We’ve had the NFL Draft. We’ve had league-changing suspensions. We’ve started OTAs. We’ve lost players to season ending injuries. Where do we stand in the Power Rankings here a good three months before the season starts?
1. Dallas Cowboys – 2014: 12-4 – The Cowboys still may not be set at running back after letting DeMarco Murray walk, but there are guys still out there in free agency that can help them in that regard, adding some insurance for oft-injured Darren McFadden. Will the Cowboys be the team that takes the chance on signing Ray Rice? At this point, why not?. Last year: Lost 26-21 to Green Bay in the NFC Divisional Round
2. Seattle Seahawks – 2014: 12-4 – The Seahawks will start the season with their defensive backfield intact after Kam Chancellor made it clear at OTAs he’ll miss no time after his offseason knee surgery. Russell Wilson will have a new offensive weapon in tight end Jimmy Graham. And Marshawn Lynch is still Marshawn Lynch. If anything, the Seahawks should be more dangerous after learning what getting cute with the play calling can cost you. Last year: Lost 28-24 to New England in the Super Bowl
3. Green Bay Packers – 2014: 12-4 – Cowardly play calling cost Green Bay another trip to the Super Bowl. This year head coach Mike McCarthy has turned over play calling to offensive coordinator Tom Clements. It’s the most important, league-changing event of the offseason. Last year: Lost 28-22 to Seattle in the NFC Championship
4. Baltimore Ravens – 2014: 10-6 – If there was any competitive advantage to the Patriots’ deflated footballs, the Ravens were the real victim in 2014. They’ll not have to worry about that this year. Joe Flacco is the best postseason quarterback of his generation. Maybe this year he can work the same magic in the regular season. Last year: Lost 35-31 to New England in the AFC Divisional Round
5. New England Patriots – 2014: 12-4 – The Deflators show up on the list at five. If Brady was playing in the first four games they’d obviously be higher, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them come out of those first four games 2-2, because it would be so disappointing. Last year: Won Super Bowl 28-24 over Seattle
6. Indianapolis Colts – 2014: 11-5 – Making the jump from AFC Champion runner-up to the Super Bowl is one of the toughest moves in sports and sometimes it takes teams years to do it. The Colts will be better in 2015, but how much better? Last year: Lost 45-7 to New England in the AFC Championship
7. Pittsburgh Steelers – 2014: 11-5 – The Steelers have will have a completely new defense under first-year defensive coordinator Keith Butler. They’re still deadly on offense and while they’ll be without Le’Veon Bell for a game, they’ll have him for the next 15. Last year: Lost 30-17 to Baltimore in the AFC Wild Card Round
8. Denver Broncos – 2014: 12-4 – The Peyton Manning farewell tour will be a tough one with a new head coach, Gary Kubiak, and a new offensive coordinator, Rick Dennison. The rest of the AFC has gotten better. I don’t know if the Broncos can say the same, especially after losing starting left tackle Ryan Clady to a season ending knee injury. Last year: Lost 24-13 to Indianapolis in the AFC Divisional Round
9. Arizona Cardinals – 2014: 11-5 – The Cards can’t to go to their No. 3 or No. 4 quarterback again this season as they did nothing to address that in the draft. They have two quality guys at one and two with Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton and will probably not have that same bad luck again. They hope. Last year: Lost 27-16 to Carolina in the NFC Wild Card Round
10. San Diego Chargers – 2014: 9-7 – The Chargers emerged early last year and looked like the best team in the AFC. The conference, and especially the AFC West, is there for the taking and with the offensive upgrades they added, the Chargers could run away with it. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
11. Detroit Lions – 2014: 11-5 – The Lions have added some stop-gaps to help, but there will be some gaping holes on their defensive line, not to mention the rest of their defense. Last year: Lost 24-20 to Dallas in the NFC Wild Card Round
12. Buffalo Bills – 2014: 9-7 – Rex Ryan was an odd hire for the Bills, but he’s instantly loaded the team up at every position and even added a real quarterback in Matt Cassel. LeSean McCoy and Percy Harvin are both huge offensive upgrades and as long as the Bills can still play defense, they’ll be contenders down to the wire. Last year: Did not make playoffs
13. Houston Texans – 2014: 9-7 – The Texans brought back Ryan Mallett and added Bryan Hoyer to an offense that only needed a half-way decent quarterback to make the playoffs last year. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
14. Miami Dolphins – 2014: 8-8 – Joe Philbin is in a make-or-break season, but he should be fine. The Dolphins come into 2015 loaded on offense and defense with draft picks that should contribute right away and the biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason on the defensive line in Ndamukong Suh. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
15. Atlanta Falcons – 2014: 6-10 – Dan Quinn walks into a dream situation in Atlanta with an offense loaded with franchise talent. He just has to build a defense to go along with it. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
16. St. Louis Rams – 2014: 6-10 – The Rams would have contended for a playoff spot last year with a real quarterback and now they just might have two. With the addition of the most dynamic offensive weapon in the draft and what should be one of the best defenses in football, there are no excuses this season. Enjoy them while you can, St. Louis. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
