BY GARRETT SAGER
5. Both Super Bowl 50 teams will miss the playoffs
Broncos are a mess and the hype behind the Panthers is premature. Broncos were so lost after Peyton Manning; they actually thought Mark Sanchez was a viable option to help them compete in the AFC. Not only did Sanchez not win the starting quarterback job, but also lost to two guys who have yet to take a snap in an actual NFL game, and then was presumably cut. Denver’s offensive line had a power index, which ranked them 20th in the NFL. Broncos offensive line gave up 39 sacks (13th in 2015), averaged 4.2 yards per rush (15th in 2015), and gave up 103 quarterback hits (10th NFL). The poor offensive line, which protected an aging Manning led an offense that only managed 32 offensive touchdowns which was bottom six in the NFL last season. Now with a new quarterback are they supposed to be better? The addition of Austin Davis at quarterback does nothing. Inexperienced quarterback, no rushing game foreseen in the future, and a lackluster offensive line, the Broncos are not looking like a team ready to compete. Defense can only get you so far, and that’s about six wins. Denver goes 6-10, finishes 3rd in the AFC West and misses playoffs. As for the Panthers, Cam Newton had a great year in 2015, there is no denying that, but no quarterback has ever rushed for 10 or more touchdowns in consecutive years in NFL history as well have never made the playoffs in consecutive years in NFL history. Newton was frequently off target with his wide receivers during the preseason and Jonathan Stewart struggled to get any running room. Panthers defense will keep them in games. They were 6th in the NFL in total yards in 2015, but the absence of Josh Norman will hurt them in the secondary. Charles Tillman, Roman Harper, and Jared Allen also left defensively so the Panther defense will be nowhere close to where it was in 2015. Panthers will go 7-9 and miss the playoffs.
4. Packers will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl
Teddy Bridgewater is now out for the season with a torn ACL, so Green Bay’s schedule got a whole lot easier. Minnesota appeared to be the only true test for Green Bay in the NFC North, but now the Vikings have Sam Bradford as their quarterback so the Packers should have no issues going 6-0 in the NFC North. Outside of their divisional foes, it’s rather tough for Green Bay. Jacksonville is a tough week 1 draw, because the Jags will be no joke this season, but it will still be a win. The Seahawks and Giants are the only losses I am chalking up for the Packers in the regular season. Rodgers has his favorite weapon back in Jordy Nelson, which means Randall Cobb will not have all the attention, setting up a potential breakout year. Eddie Lacy has dropped weight to get ready for the season and the Packers defense still gets two thumbs up. They will go 14-2 and later be in Super Bowl 51.
3. Chargers will go 1-15
Nothing is expected from San Diego this season, in fact, it’s not even expected that they will even take the field in 2016, that’s how bad things are. It took San Diego 129 days to sign their prized no. 3 pick in this past draft. Things got so ugly trying to sign Joey Bosa, the defensive end’s mom said she “wished they had pulled a Eli,” and had refused to even go to San Diego on draft night. The Chargers do have a great quarterback in Phillip Rivers, but he suffers from the complete lack of a rushing attack. This makes the job tough on Rivers. With the questions of defense and the one dimension offense the Chargers will not get their first win until week 16 against Cleveland. And with the first pick in the 2017 draft the San Diego Chargers select…
2. Raiders win AFC West and make the playoffs
Just Win Baby, the Raiders are back! The Raiders drastically improved from three wins into 2014 to seven wins in 2015, and were in the playoff hunt up to about week 11. Oakland has some of the best young talent in the NFL and hit the free agency market in a big way this offseason. They will end the drought with talent at the skills positions and a beast on the defense side of the ball. Derek Carr is on a different level and ready to make a bigger leap, Carr threw almost 4,000 yards and threw 12 more touchdowns in his second year than he did his rookie year. Carr’s 53 touchdowns in just his first two seasons are the same that Hall of Famer Dan Marino put up. Carr has Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree to throw the ball too. Crabtree showed what he could do when he has a true quarterback throwing him the ball (take that Kaepernick) and Cooper showed he is not too far away from being an elite wide out. Latavius Murray provides great support in the rushing game and the Raiders added Kelechi Osemele to beef up an offensive line that looks to be on of the best in the league. On defense, the Raiders added Reggie Nelson to replace Charles Woodson, shut down corner Sean Smith, and added Bruce Irvin in the middle of the defense. The guy to watch though is Khalil Mack. Mack is a freight train who gets off the ball faster than any other defensive end. He showcased his abilities in a five-sack performance in a win against Denver and finished only 2.5 sacks behind JJ Watt. Carr and Mack will lead the Raiders to the playoffs ending a 14-year drought. Raiders go 11-5, win the AFC West and make the playoffs.
1. Five teams that missed playoffs in 2015 will make the playoffs in 2016
2016 is going to be a fun year for the NFL. But why? Five teams that you did not see in the playoffs last season, will be in the playoffs this upcoming season. Raiders, Jets, Falcons, Colts, and Jaguars will all make the playoffs. The Raiders have a great trio on offense with Derek Carr, Michael Crabtree, and Amari Cooper. If you put that with the strong offensive line and a quick, talented running back in Latavius Murray the Raiders offense is capable of some fireworks. On defense, it starts with Khalil Mack and ends with Khalil Mack. The middle of the defense is solid and the Raiders added veterans to solidify their secondary.
The Jets.
New York was able to keep their quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, keep their wide receiving core, keep their defensive line unit, and add a talented running back in Matt Forte, which is why they make the list. All the Jets had to do was beat former coach, Rex Ryan once and they would have been in, but they were swept. Forte is a better option at running back than Chris Ivory was so the offense has more power and options. The defense is aging but has enough positives on the defensive line to make an impact.
The Falcons.
Atlanta really stumbled after a fast start that had them lined up to make the playoffs in 2015, but limped to the finish line. In the NFL you need a quarterback and a deep threat. The Falcons have both in Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Devonta Freeman is a prime piece in the backfield who exploded onto the scene in 2015. The defense will need some improvement in 2016, but losing nobody in free agency it offers the coaching staff the chance to fix those issues which boads well for 2016.
The Colts.
Andrew Luck is a huge piece of this team. Without him, you cannot succeed; with him, you have a chance. Luck will be back to form and will stay healthy which will help in dethroning the Texans from the top of the AFC South. With a healthy Luck, T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief will have big seasons.
The Jaguars
AFC South will be interesting this season, mainly because of the Jaguars. Jacksonville made huge strides in 2015 and this offseason with free agent signings. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are studs on the outside that both had over 1,000 yards receiving last season. Blake Bortles matured in 2015 and had over 4,000 yards passing and 35 touchdowns. TJ Yeldon provides balance to the offense and the addition of Chris Ivory provides depth and running back. However, their ceiling depends on their defense. Additions like Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson, and Prince Amukamara in free agency; drafting Jalen Ramsey, Sheldon Day and Myles Jack; and bringing back Donte Fowler Jr. the defense can get the ball rolling on the Jaguar playoff train.