Eagles looking down at the rest of the league
1. Eagles (11): When was the last time a team entered a season with an MVP front-runner, Super Bowl MVP and zero egos in the same room? #2018Eagles
2. Patriots (1): Several key players are headed for free agency. And we’re just waiting for the Malcolm Butler fallout. #NotDone or #Done?
3. Jaguars (8): Blake Bortles proved plenty. But his wrist surgery casts a weird and early pall on 2018 for team that should be a rising superpower.
4. Steelers (2): Assuming Le’Veon Bell stays, they’ll get another crack at the Pats. But they’re not getting younger or more mature.
5. Vikings (3): Case Keenum? Teddy Bridgewater? Both? Neither? Major question to answer, but really the only one for a team with few flaws otherwise.
6. Saints (5): They are built to win now as long as Drew Brees sticks around but appear to be nicely set up for the post-Brees era, too.
7. Falcons (9): Personnel-wise, they’re lacking for nothing. They literally might need nothing more than for OC Steve Sarkisian to catch up in Year 2.
8. Rams (4): If you spent the 2017 season in a coma and woke up during NFL
Honors, you might think the Rams were the 1972 Dolphins. Not quite yet.
9. Chargers (10): Shame their surge didn’t start sooner, because they probably could’ve made noise in January.
10. Titans (12): Hearty #TitanUp for the hiring of highly regarded Mike Vrabel. This talented group needs a jolt despite the success this season.
11. Seahawks (13): Their offseason promises to be the league’s most intriguing with so many health and personality issues to hash out.
12. Packers (24): Aaron Rodgers told us he feels so good he’s swinging a golf club with ease. Enough to lump the Pack in with less-talented playoff teams.
13. Panthers (7): They need a new owner. Now the (interim) GM is facing allegations. They’ll need new OC Norv Turner to have a flexible approach with Cam Newton. We could go on.
14. Cowboys (15): Just when you thought the drama was nearing an end, this Dez Bryant tempest feels like it’s gaining steam before making landfall.
15. Chiefs (6): The transition to Pat Mahomes might be one step back in
2018 before two steps forward in 2019. A reeling D needs a healthy Eric Berry.
16. 49ers (18): No team will enter the
2018 season on a longer winning streak than the Niners’ five. Oh Jimmy, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow our minds, hey Jimmy.
17. Redskins (19): Alex Smith seems to solve the QB quandary. But you have to wonder what he’s walking into with this team’s rash of injuries and free agents.
18. Raiders (21): Silver & Black KoolAid sounds awful. But we’re drinking it up, believing Jon Gruden leverages wisdom he’s collected in the past decade.
19. Bills (14): Credit them for maximizing talent into a confidence-building playoff berth. But major issues suggest the pendulum headed the other way.
20. Lions (17): Like Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco last year, new coach Matt Patricia begins his job amid major skepticism after a dreadful Super Bowl.
21. Ravens (16): Owner Steve Bisciotti has officially put John Harbaugh on notice that a fourth consecutive year out of the playoffs means no fifth chance.
22. Texans (30): Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt were moving well during pre-Super Bowl events, renewing hope they might be in Super Bowl LIII.
23. Dolphins (25): Probably time for Jay Cutler to strongly reconsider retirement. But this team has a chance to rebound if Ryan Tannehill gets right.
24. Cardinals (20): Steve Wilks burst from anonymity into an HC role — bit of an unknown. Cards have no quarterback and limited resources to get one. Otherwise, rosy outlook.
25. Bengals (23): Continuity is generally a massive factor in building and sustaining success in the NFL. Every rule has its exceptions, though.
26. Broncos (27): Sleeping giants? Sleepwalkers? Under sleeping spell and awaiting magical kiss from Kirk Cousins? Choose your fairy tale in the wake of a nightmare ’17.
27. Bears (26): The hirings of coach Matt Nagy and OC Mark Helfrich are all about helping QB Mitchell Trubisky. Finding personnel for him to throw to is the next priority.
28. Buccaneers (22): One of league’s under-the-radar stories, which will inevitably hit the radar, is the investigation of QB Jameis Winston’s alleged grope of a Uber driver.
29. Colts (29): They’re now in complete turmoil, left at the altar by Josh McDaniels weeks after their coaching search ended. Chuck?
30. Jets (28): They got an unexpected head start on their reboot and must now hope salary cap space and three draft picks in the first two rounds fuel added momentum.
31. Giants (31): Surely Pat Shurmur and Dave Gettleman know there’s no grace period in N.Y. New brain trust better navigate Eli’s future, OBJ’s contract flawlessly.
32. Browns (32): Think of new GM John Dorsey as a jumper cable, infusing a dead battery with five high draft picks and $100M-plus of cap space. Note: Pre-playoffs rank noted in parentheses