-Originally published 9/10/20-
All 32 NFL teams have storylines and are worth a look this season, but teams should are guaranteed to be entertaining? Here are eight teams that should be watched this season every time you throw on the teleison.
Cleveland Browns
The buzz around Cleveland last offseason was met promptly with a 43-13 blowout to Marcus Mariota and the Titans in the 2019 opener and 2-6 record by the halfway point in the season. This team should be better. Another first –time head coach in Kevin Stefanski should give pause, but he’s more competent than Freddie Kitchens. The offensive weapons are still impressive. Odell Beckham Jr (74 REC, 1035 YDS, 4 TDS) should rebound from a mediocre performance last season and rejoins Jarvis Landry (83 REC, 1174 YDS, 6 TDS). Austin Hooper was added to the arsenal and David Njoku pulled his trade request and recommitted to the team after assurances that both tight ends would be used in the offense. Njoke spent most of last season on IR but flashed talent in 2018. Kareem Hunt was suspend the first 4 games of last season and will have the chance to play a full 16 completing Nick Chubb in the backfield or possibly lining up at receiver. The Browns must have paid attention to the Titans in Week 1 last season as the offensive line cleared giant lanes for NFL leading rushing Derrick Henry. They snapped up Jack Conklin off the Titans offensive line to shore up one of the few weak spots on offense and path the way for the Chubb (1494 YDS, 8 TDS) the #2 rusher last season. Baker Mayfield should rebound and low key free agent signee Case Keenum provides a reliable backup should Mayfield have troubles.
The defense returns Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams in a young, exciting secondary and a D-line that includes the brutal group of Myles Garret (10 sacks in 10 games), Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernon and Larry Ogunjobi. This team should pressure opposing quarterbacks and light it up on offense with a plethora of offensive weapons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Tom should be an absolute firework show. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are probably the best wide out duos in the NFL although the receiver depth drops off after that. Multiple tight ends with be deployed and the depth provided by Rob Gronkowski, OJ Howard and Cameron Brate will give Brady plenty of options. The Bucs will deploy two tight end sets to complement Brady’s style often. The running back room is now crowded with Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy, and rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn all looking for carries. Ronald Jones and LeSean McCoy have been designed roles to start the season, but Leonard Fournette will certain have a role moving forward.
What’ll be the real key to a super bowl run will be the defense. Completely overshadowed by the 41 turnovers the offense committed last season, including the human interception machine Jameis Winston, the defense was tops in the NFL in stopping the run and fielded Shaquill Barret who led the league with 19.5 sacks last season. Veterans Jason Perre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh are both productive and return to anchor the front seven. The secondary led by CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (41 TKS, 1 SACK, 3 INT, FF) has young pieces with potential.
They play 5 on national television this season, so you’ll get to see plenty of Bucs ball whether you like it or not.
Arizona Cardinals
Year 2 of the Kingsbury/Murry college offense-to-pro experiment will be tested in one of the best divisions in football. The defense was worst in the league last season and shouldn’t be expected to make monuments leaps, but that’s not the main reason to watch. Kyler Murry is one of the more eclectic quarterbacks in the NFL with his ability to scramble and keep plays alive. The biggest move in the offseason brought DeAndre Hopkins to the desert as a legit #1 receiver. The offense will be going four or five wideouts most of the time with Christina Kirk (68 REC, 709 YDS, 3 TDS), Larry Fitzgerald (75 REC, 804 YDS, 4 TDS), and hopefully Andy Isabella as the other key receivers. Isabella is a speed demon that was underutilized in his rookie season where he only recorded 9 receptions and never played more than 39% of the team’s snaps, per Football Focus. He was should be opened up to run downfield more this season. Out of the backfield Kenyan Drake earned the role as the lead back and has shown to be a pass catching threat.
The defense has a few players in place LB Chandler Jones (48 TKS, 19 SACK, 8 FF), FS Budda Baker (134 TKS, .5 SACK, 1 FF), LB De’Vondre Campbell (2 SACK, 2 INT, 3 FF), CB Patrick Peterson (52 TKS, 1 SACK, 2 INT, 1 FF), DT Jordan Phillips (25 TKS, 9.5 SACK, 1 FF) and rookie LB Isiah Lawrence.
The Cards want to pass and will have to pass to stay in games. Divisional opponents include the stacked San Francisco 49ers, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, and a Rams team that was had one of the most potent passing attacks in the league last in 2019 and is a threat to replicate production in 2020. This is probably not a playoff team in 2020, but they should have a chance until late in the season. Consider 2020 a preview for what’s to come.
Baltimore Ravens
Any NFL fan should when two teams are playing each week, the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. Lamar Jackson can’t possibly put together another MVP season like 2019….can he? The Ravens pulled one of the easiest schedules in the NFL despite playing a feisty division with the Steelers, Browns, and Bengals all with potential to be dangerous this season, they could very well will 12, 13+ games again thanks to the continuity in the roster during Covid and the offseason additions. Rookie JK Dokkins will flank Ingram in the back-breaking running game, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown current has a clean bill of health and has potential to be one of the most explosive receivers in the game, and Mark Andrews is set to move into George Kittle, Travce Kelce, and Zach Ertz territory and one of the best tightends in the league. Andrews was effective last season (64 REC, 852 YDS, 10 TDS) despite only playing less than 50% of snaps.
It should be the most exciting Ravens defense since Ray Lewis and Ed Reed during the 2000s.
