The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have an NFC East title apiece while both clubs reached the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Naturally, the...
NFC NORTH: The Lions are losers no more For the first time in 22 years playing at Ford Field, the Detroit Lions have sold out of season tickets.The downtown domed stadium that has housed 13 different double-digit-loss Lions teams just might be the most fashionable venue in the NFC North this fall.
They’re favored to win the division, according to Fanduel Sportsbook odds. Such steep expectations can be a burden, of course, but extra pressure is hardly part of this group’s experience.The most recent time the Lions held a division title, it had a different name. They finished first in the NFC Central in 1993, making their three-decade wait for a banner to hang and an automatic home playoff game the second longest in the league behind the Cleveland Browns. Jared Goff must pick up the turnover-free quarterback play he left off, with only one interception thrown and one fumble lost over the last 10 games while the Lions won eight to finish 9-8 for their first winning record since 2017.Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the 12th overall pick in the draft, will need to prove he’s ready to be productive both carrying and catching the ball. Aidan Hutchinson, the second overall pick last year, has to become an every-down force after a promising debut and help lift a defense that allowed the most yards in the NFL last season. Perhaps most critical in Detroit’s quest to play up to these rare high hopes, however, is an ability to simply ignore them. Campbell, who’s entering his third year with the Lions, has cautioned his players against boarding the “hype train” that travels across the league each summer and inevitably leads an unwitting team or two astray. “This thing has just taken off and is out of control right now,” Campbell said earlier this month. “That’s fine as long as we stay focused on the job at hand and the work. We have to put the work in and earn it.”Goff, who was the first overall pick in the 2016 draft and played in a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, has found all the meaningless flattery amusing if not inspiring. “Of course we’ve got good players, we’ve got good coaches, we’ve got a good team, but we haven’t done anything,” Goff said. “We’ve got some work to do to put a stamp on who we want to be.” The Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North last season going away at 13-4, with a potent offense headlined by wide receiver Justin Jefferson that stayed largely intact. Even they seem to understand the reasons why so many people who follow the league are predicting such success for the Lions this season. “I get it. They finished the season really, really well,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for what Dan and his staff are doing there.”Goff had his best season last year since he guided the 2018 NFC champion Rams, maintaining a strong connection with Amon-Ra St. Brown that flourished in the second half of the 2021 season. St. Brown was 11th in the NFL in 2022 with 1,161 receiving yards, but there’s not much depth beyond him. Jameson Williams, their 2022 first-round draft pick who spent much of his rookie year recovering from a torn ACL, must serve a six-game suspension for breaking league rules on gambling. Marvin Jones Jr. has returned to Detroit after two seasons in Jacksonville. Rookie Sam LaPorta, a second-round draft pick from tight end factory Iowa, will need to produce.The Vikings are in a contract year with quarterback Kirk Cousins, making the future of their Jefferson-fueled offense murky without a clear successor on the roster. The performance of their defense, though, will be most vital in their quest for a second consecutive division title for the first time since 2009. Brian Flores replaced Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator and drew rave reviews during training camp for his energy and creativity for a unit that ranked ahead of only the Lions last season in yards allowed.After trading Aaron Rodgers to the Jets and finally turning their hallowed job over to 2020 first-round draft pick Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers have only three players in their 30s: left tackle David Bakhtiari, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and edge rusher Preston Smith. The Packers were encouraged by what they saw from Love during training camp, and he’ll be able to lean on the proven ball-carrying duo of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. Special teams is an area to watch, with a new kicker and punter after moving on from veterans Mason Crosby and Pat O’Donnell.The first year under coach Matt Eberflus was a struggle for the Chicago Bears at 3-14, but Justin Fields still has potential as a dual-threat quarterback as evidenced by his 719 rushing yards and five touchdowns over his last seven games. Pairing the newly acquired D.J. Moore with Darnell Mooney at wide receiver ought to give Fields a boost in confidence and productivity. He’ll need better