8 Teams That Can Win It All

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-2019-eight-teams-that-can-win-it-all-and-eight-that-will-finish-at-the-bottom-of-the-league/

NFL 2019: Eight teams that can win it all, and eight that will finish at the bottom of the league

The Pats (of course) are joined by the Chiefs and Panthers as title contenders, while others will be jostling for the No. 1 pick

by Jason La Canfora
@JasonLaCanfora
Aug 19, 2019 at 3:18 pm ET • 6 min read

I’m not much of a power rankings guy. In fact, well, I’m not a power ranks guy at all.

Listing NFL teams from 1-32 is not my thing, and, back in the day when I was forced to do them I would generally not budge them all that much from week to week based on the results of the previous weekend, because I viewed them more as my lens into the league and what I expected it to look like come January.

So, when Jacksonville beat Buffalo on a random missed chip shot field goal in late September or whatever, and I still listed Buffalo at, like, spot 28, and Jacksonville at spot 29, well, you can imagine the outrage and backlash. Silly me. Somehow I was still of the mind that one of these horribly flawed teams would still be picking a spot or two after the other come the following year’s draft.

In reality, I guess the approach I was taking was of trying to sort teams by tiers, with the top eight of 32 being clubs I really believed could win big, and the bottom eight teams that would probably be fighting for a top five pick when it’s all said and done, and half of the league jumbled up in the middle where one injury or one fumble or one coaching blunder could be the difference between being alive for a playoff berth in December or not.

Because, more years than not, that is what the NFL becomes. That is the reality of parity. There is a group of haves and a group of have-nots and everyone else is battling for a wild card, or, in the case of the AFC South more years than not, a division title. The difference between 7-9 and 9-7, in the average NFL season, can be quite slim, and more than anything else health and good fortune can swing things one way or the other.

Now having taken in half of the preseason schedule, having had a chance to gather a little information and assess the development of some rosters … I’m still not going to do a full breakdown of how I anticipate the entire league playing out. I’m not going to delve deep into the murky middle class of NFL society. But in a league of 32 teams, I do have a sense of which quarter of the league I believe is best prepared to possibly win it all, and which eight teams I expect to be jostling for top draft position come January.

Eight teams that can win it all
1. New England Patriots
New season, same expectations. Super Bowl or bust. Change their identity from week to week. Will have better pass catching options than anticipated a few months back, and losing Gronk will matter, but not enough to prevent another run at least to the AFC Championship Game.

2. New Orleans Saints
Every reason to expect them to be right in the thick of it in the NFC again. All-time coach/QB combination. All-in on 2019. Should’ve been in the Super Bowl a year ago.

3. Philadelphia Eagles
Maybe the best roster in football. Front office always adding pieces to already deep and talented group. Forward-thinking staff. Carson Wentz will be in the MVP conversation.

4. Kansas City Chiefs
Would not have appeared here before the draft, in all likelihood, due to concerns about the defense. But the Tyreek Hill decision by the NFL and the addition of even more speed and game-breaking ability means this offense can overcome the other side of the ball if need be.

5. Los Angeles Chargers
I will admit I am wavering on my quasi-annual impression that this could be a Super Bowl team. Damn injuries are a constant and if this Derwin James setback is followed by a few more, well, that can undermine progress.

6. Carolina Panthers
I love what they have done this offseason to fortify the OL and pass rush. Cam Newton looked great at camp when I was there. Plenty of speed upgrades across the board.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers
I was a skeptic in the spring, obsessing over the loss of A.B. and Le’Veon Bell. I came away from my camp visits certain that the offense will again be uber-productive and there was some addition by subtraction in terms of chemistry and cohesion, and the defense will make gains as well.

8. Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson pretty much gets you to the playoffs. That much is proven. And I like this group around him better than I have the last few. If Brian Schottenheimer stops running the offense like he is still coaching Mark Sanchez, this team could take off. The playoff pedigree of QB and coach lands them in the top tier.