17. New York Giants – 2014: 6-10 – The Giants offense was spectacular last season. Its defense was a disaster. The return of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could change all that. The last time head coach Tom Coughlin and Spagnuolo were together the Giants won a Super Bowl. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
18. Philadelphia Eagles – 2014: 10-6 – No team has been more active this offseason than the Eagles. Team-changing trades and free agent signings have altered the entire complexion of the team. Chip Kelly will have to prove he knows what he’s doing on the field. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
19. Cincinnati Bengals – 2014: 10-5-1 – The Bengals are in an odd situation. They’ve consistently made the playoffs and consistently failed once they’re in there. Andy Dalton is not the kind of quarterback that can move this team through the postseason on his own and Cincinnati seems content to keep it that way, passing on every potential quarterback in the draft. They’ll regret it. The window is closing in the AFC North. Last year: Lost 26-10 to Indianapolis in the AFC Wild Card Round
20. Carolina Panthers – 2014: 7-8-1 – The Panthers needed upgrades at plenty of positions to improve their team and made almost no moves to address them in the draft or free agency. It’s a shame because they’re wasting key years in Cam Newton’s career. Last year: Lost 31-17 to Seattle in the NFC Divisional Round
21. Kansas City Chiefs – 2014: 9-7 – The Chiefs got some good news last week with the possibility that safety Eric Berry could return this season. They still have plenty of problems on offense and need to work the free agent phones to fix it. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
22. New Orleans Saints -2014: 7-9 – The Saints spent most of the offseason trading away some of their best players. They should be healthier and better on defense, but the offense took a major hit when they traded away Jimmy Graham. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
22. Minnesota Vikings – 2014: 7-9 – Finishing near .500 last year was a real achievement for a team starting a rookie quarterback and dealing with a crazy off-the-field distraction and the suspension of its best player. If they can get Adrian Peterson back in the fold for at least one more year, the Vikings could be scary. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
23. Chicago Bears – 2014: 5-11 – The Bears made the call to stick with Jay Cutler and then promptly traded away his favorite offensive target. They made up for it by drafting Kevin White, so Cutler will have a real opportunity to make his last stand in Chicago. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
24. New York Jets – 2014: 4-12 – The quarterback battle between Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick shouldn’t excite anybody, but bringing back Derrelle Revis on defense should excite everybody. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
25. Cleveland Browns – 2014: 7-9 – As long as Johnny Manziel keeps it together, there’s real reason for hope in Cleveland this year. The offensive additions make sense, but they could still use some help at running back. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
26. Jacksonville Jaguars – 2014: 3-13 – Until Dante Fowler Jr. went down, there was some real excitement in Jacksonville. The team opened up its wallet and treated this offseason they way I would if I were running the team on Madden. The Jags should be way better this season, but it probably still won’t result in more than six wins. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
27. Oakland Raiders – 2014: 3-13 – It’s been a long time since the Raiders had a winning season and while they’ve improved in every area of their team, that won’t change. They’ll be a lot better and might flirt with .500, but their division is too good for them to bust through this season. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
28. Tennessee Titans – 2014: 2-14 – The Titans finally have their quarterback and that can turn everything around. They’ve made solid moves to improve their defense and added playmakers on offense. The Titans might top out at 8-8 this year, but the future will be bright. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2014: 2-14 – The beauty of the last collective bargaining agreement between the league and players is drafting a quarterback high no longer has to cripple your team’s salary cap for years to come. It’s a good thing for the Bucs, because Jameis Winston could be either a franchise savior or a franchise killer. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
31. Washington Redskins – 2014: 4-12 – The Redskins are in complete make-or-break mode with their quarterback, Robert Griffin III, and their head coach, Jay Gruden. I don’t have any real hope for either guy. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
32. San Francisco 49ers – 2014: 8-8 – This offseason has been a total disaster. They assembled the worst coaching staff in the NFL and let two of their best offensive players go in free agency. On defense, they’ve lost the best player on their team to retirement along with the guy they drafted to replace him. Their draft was mediocre and quarterback Colin Kaepernick spent last week making fun of Texas flood victims. Last year: Did not make the playoffs
