Board 8 > Board 8 National Football League League (B8NFLL) Season 18: The Offseason

(+) Yeah! (+)

Free agency and thus the offseason has ended. I will open up the PMs and post the remaining signings.

Round 3 of Free Agency Results
Bills sign DE Scott Harrell to a 3 year deal
Browns sign SS Shawn Williams to a 3 year deal
Buccaneers sign OLB Sean Spence to a 3 year deal
Buccaneers sign DE Matthew Ioannidis to a 4 year deal
Chiefs sign HB Robert Turbin to a 3 year deal
Falcons sign G Andrew Norwell to a 3 year deal
Falcons sign DE Kareem Martin to a 4 year deal
Falcons sign TE Jesse James to a 4 year deal
49ers sign FS Rob Jackson to a 3 year deal
Giants sign FB Leslie Evans to a 3 year deal
Packers sign SS Patrick Chung to a 3 year deal
Packers sign G Damien Bell to a 3 year deal
Packers sign CB Eric Bass to a 2 year deal
Panthers sign TE James Smith to a 2 year deal
Panthers sign C Jesse White to a 3 year deal
Panthers sign OT Jim Dicket to a 3 year deal
Patriots sign MLB Chris Borland to a 5 year deal
Patriots sign QB John Johnson to a 3 year deal
Raiders sign DT Montae McDonald to a 4 year deal
Raiders sign DE Jeremy Pettway to a 2 year deal
Wildcats sign HB Bishop Sankey to a 5 year deal

The following are preseason Madden tiers based on the team rating. The tiers are ordered from best-to-worst and the teams within each are alphabetically ordered.

Didn't Even Win the Division Last Season
Vikings

All of These Teams Made a Super Bowl in the Past Four Seasons
Dolphins
Express
Pioneers
Raiders
Rams

Making a Comeback, and the Reigning Super Bowl Champions
Broncos
Commanders
Cowboys
Orcas

Looking to End Some Long Playoff Droughts
Bengals
Giants
Jaguars
Seahawks
Steelers
Wildcats

Obligatory 1/3 of the League
Bears
Bills
Browns
Buccaneers
Colts
Eagles
Falcons
49ers
Jets
Panthers
Patriots

Baltimore Isn't Used to Being Here
Chiefs
Lions
Packers
Ravens
Titans

To Do:
- Record draft in my notebook
- Update roster/team financial/free agent sheet
- Send out coaching strategies
- Sim preseason likely on Friday the 26th
- Division/Conference predictions
- Create new topic + decide sim dates and stuff

KCF0107 posted...

Baltimore Isn't Used to Being Here

Maybe this is a sign that I should let the AI handle things.

I mean, you are clearly being punished in rating for the low talent level of your front seven, and your defense finished in the Top 10 last season. I wouldn't get too caught up with that.

Anyway, with plans to sim the preseason on the 26th, all teams must be cap compliant by then

Coaching Strategies

Each user has an opportunity to alter some portions of how their team operates on the field. Here are the following categories you can change and what they mean.

Base Defense
You have a choice of 4-3 or 3-4. Under a 4-3, you start 2 DTs and 1 MLB. Under a 3-4, you start 2 MLBs and 1 DT.

Run-Pass Offense
The ratio of plays that will be run or pass plays on offense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Conservative-Aggressive Offense
The ratio of plays that will be risk-averse or risky on offense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Running Back Splits
How carries will be split among the top two RBs on your depth chart. This is on a sliding 100 point scale. That being said, I feel like coaches ignore whatever you put under this category and do whatever they please. That or RB2 actually refers to all HBs/FBs/QBs/WRs/TEs who may run with the ball and are not RB1.

Run-Pass Defense
The ratio of plays that will be geared more toward run-stopping or pass-rushing plays on defense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Conservative-Aggressive Defense
The ratio of plays that will be risk-averse or risky on defense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Pre-season hype bump

Hype

AI trade just before preseason

Commanders receive:
CB Charles Ferris (82 overall, 29 years old)
WR Pat Andersen (77, 24)

Raiders receive:
WR Mack Bowden (77, 23)
CB Ken Crawley (76, 26)

I did this in the game and forgot to write down contract details for Commanders. Both teams incur under $1 mil cap penalties, and most importantly for the Raiders, they get under the cap.

