With the 2019 NFL season well underway, it is time to look at which teams are the real deal, and which teams are tanking for the draft. This list changes every year, so there always seems to be surprises.
Let’s start by looking at the usual suspects at the top of the rankings. The New England Patriots are once again off to a hot start, led by the never-retiring Tom Brady. This team is loaded with offensive weapons that Brady can easily use at his disposal, and the Pats even have a great defense this year. One reporter even went on to say that it was one of the best New England defenses that he had ever seen. This Patriots team knows how to get it done in the regular season and postseason. Let’s see if they make it to February. Another great team is the Kansas City Chiefs who can never be counted out while Patrick Mahomes is at quarterback. The raining MVP is absolutely fantastic in leading his team; therefore you should expect the Chiefs to make it deep into the playoffs once again. Over to the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks seem like SuperBowl contenders once again with Russell Wilson having an MVP caliber season. They are already 2-0 in their division, and could end up taking the division from the Rams. The Seahawks could be another team that makes it deep into the playoffs this season.
We can’t talk about the SuperBowl contenders without also talking about the tankers. For starters, the Miami Dolphins traded away basically everybody of value to the team, and stockpiled on picks and raw talent. Even their first round selection from a year ago was shipped away. Expect Miami to be number 1 or at least near there in the draft position. Another team that has not played well is the Washington Redskins. The Redskins would have Alex Smith at QB this year if he did not suffer a horrible injury to his leg at the end of last season. This led to Dwayne Haskins being selected 15th overall. The team has not played up to expectations this season and their head coach was even fired after Week 5. The Redskins are also expected to have a high draft pick when the time comes. Not every team is great in the NFL, but some teams are expected to perform better than others. It is a long time until February, so we will have to wait and see.