. Cleveland Browns

The likelihood that they will be searching for yet another franchise quarterback after this season will depend on Deshaun Watson. He hasn’t lived up to the expectation since he arrived and this will be the final year of that fully guaranteed contract he signed when he was traded to Cleveland.

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