One of the things NFL fans love about a new season is the surprises. There are teams that are expected to do well, and do…but there are also teams that either exceed our expectations or completely let us down. No matter what the outcome, it’s always interesting to project outcomes then compare it to where they really end up. Here are the top 5 power rankings heading into the 2016-17 NFL season.
5) The New England Patriots
This team is one big “if”. Like any other NFL team, health is a major factor. At the end of last season, the Patriots were missing some major players. Julian Edelman missed the second half of the season and wasn’t the same when he came back. Dion Lewis was a huge part of their starting off strong before being sidelined with a knee injury for the remainder of the season. If the better part of the Patriot’s offense can remain healthy this season, this team certainly has what it takes to win their conference. There is another if though- which is their superstar quarterback Tom Brady’s pending 4-game suspension.
4) Seattle Seahawks
For the past few years, Seattle has had a great upside going into each season because their core group of guys are still really young and talented and that’s still the same today. They have a ton of guys, like Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and more, still in their 20s. Their defense, which has been one of the best defenses in the NFL for the past few seasons, is still expected to be elite this year. Marshawn Lynch did retire, which is a big loss at the running back position, but they did work on a weak spot with their draft picks this year- the tackle position. Germain Ifedi, a tackle from Texas A&M is expected to be a major key in protecting Russell Wilson this season.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers
This is another “if” since most of the Steelers’ best players seem to be plagued with injury year after year. Still, with the offense fully loaded this team has an extremely high ceiling. If Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown all remain healthy, the Steelers could have a longer playoff run than last year.
2) Arizona Cardinals
So, Carson Palmer doesn’t always come through in the playoffs, that’s basically a fact at this point. Still, this team has a roster with so much potential to win. They went 13-3 last year, and could easily do the same again this year. They’ll likely see the return of safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was sidelined with a knee injury. They still have Larry Fitzgerald, their superstar wide receiver, and they worked on their pass rushing in free agency, which was one of their few weak points. Look for this team to have a similar record as last year, but with a deeper playoff run, especially if Palmer comes through in crunch time!
1) Carolina Panthers
So, the Panthers didn’t win the Super Bowl after going 15-1 during the regular season. This should be more than enough to motivate their team to win this year. The Panthers did lose Josh Norman, who was great at the corner back position last year for them, but the return of wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin will likely be a huge factor for them in this upcoming season. Also, if Cam Newton has another season like last year, sky’s the limit for this team.
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