Final NFC Rankings
NFC East
1. Cowboys 11-5
2. Eagles 7-9
3. Giants 5-11
4. Football Team 4-12
The Cowboys are by far the best team in the NFC East. Offensively, they're stacked. While their offensive line is a lot different they still have Tyron Smith and Zack Martin. By the end of the season, CeeDee Lamb should be the number one receiver and Dak Prescott should be an MVP candidate. Defensively, the Cowboys may struggle. They lost Robert Quinn in free agency and the defensive line also lost Gerald McCoy on the first day of training camp. They also lost Byron Jones and while Trevon Diggs looks promising, he still has yet to play a down in football. This team should be a force offensively and will need its young players to step up on their defense.
I love the Eagles. I love Carson Wentz. I love Miles Sanders. I love Jalen Hurts. I love Doug Pederson. I love their foundation. They've just lost a lot this offseason. Between Andre Dillard, Brandon Brooks, Jalen Reagor, and Will Parks. They've suffered the injury bug. This doesn't look good especially with Carson Wentz's injury history. One thing to watch will be how they use Jalen Hurts. Hurts was my number three rated quarterback coming out of the draft and he has the potential to be the better than Burrow, Tagovailoa, and Herbert. One other player to watch is Jalen Mills. He has switched from corner to strong safety and is filling the hole left by Malcolm Jenkins. This team is going to have a lot of ups and a lot of downs this year, but the Cowboys just look like the better team.
The Giants are a really young team who have a lot of potential. I'm looking for Daniel Jones to progress in the running game and utilize his legs even more. The two players who I have a lot of faith in are Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley. I want Evan Engram to put himself in the George Kittle/ Travis Kelce conversation and Saquon needs to be more consistent. Last year, Saquon hit a slump. That can't happen this year. Darnay Holmes and Andrew Thomas will both be impact rookies. They're still missing that number one pass rusher and have a lot of holes on their defense. I like Joe Judge a lot, but he'll need a year to mesh before we're talking playoffs for Big Blue.
Similar to the Giants-- the Washington Football team is really young. I like Antonio Gibson and Terry McLaurin a lot, but not enough to put them over 5 wins. Dwayne Haskins looks like he's in much better shape and he's been putting a ton of work in this offseason. Chase Young looks like a freak and this front seven should be one of the best in the league. I'm worried about their offense. I feel like this team is missing their offensive identity and need another key player to help them build that. The Redskins should have a top 5 pick in 2020.
NFC North
1. Vikings 10-6
2. Packers 7-9
3. Lions 7-9
4. Bears 4-12
The Vikings got terrible news right before week one that Danielle Hunter was headed to the IR. Hunter was a top 5 candidate for defensive player of the year so that's a huge loss for Minnesota. I love the move of them bumping Gary Kubiak up to offensive coordinator and he should be able to use both Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison to the max. Adam Thielen is also one of the most reliable receivers in the NFL and Justin Jefferson was my favorite player in the draft. Jefferson has the intangibles to be the next Odell Beckham Jr. and has the potential to take over the league. Jefferson will be the number one receiver in Minnesota when the year is over and I think Minnesota will thrive on a lot of two tight end sets. I believe Minnesota will be a one and done team in the playoffs, but I think they will be a solid team in the regular season.
The Packers are my disappointment team for 2020. I feel as if they only got worse this offseason and they haven't fixed their run defense. It seems like their draft was focused on building for the future and they didn't get that certified number two receiver. The 49ers absolutely exposed the Packers twice last season. They didn't do anything to fix their problems and that's why I expect them to struggle. I have them getting seven wins purely because of Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams. I think this is one of the best trios in the NFL and they also have one of the best pass rush duos with the Smith Brothers. The Packers have a good coaching staff and a lot of really good foundational players, but their lack of improvement from last year will drop them to a below .500 record.
The Lions are overall a decent team, the competition in the NFC will be too difficult for them to make a playoff push. They play both the NFC South and the AFC South which is going to be difficult and I can see Stafford playing a little conservative coming off the injury. They have three viable running back options which is good, but they overpaid for Taylor Decker.If the Lions go all into the running game and play like how the Colts are going to play this year, they will have a chance to win the division. They got an absolute baller with their first round pick and Jamie Collins was a candidate for DPOY last season. The Lions could be in for a huge season, but for now I have them going 7-9.