Commanders had a ton of cap space and could afford to absorb more. They get a CB in Ferris who will push for a starting job or at least be a high-end slot corner, and they just had to get rid of their current slot corner and #4 WR.

Raiders do a good job at getting decent talent back at good contract figures as they had few options without doing a bunch of transactions to get under the cap. This allows them to get 1st rounder CB Levi Wallace some immediate playing time in the slot too.

Raiders understood trade parameters, financial impact, player histories, and what both teams hoped to achieve. This trade is official.

To Do:
- Input new schedule
- Division/Conference predictions
- Create new topic + decide sim dates and stuff

Ugh, most injuries. Go me, at least none are all that bad.

KCF0107 posted...

To Do:
- Input new schedule
- Division/Conference predictions
- Create new topic + decide sim dates and stuff

Hate to add to your list but you missed off update depth charts

The Depth Chart sheet should now be updated for preseason events. Please, please, please look over it 10 or however many times it takes for you to fully comprehend what you are seeing. Every season without fail, at least one person is unaware of their depth chart and makes a comment at some point asking why so-and-so player is starting or why another player isn't. The depth charts are updated every season after the postseason as the game automatically re-orders because the AI optimizes it based on preseason performance and position battles. I have nothing to do it with it, so don't ask me why. Just ask me to update it if it bothers you.

To Do:
- Division/Conference predictions
- Create new topic + decide sim dates and stuff

FYI: You didn't update my left guards. On the depth chart, I mean.

I did, but I deleted the wrong LG from last season

AFC West Prediction

1. Portland Express
2. Oakland Raiders
3. Denver Broncos
4. Kansas City Chiefs

One can argue that the Express have been the league's best team over the past five seasons. Retirements to Hall of Famer MLB John Abbate and OLB Koa Misi shouldn't stop them from adding to the cause. They are elite on offense, defense, and special teams, and they might be the only team able to claim that. Yeah, their depth has taken a little hit, but it won't be tested right away as they left the preseason with one starter injured, and he might return the opening game. They do open the season with three straight road games to playoff contenders and then their home opener is to a bounceback candidate in the Jags. If they can manage to begin 2-2 or better, then they have an excellent chance to reach double digit wins and presumably a playoff spot with the schedule being relatively weak after the initial quarter of the season.

The Raiders had the league's #30 offense last season but managed to make to their first Super Bowl behind the #1 defense. Two of their best defenders, MLB Vontaze Burfict (a former Def PotY) and SS Kam Chancellor, left in free agency, so some regression is in order on that side of the ball. The offense will likely need to see some decent improvement though. The OL was finally invested in last season, and it performed well. The skill positions are where the concerns are at. QB Gaines was great at managing the game, but with him not being much of a passing threat or talent elevator, the onus is mostly on second-year HB Chris Carson to make a major leap forward. While HBs are typically slow to reach optimal efficiency and effectiveness, it isn't unheard of to see someone break out in major way so soon (like HB Joe Mixon who then regressed in his third season last year). Even if that doesn't happen with Carson, the defense should be good enough to keep them in playoff contention. With a lot of teams that underwent major changes over the offseason, it's hard to gauge their schedule as a whole, but my first thought was that their away schedule does look a little tough.

The Broncos have just three losing records in 17 seasons and have never had double digit losses in a season. This could be a season where that streak is threatened. The Broncos have still not properly replaced LaMarcus Coker at HB and with the offseason trade of Dalvin Cook, they are on attempt #4 or 5. To say Cook has had an underwhelming career up to this point is an understatement, but he's never been injured and has seen his yards and YPC increase each season. While the Broncos OL has the talent, they haven't quite had the production of late, but perhaps in a contract year, they could see Cook have a breakout season. The question to me and what might limit their ceiling/cause their downfall is on defense though. While generally a great defensive team, they lost longtime DL studs to retirement, and they are being replaced by fringe starting talent with extremely playing history. In a run-oriented game as the one we are using for this project, the DL is the most important part of a defense, and if those two cause the defense to get gashed against the run, it could be a long season for Denver in what has recently been a pretty competitive conference. I don't think things will be grim, but I do believe that Denver doesn't have the ceiling that it has had.

