ESPN just had throughout the week their ultimate rankings compiled from all of their analysts and reporters to make one master list. This inspired me to create one of my own and I will put where ESPN had them and maybe a sentence or two about why they landed there.
From worst to first:
Me ESPN
32 31 Bills: Their offense is one of the worst in the league and their division only got tougher with the additions to the Jets and Dolphins not to mention the Patriots.
31 32 Rams: Bradford is injury prone on a team with a bad O-line and bad receivers. They also played terrible defense. The only bright spot is Jackson who played well last year with no help.
30 30 Buccaneers: This team is in rebuilding mode. I look at their team and see a bunch of solid average players but are lacking someone who makes big plays on offense and defense.
29 27 Chiefs: I will believe that they will be competitive all year but their defense will let them down or appear to give up in the middle of games.
28 29 Browns: The Browns were terrible in the beginning of last season but towards the end they were getting some things right. I think they will continue this but have a competitive schedule that will hold them back
27 24 Seahawks: The the Hawks will go backwards from last season. They will need to begin the rebuilding process starting with saying goodbye to Hasselbeck.
26 25 Raiders: They will probably win something between 4-7 games next season, but you just can't expect them to do well after the last few years of being awful. Campbell will help them more than Russell
25 26 Jaguars: They will win some big games but this has to many holes in their roster to be consistent. They will also have to play the Colts, Texans, and Titans all twice.
24 20 Panthers: They would be higher on my list if this was a month ago, but since Steve Smith broke his arm and may not be 100% at the start of the year really limits their passing attack and lost Peppers
23 21 Cardinals: Losing a HOF QB and Pro Bowl receiver will hurt the offense and a team that already struggled to get the run game started last year.
22 23 Broncos: McDaniels will be regretting getting rid of Marshall next year since he single handedly won 2 or 3 games last year for him.
21 28 Lions: I am a believer the Suh will have a huge impact for the Lions D and the team has a very young offense that was pretty solid last year and that will only get better with more experience.
20 22 Bears: Peppers and Urlacher healthy will help the defense plus Cutler will have more time to get fitted into the offense. I can see TO coming to this team and playing a solid season for the Bears
19 18 Redskins: McNabb will help them this season but it won't be enough in one of the most competitive divisions in the league.
18 14 Giants: Towards the end of last year their D wasn't playing very well and they couldn't get anything going on with Jacobs in the running game. I think they will probably tie the Redskins in record.
17 17 49ers: The team was hot and played great D most of the year, however I don't know if they can repeat it this year. I think that they play in the weakest division and will be the best of the bunch.
16 13 Bengals: I think they are similar to the 49ers in that their D played very well but I'm not convinced they can do it again. Also Benson in legal trouble again could face suspension.
15 12 Texans: Their offense was one of the best in the league last year but they will be in a competitive division that will hurt their record and will keep them out of the playoffs.
14 19 Titans: Chris Johnson is a beast and is going to tear up the league again. The Titans were the coldest team at the start of last year and ended it the hottest. I believe they will keep the heat up.
13 16 Steelers: Polamalu will be back to man the defense and they will be tough to score against bringing in key veterans who helped on the SuperBowl runs. Big Ben's suspension will hold them back from being a top team this season.
12 11 Dolphins: Henne will continue to grow with the addition of Marshall but it won't be enough to keep up with the Patriots and Jets
11 8 Chargers: Will not be as good with Jackson in the passing game. Malcom Floyd is not a #1 receiver and the offense could struggle. Weak division will help them win games and make the playoffs.
10 10 Falcons: Ryan is going to be a great QB for years to come and help the Falcons make a push to be the best in the NFC south.
9 15 Eagles: Kolb had no trouble slinging the ball around when he started two games last season. They have to many offensive weapons not to be good next season in addition to their solid defense.
8 3 Vikings: All signs point that Favre will be coming back to play. He had one of his best seasons last year, however I don't think he can do it twice. I believe their D and run game will win a bunch of games but that Favre will throw more interceptions that touchdowns and this will be his last year.
7 4 Jets: Best team on paper going into the year, but I think there will be issues. They lost Alan Faneca on the O-line and Sanchez has yet to prove that when they need the passing game to win that he can do it.
6 9 Patriots: They will be coming back with a very solid team next season with a young defense from last year that will only improve.
5 2 Cowboys: Romo comes in with a stacked team this season but will have trouble with their aging defense that will cost them some games.
4 6 Packers: Will be the highest scoring offense this season. They have a young offense that will get better and Aaron Rodgers will be in MVP talks this season.
3 7 Ravens: Are the same as the Jets except their D is a little better and they have a QB that has won games with his arm. As a Steeler fan I think this season the Ravens are going to be hard to beat.
2 5 Saints: The SuperBowl champs are not number one for two reasons. #1 Brees will be on the Madden cover this season and #2 The NFC South champions hasn't been the same team back to back in years.
1 1 Colts: They are number one because they are year in and year out the most consistent team in the NFL. They have won the more games than any other team the last ten years averaging over 11 wins a year. They had a shot at perfection last year until the coach decided to play it safe and bench the starters. They didn't lose any key players in the off season and will be in the top teams again this season.
Let me know what you think and what you would change.
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