updated 2/2/20
1) Kansas City Chiefs – Coach Andy Reid finally won the big one, led by the NFL’s top quarterback, a big-play offense and an underrated defense.
2) San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers return to prominence was led by a fast and aggressive D and a three-headed rushing attack that bludgeoned opponents into submission.
3) Green Bay Packers – Rookie Coach Matt LaFleur led the Packers to their best record since 2011 behind two Aarons on offense and two Smiths on defense.
4) Tennessee Titans – Tennessee surprised the NFL by coming within one game of the Super Bowl, led by a resurgent Ryan Tannehill and the bruising running style of Derrick Henry.
5) Baltimore Ravens – After a historically dominant regular season by Lamar Jackson and company, one bad day prevented the Ravens from achieving greatness.
6) Seattle Seahawks – Despite being decimated by injuries, miracle workers Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson brought the Seahawks within one drive of the NFC Championship Game.
7) Minnesota Vikings – Kirk Cousins earned his first career playoff win, assisted by a talented offense and an opportunistic defense.
8) Houston Texans – A balanced offense led by Deshaun Watson brought Houston its second straight AFC South championship.
9) New Orleans Saints – After an outstanding regular season featuring record-breaking receiver Michael Thomas, the Saints fell short in the NFC Wild Card Game.
10) New England Patriots – After a 10-1 start to the season, Tom Brady’s historic run as Patriots quarterback ended in a whimper.
11) Buffalo Bills – The up and coming Bills made their second playoff appearance in the past 20 years behind the league’s second best scoring defense.
12) Philadelphia Eagles – Despite an onslaught of injuries, the resilient Eagles won the NFC East for the second time in three years.
13) Los Angeles Rams – The defending NFC champions underachieved all season, falling short of the playoffs despite a star-studded roster.
14) Dallas Cowboys – Much like the Rams, the talented Cowboys disappointed in 2019, losing the NFC East to the injury-plagued Eagles.
15) Pittsburgh Steelers – Even without the injured Ben Roethlisberger and the departed Antonio Brown, an outstanding defense kept the Steelers competitive.
16) Chicago Bears – After a 12-4 record and NFC North title in 2018, an anemic offense brought the Bears back to mediocrity in 2019.
17) Atlanta Falcons – After a nightmare 1-7 start to the season, the Falcons were one of the NFL’s best teams in the second half.
18) Denver Broncos – An inconsistent offense gave the Broncos their third straight losing season for the first time since 1972.
19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The NFL’s third-ranked offense couldn’t get out of its own way, committing a league-high 41 turnovers.
20) Oakland Raiders – The Raiders disappointed in their final season in Oakland, losing five of their last six games.
21) New York Jets – After being one of the NFL’s worst teams in the first half of the season, the Jets surprised everyone by going 6-2 in the second half.
22) Indianapolis Colts – After a promising 5-2 start without the retired Andrew Luck, reality set in as the Colts lost seven of their last nine.
23) Cleveland Browns – A playoff contender at the beginning of the season, Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and the Browns disappointed mightily.
24) Los Angeles Chargers – Coming off a 12-4 season in 2018, the hard luck Chargers couldn’t buy a win in 2019, with nine of their 11 losses coming by seven points or less.
25) Jacksonville Jaguars – Despite some strong individual performances, the Jaguars couldn’t find team success in 2019.
26) Arizona Cardinals – Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray experienced some growing pains in their first season in Arizona.
27) Miami Dolphins – After being outscored by 137 points in their first four games, the Dolphins rallied to achieve respectability.
28) New York Giants – Injuries derailed the Giants in 2019, but Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley provide hope for the future.
29) Carolina Panthers – After a successful run, Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly’s final season in Carolina ended in disappointment.
30) Detroit Lions – After a competitive start to the season, the Lions finished with nine straight losses.
31) Washington Redskins – The league’s worst scoring offense wasn’t much better on defense, finishing with a point differential of -10.6.
32) Cincinnati Bengals – A disastrous season by the Bengals brought one silver lining: the #1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Comments