The losses the Chiefs experienced over the offseason (2 prominent CBs and a SS) weren't as bad as their divisional foes, but they were important parts of this team, at least the CBs. Still, the secondary is a weakness of this team, not that their schedule has a bunch of opponents prepared to exploit that. While not in great shape, the OL is more talented than it was last season. Hopefully that rubs off on QB A.J. McCarron who was downright dreadful the final 3/4 of the season. I think his passer rating was the second-worst in the league among qualified QBs, only beating 49ers rookie Kyler Murray. Even a 10 point improvement to the below-average territory of the low-70s would be a boon to this team that has thin margins for error. They had a revolving door at HB last season due to injuries, so as long as LeSean McCoy has a healthier season, the offense should improve with a regression toward the mean with McCarron and the OL changes. I don't think it will be enough to end the league's longest playoff drought, but maybe they can avoid an all-too-common Top 10 pick.

AFC East

1. Miami Dolphins
2. Buffalo Bills
3. New England Patriots
4. New York Jets

From an offensive perspective, this could be the last hurrah of the Dolphins as QB Sam Keller will certainly retire and LG Max Jean-Gilles and HB Jacquizz Rodgers might follow suit. After years of having a ton of depth and talent, the OL was an issue last season, but with the signing of RT Mitchell Schwartz (I was going to sign him...) and his roughly 13:1 block-per-sack career ratio, they could get even better on that side of the ball. The defense is the calling card for this team though as it hasn't finished outside the Top 10 for probably 15 seasons or so. Even for such a young unit (only three starters in their 30s), they are extremely talented, disruptive, and shut down the run and pass. They haven't missed the playoffs since Sam Keller was installed as the starter, and I can't imagine them missing it in his final season. They also probably have the best odds out of anyone to win their division, but with the Bills and Pats making major moves to close the gap, I won't guarantee it. They normally have a difficult-on-paper schedule because of usually getting a 1st-place schedule, but other than likely being the underdogs in road games against the Pioneers and Vikings, they should be favorites in every other game. I would be surprised if they don't win double digit games. While they work toward a first round bye or even the conference's #1 seed, don't forget that HB Jacquizz Rodgers is working on passing Emmitt Smith on the all-time rushing list and needs around 1500 yards to do so.

The Bills have worked hard to secure high-end talent over the years, but it has never translated to enough wins to make the playoffs. While their stars and scrubs team-building approach has on occasion been tested, they have been one of the healthiest teams over the past several seasons in terms of total injuries and games lost to injury. You can speculate if it was more of collecting the wrong players or playing under a poor strategy, but whatever it just didn't work out. Will this year be different? They brought in upper-90s OL in G Jackson and C Ryan Kelly, so their OL might be pretty decent now. QB Josh Allen had a typical up-and-down season from a QB, but I would say it was a promising campaign, and HB Todd Gurley was his usual self. This offense could climb into the top half of the league if things break right. The defense, which I am assuming won't be kept at a 3-4 or my opinion will be different, is looking promising in the front seven with Top 10 pick DE Dean Lowery. The secondary lacks the talent and production to give me any faith in it, but like the Chiefs, their schedule doesn't have a lot of heavy passing hitters. I do think the Bills are playoff contenders this season, but it will be a battle to grab a wild card.

I hate the Pats switching to a 3-4 D. A lot. When determining defensive alignment, your DL is the only thing that matters. Ignore your LBs and secondary because they are irrelevant. The Pats have two, 20-something DTs with elite makeups that they are just going to put one on the bench. DE Cliff Avril, who is an average-at-best run-defender, is not suited to take on and penetrate through multiple OL. He is a poor fit for a 3-4 D based on his skillset and production. This is a team that consistently finishes in the Top 10 on defense, including last season. There is no good reason from a football perspective to switch to a 3-4. I also do not agree with their decision to let HB Dexter McCluster walk, though they did try to get him back, especially in light of their offensive changes this offseason. Having a great, dependable in a sea of unknowns at offensive skill players at least gives you a focal point. We don't know who QB Brodie Garret is, HB Kenny Hamilton has been an exciting backup in Atlanta, but at the starting level, efficiency is critical for a HB, and if more touches will just result in a typical 3.7 YPC season from him, that's going to blow. WR Martavis Bryant coasted off his out-of-nowhere great season with the Packers a couple of seasons ago, but has been forgettable outside of that. TE Cameron Brate is a blocker and not expected to play much of an offensive role. Sure their offense is a lot more talented than it was a season ago, but how much can it really improve with the players it collected? They still have an elite OL, and while I loathe their defensive decision, I don't think it will tumble to being one of the worst Ds or anything that drastic. I would put them last, but I just have this feeling that they are going to bullshit their way a respectable record. That being said, starting the season with five straight road games and potentially playing multiple without several quality starters is something to keep an eye on if they start off slow and miss out on a playoff spot by a game.

