1. New England Patriots
How many times do we have to learn not to go against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick? Assuming they stay together, we'll start with New England at the top.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
They have the reigning Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year and NFL MVP in Patrick Mahomes, and the rest of the league does not. A few more tweaks to the defense, and they'll be right back vying for the AFC title.
3. Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay and Jared Goff are just getting started and should have no problem making playoff runs and competng for titles. They will remain in win-now mode with all their veteran investments on defense, too.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
Anthony Lynn led them to a great 2018 season. Philip Rivers isn't going anywhere, and their backbone of defense and the running game is strong enough for them to stay in the AFC title mix despite being stuck behind the Chiefs.
5. Chicago Bears
Matt Nagy got a lot out of Mitchell Trubisky in Year 2 while the QB was still developing, and the defense is still loaded without coordinator Vic Fangio. Watch out for Chicago to get a complementary feature back for more support.
6. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are a little salary cap-strapped, and they need to make a few tough decisions to further shake up their roster. But they still have Drew Brees to lead the offense and plenty of playmakers on every level defensively.
7. Indianapolis Colts
Frank Reich took a page from Doug Pederson's book, only with a quicker turnaround, as Andrew Luck got healthy and took his game to a new level. Don't sleep on Darius Leonard and the young defense making them more of a 2017 Eagles Light, either.
8. Cleveland Browns
They will wake up next season feeling a lot more dangerous with Baker Mayfield still paired with Freddie Kitchens and an all-star coaching staff otherwise. Their time is now to finally take the AFC North with a potentially complete, exciting young team.
9. Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson always gives them a chance to win, and they should shore up some holes on a defense that needs a little more rebuilding around key pieces, after first taking care of Jadeveon Clowney.
10. Green Bay Packers
There are some good early vibes with Matt LaFleur taking over as coach. Aaron Rodgers, the running game and defense all add up to a potential rebound, even behind the Bears in a tough division.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles had a nice late-season grind to return to the playoffs on the heels of being Super Bowl champions, and they have enough talent with a successful nucleus for one to think they can take back the NFC East with fewer injuries.
12. Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson and the running game took it upon themselves to get the team back in the playoffs while the young defense found its way. Now there's a lot of promise for Pete Carroll to get the team to do damage in the NFC again.
13. Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson provided a spark, and now the process begins to round him into a more complete quarterback with better passing concepts and help. The foundation of running game and defense gives them a solid floor to push for another AFC North title.
14. Dallas Cowboys
Jason Garrett finished strong and made a key move bringing in Kellen Moore to run the offense and further help Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott make big plays together, complementing a solid defense.
15. Minnesota Vikings
Despite their offensive inconsistencies with Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook tied to their line play and some defensive wear, they remain a talented team. But 2019 is a critical year for both Cousins and coach MIke Zimmer.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
Putting them smack dab in the middle of the league makes sense, because there's a lot of offensive uncertainty in Pittsburgh, as well as a need for more defensive reconstruction. The Steelers could either push toward a ceiling with Mike Tomlin without so-called distractions, or start becoming a shell of their recent winning identity.
17. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have good pieces they hope will fit together better next season, and they should have more consistent success now with both Dirk Koetter and Mike Mularkey returning to help the offense, and coach Dan Quinn taking over the defense. They're the best bet to take back the NFC South should the Saints stumble.
18. Tennessee Titans
The Titans don't get a lot of style points under Mike Vrabel, but they are a tough team mentally and physically. They need to become more diverse and explosive offensively to be a true playoff contender.
19. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers might end up lower in the ranking with more uncertainty about the health of Cam Newton closer to the season. The defense is also entering a rebuilding phase, and Christian McCaffrey can only do so much to put the commentary offense on his back.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bruca Arians, Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich are hoping this turns into Arizona East by finally getting the most out of Jameis Winston's downfield passing and a defense that should be more productive with some of the front-seven talent it has. Don't be shocked if the Bucs become the latest team to have a massive immediate turnaround.
21. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have some offensive promise with the potential of Jimmy Garoppolo coming back fully healthy and their trading for a certain wide receiver from the Steelers to boost Kyle Shanahan's playbook. Defensively, they should get a difference-maker in the draft to go with some good pieces.
22. New York Jets
Sam Darnold did well with what he had in 2018, and Adam Gase will be a welcome Year-2 boon to the QB's pro-style development. The key here is whether Gregg Williams can get them to be a pressure defense to help them make a lot more plays on the back end.
23. Denver Broncos
Who will be the Broncos' starting quarterback in 2019, Case Keenum, another outside veteran such as Joe Flacco or a first-round rookie? While John Elway figures out how not to mess up the most important position, Vic Fangio will be a nice asset to restore their defensive pop, led by Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
24. New York Giants
The Giants can take a big leap if they can hit on a quarterback successor to Eli Manning and get better results from a defense that will settle better in James Bettcher's system. Pat Shurmur coaching them to a solid finish in 2018 after many tough losses is an inspiration for real improvement.
25. Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen did enough good things as a rookie for one to think he can enjoy a true breakout season in 2019, but the Bills need to address some concerns with the running game, offensive line and receiving corps. They also have to restore some pop in their defensive front seven for Sean McDermott.
26. Detroit Lions
The Lions' transition period to a team predicated more on the running game and defense under Matt Patricia continues, and it's hard to know what they will get from Matthew Stafford moving forward as he fades behind plenty of young guns around the league.
27. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals will be above-average offensively with A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon and a better line, but as they go away from the familiarity of Marvin Lewis after losing Paul Guenther a season ago, the defense will have several holes.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars' defense can restore some of the its reputation, but the sudden drama with Leonard Fournette and the search for a legitimate starting quarterback doesn't inspire much confidence, especially in what has become a tougher division.
29. Miami Dolphins
They shook up their front office and coaching staff looking for answers, and they have plenty of questions. They will lag behind the rest of the AFC East for a while.
30. Washington Redskins
Losing Alex Smith was a devastating blow, because they weren't prepared at quarterback without him. They won some ugly games with the running game and defense last season, but that will be hard to duplicate without a reliable passing game.
31. Oakland Raiders
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock need to get to work. Their biggest question is whether Derek Carr is still their best option at quarterback.
32. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are still trying to figure things out after replacing defensive-minded Steve Wilks with offensive-minded Kliff Kingsbury. The top draft pick helps, but 2019 will still feel like a rookie year for Josh Rosen, and the defense is undergoing another philosophical transition.