The Bears will be a worse version of the Steelers last year. Their defense is loaded, especially in the front seven. I love the defensive line of Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Robert Quinn. Roquan Smith is a player who should be in the conversation for top 5 linebacker after this year and Eddie Jackson is a ball hawk. Their offense is really rough. I absolutely hate their quarterback situation. Their best running back is hurt and they have a huge fall off in receiver talent after Allen Robinson. After this season, I expect this team to go after Justin Fields and have a top 10 pick.
NFC South
1. Saint 12-4
2. Buccaneers 10-6
3. Panthers 7-9
4. Falcons 5-11
This has to be the year for the Saints... doesn't it? Their team is absolutely stacked this year and they have fixed all of their problems from the year prior. They got their number two receiver, their leader in the secondary, and offensive line depth. They didn't really need anything else. While originally I thought the Drew Brees situation would separate the team-- in the end I feel like it's brought them together. This team has an alpha on all three levels of their defense and it's hard to find a hole in their offense. This team is a real super bowl contender.
The Buccaneers have all the hype this season. I see them starting the season a little slow. Mike Evans is already banged up and there is a lack of continuity on the team. That being said, this is the team I'm most looking forward to watching in 2020. The big question is how Tom Brady will fit in Bruce Arians' system. The one player to watch is Devin White. He can be a sneaky candidate for DPOY and will have a huge jump from year one to year two. The Buccaneers should be a playoff team, but I only see them getting ten wins because of how hard this division is.
The Panthers are one of the most disrespected team in the NFL. I love Matt Rhule and I think they are built really well. They have really good offensive fire power and have a lot of young talent on the defense. DJ Moore is a stud and Christian McCaffery is a generational talent. The Panthers will struggle to have a winning record because they have to go against both the Saints and Bucs twice a year.
The Falcons have a lot of good skill players on offense, but they have a lot of holes on their defense. Julio Jones is a future hall of famer and Calvin Ridley is on pace to have a huge break out year. I don't think they'll be able to have a winning record in divisional games and they have a really tough schedule. They have a lot of injury prone guys on their defense which worries me. The Falcons might be looking for a new quarterback and head coach after this season is over.
NFC West
1. 49ers 12-4
2. Seahawks 10-6
3. Cardinals. 9-7
4. Rams 7-9
The NFC West is the best division in the NFL and has three teams that I can see being in the NFC Championship game. The 49ers are a powerhouse both offensively and defensively. The moves they made this offseason will allowed them to attain success for years to come by going with younger stars who will play under rookie contracts. My breakout stars for the niners in 2020 are Trent Taylor and Jerick McKinnon. Two players who Shanahan's been scheming for years now and that are finally healthy. I expect Taylor to be the Shanahan's version of Julian Edelman. He's a super physical slot receiver who has a great connection with Jimmy G. Jet McKinnon is going to have a huge role for the 49ers this year and will be big in the receiving game. I expect this defense to have continued success and Fred Warner to be in the conversation fro DPOY. This team is my super bowl pick and they should be really good once again in 2020.
The Seahawks are going to be my 5 seed. Russell Wilson is a killer and DK Metcalf should be a top 10 receiver in 2020. He got better each game in 2019 and is going to be a star. I think Pete Carroll needs to update his play calling and understand the importance of analytics. I also think this team is missing that number one pass rusher and will struggle to get pressure against good offensive lines. The addition of Jamal Adams was huge and the combination of him and Quandre Diggs makes up for one of the best safety duos in the NFL. Seattle is rebuilding their defense through the secondary, but their lack of pressure will hurt them later in the season.
Kyler Murray is my pick for next breakout star. The past two MVP's have been second year quarterback's and while I'm not saying Murray will win it, but he will be a candidate for the award. I still don't think their offensive line is very good, but the addition of Deandre Hopkins should allow Kyler Murray to get the ball out fast. This team is built well and I like Kliff Kingsbury. I think they end up as a wildcard team in January.
This was a hard pick for me, but the Rams are the team that gets left behind in 2020. Sean McVay seems like a guy who will be able to adapt and fix his problems. I just think there is a lack of that "spark plug" on offense. They need something that separates their offense. I like Van Jefferson and Cooper Kupp a lot and I'm curious to see how much action Cam Akers gets. We know what Aaron Donald is capable of, but I'm curious to see who else can get pressure on the quarterback. This division is too good, and will leave the Rams behind in 2020.