For awhile now, the Jets have been pretty solid across the board, well maybe special teams have been lacking. They have routinely finished in the 11-19 range on offense and defense and had a positive turnover differential. They are still seeking a playoff appearance in the Abacus era, and maybe it comes this season, I don't know, but my guess is we will have to wait another year. The LB corps and secondary look great, but the DL is looking a little shaky right now with no DT really taking charge, and DE Malik Jackson not doing much against the run. Ogbah has been great at least. On offense, the receiving corps is fine while the OL has been a real bright spot. The question is at QB and HB. QB Deshaun Watson was the #2 overall pick awhile ago. He was injured most of his rookie season, and when he finally played, it was promising. Over the ensuing seasons, he has just not looked good. In S16, his passer rating was in the 50s, so last season's upper-60s mark look phenomenal by comparison. He may not have an elite group to throw to, but this is basically his last shot if I was in charge of the team. HB Joe Mixon had a very disappointing campaign after his breakout sophomore campaign in S16. The main culprit was his YPC going down by nearly half a yard. It could be a very ugly offensive season if neither Watson nor Mixon get back on track. I think the Jets have the higher floor and you could argue a higher ceiling than the Bills and Pats, but just call it a feeling that they will be bringing up the rear this year. Their schedule certainly won't help.

AFC North

1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Mexico City Browns
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Baltimore Ravens

Losing Chris Hogan for nearly half the season is a huge blow for the Bengals, but they've routinely had an elite offense in the Andy Dalton/Derrick Henry era, so they will survive. 1st round rookie Kenny Golladay starts off his career as the #1 option as a result. The main reason why I am picking the Bengals to end what I believe is the league's second or third-longest playoff drought is that I feel as the investments that the team has made on the defensive side over the years will finally show the result that they are looking for. This is a sneaky great secondary, the LBs corps is looking great. They have two elder beasts at DT, and DE DeForest Buckner has had a great start to his career. The offense/defense combo of this team is too enticing to pass up, and the other teams in the division have bigger question marks and glaring weaknesses. This is the Bengals' time to seize the division.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect from the Browns this season. They underwent a number of changes that is ultimately leaving the DL pretty suspect, especially in the wake of DT Knighton's injury, but the team is intriguing in other areas. QB Mitchell Trubusky had a great OL and poor offensive skill cast in the 49ers and was just dragged around before ending his five-year contract there. He has a career passer rating in the 80s, which makes him an interesting pick up by the Browns who drafted Dak Prescott over Trubisky in that draft class. The rest of the offense is mostly the same, save for a veteran offensive-oriented TE in Charles Clay, and a former 2nd rounder ascending to a starting G spot. The defense is where the radical changes occurred. They are going back to a 4-3 D and three projected starting DL weren't starting for them last season, and the other was a mid-season signing. MVP David Harris gets a new sidemate with Rookie of the Year candidate Andrew Van Ginkel. Veteran SS Chris Browning comes to Mexico City from division rival Cincinnati where he has been a DB of the Year finalist the past three seasons, winning twice. They are more likely to see things go awry than set the league on fire, but I feel like they should remain playoff contenders throughout the season. With the division being one of the most winnable, I could definitely see them winning it back-to-back.

