It’s almost here! The crisp autumn air, the smell of pumpkin-based coffee drinks, the snapping of twigs underf—oh sorry, that was just Tony Romo’s back.
Anyway, summer’s almost over and that means football starts fresh—everyone’s 0-0 and anything is possible. So let’s look on the bright side with 32 best-case-scenario predictions for the 2016 NFL season, one for each club.
Sure, they may be dashed by February—football is a cruel game, after all—but the teams that end up playing in the Super Bowl will likely have these dreams come true.
Arizona Cardinals: If Tyrann Mathieu returns at 100 percent from his ACL injury—which he’s on track to do according to recent reports—he could become the lynchpin of a defence that battles the Broncos, Texans and Seahawks for fewest points allowed. With Mathieu and Patrick Peterson locking things down in the secondary, the defensive line should have ample time to get to the quarterback and new pass rusher Chandler Jones might return to form.
Atlanta Falcons: If Mohamed Sanu proves capable of winning jump balls in the air and beating good corners downfield—everything the ghost of Roddy White couldn’t provide the past two seasons—he can keep defences a bit more honest, creating a bit more room for Julio Jones. That’s a scary thought for opposing teams.
Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore could be in for a tough season, but what they really hope falls into place is an offensive pecking order. If Kamar Aiken and Kenneth Dixon (when he returns from injury in late September) can seize the No. 1 receiver and running back jobs, respectively, it would certainly help the Ravens get their future in order.
Buffalo Bills: If Tyrod Taylor is the real deal, the Bills might have a playoff-worthy core. Now under contract for the next six seasons, the once-forgotten Virginia Tech pivot could put together a full 16 games and—based on an extrapolation of his 2015 stat line—post 4,000 passing yards, 600 rushing yards and more than 30 combined TDs.
Carolina Panthers: If Kony Ealy plays like the near-Super Bowl MVP we saw in February, the Panthers will be terrifying. With perhaps the NFL’s best linebacker duo to support him and teammates who all demand attention from the opponent, Ealy could spend an entire season embarrassing would-be blockers.
Chicago Bears: Both Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White’s legs must remain in good working order for 16 games. It’s been almost three years now since the Bears had a dynamic duo of playmaking receivers. The Bears might have problems elsewhere on the field, but these two balling out for a full season would ease much of the faithful’s pain.
Cincinnati Bengals: Cincy badly needs a return-to-form from Jeremy Hill to reignite the grind-it-out run game they moved away from last year. Without Sanu and Marvin Jones, and with Tyler Eifert still recovering from injury, Andy Dalton could really use fewer pass plays called.
Cleveland Browns: Ohhhh, yeah. This is the year. A revitalized RGIII opens the season throwing bombs to Corey Coleman and Terrelle Pryor before Josh Gordon’s Week 5 return pushes this explosive offence into the upper echelon.
Dallas Cowboys: In the same way that Tony Romo came from relative obscurity to lead the Cowboys for more than a decade, Dak Prescott walks onto the field in Week 1 and proves he’s the Next Big Thing. When Romo’s back eventually heals, he finds himself Bledsoe-d as Prescott takes the team to an NFC Division title.
Denver Broncos: Peyton who? Trevor Siemian doesn’t have to set the world on fire. All he has to do is find the safest open man and he’ll give Demaryius Thomas room to rack up yards after the catch. The Broncos’ offence might actually improve without Peyton.
Detroit Lions: Ameer Abdullah was supposed to be the Lions’ rookie running back sensation last season. That didn’t work, but he’s looked solid in training camp and the preseason, and just may be a year late arriving on the scene. With a receiving corps that’s missing one Megatron, Abdullah could be the shot in the arm the offence needs.
Green Bay Packers: Jared Cook has “caught everything” in practice, according to reports, and the new tight end blazed past linebackers in coverage during his preseason appearance. It’s been a while since Aaron Rodgers had an athletic playmaker at the position, and with Jordy Nelson back, this passing attack might be as special as they come.
Houston Texans: If Brock Osweiler is reasonably competent, that should be all the Texans need to get the ball into the hands of their outstanding playmakers—from Lamar Miller and DeAndre Hopkins to the rookies, emerging deep threat Will Fuller and slot man Braxton Miller.
Indianapolis Colts: Last year was an aberration and Andrew Luck really is an MVP-level quarterback. Assuming that’s true, the rest of the Colts’ problems—their inconsistent O-line, suspect linebacking corps and lack of running back depth—take care of themselves.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Julius Thomas was mediocre and injured in his first season in Jacksonville. If he can stay healthy and continue to build on his developing rapport with Blake Bortles, the Jags will have one of the NFL’s best contingents of true red-zone weapons.
Kansas City Chiefs: If Alex Smith can finally realize he’s allowed to take shots downfield, Chris Conley could give the Chiefs an option in the passing game that they’ve long missed. Conley can fly. If he gets a chance to blow by defenders, he’ll net yardage in chunks.
