With the National Football League kicking off this week, there is a lot of excitement from many NFL fans. There are some teams that got worse while some got better. This article will be covering every team's expectations.
To begin with, The AFC West has 3 teams that have high expectations. The Chiefs–although they lost on Thursday, September 7th to the Lions–they are the defending Super Bowl Champions. They hope to bounce back and have a good season after getting some key players back from recovery. The Chargers look to have a good season as well, after just signing their franchise quarterback, Justin Herbert, to a huge contract. The Denver Broncos did not meet expectations last season with Russell Wilson, but with a new coach, the team looks ready to comeback. They will likely have a comeback if Russell Wilson manages to step his game up. The Raiders have nothing to be excited about after getting rid of their quarterback. They aren’t likely to be that good this year, especially in their tough division.
The AFC East has 3 teams, who have a good work ahead of them for theri NFL season. The Bills, Dolphins, and Jets all have a chance to get into the playoffs. With a new veteran quarterback with several MVPs, the Jets will walk into a new season with Aaron Rodgers. The Buffalo Bills will hopefully come back after a disappointing playoff loss last year. They still have all of their key players, and will likely go back to the playoffs this season. The Miami Dolphins look to have a good year this time around. If their main players can stay healthy, they have a chance to do well and win multiple games. Injuries are what held back the Dolphins last year, but when they were healthy, they were pretty good and won games against some good teams. On the other hand, the Patriots really have nothing to look forward to this upcoming season after making no moves in the off season other than a new average running back.
The AFC South has only one team with a bright season ahead of them, and it is the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a playoff berth last year, the Jaguars look to repeat that same action and maybe go even further into the playoffs. On the other hand, the Titans don’t have much to look forward to. The Colts and Texans both just drafted quarterbacks this last draft: Anthony Richardson (Colts) and C.J. Stroud (Texans), but you can’t expect too much out of rookies.
The AFC North includes the Steelers, Bengals, Browns, and Ravens. The Bengals are expected to have another good year, likely going back to the playoffs and winning multiple games. The Ravens are also expected to rack up quite a few wins, but probably not as many as the Bengals. The Browns and Steelers will most likely be mediocre (at best) after not making any moves in the offseason and just having the same rosters as last season.
The NFC West probably only has one team in playoff contention: the San Francisco 49ers. They look to bounce back this year after a disappointing playoff loss by making it back to the playoffs . This shouldn’t be too much of a struggle since they didn’t get rid of any major players on their team. The Rams and Seahawks will likely be around .500, but on the other hand, the Cardinals are projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season.
In the NFC East, the Eagles look to bounce back after a close Super Bowl loss just 7 months ago. The Cowboys will put up a fight for first place in the division, but the Eagles will most likely just outplay them. The Giants are looking to be a decent team, (sharing a division with the Eagles and Cowboys) they will probably be 3rd place in the division. The Commanders will most likely be last in the division, after adding no new major additions and really just doing nothing in the offseason.
The NFC South really has no teams that look to go deep in the playoffs. Out of the four though, the New Orleans Saints are looking to have a better year than last year after bringing in an experienced quarterback: Derek Carr. Other than that though, The Buccaneers and Falcons don’t seem to have anything to be excited about next season. The Panthers just had the number 1 overall pick last draft and selected a great quarterback in Bryce Young. They will most likely do a little better than last year with this addition, but again, you can’t expect too much from a rookie.
Lastly, the NFC North includes the Bears, Packers, Vikings, and Lions. The Packers are expected to do much worse this season after losing Aaron Rodgers. The Lions on the other hand, are looking to make the playoffs this year after just barely missing them last year. The Vikings are expected to be on top of the division with their generational talent wide receiver, Justin Jefferson. The Chicago Bears are looking the same as last year with the addition of only a decent wide receiver. They are projected to be last in their division and have one of the lowest records in the NFL.