The Steelers are very unsexy but at least adequate team. Their revolving door of QBs were, to put it simply, not good last season, but the ordinary but highly productive HB Christian McCaffrey and a dependable defense helped rebound from a terrible start to the season to avoid hitting double digit losses. They are switching back to a 3-4 D this season. DT Richardson and DE Ingram should transition fine. Rookie DE Deatrich Wise Jr. may not, but he didn't win the job out of the preseason so that may not matter. I'm expecting more of the same out of this team as I am usually accustomed to. 7-9 wins and in the playoff hunt.

I want to assure people here that this division could end up in any order, and I wouldn't be too surprised. The Ravens' combination of HB, OL, and defensive history (finished in Top 10 last season despite some talent deficiencies), could easily get them back to the division crown if their usual performance holds. QB Sam Darnold actually had a pretty decent rookie campaign, and their receiving corps are better than people think. Their offense is quite solid, and in this new age of the league where defenses are getting better, quality offenses might become the new competitive edge before long. I'm only putting them last because I do believe that their front seven might finally spell the end of their defensive dominance. It really just comes down to talent, and this lower talent with them seeing two starting LBs depart over the offseason might be too much to overcome the in-game algorithm. I guess time will tell.

AFC South

1. Columbus Pioneers
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Tennessee Titans

After enduring back-to-back 7-9 seasons (okay, they did win the division and a playoff game in the second), the Pioneers rebounded with a 10-6 and playoff-winning season. They have outstanding talent on offense with the dual threat QB Russell Wilson, the elite-when-healthy HB DeMarco Murray, potentially the best pass-catching trio in WRs Stefon Diggs and Eric Decker and TE Mark Andrews, and a great OL. They are more importantly elite on defense even while developing young DEs in a 3-4 D. They aren't thought of in the same way as the Express and Dolphins, but they are absolutely Super Bowl contenders. Some of their toughest non-divisional games are played at home too. If you want a sneaky #1 conference seed, which I guess anyone that isn't the Express, Dolphins, and maybe Raiders to some, they are my pick.

The Jags absolutely should have been a playoff team the past two seasons but blew it with terrible final stretches of the season. They took a more proactive approach this offseason and while it remains to be seen if their decision to put off rebuilding the DL for another season will backfire this season, it did allow them to sign former Defensive Player of the Year MLB Vontaze Burfict in free agency. They once had the weakest LB group, but their former Top 10 picks at OLB have come along, if slowly, and with the signing of Burfict, this defense is looking like it could be their best in awhile. The offensive depth has improved too, but the real question is at QB. Kirk Cousins was terrible when healthy last season, but he lost the preseason battle to Reuben Lane, and the team has a great record when Lane has started in his young career. Entering the season injury-free, I like the Jags' odds this season.

What do I make of the Colts? The offense is young and improving (HB Jamaal Williams being the biggest suprise) all the way to around league average last season, but while individually there is of course more room for improvement, how much more can we expect them to collectively climb this season if at all? It feels like we would really need teams to collapse to see much more improvement in offensive rankings. The defensive collapse last season was staggering. There's no way that they finish as low as they did, but how far will they climb back up? For a team that is largely the same as last season's starting roster, there are a lot of unknowns given their youth and unexpected development/regression. I feel like third is a safe place to put them. Not having one of their best defenders, DT Dan Williams, for at least the first quarter of the season could sneakily be one of the most unfortunate injuries because their schedule is front-loaded with divisional games.

The Titans D isn't especially talented, and it did regress from its unexpected Top 10 unit from S16, but I look at it and think that it is adequate enough. That's maybe not a ringing endorsement, but it shouldn't weigh them down this season. Offense is a different issue. They used to have one of the better OLs in the league, and well, this is what retirements and not replacing them has resulted in. They have two mid-70s players expected to start on the left side. That seems like an impossible scenario at this point in the project, but here we are. Ifedi and Britt are pretty great and Winters had a lot of blocks (and sacks allowed) last season, so maybe they can just run to the right and have QB Ray Flewelling and his like eight career passing attempts go to the right side upon taking a snap. They were actually a winning team once they weren't relying on a third-string HB, but I'm not particularly excited by Ronald Jones II. I'm sure that this team will surprise me in some way, but it will be an uphill battle to get back into the playoffs. I was a bit surprised that they didn't cut WR Sterling Shepard to give them over $10 mil to beef up the OL, but they start the season with three straight home games. Maybe they can use that to gauge their team and do what I just mentioned if things aren't looking great.

AFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Portland Express
2. Columbus Pioneers
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Cincinnati Bengals
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Oakland Raiders

Playoff Contenders
7. Buffalo Bills
8. Denver Broncos
9. Mexico City Browns
10. Indianapolis Colts
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
12. New England Patriots
13. Kansas City Chiefs
14. New York Jets
15. Baltimore Ravens
16. Tennessee Titans

NFC West Prediction

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Toronto Wildcats
4. San Francisco 49ers

The Rams bring back 9 starters from a defense that has routinely finished in the Top 5. While those two missing are DT Red Bryant and OLB Jerry Hughes, the defense has more than enough star power to continue being an elite unit. The offense is where things could get dicey. QB Ryan Tannehill has always been a highly productive player, but in recent years, his turnovers have increased, including leading the league in INTs last season. He's still one of the most efficient QBs out there with his high completion %, YPA, and general counting stats, but it would help if the running game and OL were more consistent. HBs Matt Forte and Mike Davis raced out to a fast start last season, but neither ended up reaching 1000 yards. The OL had three new starters last season after multiple retirements, and there was a noticeable drop off from their SB-winning season. Now they are going to have two new starters, and all but one of their five starters is in the lower-to-mid 80s. There could be some regression on the offensive end, and that would make them vulnerable in what could be a stronger division. My money is still on them though.

The Seahawks got things back on track as they snuck into the postseason. They didn't do a whole lot over the offseason, but they do have a pair of new defensive starters and have retooled their depth on offense. This has long been a team that has underachieved, but I feel like they can replicate last season. If 2nd-year QB Gardner Minshew plays the same or better after last season's great rookie season, they get anything out of their running game, and the defense continues to make strides, they could take the NFC West from the Rams and even be in contention for a first round bye. I'm going to temper my expectations a bit, but this team has a pretty high ceiling.

Okay, so I planned to do a complete overhaul of my offense over the offseason. Mission accomplished as I have a new starting QB, HB, and three OL and seven of my 10 overall OL are new to the team this year. The bad news is that I didn't really operate with my flurry of trades with viable financial foresight as I had planned on attempting to sign RTs Jeff Zeigler, Mitchell Schwartz, or Andre Smith in that order. My financials were simply not good enough, and I also had to pivot to a lesser FB with a promise archetype. The defense should still be great, and its depth has been bolstered, but to break one of the longest active playoff droughts, the OL needs to perform better, and the running game needs to improve a lot. The big questions are if the OL can overcome its talent deficiencies, and if HB Kenyan Drake can stay healthy. The entire NFC West do not have great schedules with dates against the AFC West and a resurgent NFC South, so the Wildcats might need both questions answered in their favor if they wish to make a return trip to the playoffs.

The 49ers rarely pick in the Top 10, and they tumbled all the way to their worst season behind a very sad offensive display. QB Kyler Murray finished dead last in passer rating and simply did not help the offense in nearly every game. HB Thomas Rawls has been adequate, but his production has seen a sizeable drop from his peak years. Their receiving corps has long been a massive disappointment, but that could change this season as finances forced them to make changes. Out are Cordarrelle Patterson and Brandin Cooks and in are Jordy Nelson and Percy Harvin. Both could retire after the season, but for a quick fix, these are pretty productive players and could help Murray's development. The defense looks largely complete now with taking CB Donte Jackson 2nd overall and swapping the ill-fitting DE Whitney Mercilus for Paul Freeney. This looks to be a pretty competitive division, and maybe the 49ers have it in them to pull an upset like they did two seasons ago when they finished with the #1 seed in the NFC. I think that I need to see more offensive stability before I'm willing to put them ahead of the other divisional teams.

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Washington Commanders
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. New York Giants

Could the Cowboys finally be back in the playoffs after a collapsing multiple seasons in a row now? They shored up some of their offensive issues. The running game probably still won't be great, but at least they have better depth with the drafting of HB Lindsay. Even with their playoff drought, the defense has still been playing at a high level, and they bring back all but one of their starters from last season. Their schedule is backloaded in terms of tough assignments, but they are largely home games. It's a weird schedule overall, and they did suffer some OL injuries and a starter on defense that will carry on through their away-heavy start to the season. If they can reach their bye at 3-2, I'd say that they are on the right track to a playoff spot.