protection, an area the Bears attempted to upgrade during the offseason after he tied for an NFL-most 55 sacks.NFC SOUTH: Young tops dramatic QB makeovers Only three years after the NFC South featured three of the NFL’s top 10 all-time passers, a transformation at quarterback should help define a new era for the division.Carolina’s Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick of this year’s NFL draft, is at the top of the division’s makeover at quarterback. Entering the 2020 season, the NFC South featured Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. Dan Quinn, the Dallas defensive coordinator who was then the Falcons coach, called the division “Quarterback South.” Brady and Brees are the NFL’s all-time leaders in passing yards and Ryan ranks seventh. Cam Newton had just completed a nine-year run with Carolina and would return to the Panthers for one year in 2021. Now, following a 2022 season in which the division had no team with a winning record, the turnover atop the four teams’ quarterback charts has been dramatic.Atlanta’s Desmond Ridder, who has only four starts entering his second season, has the most seniority as a starter with his current team. One year after the Buccaneers won the division at 8-9 and the other three teams finished 7-10, it’s difficult to identify the favorite in the NFC South. The team which enjoys the smoothest transition at quarterback seems likely to emerge as the division winner. While the Panthers and Falcons are leaning on draft picks, the Saints, with Derek Carr, and the Buccaneers, with Baker Mayfield, plan to start recycled veterans.Carr is looking for a fresh start in New Orleans. He was released by the Las Vegas Raiders after a 2022 season he acknowledges was not his best.If Carr returns to his top form, he could give New Orleans the division’s most accomplished passer. He posted four consecutive 4,000-yard seasons from 2018 to 2021. The Saints are optimistic they can return to the top spot in the division they won in four straight seasons from 2017-2020. “There’s a little more swagger on all of us,” said Saints linebacker Demario Davis. “… We got reasons that are undisclosed why we’re excited. … Everybody’s going to see it when it’s time. If you believe in the Saints and you’re a fan of the Saints, or you’re ‘Who Dat’ nation, you should be excited right now. That’s all I’ll say.” Saints running back Alvin Kamara was suspended for three games by the NFL for his role in a February 2022 fight in Las Vegas. That creates opportunities for third-round pick Kendre Miller.There was no quarterback drama in Charlotte. As training camp opened, coach Frank Reich selected Young as the team’s starter for the Sept. 10 opener against the Falcons. It was no surprise. Young’s status as the starter seemed clear after he took over first-team reps from veteran Andy Dalton during organized team activities in June. Young completed 7 of 12 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ final preseason game on Friday night, a 26-17 loss to Detroit. “Having these games under my belt now it’s great to be able to take that and then translate to playing against others,” Young said. “Obviously, I haven’t played in a regular-season game before, and it’s going to present challenges that I haven’t faced yet, but I’m excited for that and I understand the challenge that comes with it.”The Falcons have added rookie Bijan Robinson to a running game that already ranked as one of the league’s best with Tyler Allgeier, who ran for more than 1,000 yards as a rookie, and Cordarrelle Patterson.Robinson’s versatility as a runner and receiver out of the backfield should help Ridder. The second-year quarterback also will throw to 2022 first-round pick Drake London and 2021 first-rounder Kyle Pitts, the tight end who is returning from knee surgery that limited him to 10 games in 2022. The Falcons signed Mack Hollins as the likely No. 2 receiver behind London. Ridder was 2-2 in his four-game audition as a starter to close last season. The Falcons signed veteran Taylor Heinicke to be Ridder’s backup. General manager Terry Fontenot said the perception of a wide-open division doesn’t put more pressure to win in coach Arthur Smith’s third season. “We have a lot of confidence in our team,” Fontenot said. “We don’t look at it like OK, this is where this division is and it’s time.”Mayfield beat out Kyle Trask for the starting job in Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old Mayfield is returning for a second tour of duty in the division after posting a 1-5 record in six starts with Carolina last season. “Now I’ve just got to lead like I know how,” Mayfield said. “The real thing is around the corner. It’s an exciting time. ... I just feel I’m in good command of the offense right now.” The Bucs are running a new offense installed by offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who was credited with helping Geno Smith improve his game last year in Seattle. Bucs wide receiver Russell Gage was lost for the season with a right knee injury in camp. Gage, who had a career-high five touchdowns with Tampa Bay in 2022, was expected to be the No. 3 wide