NFC East
1.
Dallas Cowboys
2.
Philadelphia Eagles
3.
Washington Redskins
4.
New York Giants
The Cowboys, coming off a Super Bowl loss to the San Diego Chargers, were very aggressive this off-season. They offered a max contract to LG Trey Smith and WR Rashid Shaheed, in addition to acquiring the likes of SS Justin Reid, HB Rachaad White and speedster WR Xavier Worthy. Shaheed and Worthy have to be the fastest 1-2 combo at WR in the league, and the run game was upgraded with the addition of White. Micah Parsons moves from LE to CB, opposite Trevon Diggs. This is going to be a dominant team.
The Eagles have a lot of talent despite only winning 8 games last year. It's been a quiet off-season for them, only bringing in 3 guys through free agency and did not lose much. They had a good roster to begin with, so the quiet off-season won't hurt them.
The Redskins have had a GM carrousel. Olivier Ratajczak stepped down, only to get hired in Pittsburgh shortly after word. Washington owner Dan Snyder hired Chris Jones, who abruptly quit in the middle of the GGL draft after being criticized by his peers for the selection of RT Ezekiel Sexton in the first round. The peers weren't wrong, and I question if Sexton will even be in the starting lineup at 41 SPD, 87 STR, 54 AWR, 52 AGI, 60 ACC. Rob Stanley has taken over and he seems to have a good grasp on the roster, but will need some time to right the ship.
The Giants stole the 1.3 pick this off-season, then turned around and traded up again to 1.2 to select QB Hunter Leo. He's a good prospect but it will take some time for him to develop. It's been a rather quiet off-season otherwise. Their main goal was moving on from QB Daniel Jones and they accomplished that. I'm sure they will win more than 3 games but they won't be in contention for a while.
NFC North
1.
Green Bay Packers
2.
Chicago Bears
3.
Detroit Lions
4.
Minnesota Vikings
It was a tough decision between the Bears and Packers, but I like the Packers weapons better, mainly Christian Watson. He was under 1,000 yards last year, but at 6'4" 96 SPD, 94 ACC, he certainly has the ability to be a 1,500 yard receiver. Jordan Love is the best QB in the division this year and they have Josh Jacobs to give them a respectable ground game. I think they're the most balanced in the division.
There weren't a ton of moves for Chicago this off-season. They seem confident in building on last year's 8-8 season, and rightfully so. They have talent on both sides of the ball, and Caleb Williams is already 85 AWR & THA after 1 year in the league. They are trending up, but just behind the Packers. Still good enough to make the post-season this year!
The Lions already had Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown and then went out and got Brandon Aiyuk. They have plenty of weapons, but I think their Achilles heal is QB. Jared Goff is age 31 and 86 AWR, 89 THP, and 85 THA. Caleb Williams is already better than him, and Goff's regression will only get worse next season. They could still produce on offense this year, but the window for Goff to lead them anywhere is closing. I think they're better than the 6 wins they had last year, but it is a more competitive division so they may be beating up on each other quite a bit.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy finished last year with 16 TDs and 27 INTs. He's still only 22-years-old, but has plenty of development ahead of him. He's clearly the 4th best QB in the division today. His future is brighter than Goff's, but Goff is better this year without a doubt. There will be some growing pains, it will be a few more seasons before the Vikings make noise.
NFC South
1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2.
Atlanta Falcons
3.
Carolina Panthers
4.
New Orleans Saints
The Buccaneers made it the NFC Championship Game last year, eventually losing to a very difficult Dallas Cowboys team. Like the Cowboys, they went and acquired 2 players via max contract in LT Tyron Smith and RG Samuel Cosmi. I don't know if there was a team making more moves this off-season than them. Sometimes that can haunt a team as there's some risk that you come out on the losing side, but they've got a veteran team that will produce beyond their athletic attributes and will control the division again this year.
After making the playoffs in his rookie season, Michael Penix Jr was shipped to Buffalo in a deal to acquire QB Josh Allen, WR Keon Coleman and FS Cole Bishop. There are 23 new faces in Atlanta this year, one of the most turned over rosters in the league. They have 12 new starters this year, including guys like Odafe Oweh, Justin Madubuike and Adetomiwa Adebawore. Still, the Bucs are the team to beat in the division and one of the top teams in the conference. Atlanta will be better, but I'm projecting they're the top wild card team.
Bryce Young is still developing for the Panthers. He's 83 AWR, 88 THP and 81 THA at age 24. He will keep getting better and should be playing at a high level by 2026. There's some talent on the team but not nearly enough to compare to the Bucs and Falcons. The window for Carolina isn't open yet. I would suggest they start to make a push next off-season.
The Saints have a new GM in Brad Barber. Brad was previously GM of the Pittsburgh Steelers. His first order of business was paying big bucks to HB A.J. Dillon on a $23.1m deal over 3 years. While one GM said that Dillon "suck", I was interested in him as well. 3rd overall pick QB Von Griggs is likely to be the week 1 starter, so it makes sense to prioritize the run game to make life easier for the rookie signal caller.
NFC West
1.
St. Louis Rams
2.
Seattle Seahawks
3.
San Francisco 49ers
4.
Arizona Cardinals
What a splash the Rams made this off-season! While we often throw around the "Blockbuster" phrase, it truly was one, when the Rams traded the 1st overall pick, 3.17, RE Kobie Turner and future 1st and 3rd round picks to San Diego for QB Justin Herbert. Herbert just brought a Lombardi Trophy to San Diego, and his reward for a job well done was to pack his bags. It was a wise move for the Rams. Trading for a 27-year-old 91 AWR, 96 THP, 87 THA QB, you pay whatever it takes to get it done. This trade alone will propel them to the top of the division. They were 9-7 and in 2nd place last year without Herbert.
No big moves for the Seahawks GM Rock Hewko this off-season. They didn't really lose anybody of significant value but didn't bring in much talent either. Following a 6-10 season with some big start on the team, like HB Kenneth Walker III, WR DK Metcalf, and CB Tariq Woolen, they have superstars at important positions, but will be held back by their QB Geno Smith. 83 AWR, 86 THP, 83 THA at age 35 is not going to cut it. I would imagine they go after a QB next season.
San Francisco lost a lot of talent this off-season. They had one of the most talented rosters last year but lost guys like WR Brandon Aiyuk, ROLB Dre Greenlaw, SS Talanoa Hufanga, CB Charvarious Ward, and CB Deommodore Lenoir. They did not do much to replace them. They still have QB Brock Purdy, HB Christian McCaffrey and WR Deebo Samuel, but losing 3/4 of your secondary is rough. They will definitely be thinner and without significant impact players. Despite losing these big names, they have the 7th fewest cap space, so they have some contracts to clean up soon to remain competitive.
Are the Arizona Cardinals rolling with 2nd round QB Kevin Patino as their opening day starter, or will it be Jameis Winston? Patino is 52 AWR compared to Jameis at 65 AWR, but at age 31 there isn't a future for Jameis. If they don't have a chance to compete this year, and I don't think they do, it would be wise to roll with the rookie and take your lumps and build for the future.
NFC Playoff Seedings
1.
Dallas Cowboys
2.
St. Louis Rams
3.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4.
Green Bay Packers
5.
Atlanta Falcons
6.
Chicago Bears
Wild Card Round
over
over
Divisional Round
over
over
Championship Round
over
Baltimore Ravens
NFC Champions