Los Angeles Rams: Their No. 1-overall pick may be a healthy scratch to start the season, but their 13th-overall pick from 2014 might just be the NFL’s best defensive player. Aaron Donald was leaps and bounds above any other tackle last season as well as runner-up for the DPOY award. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him dethrone JJ Watt.
Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill’s deep ball, said to be much improved during training camp, finally opens up the Dolphins’ playbook. Tannehill’s effectiveness has thus far been confined to short and medium distances, which is a shame because in 2016 Miami has two excellent deep threats in Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker. If Adam Gase can take advantage of them, the Fins could put up enough points to maybe make a run at the Patriots.
Minnesota Vikings: Ummm, Sam Bradford turns out to be an OK game manager? Adrian Peterson turns in one more vintage season? The defence is still pretty good? Any positive is going to seem condescending to fans still hurting from Teddy Bridgewater’s devastating injury. So we’ll push this one to 2017: Teddy Bridgewater comes back 100 percent and reclaims his starting job with a vengeance.
New England Patriots: Receiver Chris Hogan has seemingly earned Tom Brady’s full trust this preseason and should be a big part of the Patriots’ offence. Brady made due with little more than Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. Having those two plus Hogan and Martellus Bennett could see him suddenly rich with options.
New Orleans Saints: He might be slightly past his best-before date, but it’s been a while since the Saints had a true general on defence and James Laurinaitis fits that description perfectly. If he can lead by example while grooming Stephone Anthony as his successor, the Saints’ longstanding joke of a defence (dead last in points allowed in 2015) may finally be on the road to recovery.
New York Giants: If Victor Cruz really is close to full health, and rookie Sterling Shepherd really is ready to roll, then Odell Beckham Jr. should have a smile a mile wide. For the first couple years of Beckham’s career his running mate was Rueben Randle, whose effort level was so low he was cut by his newest team, the Eagles, in August. Two receivers eager to prove themselves next to OBJ could be a nightmare for opposing defences.
New York Jets: If Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Ryan Fitzpatrick and new running back Matt Forte can all stay at a relatively high level as they age, this has the potential to be the best Jets’ offence we’ve seen in quite some time.
Oakland Raiders: After a good, long time in the wilderness, Oakland could make a big leap this year. Perhaps the biggest addition is simply time. The trio of Derek Carr, Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper are all entering their second or third seasons and you could argue that any of them could finish in the top five at their positions by year’s end.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are all-in on No. 2-overall pick Carson Wentz, who demonstrated enough in the preseason to convince the team to let him take his lumps. If the raw talent hadn’t been there from the jump, he wouldn’t be under centre, so this is a very positive sign.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers spent their first two picks in the 2016 draft on their secondary, taking cornerback Artie Burns and safety Sean Davis. If those two can develop into competent starters it would go a long way to shoring up a pass defence that was 30th in the NFL last season.
San Diego Chargers: Some semblance of stability on the defensive side would really help the Chargers. If Joey Bosa, despite missing training camp, can do that then great—and he’ll have help. Melvin Ingram, Manti Te’o and Denzel Perryman look like a linebacking trio that could last for years. If Bosa can shore up the line, the Chargers could be in good shape for the future.
San Francisco 49ers: If Blaine Gabbert can rediscover his—nope, sorry. Can’t do that. If Carlos Hyde can put together a full—oh, he’s been concussed already. Alright fine, here’s something positive: The 49ers didn’t release Colin Kaepernick, who is more than just a young man of solid convictions and the courage to stand for them—he’s also the best QB on their roster. Sorry, Blaine.
Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson was the best quarterback in the NFL down the stretch last season. As his most explosive weapon, Tyler Lockett, matures, the sky could be the limit for this offence, which already turned Doug Baldwin into a top-20 receiver in 2015.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Here’s the Bucs recipe for 2016 success: Recapture whatever Jameis Winston and Mike Evans had going in the last eight games of 2015. Evans struggled with drops at times and only recorded three touchdowns, but he had at least eight catches in four of the team’s final eight games. he and Winston seemed to fully be on the same page. If that continues, their numbers could go through the roof.
Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota looked excellent in the preseason and rookie Tajae Sharpe seemed ready to step in as a No. 1 receiver. Meanwhile, both the Titans’ big offseason acquisition (DeMarco Murray) and sexiest rookie draft pick (Derrick Henry) demolished opposing defences under Mike Mularkey’s so-called “exotic smashmouth” scheme. Tennessee finished 30th in total offensive yards last season. That looks set to change in a hurry.
Washington Redskins: When nominal starting RB Matt Jones went down with a bad shoulder and then his backup, Keith Marshall, ended up on IR with a bad elbow, undrafted free agent Rob Kelley emerged as the team’s star of the preseason, with 38 carries for 198 yards—earning himself a significant role even with Jones’ expected return. That’s what you call a charmed backfield.