FAVORITE TEAMS

1) ARIZONA CARDINALS

The Cardinals will return next season. Once Kyler Murray returned, the team looked moderately dangerous again. Ask the Eagles and Steelers. They’ll win more games next year and compete with the NFC West for the division title. It doesn’t matter how good the 49ers, Rams, or Seahawks are. This is the NFC West, and you can’t change my damn mind even if my life depended on it. In order for them to compete for the playoffs again, they need another legit receiver, another offensive lineman, and a couple of pieces on defense.

2) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

For me as a Niner fan, I’m very happy those squawks are out. On a non-biased note, it wasn’t meant to be as a playoff team. They came out strong with a 6-3 record, but things went sideways after facing the Rams the second time. They lost five of their last eight, but they did cap off their season with a 3-1 finish. What went wrong? Key injuries (including Geno Smith’s injury) and running into a buzzsaw for four straight weeks (3 on the road) against the Rams, the Niners twice, and the Cowboys. It proved they’re not ready for that type of competition. However, they did defeat the Eagles in grand fashion with a big play touchdown by rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba from backup QB Drew Lock. That built their confidence down the stretch and now they’re optimistic about their future next season.

3) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Honestly, it had to end this way. New Orleans is so sporadic on offense, sometimes you’re trying to figure out what coach Dennis Allen’s trying to put together. They averaged only 23.6 points per game with all the talent, including acquiring Derek Carr. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out against teams like Green Bay, Tampa Bay (first meeting), Houston, Jacksonville, Atlanta (first meeting), Los Angeles Rams, or Detroit. If they can do what they did in the last six games averaging 28.8 points per game, maybe they’ll threaten the NFC South next year. If Allen’s the coach next season, I don’t feel great about them then.

4) MINNESOTA VIKINGS

I expected the Vikings to decline this season. It was guaranteed after the 1-4 start before going on a five-game winning streak to delay it. The football gods figured if they were going on a run like that, there must be sacrifices. Justin Jefferson went first for a few weeks with his injury. Then, Kirk Cousins was the ultimate sacrifice when the run didn’t stop, and now he was done for the season. When things looked optimistic after Josh Dobbs was acquired from Arizona and added two more wins, the football gods had enough and forced the Passtronaut to come crashing back to earth. Nick Mullens didn’t help in any way, shape or form. He won against the Raiders…3-0 but lost the last four with him throwing interceptions left and right. It was a matter of time before reality set in for Minnesota. Can they compete for the playoffs next season? I don’t see why not. What will they do about Kirk Cousins and the quarterback situation behind him? Also, no offense to my statement but I didn’t trust the Vikings this season. Next season could be different.

5) ATLANTA FALCONS

Things didn’t seem right for the Falcons. Desmond Ridder couldn’t take the next step and was benched from time-to-time, but Taylor Heinicke didn’t make the situation any better as the starter. Bijan Robinson showed he’s the back for Atlanta, but he wasn’t active in a couple of games himself because of a vaping situation that forced coach Arthur Smith to bench him. The offense couldn’t improve and their defense paid for it. Now, Coach Smith’s gone from Atlanta. Who will be the next coach to continue building this young team with plenty of potential?

6) CHICAGO BEARS

Looks like the Bears finally have a roster to build on for next season. All it took was time and patience with Justin Fields to continue his progress with the offense and adding key pieces on defense to be formidable and play competitively. I can finally say next season looks just a tad bright for Chicago, but the competition in the NFC North also improved with Green Bay’s quick resurgence and Detroit looking formidable under Dan Campbell. However, I don’t know if anything I say will be relevant. There are still ongoing talks about Matt Eberflus’s future and if Chicago will keep Fields. I don’t know what to say and we’ll just stay tuned for it.

7) NEW YORK GIANTS

That’s the last time I fall for the hype based on expert analysis and the people reporting it. I suspected New York after last season, but the NFC was so wide open outside of San Fran, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Detroit, it was hard to depict the last three spots. I never had New York as a Top 7 team, but I was reeled in by the enthusiasm of the analysts that believed the Giants would be good. The injuries, a subpar to par offensive roster, and a tough division was a recipe for disaster. It was a nice run with a couple of quarterbacks like Tommy DeVito and Danny Dimes, but this team had too much of a high floor to believe they even had a ceiling. I’m not optimistic about them next season unless the Eagles or Cowboys recede. And next time, maybe sign your franchise in Saquon Barkley before anyone else. What are we doing, people!?

8) CAROLINA PANTHERS

Well, that was anti-climactic after David Tepper threw a drink at a Jags fan a couple of weeks back. Then again, that summed up the Panthers’ season as a whole. They had way too many holes to expect a winning season right away (which Tepper wanted). Bryce Young is the future for Carolina if he survives, but they need help (and time) on the offensive line, they need consistent production at the running back position, and they need time for young receivers to develop outside of Adam Thielen. Carolina’s defense is the strength, but the injuries eventually took a toll on their depth. It’s possible they’ll compete for the NFC South division title next season because…it’s the NFC South. But injuries and losing in the trenches won’t get this team anywhere. Also, if Tepper fails to be accountable for his actions, Carolina will pay for his mistakes long term like Washington did with Dan Snyder. Sheesh…

9) WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

I love Sam Howell as the quarterback for Washington and their roster isn’t bad, but they’re nothing to hype up about. They look sporadic on defense while the offense could only do as much as they possibly could. However, the offense has potential with Howell, but they need an offensive line. With how many sacks Howell took (65; 4th highest in the NFL), I don’t blame him for his lack of trust in them which forced him to make reckless throws like he did. They must continue their building blocks, build a legitimate offensive line, get a couple of key weapons on offense and defense, and maybe, just maybe get somewhere for once. Probably a name change too? Wild Hogs perhaps, which some people favored in the first place???