receiver behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.Geno Smith came into last season a bit of a mystery, eight years removed from his last chance at being a full-time starter. Brock Purdy was a complete unknown as the final pick in the draft fortunate to just solidify a roster spot as a rookie.The two untested quarterbacks played a big part in helping their teams make the playoffs in 2022 with Smith earning Pro Bowl honors after lifting Seattle into the postseason and Purdy winning his first seven starts to get San Francisco to the NFC championship game. How those two quarterbacks follow up those seasons will go a long way in determining whether the Seahawks or 49ers get top billing in the NFC West. “We’re not worried about Brock,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Brock’s the real deal. He knows how to play and we just have to have our team keep getting better and we’ll keep getting better as we go.” With the Los Angeles Rams undergoing a youth movement as they re-set the roster following years of going all-in and the Arizona Cardinals appear to be in the midst of a full rebuild under a new regime of GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon, the 49ers and Seahawks appear to be the class of the NFC West for a second straight season.The Niners won the division and knocked out their rivals in the wild-card round last season with Purdy outplaying Smith and getting much more help. Purdy was outstanding as a rookie after being drafted last overall in 2022. He stepped into the lineup after Jimmy Garoppolo got hurt in December. He led the Niners to a win in relief in his first outing and then seven more in a row before hurting his elbow in the NFC title game loss at Philadelphia. Purdy underwent offseason surgery, but is back at full strength with one of the league’s most talented rosters in support. But if he can’t come close to matching his performance from last season, the Niners could fall short in the regular-season race against an improved Seahawks squad.Seattle fortified the defensive line, brought back star linebacker Bobby Wagner for a second stint and should be better in the secondary with a healthy Jamal Adams and rookie Devon Witherspoon. The offense added a key piece in rookie slot receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But the key will be if Smith can build on last year’s performance when he threw 30 TD passes after starting just five games the nine previous seasons. “We’ve got to put the work in,” Smith said. “We got a lot of great guys. We’ve got a lot of great players. But we have to prove it.”The Seahawks went into the offseason needing to improve a defense that was the team’s weak spot last season and went into their past to do just that.Wagner, a key part of the Super Bowl-winning defense a decade ago, returned to Seattle following a one-year stint with the Rams and should provide a needed boost at middle linebacker. With cornerback Riq Woolen looking to build on a strong rookie campaign, Adams returning after going down with a season-ending injury in the opener last year and a few key additions on the defensive line, Seattle should be in a better spot to slow down San Francisco after allowing 41 points in the playoff loss to the Niners. Dominant defense: While the biggest question about the 49ers maybe whether Purdy can back up his remarkable rookie season, there are a few questions about a defense that was the stingiest in the league last season. Coordinator DeMeco Ryans parlayed that success into a head coaching job in Houston and San Francisco hired Steve Wilks to take his spot. Wilks is keeping the structure of the defense in place, but whether he will be able to match the success of Ryans remains to be seen.San Francisco fortified the interior of the defensive line with free agent Javon Hargrave, but is thinner on the edge and still dealing with a holdout from Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa.The Rams still have some of the key pieces that helped them win the Super Bowl just over 18 months ago with quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive star Aaron Donald, receiver Cooper Kupp and coach Sean McVay looking to bounce back from last season’s injury-plagued 5-12 campaign. Most of the rest of the roster is filled with rookies and other unproven players in what GM Les Snead has called a remodel instead of a rebuild, making it difficult for Los Angeles to be able to contend even in a watered-down conference.The Cardinals are in a tough spot entering their first season under coach Jonathan Gannon with a depleted roster that will be missing star QB Kyler Murray for at least the start of the season.Murray went down with a season-ending knee injury late last season and the timing of his return remains uncertain. Arizona also traded away star receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defensive lineman J.J. Watt retired and is in rebuild mode under a new regime. With an extra first-round draft pick next season, Arizona could be in good shape down the line, but should be in for a difficult 2023 season.
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