The defense added Calais Campell (55 TKS, 6.5 SACK, 2 FF), Derek Wolfe (33 TKS, 7 SACK, 1 FF) and rookie Patrick Queen to a defense that already has studs CB Marucs Peters (51 TKS, 5 INT) , CB Marlon Humphrey (62 TKS, 3 INT, 2 FF) and LB Matt Judon (50 TKS, 9.5 SACK, 4 FF). It should be the most exciting Ravens defense since Ray Lewis and Ed Reed during the 2000s. The only disappointment with this team will be that the starters will get pulled after three quarters in most games this season.
Kansas City
The Chiefs locked up Patrick Maholmes, Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach to long team deals in the offseason, setting this team up to contend for Super Bowls for the 2020’s. The receivers are loaded with Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman (seven 30+ yard plays last season) and Demarcus Robinson. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be in a position to flourish. The defense is underrated and returns nearly all its players. They can pressure opposing offenses and were one of the best defenses at preventing big plays last season. Watching Maholmes slice defenses is always an awesome sight and Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman are two of the fastest receivers in the NFL. The Chiefs are lined up for multiple Super Bowls and should be entertaining to watch every week.
Miami Dolphins
Bryan Flores pulled everything he could out of the ‘Fins roster last season and managed 5 wins for a team that was projected by many to go winless. 2020 will start with the volatile but always interesting Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and eventually give way to the star of the show, Tua Tagovailoa. Picked apart because of his injury, supporting cast at Alabama, and possible difficult reading defenses at times, Tua still has the ability to be a start. Despite multiple opt-outs at receiver, top options DeVante Parker (72 REC, 1202 YDS, 9 TDS), sophomore Preston Williams (32 REC, 428 YDS, 3 TDS), and tight endMike Gesicki (51 REC, 570 YDS, 5 TDS) are all key pieces to the rebuild. Free agents signees Jordan Howard (525 YDS, 6 TDS-10 Games) and Matt Breida (743 TOT/YDS, 2 TOT/TDS) will partner to form the new backfield. The offensive line was historically woeful last season and can’t possibly be worse.
The defense landed CB Byron Jones, DE Shaq Lawson (30 TKS, 6.5 SACK, 1 FF), DE Emmanuel Ogbah (30 TKS, 5.5 SACK, 1 FF) and LB Kyle Van Noy (47 TKS, 6.5 SACK, 3 FF) from Patriot land to nail down a defense that had a horrible coverage rate in 2019 and is rebuilding through the draft. The Dolphins won’t be exciting to watch if they lose, but managing 5 wins with no expectations last season was shocking. This squad should be in most games and be able to compete in years to come.
Cincinnati Bengals
Rookie Joe Burrow is walking into an offense that’s a powder keg of weapons. The Bengals are a dark horse playoff teams but should be entertaining even if they can’t push out the wins yet. If the receiving core of AJ Green, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd (90 REC, 1046, 5 TD), Auden Tate (40 REC, 575 YDS, 1 TD), Alex Erickson (43 REC, 529 YDS) and John Ross (28 REC, 506 YDS, 3 TDS-8 Games) manage to get even close to their potential, the offense will be one of the best in the league. Burrow(5,671 YDS, 60 TDS, 6 INTs, 76.3% Comp-LSU) smashed records at LSU last season and has looked lock in per training camp reports. Joe Mixon still ran for over 1,000 yards behind a bad offensive line. The defense will have to be more productive and force more turnovers. If the team falls behind, the offense will just have more time to cook. This squad should be entertaining to watch every week even if the defense doesn’t get the rebuilt it needs until next season.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have one of the top rosters in the NFL, yet questions remain…and it’ll make for an entertaining season. Mike McCarthy is an upgrade at head coach, but questions linger over why he couldn’t have more success with Aaron Rogers in Green Bay. The weakest links on offense are arguably Dak Prescott or tightend. Blake Jarwin(31 REC, 365 YDS 3 TDS) is set to take the starting spot at tightend with Jason Witten moving on and is a potential breakout candidate. Ezekiel Elliot(1357 YDS, 12 TDS) is still one of the best backs in the league and Tony Pollard is a reliable backup. The receiving group of Amari Cooper(79 REC, 1189 YDS, 8 TDS), Michael Gallup(66 REC, 1107 YDS, 6 TDS), and rookie CeeDee Lamb are one of the best units in the NFL. The offensive line is aging but still one of the best in the league. The defense was top-10 last season but needs to turn the ball over more. The front seven fields standout DE Demarcus Lawrence (44 TKS, 5 SACK), MLB Jaylon Smith(139 TKS, 2.5 SACK, 1 INT), DE Robert Quinn (11.5 SACKS), and Dontari Poe (22 TKS, 4 SACK). The secondary is suspect and might be the only soft spot on the roster. The Cowboys should put up tons of points; the question will be if they can make the plays when it matters.
Honorable Mentions:
Indianapolis Colts – Philip Rivers under center on a great roster, could be a darkhorse Super Bowl contender.
Pittsburg Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger returns from injury with a group of young receivers and one of the best defenses in the league. How good with Ben be? How sound is the receiving core?
New England Patriots – Cam Newton and Bill Belichick will be an entertaining experiment for a few games, but the roster has been torn apart and will struggle to be competitive.
Carolina Panthers – The roster is rebuilding and didn’t have a preseason to try everything out. Could be entertaining with new coach/QB/roster overhaul, could be a lot of losing.