I really want to pick the Commanders to finish atop the division. They spent a lot of resources on the defense and offense over the offseason, and they already had a pretty talented team with a very good offense. They finished the preseason with a fully-intact team, but this schedule is funny with their first seven weeks being all home games and their bye, thus ending their season with eight of 10 games on the road. Perhaps I'm being silly in preemptively thinking that their injury luck will run out eventually and thus being shorthanded in a road-heavy finale, but call it a hunch.

The Eagles have one of the best defenses in the league but also one of the biggest disparities between offensive and defensive prowess. It was a little surprise to me that they re-signed Taysom Hill who has been largely efficient but hasn't helped elevate the offense in his time with the team. HB Leonard Fournette was injured for a good chunk of last season but never looked great when healthy. This might be the most forgettable receiving corps despite there being four players rated 80+. The OL always seems to be a work-in-progress. They needed a Cowboys collapse to take the division last season, and with every other team being improved for this season, they might not be so lucky again this season. A noticeable improvement from the offense would go a long way though.

The Giants should be more competitive this season. QB Aaron Murray is one of the best in the league, they invested more in the OL, and maybe the defense continues to rise in their second season in a 3-4 D. The Giants have been accustomed to fast starts before completely fizzling out over the past several seasons, and with a relatively easy schedule to begin the year, maybe that will hold true once again. I don't know, but I think Murray will really help out this team even if the receiving corps is lacking a true threat. They are just two seasons removed from being in play for the division until the conclusion of Week 17, so maybe they can stay in it until the end as well.

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Chicago Bears
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Detroit Lions

Madden declared the Vikings as the best team this season. I'm inclined to believe that they will claim the division at any rate. After a post-SB retirement party depleted their secondary for S16, the unit was much improved in S17, and it is looking like one of the better secondaries in the league. It was their run defense though that led to their elite defensive season last year, and they bring back everyone behind that (well, they bring back all of their defensive starters). On offense, they still have one of the best OL in the league, and their passing game looked great with the additions of QB Jimmy Garoppolo and WR Brandon Marshall. I'm expecting something similar from them this season. They were dealt a massive blow in the running game with dual-threat and perennially underrated HB Dion Lewis done for the season and probably his career. I don't know when the injury occurred, but if they don't sign anyone, it all falls to 4th year HB C.J. Prosise. If he is this year's Knile Davis, then maybe the Vikings really are the Super Bowl favorites. They should be a playoff team at least.

The Bears pretty much bring back the same team as last year. MLB Chris Borland is replaced with the more all-around Kiko Alonso, and I assume that HB Dexter McCluster will be the lead back. That about sums things up for them over the offseason. I guess they are simply hoping for a more congealed peformance by the offense and defense to get them in the wild card discussion, which I think that they can do. They finish the season on a six-game homestand, including just two playoff teams from a season ago, and none who won a playoff game. If they can enter that homestand around .500, they could be well-positioned for a end-of-season playoff push.

So the horrible injuries that they suffered last preseason were not devastating like I thought. QB Tyrod Taylor is back for one last hurrah, but to a less talented OL and handing things off to a highly-drafted but untested HB. The defense is also seeing some new faces after retirements to long-time stalwarts. The Packers tend to alternate great and not-so-great seasons as of late, so this is why I'm putting them down third, but their foundation is solid enough to once again finish in the top half of the division or even pull off the division upset like they did last season. They will be tested with an absolutely brutal end of season schedule with away games against the Rams, Vikings, Cowboys, and Dolphins as well as a home date against the reigning champion Orcas.

With the Lions re-signing HB Alex Collins, they have all-but-accepted another moribund offensive season. There's WR Torrey Smith, a QB that does a good job at limiting turnovers, and uh, that's it. As such, they will be hoping that their defense gets back into a borderline Top 10-unit that has helped them sneak into the playoffs in recent seasons. They did draft a DE #1 overall that was better suited to the 3-4 base D that they run, but he is currently not a starter. They also lost Hall of Famer OLB Willie Williams and long-time FS Tyvon Branch to retirement. Their replacements are something I guess. While I think that they can avoid another top pick in the draft, I just don't see them improving enough to be in playoff contention.

