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1. Rams: Good news, the defending champions always start out on top. Bad news, there is only one direction to take.
2. Buccaneers: I feel like Tom Bradyis the last round. And he always felt like he was destined to walk away with a trophy under his arm.
3. Bills: They wear the lens of a Super Bowl winner without going to the game in nearly 30 years.
4. Chefs: How are they not more widely seen as ready to get back to where they’ve been for four straight years?
5. Packers: With a sold-out party venue, Cheeseheads may soon switch to ayahuasca.
6. Bengals: Will an 80% turnover improve the offensive line? It can’t really be much worse than it was in the playoffs.
7. 49ers: If they can get proper performance from the quarterback position and avoid a string of key injuries, they could get back to the Super Bowl.
8. Titans: is it Ryan Tannehillis the last chance to take the Titans to the next level?
9. Eagles: Five years after winning a Super Bowl, they’re ready to fight again.
10. Cowboys: Can they win in the playoffs this year? First, they have to go back.
11. Colts: At a time when everyone is wondering if Russell Wilson will join the Tom Brady/Matthew Stafford Parade of the new NFL title team, matt ryan perhaps in a better position to pull this off.
12. Ravens: In a tight AFC, they’re as capable as anyone of making the playoffs and winning more than one game there.
13. Cardinals: They will be fine in September and October. The pressure will be strong in November and December, especially with the hard knocks cameras and microphones in season there.
14. Raiders: The offense should be good. Can the defense slow the other three offenses in the division?
15. Chargers: Is it already a playoff or a bust for second-year coach Brandon Staley?
16. Steelers: Write them off at your own risk.
17. Patriots: How many years of struggle after Tom Brady before Brady gets more Super Bowl credit than Bill Belichick?
18. Dolphins: If Tua can pull it off, the Dolphins can advance to the Round of 16, and maybe even the AFC Championship.
19. Broncos: The bar is higher than it should be for a team that has gone through a lot of changes over the past two years. Especially since they have to compete with the Chiefs, Raiders and Chargers.
20. Saints: The departure of Sean Payton is greeted with a surprising degree of nonchalance. It’s a huge void, and it’s still unclear if anyone still in the coaching staff will be able to fill it.
21. Browns: If they end up winning a Super Bowl with Deshaun Watson, the bizarre journey of 2022 will probably have been worth it. For anything less than that, it won’t.
22. Vikings: Ding dong the Zim is dead. That alone could be enough to take the Vikings to the playoffs.
23. Panthers: They have the talent to fight. Which will only make the seat even hotter for the coaching staff.
24. Washington: This is Carson Wentzis the last chance to start in the NFL. Will that be enough to make him stop being reckless with the ball?
25. Seahawks: The presence of Pete Carroll forces us to take them more seriously. Even then, it looks like they will struggle, especially in a tough division.
26. Falcons: Matt Ryan was the cornerstone of the franchise since 2008. How will they not step back without him?
27. Giants: It will take more than a year to purify the list.
28. Lions: Can they move up the ranks? Absolutely. Are they going? We will see.
29. Jaguars: If they were in the NFC, they would be a marginal playoff contender. In the AFC, there are too many good teams.
30. Bear: They destroy it to build it. It may take some time to build it.
31. Jets: Hopefully ownership will give the current regime enough time to make the most of their current roster.
32. Texans: Bad news, they earned this spot. Good news, there is only one direction to take.