NFC South

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. San Juan Orcas
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Carolina Panthers

The Buccaneers lack the talent of the Orcas and Falcons, and their QB and HB are real question marks, but what the hell, let's be playful here at the end and say they shock the league to a division crown. They have a really good OL, an underrated receiving corps, and they overhauled the defense quite a bit. They are coming off of an 8-8 season with a team that was far less talented than this one. I think that they can get additional wins here to take the division. It will depend on former #1 overall pick QB Trevor Largent to do a hell of a lot better at living up to his draft status and for third-year HB Alvin Kamara to make a big statement in his first season as a starter. It might come down to their ability to beat divisional foes as they end the season with facing the Orcas once and Falcons twice in the final four weeks.

The Orcas went all-in on a Super Bowl run last season, and it paid off. Now they are under AI control and players like HB Knowshon Moreno, WR Ted Ginn, and RT Andrew Whitworth are now retired. The defense sans MLB Telvin Smith remains in place, but the offense will need to keep up to remain Super Bowl contenders. QB Jameis Winston is coming off of an unexpected QB of the Year campaign, but given that was his first year as a starter, it's hard to imagine that he will replicate it. Their starting HB is 2nd-year player Nyheim Hines, and HBs are notoriously slow to becoming good starters, so even with them getting Jeff Zeigler back for a second stint with the team, I have to imagine that the offense is due for some regression. The Orcas only won the division the past two seasons with late surges and a collapse by the Falcons, so it wasn't as if they were running away with things even with better offensive talent. They can easily win the division again though, and they honestly are probably the favorites, but I'd like to see how they start offensively out of the gate while they largely face questionable defenses.

The Falcons are coming off of back-to-back 9-7 seasons with no playoffs to show for it. This offense is loaded on paper, but with top WR Allen Hurns out for the season, they might struggle against an early schedule featuring some of the best secondaries in the league. HB David Johnson is one of the best in the league, and might be our best once Doug Martin retires, but he's good to miss a couple games a season, and they no longer have a Kenny Hamilton to step in for a few starts. The defense has been mostly solid the past few years, but FS T.J. McDonald hasn't come close to replicating his sensational first season with the team, and losing 2nd-year DT D.J. Reader for the season is a big blow for an ascending front seven. Everyone is solid enough, but losing some ascending, solid players for an entire season takes away some competitive edges, and that means that the team will have to remain largely healthy. The Falcons have not had great injury luck over the years, so that might be asking too much out of them. Still, I can easily see the Falcons winning the division or a wild card with their star power. They just can't be dealt more bad injury news.

I actually think that the Panthers offense can be pretty decent. HB Tevin Coleman had his most efficient year, WR Davante Adams gets a full season with the team, and the OL has performed better than you think. It feels like they can regress to the mean and finish outside of the bottom 10. Moving on from some failed draft picks and trying to salvage QB Lamar Jackson's career though left the Panthers with over $10 mil cap penalties this season, and the result is a pretty ugly front seven. Talent issue aside, what's really alarming is how this group of players are not prepared to stop the run. The irony is that their best run-defender is probably DT Michael Thomas who was only elevated to a starter after they cut Sione Fua for cap reasons (who was inferior to Thomas in run-defense I might add). Assuming health holds, they will have eight games against teams who had a 1200+ yard rusher last season, a game against Mark Ingram, and four games against former first rounders getting their first crack at the full-time gig. This could be a long defensive season for the team. At least the secondary looks very good. The Panthers were one of a handful of teams to improve their record in each of the past two seasons, but for that to continue to a third, they would need to finish .500 or better, and I think their defense will prevent that.

NFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. San Juan Orcas
6. Chicago Bears

Playoff Contenders
7. Seattle Seahawks
8. Washington Commanders
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Toronto Wildcats
11. Green Bay Packers
12. Atlanta Falcons
13. San Francisco 49ers
14. New York Giants

Better Luck Next Season
15. Carolina Panthers
16. Detroit Lions

I'm thinking Tue/Thu or Wed/Fri sim dates, and we will likely start next week. I will hopefully make up my mind within the next few days and also post a new topic too.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80472056

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